Search fatalities

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 1:10 a.m., West Allis Police officers observed a vehicle being driven recklessly near South 80th Street and West National Avenue and attempted a traffic stop. The driver continued driving away, and officers initiated a pursuit. Later police information placed the attempted stop in the 1900 block of South 82nd Street.
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OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY:
On 10/06/2021, West Allis Police pursued the vehicle east along National Avenue toward Milwaukee after attempting the reckless-driving stop. Police reported that the driver continued at high speed and disregarded stop signs. The pursuit extended roughly 60 blocks from the area of South 80th Street to South 21st Street.
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At South 21st Street and West National Avenue, the fleeing vehicle struck 34-year-old pedestrian Calob House. The driver continued east after striking him. West Allis officers terminated the pursuit at that point and attempted to save House, but he died at the scene. A nearby resident, Kevin Skenandore, described hearing screeching tires, approaching police vehicles and then the impact.
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House was a Milwaukee native and father of four children, all younger than 12. He lived only minutes from the intersection where he was killed. That night, House had been celebrating his girlfriend's birthday and was walking to meet her when the police pursuit reached the intersection. His father described him as a good kid with a strong sense of humor and a great father who had been looking forward to watching the Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs.
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House's brother, Michael House, questioned the consequences of the pursuit, asking why his brother's children should be left without their father “off of a traffic violation.” He emphasized that Calob was innocent of the events that brought police into the area and later appealed publicly for information so his children could eventually have answers about his death.
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The driver was not identified or arrested. Four years later, West Allis Police continued to classify House's death as an unsolved cold case and renewed its request for information. Police described the vehicle as a silver 2002–2006 Nissan Altima with heavily tinted windows, substantial passenger-side front-end damage and a missing passenger-side mirror. A reward was offered for information leading to an arrest.
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DISPOSITION:
No West Allis Police officer was criminally charged for an officer's role in initiating or continuing the pursuit. The driver who struck and killed House remained unidentified when police renewed their appeal for information in 2025.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The West Allis Police Department did not publicly identify the officers who initiated and participated in the fatal pursuit.

https://www.wisn.com/article/pedestrian-hit-and-killed-during-police-chase/37881958
https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/pedestrian-struck-and-killed-by-suspect-during-police-chase
https://www.fox6now.com/news/man-fatally-struck-by-vehicle-near-21st-and-national
https://www.fox6now.com/news/hit-and-run-victims-brother-pleads-to-community
https://www.fox6now.com/news/west-allis-police-fleeing-vehicle-suspect
https://www.cbs58.com/news/fatal-car-vs-pedestrian-crash-near-21st-and-national-in-milwaukee-road-closed-and-traffic-being-rerouted
https://www.fox6now.com/news/west-allis-2021-death-investigation-police-seeking-new-information
https://www.cbs58.com/news/west-allis-police-seek-new-leads-into-fatal-hit-and-run-near-21st-and-national

On 10/06/2021, Napa police responded after a neighbor called 911 reporting that Jeremy James Vellenoweth had pointed a gun at his father. Police stated officers heard a gunshot after arriving in the area. Police alleged they then saw Vellenoweth walking toward another man while holding a gun and claimed he raised the firearm. An officer opened fire and killed him.

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/napa-police-fatally-shoot-man-after-911-call/
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/north-bay/napa-police-shooting-pear-tree-lane/2681714/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-07/napa-police-shooting-man-killed-after-911-call
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/napa-police-shoot-man-after-report-of-gun/
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/napa/napa-police-vellenoweth-settlement-deguilo/

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/napa-pays-1m-settlement-after-man-shot-to-death-by-police-during-domestic-call/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/napa-pays-1m-settlement-man-175558226.html

On 10/06/2021, Kern County sheriff’s deputies located a vehicle occupied by Fidel Bedolla after responding to a domestic violence investigation in Bakersfield. Police stated deputies attempted to contact Bedolla and alleged he exited the vehicle holding a firearm. Deputies opened fire and killed him.

https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/kcso-investigating-deputy-involved-shooting-in-east-bakersfield
https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/kcso-deputy-involved-shooting-in-east-bakersfield/
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/deputies-shoot-kill-man-in-east-bakersfield/article_6cbb2b6c-26d2-11ec-9e91-6f5a6a4d5f9a.html
https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/domestic-violence-suspect-identified-in-deadly-officer-involved-shooting

On 10/06/2021, Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a domestic dispute at a residence on Ruben Navarro Street in Weslaco. Police stated a woman told deputies her son had assaulted her. Deputies entered the residence and alleged they encountered Guillermo San Miguel Sanchez holding a knife. Deputies opened fire and killed him.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/deputy-involved-shooting-weslaco-16517066.php
https://myrgv.com/featured/2021/10/08/sheriffs-office-man-shot-and-killed-by-deputies-lunged-at-them-with-a-knife/
 

On 10/05/2021, at approximately 4:33 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police responded to reports of shots fired during a robbery at a rest area along I-80 in Loganton, Pennsylvania. Upon arrival, officers encountered a male individual who had barricaded himself inside his rig and refused to comply with police orders. The individual drove his rig into two police vehicles. Officers opened fire and shot and killed him.
The Pennsylvania State Police are conducting an internal self-investigation.

https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2021/10/man-killed-following-i-80-standoff-with-psp/?utm_
https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2021/10/man-killed-in-i-80-shooting-identified/?utm_

Tom Sharkey was wanted for questioning regarding the murder of his wife, 26-year-old Alexis Sharkey. He was found shot in the head inside his daughter's Fort Myers home. At approximately 10 p.m., police initially spoke with Sharkey, but he ran upstairs and shot and killed himself.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/husband-wanted-instagram-influencer-murder-174540552.html

On October 5, 2021, at approximately 2:15 p.m., agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were attempting to arrest 40-year-old Corey Daniel Wellman in connection with a federal drug investigation. The incident occurred in the parking lot near the Country Café at 605 Murfreesboro Pike in Nashville, Tennessee. During the attempted arrest, police engaged him in a shootout, resulting in the death of Wellman and the critical injury of an ATF agent, who was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment. No Metro Nashville Police Department officers were injured or discharged their weapons during the incident.

Additional Information: Wellman had an active federal warrant for his arrest related to a months-long drug investigation initiated in June 2021, which included undercover heroin purchases. Family and friends have questioned the circumstances of the arrest, expressing concerns about the methods used by the ATF agents and whether they properly identified themselves during the operation.

https://www.wkrn.com/news/nashville-shooting-large-police-presence/
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/family-friends-gather-to-remember-man-killed-in-atf-shootout

On 10/05/2021, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a disabled minivan on the freeway near the interchange of Interstate 710 and Interstate 105. Police stated an individual exited the vehicle holding a gun. Police alleged the individual fired toward officers. Officers opened fire and killed Jesse Medrano.

https://kfiam640.iheart.com/content/2021-10-05-chp-officer-suspect-wounded-in-shooting-in-paramount/

On 10/05/2021, Tucson police responded to a report that a man had pointed a weapon at another person at a residence on East Fort Lowell Road. Police stated officers encountered Monte Lorenzo Laster and ordered him to drop the weapon. Police alleged Laster fired toward officers. Officer Michael Cooper opened fire and killed Laster.

https://www.kold.com/2021/10/06/tucson-police-officer-involved-shooting-leaves-man-dead/
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/tucson-police-investigate-officer-involved-shooting-on-fort-lowell-road
https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-killed-in-officer-involved-shooting-in-tucson/article_7a3c8b0e-25f5-11ec-9e9e-7f1e2c3b6a7d.html
https://www.kold.com/2021/10/06/update-suspect-dead-after-officer-involved-shooting-tucson/

On 10/05/2021, Pennsylvania State Police located Nurgazy Mamyrov after a reported robbery in Clinton County. Police stated troopers tracked him to a rest stop along Interstate 80 in Greene Township. Police alleged Mamyrov barricaded himself inside a tractor trailer and attempted to leave the area in the vehicle. Troopers opened fire and killed him during the encounter.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/10/state-police-kill-man-after-standoff-at-rest-stop-on-i-80.html
https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/state-police-investigating-fatal-shooting-on-i-80-in-clinton-county/article_7a6d7e4a-25d8-11ec-8f3b-9f5c9b1e3b12.html
https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2021/10/police-kill-man-after-armed-standoff-on-i-80/
https://www.pahomepage.com/top-news/reported-shooting-shuts-down-rest-stop-in-clinton-county/

https://www.northcentralpa.com/news/da-says-state-police-acted-reasonably-in-shooting-death-of-truck-driver/article_c1d4dba2-8a95-11ec-a2fb-939376afa235.html

https://clinton.crimewatchpa.com/da/133000/post/da-releases-ois-review-suspect-who-rammed-troopers-tractor-trailer-i-80-rest-area

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Shortly before midnight, Toledo Police attempted to stop the vehicle on Hill Avenue after officers observed it traveling at high speed. The driver initially pulled over, but as officers approached on foot, he drove away and police initiated a pursuit.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/05/2021, shortly before midnight, Toledo Police attempted the traffic stop on Hill Avenue. When the driver drove away, officers escalated a pursuit through central Toledo. The chase continued along Hill Avenue, Byrne Road, Dorr Street, Elysian Avenue and Nebraska Avenue. Contemporary reporting and later court coverage establish that the pursuit lasted approximately three minutes and that the vehicle reached about 120 mph.
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The pursuit ended in the 1600 block of Nebraska Avenue when the driver lost control and crashed violently into a duplex. The vehicle overturned and penetrated the lower portion of the residence. Twenty-year-old passenger Kemarr Thomas suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and died at the scene. The driver suffered serious injuries.
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The impact caused major structural damage to the duplex. A woman upstairs had to be removed through a second-floor window because the wreckage blocked the normal exits.
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Kemarr, known to his family as “Marr-Marr,” had turned 20 less than a year before his death. His obituary describes him as funny, energetic and deeply attached to his family and friends. He loved basketball, but his newest and greatest love was his infant son, Kemarr Thomas Jr.; his family said becoming a father had changed his outlook on life and that he was intensely proud of his little boy. He left behind his son, parents, siblings and a large extended family.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 1 Serious Injury.
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DISPOSITION:
Lee Moore was indicted on charges arising from the fatal pursuit crash and later pleaded no contest to vehicular homicide. In October 2023, he was sentenced to 16 months for vehicular homicide plus a consecutive 12-month sentence because he was on parole, for a total of 28 months incarceration.
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No Toledo Police officer was criminally charged for an officer’s role in initiating or continuing the approximately three-minute pursuit that reached about 120 mph.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Toledo Police Department did not publicly identify the officer or officers who initiated and participated in the fatal pursuit.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

https://www.13abc.com/2023/10/25/toledo-man-sentenced-oct-2021-police-chase-crash-that-killed-passenger/
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/courts/2023/10/25/toledo-man-gets-26-months-in-fatal-crash-at-end-of-police-chase/stories/20231025086.html
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/crime/toledo-man-indicted-aggravated-vehicular-homicide-october-duplex-crash/512-8c39dbdb-c86e-4c16-8301-a67561686ef2
https://www.yahoo.com/news/chase-ends-fatal-crash-driver-040100247.html

On October 5, 2021, U.S. deputy marshals were serving an arrest warrant on 43-year-old Daniel Garcia in a parking lot near the Whispering Wind apartment complex in Corpus Christi, Texas. During the operation, Garcia was shot and killed. It was reported that Garcia was unarmed at the time of the shooting.

https://www.kristv.com/news/local-news/corpus-christi-woman-reacts-to-us-marshals-shooting-and-killing-her-neighbor

On 10/05/2021, at approximately 2: 20 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported at 29 Grant Street in Taunton, leading to a response from the Taunton Police Department. Upon arrival, a person had barricaded themselves inside the home, and it was reported that there was a firearm present. Officers attempted to communicate with the individual for several hours. Around 8 p.m., police entered the home and discovered Peter M. Rose deceased, having apparently committed suicide.

https://fallriverreporter.com/da-41-year-old-taunton-man-shoots-self-after-domestic-incident-standoff/

A DEA task force, in collaboration with the Tucson Police Department, was conducting a search on a train at 400 N Toole Avenue in Tucson, Arizona. During the operation, Darrion Taylor shot and killed a DEA agent. Taylor was shot and killed by law enforcement officers.

TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 2 fatalities

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/us/tucson-shooting-amtrak.html 

On October 4, 2021, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Walton Police officers responded to a mental health call at a residence on Griswold Street in Walton, New York. Upon arrival, the responding officer made contact with 66-year-old Paul J. Weeden inside the home.
During their interaction, Weeden reportedly pointed what was believed to be a firearm at the officer. The officer ordered Weeden to drop the weapon. When he allegedly failed to comply, the officer shot and killed Weeden.

• https://www.wktv.com/news/local-news/one-dead-in-officer-involved-shooting-in-delaware-county/article_3b5f540f-17d3-5b3f-a1b0-9e92b90f5853.html
• https://www.dailystar.com/news/local_news/article_9d4177a4-1307-5287-bad0-bf48c74ef7b3.html
• https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/delaware-county/sheriff-says-police-officer-involved-in-fatal-shooting-in-walton

On 10/04/2021, at approximately 3 a.m., the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office received an emergency call from a Shell gas station located at 10305 Miller Dr in Galesburg. The nature of the emergency was not specified in the call. Upon arriving at the scene, a deputy was confronted by R.V. Johnson II, who was armed with a knife. According to reports, Johnson lunged at the deputy multiple times. When Johnson continued to advance, the deputy shot him once, killing him. The incident was captured on bodycam footage, which showed the interaction and the subsequent shooting. Johnson had called 911 from the gas station eight minutes before the shooting, indicating he needed assistance but did not specify the nature of the emergency. The investigation was handed over to the Michigan State Police. The Kalamazoo County Prosecutor later cleared the deputy.

https://wwmt.com/news/local/kalamazoo-county-shooting-deadly-police-sheriff-sergeant-fatal-johnson-rv-galesburg-comstock-michigan-west-prosecutor
https://www.woodtv.com/news/kalamazoo-county/prosecutor-kzoo-co-sheriffs-sgt-justified-in-shooting-man/
https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/kzoo-bc/kalamazoo/kalamazoo-co-prosecutor-officer-justified-2021-deadly-gas-station-shooting
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/officer-shooting-lawful/69-48be8b92-91f4-4a91-930e-3e79ffddcf22
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/crime/kalamazoo-county-sheriffs-deputy-shoots-kills-person-at-shell-gas-station-in-galesburg/69-b86182a6-2657-4968-9603-e1ee49e8c3d1
https://wwmt.com/news/local/body-camera-video-shows-moments-before-kalamazoo-county-sergeant-shot-and-killed-armed-man
https://www.woodtv.com/news/kalamazoo-county/person-shot-by-kzoo-co-deputy-at-gas-station-near-galesburg/

Chad Jenkins allegedly abused his ex-girlfriend and her son at a home before returning to his residence. Two Pinellas County deputies were dispatched to arrest him for domestic violence and child abuse. As deputies approached his house, Jenkins left his home and got into his car. Deputies asked him to step out, but he refused. Observing that he had a gun and refused to put it down despite orders, Deputies Casey Hunter and DerricGandee-Lunsford shot into the car, killing Jenkins.

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/st-pete-deadly-shooting/67-73c01620-71e7-4d6b-8224-36f36a30900e

On October 4, 2021, shortly before 11:30 a.m., Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance at a business on Tunnel Boulevard in Houma, Louisiana, involving 45-year-old Shane E. Hartman, who was reportedly seen with a knife. Deputies took the knife, had him evaluated by medical personnel, and released him. Later, deputies received a second complaint that he was impeding traffic. Hartman asked to be taken to a business within the city limits. When police drove him, he refused to exit the patrol vehicle. Officers engaged him in an altercation during which he allegedly took a taser away from a charging deputy. Another deputy opened fire, striking Hartman in the upper torso. The bullet from the deputy also injured the hand of another deputy. Hartman died from his injuries.
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TOTAL FATALITIES:
Fatalities: 1 (Shane E. Hartman)

https://houmatimes.com/crime/hpd-suspect-in-tpso-officer-involved-shooting-dies/
https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/houma-police-investigate-officer-involved-shooting
https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/lafourche-terrebonne/man-fatally-shot-struggle-terrebonne-deputy/289-bbcac51c-279f-4465-b2a7-e07f263c07e3
https://www.wdsu.com/article/terrebonne-parish-deputy-shoots-kills-man-accused-in-struggle-over-stun-gun-houma-police-say/37870088
https://www.facebook.com/houma.detectives500/posts/october-5-2021on-yesterday-october-4-2021-shortly-before-1130am-houma-police-res/4454092968016193

On October 4, 2021, just after 6:30 p.m., Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at 4100 Silver Dollar Avenue. Upon arriving and exiting their vehicles, Demetrius Roberts allegedly opened fire on the officers. The officers opened fire, but Roberts fled the scene. After a brief chase on foot, officers re-engaged Roberts, leading to a second exchange of gunfire where Roberts was fatally shot.

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2021/oct/14/metro-identifies-officer-involved-in-fatal-shootin/
https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/shootings/metro-identifies-officer-suspected-kidnapper-in-fatal-southeast-shooting-2459557/
https://news3lv.com/news/local/las-vegas-police-officer-ois-suspect-east-valley-kidnapping
https://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/man-held-ex-girlfriend-at-gunpoint-moments-before-deadly-shooting-las-vegas-police-say

On 10/04/2021, Chicago police responded to a domestic disturbance after Michael A. Craig called for help reporting that his wife had a knife. Police shot and killed Craig during the response. Craig was identified by family and attorneys as the domestic violence victim. His family later filed a civil lawsuit, and the City of Chicago approved a settlement totaling approximately 8.75 million dollars.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-chicago-police-shooting-domestic-call-20211005-article.html
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2021/10/5/22710936/chicago-police-shooting-michael-craig-domestic-call
https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/man-killed-by-police-during-domestic-call-in-englewood/
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-police-shoot-man-during-domestic-disturbance-call/2627643/
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/10/04/shooting-involving-chicago-police-reported-in-gresham/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2023/12/11/23997430/michael-craig-shooting-chicago-police-settlement-approved-city-council-committee-domestic-violence

Around 2 a.m., a clerk working at the QuikTrip called 911 to report a suicidal person. The clerk said a woman was at the convenience store and reported that her boyfriend, Jess Jackson, had threatened her, made suicidal statements, and possibly fired a gun in a home. The woman was no longer at QuikTrip when officers arrived. Officers proceeded to the home where Jackson was staying. A man at the residence allowed officers inside. Officers found Jackson in bed and ordered him to get out of bed and show his hands. Jackson ignored the commands and reached toward the floor. One officer then fired four shots, killing Jackson.

https://www.kwch.com/2021/10/03/man-killed-officer-involved-shooting/

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REASON WHY POLICE ENCOUNTER WAS INITIATED:
The events began when a foster parent called 911 concerning a teenage boy in her care. During the incident, the teenager took a vehicle without permission and drove away. Police were responding to the reported vehicle theft when the subsequent driving sequence ended in the fatal crash near Noe Bixby Road and Refugee Road. Later prosecution coverage specifically traced the fatal crash back to the foster parent’s 911 call.
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OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY:
On 10/03/2021, at approximately 8:50 a.m., a vehicle driven by a teenager who had left his foster placement and taken the vehicle without permission crashed head-on into a vehicle driven by 58-year-old Paula Kathren Kennedy near Noe Bixby Road and Refugee Road in southeast Columbus. Federal crash data record the fatal collision on Noe Bixby Road at 8:50 a.m.
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The collision killed Kennedy and seriously injured the teenage driver. The crash was severe and both vehicles sustained extensive damage. The case later resulted in a juvenile vehicular-homicide prosecution, with subsequent reporting examining the sequence beginning with the foster parent’s call to authorities and ending with Kennedy’s death.
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Kennedy was not simply an unidentified motorist caught in the crash. She was a longtime Groveport Madison Schools employee who had spent years working directly with generations of students and families. School records show that Paula Kennedy worked in clerical positions in the district going back at least to 2008; by 2018–2019 she was the cashier in the Groveport Madison High School main office, handling student fees and payments.
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Her death hit the school particularly hard because Kennedy was one of the familiar people students encountered throughout their high-school years. Groveport Madison High School publicly mourned her death as an “absolute tragedy,” and the school community subsequently held a memorial for its longtime secretary.
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Kennedy's connection to the school community continued to be recognized years after her death. In 2024, Groveport Madison Schools posthumously selected Paula Kathren Kennedy for one of the district's alumni/community awards, preserving her name among people recognized for their contributions to the Groveport Madison community.
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The fatal crash therefore ended a relationship between Kennedy and Groveport Madison Schools that had lasted well over a decade. Public employment records place her in clerical work at Groveport Madison High School in 2008 and 2009, at Groveport Madison Junior High School in 2012, and again at the high school in later years.
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DISPOSITION:
The teenage driver survived. In 2022, prosecutors pursued a vehicular-homicide case against him in juvenile court arising from Kennedy's death. Reporting on that prosecution disclosed that he had been in foster care and that the chain of events preceding the fatal collision began with a 911 call from his foster parent.
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No Columbus police officer was criminally charged for an officer’s role in the police response preceding Kennedy’s death.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The officers involved in the police response preceding the fatal crash were not publicly identified.

https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/groveport-madison-hs-remembers-longtime-secretary-who-died-after-crash/530-058ddd68-66c8-4053-9f8b-125c2605562b
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OeVwcYs5lg
https://www.gocruisers.org/our-district/alumni/awards
https://www.gocruisers.org/Downloads/2018-2019%20POS.pdf

On October 3, 2021, at about 7:58 a.m., Nevada Highway Patrol received a report of domestic battery occurring inside a gray Toyota Corolla, with witnesses describing a man hitting a woman. Troopers found the vehicle around 8:19 a.m. near Lake Mead Blvd. by mile marker 14. At approximately 8:26 a.m., officers shot and killed Adrian Zarate-Cervantes. Details were not disclosed.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/shootings/nevada-highway-patrol-identifies-officers-who-killed-man-2455256/
https://www.police1.com/patrol-video/articles/video-man-pretends-to-draw-gun-on-troopers-is-fatally-shot-QT30xVC23ZdzaJCr/
https://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/nevada-highway-patrol-released-video-of-shooting-involving-troopers
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/nhp-reveals-details-video-of-fatal-shooting-of-unarmed-suspect/
https://apnews.com/article/nevada-las-vegas-780a251c6834d5354c2875cf1b859f67
https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/shootings/man-shot-killed-by-trooper-in-northeast-las-vegas-valley-2452347/

On 10/03/2021, Colorado Springs police encountered David Lee Jacques Jr. at a Walmart on East Platte Avenue after an officer believed he was involved in shoplifting. Police stated Jacques continued running through the parking lot while an officer followed. Police said the officer deployed a Taser and alleged that Jacques then produced a firearm and fired toward the officer. Officer Chase Gardner opened fire and killed Jacques.

https://www.kktv.com/2021/10/04/police-man-shot-killed-by-officer-outside-colorado-springs-walmart/
https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/colorado-springs-police-shooting-outside-walmart-leaves-man-dead
https://gazette.com/news/crime/man-shot-killed-by-colorado-springs-police-officer-outside-walmart/article_7d0e5f3a-2489-11ec-9e25-4b4b6c2e4c88.html
https://www.kktv.com/2021/10/03/officer-involved-shooting-reported-near-citadel-mall-sunday/

https://www.kktv.com/2022/01/28/das-office-rules-colorado-springs-officer-was-justified-use-deadly-force-with-shoplifting-suspect/
 

On 10/03/2021, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded to complaints that Christopher Mosco was acting erratically and making suicidal statements at a residence in Stevenson Ranch. Police stated deputies encountered Mosco and alleged he pointed a long gun toward them. Deputies opened fire and killed him.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-04/los-angeles-county-deputies-shoot-kill-man-stevenson-ranch
https://abc7.com/stevenson-ranch-shooting-deputy-involved/11074319/
https://signalscv.com/2021/10/deputy-involved-shooting-reported-in-stevenson-ranch/
https://www.foxla.com/news/deputy-involved-shooting-stevenson-ranch
https://www.hometownstation.com/santa-clarita-news/crime/officer-involved-shooting-in-stevenson-ranch-392190

On 10/03/2021, Jason Jones died in Catskill after police used a Taser on him while he was covered in hand sanitizer. During the encounter, the Taser deployment ignited the alcohol-based sanitizer, setting Jones on fire. He sustained severe burns and went into medical distress at the scene. Jones was transported to a hospital, where he later died. The incident raised national concern over police use of Tasers and the known fire risks associated with alcohol-based sanitizers. Authorities confirmed the fire was caused by the Taser discharge interacting with the sanitizer on Jones’s body.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/nyregion/taser-fire-catskill-police.html
https://apnews.com/article/police-new-york-fires-catskill-3f6fd52a65f6c3dfbc5bde6bcb7f8f8b
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Catskill-man-dies-after-Taser-sets-him-16533369.php

On 10/02/2021, law enforcement executed a weapons search warrant at a residence in Conyers after identifying Louis Hicks as a person of interest in a prior shooting that left two people wounded. Officers escalated a tactical response and a SWAT team breached the residence after several hours. Hicks was found inside deceased from a gunshot wound.

https://www.ajc.com/news/suspect-wanted-in-dekalb-double-shooting-found-dead-in-conyers-home/4YTKWRC5PVBVVG4JYBVO66X6VY/

On October 2, 2021, at approximately 2:00 a.m., 58-year-old Wade Anthony Adams Sr. called 911, stating that he was armed with a shotgun, consuming alcohol and marijuana, and expressing suicidal intentions, indicating that officers would have to kill him. Westwego Police officers located Adams in a church parking lot, but he refused to communicate and drove away, leading to a two-hour low-speed pursuit around the city. Officers eventually boxed in Adams' vehicle in the 400 block of Fourth Street. As they approached, Adams reportedly reached for his shotgun. Officers opened fire and killed him. Adams was pronounced dead at the scene.
.
TOTAL FATALITIES:
Fatalities: 1 (Wade Anthony Adams Sr.)

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/jefferson/report-westwego-police-fatally-shoot-man/289-80a4f098-d70a-4deb-a59c-66bded814aa7
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/marrero-la/wade-adams-10389145
https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/la/westwego/wade-anthony-adams-sr-13465616
 

On October 2, 2021, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Lane County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a domestic dispute involving a firearm at a residence in the 87000 block of Rice Road in Mapleton, Oregon. The caller reported that 28-year-old Jazmine Thein had fired a gun at her brother, who fled to a neighbor's home for safety.
Deputies arrived on the scene and confirmed Thein was still inside the residence. Shortly after 6:00 a.m., deputies discovered Thein deceased in a bedroom from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
s

https://nbc16.com/news/local/woman-dies-of-self-inflicted-gun-shot-wound-after-hours-long-standoff-in-mapleton
https://www.facebook.com/kezi9/posts/10159551171765944/
 

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 10:30 p.m., a Houston Police sergeant saw a white Infiniti G37 doing donuts and burnouts in a parking lot near Fairdale Lane and Fountain View Drive. The sergeant activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights and siren and attempted a traffic stop. The driver continued driving away and police initiated a pursuit.
.
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY:
On 10/01/2021, Houston Police pursued the Infiniti from the parking lot through the surrounding residential area. The fleeing vehicle reached approximately 60 mph in a 30-mph area before reaching three Prospect Park valet workers walking back toward the restaurant after parking customers' vehicles.
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The Infiniti struck 23-year-old Nick Rodriguez and his coworkers Fnan Measho and Eric Orduna. All three died at the scene. The vehicle subsequently entered a ditch and flipped. Sixteen-year-old passenger Mohammed Alkatip was ejected and seriously injured, undergoing multiple surgeries for injuries to both legs.
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Nick had already survived a life-threatening ordeal long before the crash: he had battled leukemia as a child and survived. At 23, he was attending Sam Houston State University and pursuing a career in music therapy. His family said he wanted to use music to work with children with special needs. He was working as a valet while completing his education when he was killed.
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Nick's family remembered the bitter contrast between surviving childhood leukemia and then being killed while simply working his valet job. His relatives joined the families of Fnan and Eric in mourning the three young men, and Prospect Park held a balloon release outside the restaurant in their memory.
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DISPOSITION:
Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi was charged with three counts of murder and aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. He later pleaded guilty in connection with the deaths of Nick, Fnan and Eric. On 06/30/2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
.
No Houston Police officer was criminally charged for an officer's role in initiating or continuing the pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Houston Police Department did not publicly identify the sergeant who initiated and participated in the fatal pursuit.

https://abc13.com/prospect-park-workers-killed-fnan-measho-eric-orduna-nick-rodriguez/11076546/
https://abc13.com/prospect-park-valet-workers-killed-sports-bar-ahmedal-tayeb-elnouman-modawi/11081879/
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/02/3-valet-workers-killed-after-suspect-involved-in-pursuit-crashes-near-nightclub-in-southwest-houston/
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/04/families-mourn-the-valets-killed-friday-by-a-driver-attempting-to-evade-police/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/valet-deaths-modawi-18178818.php

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 10:30 p.m., a Houston Police sergeant saw a white Infiniti G37 doing donuts and burnouts in a parking lot near Fairdale Lane and Fountain View Drive. The sergeant activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights and siren and attempted a traffic stop. The driver continued driving away and police initiated a pursuit.
.
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY:
On 10/01/2021, Houston Police pursued the Infiniti from the parking lot into the surrounding residential streets. The fleeing vehicle reached approximately 60 mph in a 30-mph area before reaching three Prospect Park valet workers walking back toward the restaurant after parking customers' vehicles.
.
The Infiniti struck Eric Orduna, Fnan Measho and Nick Rodriguez. All three young men were killed at the scene. The fleeing vehicle subsequently entered a ditch, flipped and crashed. Sixteen-year-old passenger Mohammed Alkatip was ejected and seriously injured, requiring multiple surgeries to his legs.
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Eric was born in Houston on 07/27/1999 and was the youngest of three siblings. His family remembered him as kind, loving, selfless and exceptionally devoted to his parents and siblings. He loved cars and football and was working regularly as a valet to save money for a car, but his larger ambition was to earn enough eventually to buy his parents a house.
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Eric also dreamed of studying music and possibly attending Rice University. His family described him as unusually responsible for his age: he cared little about expensive clothes, new phones or social-media attention, rarely went out and reliably worked his Friday and Saturday shifts. On the night he died, he was doing exactly that—working his regular valet shift and walking back after parking a customer's vehicle.
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Eric's mother, Rose Orduna, publicly questioned the Houston Police pursuit after her son's death and struggled with not knowing what he experienced during his final moments. His sister Elizabeth described the lifelong grief of losing her youngest brother, while his older brother Junior joined the other families in demanding justice for all three men.
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DISPOSITION:
Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi was charged with three counts of murder and aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. He later pleaded guilty in connection with the three deaths and was sentenced on 06/30/2023 to 10 years in prison.
.
No Houston Police officer was criminally charged for an officer's role in initiating or continuing the pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Houston Police Department did not publicly identify the sergeant who initiated and participated in the fatal pursuit.

https://abc13.com/prospect-park-workers-killed-fnan-measho-eric-orduna-nick-rodriguez/11076546/
https://abc13.com/prospect-park-valet-workers-killed-sports-bar-ahmedal-tayeb-elnouman-modawi/11081879/
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/04/families-mourn-the-valets-killed-friday-by-a-driver-attempting-to-evade-police/
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/houston-tx/eric-orduna-10391367
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/Teen-driver-charged-in-deaths-of-three-valets-16507611.php
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/valet-deaths-modawi-18178818.php

.
REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 10:30 p.m., a Houston Police sergeant saw a white Infiniti G37 doing donuts and burnouts in a parking lot near Fairdale Lane and Fountain View Drive. The sergeant activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights and siren and attempted a traffic stop. The driver continued driving away and police initiated a pursuit.
.
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY:
On 10/01/2021, Houston Police pursued the Infiniti from the parking lot into the surrounding residential streets. The fleeing vehicle reached approximately 60 mph in an area with a 30-mph speed limit. The pursuit covered only a short distance before reaching three Prospect Park Sports Bar and Kitchen valet workers who were walking back toward the restaurant after parking customers' vehicles.
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The Infiniti struck all three workers—18-year-old Fnan Measho, 22-year-old Eric Augustine Orduna and 23-year-old Nick Rodriguez. All three died at the scene. The Infiniti then entered a ditch, flipped and crashed into a fixed object.
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Sixteen-year-old Mohammed Alkatip, a passenger in the fleeing vehicle and also a valet worker, was ejected and seriously injured. He underwent three surgeries in three days for injuries to both legs.
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Fnan had graduated from Bellaire High School only months before his death, where he competed for three years in cross-country and track. His coach Shardrick Johnson nicknamed him “Motormouth” because of his outgoing personality. Fnan was working while attending the University of Houston-Downtown, where he was studying criminology and hoped to become a police officer. He was active in his Eritrean church and helped financially support his parents and three younger siblings, with whom he shared a bedroom.
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The families of Fnan, Eric and Nick gathered for a public balloon release outside Prospect Park after their deaths. Fnan's family and Eric's family met and grieved together at the memorial.
.
DISPOSITION:
Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi was charged with three counts of murder and aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. He later pleaded guilty in connection with the deaths of all three valet workers. On 06/30/2023, a Harris County judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
.
No Houston Police officer was criminally charged for an officer's role in initiating or continuing the pursuit.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Houston Police Department did not publicly identify the sergeant who initiated and participated in the fatal pursuit.

https://abc13.com/prospect-park-workers-killed-fnan-measho-eric-orduna-nick-rodriguez/11076546/
https://abc13.com/prospect-park-valet-workers-killed-sports-bar-ahmedal-tayeb-elnouman-modawi/11081879/
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/02/3-valet-workers-killed-after-suspect-involved-in-pursuit-crashes-near-nightclub-in-southwest-houston/
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/10/04/families-mourn-the-valets-killed-friday-by-a-driver-attempting-to-evade-police/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/A-huge-loss-18-year-old-Bellaire-grad-16506496.php
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/valet-deaths-modawi-18178818.php

On 10/01/2021, a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy shot and killed 27-year-old James Michael Farris in a wooded area behind the 9700 block of Berry Meadow Way in Soddy Daisy during a multi-agency manhunt and attempted arrest.
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The encounter followed a homicide two days earlier. Chattanooga police said 29-year-old Frederick Alexander Williams was shot and killed on September 29 inside a residence in the 7300 block of Shady Vale Lane in East Brainerd. Investigators identified Farris as the person they believed was responsible and sought him on charges including criminal homicide and reckless endangerment. TBI placed Farris on its Most Wanted list on October 1 and described him as armed and dangerous.
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Police had located Farris the previous day in the Soddy Daisy area, but he fled into woods near Sequoyah Access Road. The search continued into the night, and authorities instructed some nearby residents to remain inside. On October 1, Hamilton County authorities reported three additional sightings of Farris in the area and said he appeared to be armed during two of them.
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Personnel from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Chattanooga Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Soddy Daisy Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol and TBI participated in the effort to locate and arrest Farris. Officers eventually found him in woods behind Berry Meadow Way at approximately 3:30 p.m.
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According to the TBI’s preliminary account, Farris had a firearm and pointed it at officers when they encountered him. A Hamilton County deputy then fired, striking Farris. Farris was transported to a Chattanooga hospital, where he died from the gunshot wound. The allegation that Farris pointed the firearm comes from the official law-enforcement account and was the stated justification for the shooting.
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TBI opened an independent investigation at the request of 11th Judicial District Attorney General Neal Pinkston. TBI said its agents would collect evidence and interview witnesses before submitting the investigative findings to the district attorney for review. Tennessee law provides that investigative records from fatal TBI-investigated police shootings occurring after May 4, 2017 become public records after completion of both the TBI investigation and the prosecutorial function.
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A review of later publicly available reporting and court records did not identify a public challenge by Farris’ family or an eyewitness contradicting the police account of the final encounter. No encounter-related wrongful-death or civil-rights lawsuit was located.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy who shot Farris has not been publicly identified. TBI does not release the names of officers involved in shootings and instead refers identification questions to the employing agency. Later publicly available coverage located for this update still describes the shooter only as a Hamilton County deputy.
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The institutional background of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is particularly relevant because the department was already engulfed in a major civil-rights and misconduct scandal when Farris was killed. Former HCSO Deputy Daniel Wilkey had been indicted in 2019 on 44 criminal counts, including rape, sexual battery, official oppression, extortion, stalking and assault, arising from allegations concerning his conduct during traffic stops and other encounters while working as a deputy.
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Wilkey’s alleged conduct generated numerous federal civil-rights lawsuits against him and Hamilton County. Among the allegations were that Wilkey forcibly baptized a woman following a traffic stop, participated in an invasive roadside body search of a handcuffed man, used excessive force and engaged in sexual misconduct. Ten federal civil-rights claims associated with Wilkey were ultimately dismissed in 2023, and his 44 criminal charges were also later dismissed after prosecutors reported serious problems with the handling and preservation of the original prosecution file. Those later dispositions did not erase the underlying documented institutional crisis: at the time Farris was killed in 2021, HCSO was defending multiple federal cases arising from allegations of extraordinary on-duty misconduct by one of its former deputies.
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The department had also been involved in another police shooting the previous year in which the same deputy fired on a driver more than once. In August 2020, an HCSO deputy shot Ronald Andrew Hutson after a traffic stop became a pursuit and police alleged Hutson drove toward deputies after spinning out. Contemporary Chattanooga reporting highlighted that the deputy involved had previously shot another person, illustrating why identifying the deputy in Farris’ case remains important for determining whether the shooter had a prior use-of-force history.
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The combination of the unidentified shooter and the HCSO’s contemporaneous civil-rights problems makes the completed TBI investigative file especially significant. That record may contain the deputy’s identity, witness interviews, forensic evidence and other information necessary to independently evaluate the official allegation that Farris pointed a firearm immediately before the deputy shot him.

https://tbinewsroom.com/2021/10/01/tbi-agents-investigating-officer-involved-shooting-in-hamilton-county-3/
https://www.wdef.com/deputies-shoot-murder-suspect-james-farris-during-capture/
https://www.wdef.com/fatal-shooting-in-east-brainerd-wednesday-night/
https://www.wdef.com/statement-from-family-of-shady-vale-shooting-on-capture-of-james-farris/
https://www.wvlt.tv/2021/10/01/tbi-searching-armed-dangerous-chattanooga-man/
https://3bmedianews.com/murder-suspect-dies-after-soddy-daisy-shoot-out/
https://www.tn.gov/tbi/crime-issues/crime-issues/officer-involved-shootings.html
https://www.wdef.com/court-dismisses-civil-rights-claims-against-hamilton-county-sheriffs-office/
https://www.wdef.com/deputy-long-ross-once-again-shoots-suspect/

On 10/01/2021, the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Allegheny County Police Department responded to a situation involving Khalil Singletary. Officers engaged in a five-hour standoff in Pittsburgh's Hill District as they attempted to apprehend Singletary, who was wanted for questioning in a homicide. During the standoff, Singletary reportedly exchanged gunfire with officers. He was found deceased in the home shortly before 6 p.m. after the standoff began around 12:30 p.m.

https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/murder-suspect-fires-gun-officers-swat-situation-closes-pittsburgh-street/2SDUMQCZTJCTBD7HX7ZMRMUIMI/

On October 1, 2021, Jason Metcalfe, 41, was accused of a fatal shooting in the Lake Lorelei community of Brown County, Ohio. Metcalfe fled the location in a stolen 2016 Chevrolet pickup truck. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Clinton County deputies and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, escalated a high-speed chase through several counties. The chase ended in Clinton County when officers deployed stop sticks near the intersection of OH-134 and Patch Road in Clark Township. Metcalfe allegedly exited the vehicle with a weapon. Officers engaged him in a shootout during which he was killed. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office later determined that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted.

https://www.wnewsj.com/2021/10/04/ohio-bci-homicide-suspect-in-clinton-county-officer-involved-shooting-died-of-self-inflicted-wound/
https://local12.com/news/local/murder-suspect-dies-by-suicide-after-chase-victims-aunt-says-father-of-5-was-great-dad-cincinnati-ohio-brown-clinton-county-jason-metcalfe-timothy-vogel-cassy-birdwell 

On October 1, 2021, at approximately 11:00 p.m., a Rogersville police officer spotted a truck on Main Street that was the subject of a "Be On the Lookout" (BOLO) alert from Hamblen County. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver, 32-year-old Buster Lee Carpenter, made a U-turn and crashed into the side of a house. As the officer approached the truck, Carpenter reversed, striking the officer's vehicle. Carpenter then drove the truck toward the officer, who fired shots into the vehicle, striking Carpenter. Carpenter was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The officer was not injured during the incident.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is conducting an independent investigation into the circumstances leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for further review and consideration. The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and refers questions of that nature to the respective department.

https://tbinewsroom.com/2021/10/02/tbi-agents-investigating-officer-involved-shooting-in-rogersville/
https://wcyb.com/news/local/tbi-investigating-officer-involved-shooting-in-rogersville
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/a-man-shot-by-a-rogersville-police-officer-has-died/

.
REASON FOR POLICE CHASE:
Speeding and alleged reckless driving. Police said a Lakeville officer observed the motorcyclist traveling 68 mph in a 40-mph zone on Main Street and attempted a traffic stop.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/01/2021, at approximately 11:45 p.m., an unidentified male motorcyclist was killed after a Lakeville Police Department officer attempted to stop him on Main Street in Lakeville. Police said the officer observed the motorcycle being driven recklessly at 68 mph in a posted 40-mph zone and attempted a traffic stop.
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According to police, the motorcyclist continued driving away while the Lakeville officer pursued him along Main Street. Police described the pursuit only as brief and did not publicly disclose its duration, distance, the officer's speed, or the motorcycle's speed after the pursuit began. No PIT/TVI maneuver, stop sticks, roadblock, or physical contact between the police cruiser and motorcycle was reported.
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Police said the officer discontinued the pursuit when the motorcycle turned from Main Street onto Vaughan Street because continuing the chase presented a safety risk. A short time later, the same officer continued along the motorcycle's route on Vaughan Street and found that the motorcycle had crashed into a utility pole just over the town line in Middleborough. Available public accounts do not establish how much time elapsed between the stated termination of the pursuit and discovery of the crash, how far behind the motorcycle the officer was, or the motorcycle's speed when it struck the pole.
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The officer called for medical assistance and provided aid to the motorcyclist. Lakeville Fire Department personnel transported him by ambulance to Morton Hospital in Taunton, where he died from his injuries.
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Police initially withheld the man's identity pending notification of his family. A further open-source identity search did not establish his identity with sufficient reliability to replace “Name Not Disclosed.”
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The fatal crash was investigated by the Lakeville Police Department, Middleborough Police Department and Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section. The officer was not criminally charged for his role in initiating the pursuit.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Lakeville officer who initiated the pursuit has not been publicly identified.

https://www.facebook.com/LakevilleMAFD/posts/pfbid0343yPcyVLJi5pivtjNQ594UhTu88GLvG96ifZAxo9pczwK6N3JjQJLXmfiuqymMvrl
https://middleboroughpolice.com/2021/10/02/lakeville-and-middleboro-police-respond-to-fatal-motorcycle-crash-friday-night/
https://www.wcvb.com/article/deadly-motorcycle-crash-lakeville-middleborough/37832874
https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/10/02/motorcyclist-killed-after-crash-in-middleboro-after-chase-with-police
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/02/metro/motorcyclist-dies-crash-after-lakeville-police-chase-called-off/
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/police-motorcycle-driver-dies-crash-brief-chase/
https://whdh.com/news/motorcyclist-killed-in-crash-near-middleboro-lakeville-line-following-brief-police-chase/

On 09/30/2021, Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Trevino shot and killed 38-year-old Nicholas Norris near Potranco Road and Sundance Crest in far west Bexar County after deputies encountered Norris during what his family described as a mental-health crisis.
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The encounter began shortly before 8 a.m. when a deputy stopped at a convenience store near Potranco Road and Arcadia Path and a store clerk reported that Norris had been frightening customers. Sheriff Javier Salazar initially said the deputy approached Norris, who drove away in a Nissan Xterra. Deputies initially decided not to pursue him. According to later reporting, deputies subsequently saw Norris driving erratically and in circles near Potranco Road and Sundance Crest during morning rush hour and reengaged him.
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A custodial-death report subsequently filed with the Texas Attorney General provided a somewhat different description of the reason deputies were trying to detain Norris. That report said deputies were attempting to issue Norris a criminal-trespass warning. This is a significant distinction from the sheriff’s initial public description, which emphasized reports that Norris was frightening customers.
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According to Salazar’s initial account, deputies caught up with Norris and attempted to take him into custody. Salazar alleged that Norris struggled with deputies and that at some point Trevino was dragged by Norris’ vehicle. Salazar said investigators had obtained witness video showing the deputy being dragged. Trevino fired one shot into the vehicle, striking Norris in the upper body. Norris was eventually removed from the vehicle and transported for medical treatment but died en route to the hospital.
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However, the custodial-death report submitted afterward to the Texas Attorney General did not mention Trevino being dragged by Norris’ vehicle — one of the central facts Salazar had publicly cited when explaining the fatal shooting. The report also did not contain several other details from the sheriff’s original description. The discrepancy was substantial enough to prompt later news coverage questioning whether the official written account supported portions of Salazar’s initial narrative.
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Norris’ family strongly challenged the framing of the encounter. His father, Thomas Norris, said his son “did not deserve to die,” while attorneys for the family said Norris was experiencing an emotional and mental-health crisis following the death of his mother from COVID-19 and needed medical intervention rather than deadly force. Attorney Nicolette Ward said the family’s legal team was investigating all available legal options and demanded complete transparency from Bexar County regarding the shooting. Publicly available reporting located through 2026 documents the threatened legal action but does not establish that the family ultimately filed a civil lawsuit.
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The circumstances were particularly notable because Bexar County authorities already knew Norris had serious mental-health needs. Salazar acknowledged that the county’s Specialized Multidisciplinary Alternate Response Team, or SMART, had previously encountered Norris and transported him for mental-health treatment, and San Antonio police had also previously taken him for treatment. Salazar publicly questioned why Norris was again outside a treatment setting, effectively acknowledging that law enforcement and the behavioral-health system were already familiar with his condition before the fatal encounter.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
Joseph Trevino was publicly identified by BCSO nearly two weeks after the shooting as the deputy who fired the fatal shot. The later custodial-death report is important to evaluating Trevino’s shooting because it omitted the allegation that Trevino had been dragged by Norris’ SUV, despite Salazar having repeatedly presented that alleged dragging as an important part of the circumstances surrounding Trevino’s use of deadly force.
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The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office itself had significant use-of-force and accountability issues surrounding this period. In 2017, BCSO deputies fired more than 18 rounds while attempting to shoot another man, killing six-year-old bystander Kameron Prescott inside his home; Bexar County later agreed to pay Prescott’s family $4.5 million to settle the resulting civil claim. In another BCSO killing, Deputy Brandin Moran shot Jesus Benito Garcia in 2020 after responding to a mental-health/domestic crisis in which Garcia was reportedly on his knees holding a screwdriver to his own neck; Garcia’s family alleged that Moran arrived and shot him within seconds and later obtained a civil settlement.
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BCSO had also faced another highly contested mental-health shooting just a year before Norris was killed. Deputy John Rodriguez shot and killed Afghanistan combat veteran Damian Daniels at Daniels’ home in August 2020 after deputies had repeatedly responded to calls concerning his mental health. Daniels’ family and civil-rights attorneys disputed BCSO’s portrayal of Daniels as suicidal and publicly demanded accountability.
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Personnel problems were also substantial during the period surrounding Norris’ death. Records obtained by KSAT showed that Sheriff Salazar fired 102 deputies between 2017 and the end of 2020. During 2021 itself, numerous BCSO employees were arrested or investigated for alleged misconduct, including allegations involving domestic violence, sexual misconduct, falsification of jail records and other offenses. A BCSO firearms instructor was accused by multiple female cadets of inappropriate conduct, including allegations that he groped a cadet and used his authority over her training, while another BCSO lieutenant was investigated over alleged misconduct involving an inmate and her activities surrounding the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack.
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The Norris case therefore developed against an existing record of disputed BCSO fatal-force incidents, mental-health encounters ending in police gunfire, civil litigation over shootings, and substantial internal employee misconduct. Of particular importance in Norris’ individual case is that the agency’s own later state-filed custodial-death report did not reproduce a central element of the sheriff’s original justification narrative — the allegation that Trevino was dragged by Norris’ vehicle.

https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/law-enforcement/deputies-investigating-shooting-in-west-bexar-county/273-09626759-2e85-4ecf-9357-7d87b16811af
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/10/02/why-is-he-even-out-here-sheriff-says-man-shot-by-deputy-had-been-brought-in-before-for-mental-health-assistance/
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/10/06/he-did-not-deserve-to-die-father-of-man-killed-by-bcso-deputy-speaks-out/
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/10/12/nearly-two-weeks-after-fatal-encounter-bcso-identifies-deputy-who-shot-and-killed-nicholas-norris/
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/11/12/report-on-bcso-deputys-fatal-shooting-of-nicholas-norris-leaves-out-sheriffs-claims/
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/Family-members-ID-man-shot-killed-BCSO-deputy-16502147.php
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Deputy-identified-who-fatally-shot-man-driving-16528285.php
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Report-of-deputy-involved-fatal-shooting-16613755.php
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/09/01/attorneys-for-damian-daniels-family-meet-with-bexar-county-da-demand-justice-after-bcso-deputy-shot-and-killed-him/
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Family-of-man-shot-by-Bexar-County-deputy-sue-16978568.php/
https://www.tpr.org/criminal-justice/2022-08-09/bexar-county-settles-lawsuit-with-family-of-man-shot-to-death-by-sheriffs-deputy
https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Family-of-6-year-old-boy-shot-and-killed-by-Bexar-14877045.php/
https://www.ksat.com/news/defenders/2021/02/10/bexar-county-sheriff-javier-salazar-fired-more-than-100-deputies-during-his-first-term-very-few-were-reinstated/
https://www.ksat.com/news/defenders/2021/04/09/bcso-academy-instructor-removed-from-contact-with-public-after-groping-allegation/
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/12/20/bexar-county-law-enforcement-officer-arrests-rose-20-percent-in-2021/

On 09/30/2021, Berrien County Sheriff’s Deputies Preston Huddleston and Doug O’Dell shot and killed 28-year-old Chaz Nathan McGowen inside a residence in the Franklin Woods Mobile Home Park in Niles Township after police responded to a 911 call reporting a man with a knife.
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The 911 caller told dispatch that McGowen would not leave the residence, possessed a knife, was acting aggressively and had made a stabbing motion with the knife. She said she feared for the people in the house, described McGowen as not being in his right mind and warned that he might do something when police arrived. Dispatch also advised Huddleston and O’Dell that McGowen had previously been assaultive toward police.
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Huddleston and O’Dell met witnesses outside and could hear yelling from inside the residence. Two other people remained inside. The deputies repeatedly asked McGowen to come outside, but he declined and told them to come inside. The deputies then entered the residence and directed the other two people to leave.
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Huddleston entered carrying a less-lethal beanbag shotgun while O’Dell provided cover with his handgun. According to the subsequent prosecutor’s review and body-camera evidence, McGowen repeatedly picked up and put down a knife while talking with the deputies. At one point he questioned whether they were actually police, and the deputies gave him their badge numbers. McGowen also told the deputies to shoot him and said he was ready to die, making the suicidal and behavioral-health component of the encounter explicit.
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According to the prosecutor’s account, McGowen eventually moved toward the deputies with the knife. Huddleston fired a beanbag round into his abdomen. McGowen moved toward the back of the kitchen but continued holding the knife, and Huddleston fired a second beanbag round. Police said McGowen then rapidly advanced toward the deputies while holding the knife.
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Huddleston dropped the beanbag shotgun and drew his handgun. Huddleston and O’Dell each fired four rounds, for a total of eight police gunshots. The autopsy documented nine gunshot wounds or wound locations involving McGowen’s head, face, chest, shoulder, arms and hands, as well as two beanbag impact injuries. He died from multiple gunshot wounds.
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Unlike many fatal police encounters, substantial evidence from the final confrontation was preserved on the body cameras worn by both deputies. Michigan State Police obtained and reviewed those recordings along with 911 calls, witness interviews, physical evidence, crime-lab evidence, the autopsy and written statements from Huddleston and O’Dell.
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Berrien County Prosecutor Steven Pierangeli subsequently reviewed the Michigan State Police investigation. In December 2021, his office concluded that Huddleston and O’Dell reasonably believed they faced an imminent threat of death or serious injury and ruled the shooting legally justified. Neither deputy was criminally charged.
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The evidence also establishes that McGowen was experiencing an acute crisis during the encounter. In addition to the 911 caller saying he was not in his right mind, McGowen repeatedly made statements asking police to shoot him and stating that he was ready to die. The toxicology examination later detected methamphetamine, cannabinoids and a fentanyl metabolite, and the prosecutor cited the methamphetamine concentration when discussing McGowen’s behavior.
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No affirmative evidence located for this update establishes that McGowen’s family or an eyewitness publicly disputed the body-camera-supported account of the final confrontation. No encounter-related wrongful-death or civil-rights lawsuit was identified.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The deputies who shot McGowen were Preston Huddleston and Doug O’Dell. Their identities, omitted from much of the initial coverage, were disclosed in the prosecutor’s later detailed review. Both deputies fired four handgun rounds.
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The prosecutor’s report provides unusually extensive documentation of the deputies’ actions because both were wearing body cameras. That evidence allowed the Michigan State Police and prosecutor to compare their written accounts against video and audio from the encounter rather than relying exclusively on the officers’ statements.
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The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office had nevertheless faced significant excessive-force allegations before McGowen’s death. A 2019 ABC57 investigation examined allegations that a Berrien County deputy used excessive force during an arrest in Eau Claire. The investigation reviewed body-camera and dash-camera footage, police reports, court records and outside expert assessments and also identified another man who alleged similar treatment by a sheriff’s deputy.
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That second case had resulted in a federal civil-rights lawsuit by Jason Zuhl against Berrien County and Deputy Jason Haskins. Zuhl alleged that Haskins used excessive force while deputies executed a search warrant by striking him in the eye with a flashlight. The federal litigation proceeded on Zuhl’s Fourth Amendment excessive-force claim against Haskins after other claims and defendants were dismissed.
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Later records show that allegations of excessive force against Berrien County deputies continued after McGowen’s death. In a 2025 federal civil-rights action, a county detainee alleged that several Berrien County deputies used unnecessary force while removing him from a courtroom, including an allegation that a deputy shoved him by the neck while other deputies already controlled him. In 2026, a federal judge allowed portions of that civil-rights case to proceed while dismissing other claims.
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The most important distinction in McGowen’s individual case is the existence of body-camera evidence from both shooters. The prosecutor’s detailed review identifies Huddleston and O’Dell, documents the less-lethal attempts preceding the gunfire and provides an evidentiary record against which the deputies’ account of the shooting can be evaluated.

https://wsbt.com/news/local/police-release-name-of-man-they-was-shot-killed-by-officer-while-holding-knife
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/berrien-county-sheriffs-deputies-shoot-kill-man-during-overnight-altercation/69-c478c5de-bd7b-4f30-8a90-01ac7ccbe1e3
https://www.abc57.com/news/male-fatally-shot-by-police-after-allegedly-charging-at-officers-with-a-knife
https://www.fox17online.com/news/msp-investigating-berrien-county-officer-involved-shooting-that-left-man-dead
https://www.leaderpub.com/2021/10/01/police-identify-man-killed-following-niles-township-altercation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sal40HDJBQ
https://www.wsjm.com/2021/12/10/173957/
https://www.abc57.com/news/deputies-cleared-in-fatal-shooting-of-man-with-knife
https://www.abc57.com/news/too-much-force-part-3
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/michigan/miwdce/1%3A2012cv01380/72870/40/
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/michigan/miwdce/1%3A2025cv00725/115963/13/

On 09/29/2021, a Middlesboro Police Department officer shot and killed 41-year-old Daniel Joseph Ledford during an encounter in the Polly Hollow community of Middlesboro. The shooting occurred shortly before 8:00 p.m. on or near Polly Hollow Left Road.
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Middlesboro police requested that Kentucky State Police investigate the shooting. KSP Post 10 detectives and the agency’s Critical Incident Response Team responded shortly after 8:00 p.m. Ledford was transported by Middlesboro EMS to Middlesboro ARH Hospital, where the Bell County deputy coroner pronounced him dead. His body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Frankfort for an autopsy.
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Police released extraordinarily little information about what led to Ledford’s death. KSP did not disclose why Middlesboro police initially encountered Ledford, what police were attempting to do, whether Ledford was suspected of a crime, whether officers were responding to a call, what Ledford allegedly did immediately before the shooting, whether police claimed he possessed a weapon, or what circumstances the officer claimed justified firing. Consequently, the reason for the police encounter and the asserted justification for killing Ledford remain undisclosed by police.
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KSP said at the time that it withheld specific information while investigators interviewed witnesses and collected evidence. However, later publicly available reporting located for this update still provides virtually no substantive account of the encounter. Fatal Encounters likewise records that nearly all information surrounding Ledford’s killing was withheld by police.
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Bell County Deputy Coroner Don Horton publicly identified Ledford the following day. Contemporary reporting described him as a resident of the Polly Hollow community.
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No affirmative public evidence was located showing that Ledford’s family or an eyewitness publicly contested an official police narrative. In this case, however, police released so little of the narrative itself that there was effectively no detailed public account for the family or witnesses to challenge. No encounter-related wrongful-death or civil-rights lawsuit was identified in the available records reviewed for this update.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The Middlesboro Police Department officer who shot Daniel Ledford has not been publicly identified. Later searches of news coverage, the KSP investigation, court records and other available sources did not establish the shooter’s identity.
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The departmental history is particularly important in this case because Ledford’s killing was followed only ten days later by another fatal shooting involving the Middlesboro Police Department. At approximately 4:30 a.m. on October 9, 2021, a Middlesboro officer shot 35-year-old Timothy Houston of Harrogate, Tennessee, in the Stephen’s Branch area. Houston was reportedly being sought in connection with an earlier shooting in Tennessee. Middlesboro Police Chief Michael Orr again requested that the Kentucky State Police Critical Incident Response Team investigate. As in Ledford’s killing, authorities initially released almost no information explaining the circumstances in which the officer fired.
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Thus, within a period of only ten days, Middlesboro police were involved in two fatal shootings — Daniel Ledford on September 29 and Timothy Houston on October 9 — and in both cases the public was given remarkably little information about the actual use of deadly force. The identity of the officer who killed Ledford is especially important because without disclosure it is not possible from the public record to determine whether the same officer participated in both shootings or whether the Ledford shooter had any other prior or subsequent fatal-force history.
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The opacity surrounding Ledford’s death remains the central issue in this case. More than four years after the shooting, publicly accessible records still do not provide the basic factual explanation normally expected after a fatal police encounter: why police confronted Ledford, what occurred between him and the officer, what threat police alleged he presented, or why the officer fired. The completed KSP investigative file and any prosecutorial review are therefore particularly important records for reconstructing what happened.

https://www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/news/p10-9-30-2021
https://www.wate.com/news/one-killed-in-middlesboro-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.wymt.com/2021/09/30/ksp-investigating-officer-involved-shooting-middlesboro/
https://www.wtvq.com/ksp-investigating-officer-involved-shooting-in-middlesboro/
https://www.thebig1063.com/post/middlesboro-police-involved-shooting-victim-identified
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/0d03d7dc/
https://www.wymt.com/2021/10/09/ksp-one-dead-after-officer-involved-shooting-bell-county/
https://www.thebig1063.com/post/harrogate-man-identified-in-middlesboro-officer-involved-shooting
https://www.wtvq.com/two-separate-shootings-keep-investigators-busy-in-bell-county/