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In reply to the discussion: Memorial Wall for Victims of Law Enforcement Violence [View all]GitRDun
(1,846 posts)25. Thomas McClain
A 22-year-old man shot by police on a stake out looking for felons with outstanding warrants on September 17, 2014. Name of the officer has been withheld.
Police version:
"I don't believe that the suspect that was ultimately shot, I don't believe he was one of the warrant subjects," he said. "I would add the caveat that this is still under investigation."
They say they observed McClain having a verbal argument with a man and say that McClain appeared to have a handgun on him.
"So fearing that there was going to be a level of violence, the officers felt that they needed to intervene at some point and make sure that things weren't going to get worse. And so they called in additional officers from their position where they could talk to the guy with the gun. And they gave him clear direction, 'We see the gun and don't move toward it.' And unfortunately, tragic events unfolded from there," said Police Chief Andrew Mills with the Eureka Police Department.
Eureka Police say a weapon was recovered.
"So fearing that there was going to be a level of violence, the officers felt that they needed to intervene at some point and make sure that things weren't going to get worse. And so they called in additional officers from their position where they could talk to the guy with the gun. And they gave him clear direction, 'We see the gun and don't move toward it.' And unfortunately, tragic events unfolded from there," said Police Chief Andrew Mills with the Eureka Police Department.
Eureka Police say a weapon was recovered.
Family Eyewitness:
Nichole Mottern, tells a different story. She says he did not have a gun on him, only a cell phone. She also says he was hard of hearing and didnt have his hearing aide in during the shooting.
"There were lights shining in my home and i walked out and went running outside and they told me to put my hands up and my cousin came walking out trying to see what was going on from the side of the porch. And they were just yelling and screaming. There were all kinds of cops. And he went walking out towards the grass and he started to put his hands up and they opened fire on him. They yelled, 'he's got a gun!' and opened fire and he didn't have a gun in his hand or anything. He was putting his hands up," said Mottern.
"There were lights shining in my home and i walked out and went running outside and they told me to put my hands up and my cousin came walking out trying to see what was going on from the side of the porch. And they were just yelling and screaming. There were all kinds of cops. And he went walking out towards the grass and he started to put his hands up and they opened fire on him. They yelled, 'he's got a gun!' and opened fire and he didn't have a gun in his hand or anything. He was putting his hands up," said Mottern.
I don't know how the family can get even a feeling of justice here. The "he's got a gun!" followed up by an alleged gun retrieval versus the cousin's statement he was holding a cell phone seems like it will not be resolved in favor of the victim. However, the fact that he was not the subject of a warrant and putting hands up to me, seems to be the act of an innocent person. Also, where is this mystery "other man"? This case is just another example, in my mind of a rush to deadly force by the police. There has to be a better way to approach people!
http://www.times-standard.com/breakingnews/ci_26550599/police-investigate-fatal-officer-involved-shooting-eureka
http://kiem-tv.com/video/identity-released-man-killed-epd-officer-involved-shooting
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They've probably found employment further down the coast. I followed the Facebook
KingCharlemagne
Oct 2014
#32