Walterboro Hoods and a Gift of Data

I have been very busy as of late and was unaware that members of the Colleton county gangs known as the Get Money Cowboys and the Wildboys were indicted by a federal grand jury. You can imagine my surprise when I found this link to the press release waiting in the inbox of my super secret email account.

I certainly hope the feds can do what SLED and local prosecutors could not. It was just a few short years ago when many of these same individuals were indicted by local grand juries as a result of the violence in Colleton and Dorchester counties only to see most of those charges dismissed.

Now for the revelation. Also in that inbox was a compressed file several gigabytes in size. After decompressing the file and virus scanning the heck out of it I opened it up on a backup computer and was stunned at what I found. That file contained intel such as publicly available criminal histories, links to social media pages, bookmarked sites, screen captures and other photos, a fairly decent link analysis workup tying together a lot of local gangs and their members and some interesting statistics regarding case dispositions by local prosecutors.

The body of the message simply said, “Use this info as you see fit.”

I tried to send a response and an acknowledgement of receipt to the originating address, but the sender’s account had already been cancelled.

I put two and two together and recalled a certain now defunct website had been the first to publicly expose the GMC and Wildboys gangs as well as many others in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. If you never had the pleasure of reading the site known as Charleston Thug Life you missed out on the accurate reporting of criminal histories, gang ties, plea deals and tons of other information the local news outlets hide from the public. Most cops and a lot of citizens loved that site. Prosecutors and some politicians, not so much.

The one thing I can say with certainty is the people behind that site obviously spent a lot of time compiling documentation and indexing information. Whoever sent this email was able to discover an email account of mine that very few people know about. That’s how good they were and, apparently, still are.

As I scanned through the forwarded data I saw information on a few of the local criminals I have already written about. I am sure they will appear in these pages again, so it will be nice to have that information in reserve.

All that being said, let me stress even with this vast amount of newly available information at my disposal this site probably won’t be anything close to what CTL was. Personally, I wouldn’t mind, but I just don’t have the time to do what those people did with any regularity. Since starting this blog I have come to realize just how much time it took those people to research and write for that other site and they sometimes put up three or four articles a day.

I will continue to report on crime as time and circumstances allow and I will definitely continue to support the Thin Blue Line with my Officer Down and OIS posts. I may even take on local news outlets and maybe a prosecutor or two as the need arises. However, my goal for this site is to disseminate information rather than engage in confrontation. Not that confrontation can’t be fun from time to time.

Remember, do it to them before they do it to you.

Officer Down – OIS Report – 26 Feb

Berkeley County (SC) Sheriff’s Deputy Kimber Gist was shot multiple times early Friday morning as she checked out the occupants of a vehicle parked behind a grocery store in unincorporated Goose Creek. Gist had detained the passenger and was returning to the car to deal with the driver when she was fired on and struck at least three times. The suspect subsequently fled, but not before being wounded by Deputy Gist. The suspect, Travis Cantelle Smith, 36, was later located at a residence at 1555 Bexley Street in North Charleston. After a stand-off with police a SWAT team found Smith dead inside the home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

I was happy to see this posted on social media:

 

 

 

 

Venator Luporum – Deputy Kimber Gist

 

 

The suspect who shot Deputy Gist, Travis Cantelle Smith, was free on bond on a pending charge of financial transaction card fraud. He also had a number of arrests for magistrate level offenses.

 

 

Travis Cantelle Smith

 

 

On 24 February an Independence (MO) police officer was wounded when he was shot while responding to a disturbance call at a motel. The officer has not been identified, but is expected to recover. Brandon Mitchell, 23, has since been charged with 2nd degree assault of a law enforcement officer and armed criminal action.

 

 

Brandon Mitchell

 

 

On 24 February a Sharon Hill (PA) officer was slashed in the face with a steak knife. Officers had responded for the third time to a call of a domestic disturbance involving a mentally unstable man. When they entered the home the suspect slashed the officer. The suspect was shot by another officer. The officer was critically wounded, but it expected to recover. The suspect, 22 year old Savion Garrison, was shot in the chest and is expected to recover. His parents indicated they have been trying to get his schizophrenia treated, but he believed he was being attacked.

 

On 24 February three Park County (CO) deputies were shot, one fatally, while attempting to serve an eviction notice to a member of the Occupy movement. The suspect, Martin Wirth, 58, was put down when deputies returned fire. Corporal Nate Carrigan, a 13 year veteran of the department, was killed. Master Patrol Deputy Kolby Martin was shot multiple times in the lower extremities and Captain Mark Hancock was grazed in the ear.

 

 

Deputy Nate Carrigan

 

 

Suspect Martin Wirth was a leader of Occupy Denver and former Green Party candidate for the state legislature. He had been fighting his eviction for quite some time.

 

 

Martin Wirth

 

 

This makes fourteen Colorado law enforcement officers shot and/or killed in the past three months.

 

On 22 February Denver (CO) police officer Rachel Eid was shot as she responded to a robbery in progress call. After shooting the officer in an exchange of gunfire, the suspect carjacked a vehicle. Officers managed to block the vehicle and the armed suspect exited the vehicle firing. Officers promptly put him down for good. The dead suspect, Gerardino Gonzalez, and his surviving partner Alfonso Padilla are serial felons.

 

 

Officer Rachel Eid

 

 

On 17 February Anaheim (CA) officers put down suspect Danny Rendon after he fired at two people, wounded his brother-in-law and fired on a police helicopter that was following him. Officer opened fire when they observed Rendon standing over a bleeding man. The Chief has now admitted Rendon had dropped his firearm when he was shot. The investigation continues.

 

On 20 February, two NYPD officers were wounded in a shootout with a recent convert to Islam, Jamal Funes (aka Frederick Funes). Funes is serial felon and has a 20 year long criminal history that spans three states. Funes had brandished his weapon at a uniformed MTA driver whom he apparently mistook for a cop. Two housing officers confronted him and Funes fled, ultimately ramming an NYPD vehicle. Gunfire was exchanged. Two officers were hit and Funes was shot multiple times. He is expected to survive. There was initially some discussion about whether officers Andrew Yurkiw and William Reddin were hit by friendly fire, but that theory has been proven to be incorrect.

 

 

Officer Andrew Yurkiw

Officer William Reddin

 

Jamal Funes

 

On 19 February an Elizabethton (TN) officer was shot while searching for a federal fugitive. 31 year old suspect Curtis Dugger was killed in the exchange of gunfire. The wounded officer, Captain Jerry Bradley, has since been released from the hospital. Dugger was wanted on charges of kidnapping and rape. Yes, he was yet another serial felon.

 

 

Captain Jerry Bradley

Curtis Dugger – Assuming Room Temperature

 

 

On 20 February Mississippi Department of Public Safety Officer James Lee Tartt was killed as he responded to a domestic disturbance. Three state troopers were also wounded in the subsequent standoff. The suspect, Charles Lee Lambert, 45, was put down permanently in the exchange of gunfire after a six hour standoff. Lambert’s mommy is whining she wasn’t allowed to talk to her demon spawn during the siege.

 

 

Officer James Lee Tartt

 

 

Charles Lee Lambert

 

 

 

A Good Example

Unless you have been living in a cave you know the local and national media are in the midst of a frenzy of anti-police sentiment. I found a great example of that here in Charleston.

In this article, WCSC news wants you to know there were forty-eight officer involved shootings in South Carolina in 2015. They make a passing reference to the number of cases in which suspects pulled guns on officers in 2015. They make a brief mention that happened twenty-six times in those forty-eight police shootings, but that number is likely much higher as not everyone who produces a firearm was shot.

To be quite honest I am more interested in the number of suspects who were NOT shot when they most assuredly deserved to be.

After paying minimal attention to those numbers WCSC then runs to the Post & Courier’s resident “police expert”, Geoffrey Alpert, of the University of South Carolina. I believe I have previously pointed out Alpert’s complete lack of any real police experience. In this instance, however, Alpert says no assessment can be made without looking at the details of those forty-eight shootings. That is actually the first thing I have ever heard him say that made some sense, but I have a suspicion I am giving him to much credit for common sense with that statement.

WCSC then went to SLED chief Mark Keel for comment. Keel said officers need to “learn to de-escalate” these situations. Keel, who hasn’t actually been a real police officer for years, should probably lead by example. I’d like to see him get back to the streets and personally demonstrate to officers how to “de-escalate” a situation when a suspect pulls a gun he intends to use on the officer. Sad to say, but at this point Keel is nothing more than a police administrator who has forgotten what life on the street is like and finds himself having to bow to the winds of political correctness in order to keep the job he currently holds by political appointment.

If you would like to dig a little deeper into those 2015 statistics and those of previous years, feel free to read this article over at PoliceOne. Keel seems to change his tune depending on the readership of the news organization he is giving a comment to. In the PoliceOne article he says, “It sure seems to me, and I think most officers would agree, that criminals are more likely to use a firearm against an officer today than what they did in the past.” Compare and contrast that with what he said in the WCSC article.

Oh, wait a second. Keel once again blames the increase on police shootings on officers inability to “…handle these incidents better, so they would not have led to a shooting,” later in the PoliceOne article.

 

So, what happens when the media spends so much time crucifying law enforcement and deifying those in Black Lives Matter and other organizations who publicly call for the murder of police officers? What happens when you have law enforcement administrators throwing officers under the bus for not “de-escalating” a situation? Well, you get police officers reluctant to do what needs to be done. Due to the fear of being publicly criticized, investigated and charged by overzealous prosecutors to garner votes, we end up with situations like this one in Cayce, SC in November of 2015. This was one of the shootings where the suspect produced a gun, shot an officer and ended up dead as a result.

Note the suspect is black and the officers are white and this incident happened in the shadow of the media pushing the narrative that cops are racists. The desire to prove otherwise, or at least avoid those accusations, more and more officers are putting themselves in danger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have to understand most cops don’t like to publicly critique other cops as a matter of course and professional courtesy, yet it needs to be done. This analysis will probably anger some officers. I contend the ones who get upset by it stand the best chance of ending up in exactly this type of situation.

As you can see these two officers were very nice to Demetrius Bryant. Too nice. Even after detecting the evidence of recent marijuana use and a knife in the car the initial officer concentrated more on being nice than he did on than he did on ensuring his own survival. After getting Bryant out of the car the officer fails to conduct a pat-down which he would have been justified in doing. In fact, I contend he was negligent in not doing so. The officer then turns his back on the suspect he failed to search. He did this multiple times. The officer also fails to take note of several instances in which Bryant performs what is known as an adjustment maneuver on his weapon. That move is a common tell indicating an individual is armed. Everyone carrying a firearm performs this action subconsciously, even cops. The officer also ignores the other obvious behavioral tells Bryant demonstrates, like nervousness and reluctance to comply with even the simplest instructions. I won’t even go into the dangers of letting a subject you have not searched stand around with his hands in his pockets.

As the incident progresses, and after the marijuana is inadvertently produced by Bryant, these officers engaged in the kind of “de-escalation” techniques advocated by SLED chief Mark Keel, “police expert” Geoffrey Alpert and all those folks who want police officers in the U.S. to be more like police officers in the U.K.

I have seen some officers comment that a Taser should have been employed at the first sign of resistance by Bryant. That point is moot in future instances of this kind in light of the recent 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. In this instance, however, the use of a Taser probably would not have been effective due to the coat Bryant was wearing. Personally, I never was a big fan of Taser use as I believe it discourages officers from properly learning and becoming proficient in the hands-on techniques necessary to deal with these situations. The whole point of the Taser is to prevent officers from having to go hands-on. In my day, Bryant would have been face-down in the dirt with two officers on his back at the first sign of resistance.

Don’t believe me? Check out what the second officer does. He releases Bryant’s hand, draws his Taser and tried to find a position from which to fire it. He had control of that hand and every officer is taught at the academy it is the hands that will hurt you. When the officer backs does this he allows Bryant to draw his weapon.

 

 

 

 

 

The fact Bryant was not immediately taken down and the officers tried to be “nice” to him and “de-escalate” the situation directly led to Bryant being able to pull his weapon, shoot one officer in the leg and flee on foot. The fact that an officer went from controlling the body part proven to kill cops (the hand) and fell back to his Taser directly contributed to him being shot in the leg.

This whole stop was filled with bad tactic after bad tactic. Do I think these two officers are bad officers? Not a bit. I just believe the recent attacks by the media and racist organizations were either actively or sub-consciously taken into consideration by these officers and the fear of being labeled racist, violent cops attacking a black man played a part in the failure to follow their training.

Of course, Bryant’s friends told WIS-TV he “din’t do nuffin”. I guess he “din’t do nuffin” on those other occasions where he was charged with narcotics offenses or unlawful carrying and possession of a firearm, either.

 

This leads me to another example of what officers have to deal with. It is very common now for charges to be dismissed when an arrestee makes a claim of racist conduct by an arresting officer. Tiamo Drakeford, 20, of Camden, SC tried that tactic recently. Drakeford was arrested in Kershaw county for disorderly conduct when he showed up at a scene authorities were working, failed to comply with orders to leave and began cursing at officers. He decided he would try the tried and true tactic of claiming the arresting officer assaulted him and called him racial slurs to get the charge dropped. Fortunately for the officer he was wearing a body camera and the footage proved otherwise.

At last report, Drakeford was being held on a $3,500 bond on the charge of filing a false police report. He was free on bond on a previous grand larceny charge.

 

 

 

 

Here are two samples of the kind of person Drakeford is. You can find more evidence of his character (or lack thereof) here.

 

 

 

 

While it is nice to see Drakeford charged with a crime for attempting to ruin the career and reputation of a law enforcement with false allegations I will tell you a secret only cops know. Most of the people who file fraudulent complaints against officers are never charged. Why? Because a vast majority of police administrators with no backbone claim charging those who are found to be liars tends to put a chill on everyone else wanting to file a complaint. These same administrators won’t hesitate to throw an officer to the wolves in order to look good in the press, however.

The problem with the failure to charge the miscreants who file false complaints is those complaints, though unfounded, remain in the officer’s file. When that officer becomes a target for those with an agenda, like the folks at the Post & Courier, those files are FOIA’d and the media reports “the officer has six complaints in ten years and all six were unfounded.” They love that because they can then imply, with no factual basis, the officer and the department he works for are racist and dirty. The media never bothers to dig into the details behind those complaints and if they do they sure as hell don’t report them.

The policy of not charging those who file false complaints needs to change. Police administrators need to show they will back their officers in these instances. Failure to do so accounts for many local agencies having a high turnover rate as officers rush to escape those departments. A good example is the South Carolina Highway Patrol. I recently found out a trooper who wants to view his own file has to submit a FOIA request to the agency. Even then, every trick in the book is used too prevent access to the file. SCHP never fails to surrender those files to the media, though. And you folks wonder why the SCHP can’t keep enough troopers to cover the state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Officers Down – OIS – Attacks

It has already been a bad year for LEO deaths and injuries and with seven officers murdered last week it seems things are only going to get worse.

It is no coincidence these attacks are occurring at a time when the President of the United States  is helping racists peddle fraudulent narratives about the deaths of black men at the hands of police, not to mention the two lily white Democrat politicians, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, who have glommed onto the unfounded allegations of systemic racism in law enforcement and are pushing that narrative in an effort to sucker in black voters. And don’t forget the NFL and a racist singer putting on a Superbowl half-time show pushing the same discredited narrative and supporting violent racist groups like Black Lives Matter and the Black Panthers who have publicly called for the deaths of law enforcement officers. We also have local and national media attacking law enforcement at every opportunity.

 

On 14 February two police officers in Baton Rouge, LA were shot after responding to call about someone damaging property. When officers arrived the suspect fled in a Dodge with officers in pursuit. The suspect, 22 year old Calvin Smith, crashed his vehicle in front of his home. Some news reports state Smith ran into the home, recovered a rifle and came back outside firing on the officers. Other news articles claim Smith exited his vehicle with the rifle.

The current estimate of rounds fired is 30 to 50. Both officers were hit by gunfire. One suffered a graze wound to the head,  the other was shot in the chest when a projectile pierced the stitching on his ballistic vest. Despite being injured the officers managed to put Smith down for good.

While the media has reported on this story there is one critical fact many have failed to tell you about. Calvin Smith was a very active member of the racist Black Lives Matter movement. ABC News did not feel it was important to tell you about that, but they did think it was important for you to know one officer who returned fire and shot Smith was white.

The narrative the media is pushing comes from the someone who says Smith is her god-brother. That narrative claims Smith was “grappling with mental issues” and had previously attempted suicide.

The only information available on Smith’s criminal history was a previous arrest for sexual battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after he sexually assaulted a 13 year old girl who had been reported missing by her mother. Those charges were reduced to cruelty to children and Smith was given two years probation.

I, for one, can’t wait to see the videos of this shootout.

 

 

Assuming Room Temperature – Calvin Smith

 

 

On 14 February Cpl. Derrick Couch of the Clarksdale (MS) PD was shot in the face while in a foot pursuit with two suspects he observed robbing a convenience store. Cpl. Couch has lost one eye and a bullet is lodged in his head. He is a father of five and also serves as a minister.

 

 

Cpl. Derrick Couch

 

 

At last report police have identified the shooter, 19 year old Johnny Robinson. According to some reports, Robinson’s father turned him in. As usual, the media is reporting very little about Robinson, but based on photos on his Facebook page I think we can safely assume he considers himself a gang member. Robinson is charged with attempted murder and robbing the same store twice.

 

 

 

Johnny Robinson

 

 

On 13 February Officer Mark Reynolds of the Indianapolis (IN) Metropolitan Police Department was shot when he responded to a prowler/shots fired call. The complainant indicated shots had been fired from a neighboring home throughout the night and bullets struck the caller’s home. Officer Reynolds was shot in the arm as offices approached the suspect’s house. The suspect, Roger Hawkins, 50, engaged in an armed stand-off with police. He finally exited the home after police fired tear gas. Hawkins was brought down with bean bag shotgun rounds when he exited.

Authorities has previously been to Hawkins’ residence on a welfare check in February of 2014. At that time they removed nine firearms from the home and filed a request to prevent the weapons from being returned. That request was dismissed by a judge. Hawkins will be charged with two counts of attempted murder after his mental evaluation is complete.

 

K-9 Nicky of the Las Vegas PD was stabbed and slashed multiple times as officers attempted to end a twelve hour stand-off. K-9 Nicky stayed in the fight and chewed on the suspect quite a bit. Nicky underwent surgery for four major facial and head wounds. He is not recovering at home. The suspect has yet to be identified as he is undergoing a mental evaluation.

 

 

 

K-9 Officer Nicky

 

 

 

 

 

An officer in Longmont, Colorado was attacked by a suspect acting erratically in a Walmart store. The suspect, Brian Romero, 44, threatened the officer with a beer bottle. The officer deployed his Taser which proved to be ineffective.

That’s something I’ll never understand. Taser training tells you those probes won’t penetrate heavy winter clothing, yet officers still quickly reach for that Taser when the shit hits the fan.

The suspect ended up throwing the bottle and hitting the officer in the leg, then smashed the officer in the face with a vase. The officer managed to take the suspect to the ground where a struggle ensued. During that struggle Romero attempted to take the officer’s firearm. At that point citizens jumped in and helped the officer pin Romero to the ground until a second officer arrived.

The officer has since returned to work

 

 

 

Officers Down, OIS and Officers Attacked

Six officers murdered in six days. I find it interesting the media will lump together and tabulate stories of people who are killed or injured during their interactions with police, yet don’t do the same when the cops are the ones injured or killed. You won’t hear about too many of these stories in your local news.

 

On 5 February Officer Jason Goodding of the Seaside (OR) Police Department was shot and killed while attempting to take 55 year old Phillip Ferry into custody. Ferry was wanted on a warrant for a previous assault on a police officer. Ferry, a career criminal with 41 arrests over 25 years, was shot and killed by another officer. Ferry was convicted of possession of explosives in 2015, yet he was free to roam the streets of Clatsop county. Ferry resisted arrest and was tased by Officer Goodding. Ferry then produced a pistol and shot the officer.

 

 

Officer Jason Goodding

 

 

On 8 February Deputy Derek Greer of the Mesa County (CO) Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed when he responded to a man with a gun call. Greer died of his wounds Wednesday. Deputy Greer also responded to a man with a gun call. When the suspect began to run Greer deployed his Taser. The suspect turned and shot Greer. No shots were fired by law enforcement. The killer, 17 year old Austin Holzer, was arrested down the street when he was found hiding in a backyard.

The call Greer responded to came from citizens reporting a man walking around with a gun. I have seen some discussions on various law enforcement sites about the fact Greer chose his Taser over his firearm when working that call. Details that would be helpful in determining why he made that fatal decision are not being released at this time.

 

 

Deputy Derek Greer

 

 

On 10 February two deputies of the Harford County (MD) Sheriff’s Department were shot and killed when they responded to a call about a possible wanted male acting erratically in a Panera restaurant in Abingdon, MD. The first deputy to respond, Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey, recognized the subject from past interactions. He chose to sit down next to the suspect who promptly put a gun to Dailey’s temple and fired a fatal shot. The suspect then fled to an assisted living apartment complex. Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon found the suspect seated in a vehicle. The suspect engaged Deputy Logdsdon and fired multiple rounds which resulted in the death of the deputy. Logsdon and other deputies returned fire and killed the suspect, now identified as 58 year old David Brian Evans.

 

 

Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey

Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon

 

 

Early on the morning of 10 February Officer Jason Moszer of the Fargo (ND) Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance. Suspect Marcus Shumacher fired on arriving officers, hitting Moszer. Other officers returned fire. Shumacher was later found dead in the home after a stand-off. It is unknown at this time if Shumacher was killed by return fire or died from a self-inflicted wound.

 

 

Officer Jason Moszer

 

 

On 11 February officers in Clayton county, GA were serving a narcotics warrant when the suspect fled out of a back door. The suspect ran into Major Greg “Lem” Barney of the Riverdale Police Department and shot him in the torso. Efforts to save the live of Major Barney were unsuccessful. The Major was not wearing a bullet resistant vest. The as yet unidentified suspect was subsequently shot by a Clayton county officer.

 

 

Major Greg “Lem” Barney

 

 

Earlier this afternoon (11 February) an officer from the Ashburn (GA) Police Department and a deputy from the Turner County (GA) Sheriff’s Department were shot after a pursuit on I-75 near Cordele, GA. Condition of the two LEO’s is unknown at this time. News articles are sketchy, but the vehicle was driven by a female suspect. A male passenger opened fire on officers. That suspect was also shot by return fire, condition unknown.

 

On 10 February Cpl. Lester Ellerbee of the Chatham County (GA) Sheriff’s Department was shot while attempting to serve a warrant on Vincent Helmly at his home in Pooler, GA. After a three hour stand-off Helmly was arrested.

 

 

Arrested – Vincent Helmly

 

 

On 8 February Officer Ryan Moritz of the Sioux City (IA) Police Department was shot by armed robbery suspect Isaiah Mothershed. Officers had entered the apartment and arrested eight suspects in a string of armed robberies and burglaries. Suspect Mothershed was awaiting his turn to be transported and was allowed to sit handcuffed on a sofa. Mothershed pulled a gun from that sofa and shot Officer Moritz with a .40 caliber pistol. Moritz lunged at Mothershed despite being shot in the leg and a struggle for the weapon ensued. Mothershed was also shot in the leg.

 

 

Arrested – Isaiah Mothershed

 

 

On 6 February Kenton (OH) police officer Skyler Newfer was shot twice when he responded to a domestic call where suspect Stephen C. Davis, 47, was waiting on the porch with a rifle. Davis fired on the officers then fled. During a vehicle pursuit Davis stopped his vehicle and fired on officers again, striking Newfer twice in the back. Davis fled again. Another pursuit ensued and more shots were fired until Davis crashed his vehicle. He was found dead inside the car. It is unknown if he died by his own hand or if he was dispatched by officers during the gunfight.

 

 

Officer Skyler Newfer

 

 

On 2 February, Andre Sirenko, an officer with the California Highway Patrol ,was stabbed in the throat in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. The officer was responding to a report of a pedestrian on the highway. The suspect was located near a homeless camp and attacked officers when they approached. The suspect inflicted life threatening injuries on the officer. The suspect, Noel Corpuz, 44, was described as a homeless Asian male. Bail for Corpus was set at $5 million dollars.

 

 

Officer Andre Sirenko

 

Arrested – Noel Corpuz

 

 

 

On 6 February, two deputies from the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office (LA) were stabbed while trying to make an arrest at a grocery store. The suspect, 42 year old Jason Broussard, was subsequently tased by one of the officers he stabbed and taken into custody.

 

 

Arrested – Jason Broussard

 

 

 

On 4 February two NYPD officers patrolling a housing project were wounded when they encountered a gunman. Reported indicate officers encountered two people on the sixth floor and one of those persons opened fire, shooting one officer in the face and one in the abdomen. The officers were identified as Diara Cruz and Patrick Espeut. The suspect fled to a 7th floor apartment where was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Additional reports indicate suspect Malik Chavis was armed with a .32 caliber handgun and had a shotgun in a duffel bag. Chavis told the officers he had to go to the 7th floor to get his ID. When he reached the landing he turned and fired down at the officers, then fled. The 23 year old suspect has 17 prior arrests and just wrapped up a short prison term for an armed robbery conviction. After reaching the 7th floor apartment he told his buddies he had just shot a police woman and wasn’t going back to jail. Chavis ended himself.

 

 

Assuming Room Temperature – Malik Chavis

 

 

On 3 February Deputy Randall McCrary of the Lauderdale County (AL) Sheriff’s Office was shot in Florence near the campus of the University of North Alabama. Four deputies went to the home of the shooter, Timothy Vincent Murphy, to serve commitment papers. Murphy opened fire when deputies entered the residence. McCrary was released from the hospital on 9 February. Murphy was also shot in the exchange of gunfire and suffered non-life threatening wounds.

 

 

Deputy Randall McCrary

 

Arrested – Timothy Murphy

 

 

On 1 February NYPD Lieutenant Wojceich Niebrzydowski was slashed in the arm by a “crazy lady” who had “snapped” and wouldn’t let a social worker inside her apartment. The mental patient opened her door the for the Lt. and attacked with such force the blade of the knife broke off. She was tased by another officer and taken into custody for a mental evaluation.

 

On 31 January transit officers in Wilkinsburg, PA observed two men drinking in a public gazebo. The suspects, father and son, fled when confronted. The father was quickly taken into custody after punching a female officer in the face. When officers found the son, 37 year old Bruce Kelly, Jr., he was armed with a knife. He had fought with officers and one ended up going to the hospital with cuts to his hands. Officers tried to tase Kelly, but it was ineffective. K-9 Aren was sent in and Kelly stabbed and killed him. Officers then put Kelly down with a few well placed shots.

As usual, the suspect’s family and friends are outraged he was shot and killed by police instead of hugged and encouraged to do better.

 

 

K-9 Aren

 

Assuming Room Temperature – Bruce Kelly, Jr.

 

 

On 28 January an Oakdale (MN) police officer was shot in the arm while serving a search warrant at the residence of Mark A. Kuzel, 53. Officers were fired on upon entering the residence. Kuzel killed himself after the exchange of gunfire.

 

On 28 January Officer T.J. Kilmer of the Greensboro (NC) PD was assaulted by Ryan Lamar Parsons, 26. Parsons had been in the parking lot of a convenience store making drug deals and was observed by Kilmer and a surveillance team. When officers approached Parsons’ Escalade he drove at and struck Officer Kilmer. Kilmer fired on the SUV from the ground where he had been thrown after being struck. Unfortunately, he didn’t hit Parsons.

 

 

Arrested – Ryan Lamar Parsons

 

 

On 28 January an officer in Jersey City was dragged 100 feet by a suspect in a stolen car. The officer shot the suspect in the head. The officer will survive. The suspect will survive. No further details at this time.

 

Another Jersey City officer was dragged by a suspect in a car on 10 February. That suspect, Bradley S. DeBose was subsequently arrested.

 

 

Arrested – Bradley S. DeBose

 

 

On 23 January a trooper in Rowan County, NC was run-down by suspects on ATVs the trooper was trying to stop. Suspects are still outstanding.

 

On 27 January Georgia State Trooper Jacob Fields was shot by a suspect after a 10 mile vehicle pursuit. Suspect Vladimir Rodriquez exited his truck with a shotgun and began firing on troopers, who returned fire and hit Rodriquez multiple times. He is expected to survive. Trooper Fields was hit twice and was listed in stable condition.

 

On 26 January 17 year old Jamoral Hill fired on officers while fleeing from a stolen car in a mall parking lot in Gastonia, NC. Officers did not return fire. Hill jumped over a retaining wall and fell 25 feet to the ground, injuring himself. Needless to say, he was arrested and charged with attempted 1st degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and resisting arrest.

 

On 27 January New Orleans crack dealer Jarvis Hardy shot Jefferson Parish Deputy Stephen Arnold multiple times when officers were serving a search warrant. Arnold was struck in the neck, torso and arm. Hardy claims he thought he was being robbed and didn’t know those entering the house were cops. His mother said that wasn’t true. She told him they were cops. Hardy was charged with attempted murder of a federal officer because Arnold was part of a federal drug task force.

 

Arrested – Jarvis Hardy

 

 

An officer in Raleigh, NC was lured out of a birthday party and assaulted by four gang members. The officer was off-duty but one of the suspects knew he was an officer. Once suspect talked the officer into exiting the building to talk. When he did three other suspects rushed the officer and the four beat him pretty severely.

 

On 28 January Washington State correctional officer Terry Breedlove was attacked by a Muslim prisoner who attempted to behead him. You won’t hear about this one on the news. The few news reports there were about the incident claimed the security cameras were not working. The cover-up continues.

 

 

 

 

Well, that is all I really have time for tonight. There were a few officer involved shootings in which the officers weren’t injured I don’t have time to get to.

Faces of Murder 2016 part 3

In Charleston county’s seventh homicide a black male was shot to death during a domestic incident on 4 February. That shooting took place at 1900 Hazelwood Drive in West Ashley. I found it curious no one has bothered to report the name or details of the deceased. If you patronize any of the local news outlets you would not know that 22 year old Zackary Alexis Aiken is the person who lost his life. How did I find this out even though the information seems to be embargoed for some reason? I checked social media for “RIP” messages and found his Facebook page which told me what I needed to know. Zackary Aiken went by the name “Snoopy Sosa Aiken” on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

Aiken had a criminal history dating back to 2012 with a history of drug distribution charges. As usual, most of his charges were either dismissed or reduced to possession charges. At the time of his death Aiken was free on bond on two pending charges of violation of probation. One of those charges was from 2014, the second was from 2015.

At last report authorities were searching for a “person of interest” in the death of Aiken. That suspect is Joshua Grampus, who is currently free on bonds totaling $55,000 on charges of PWID marijuana, distribution of crack cocaine and unlawful possession of a pistol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grampus was also charged in 2014 after investigators executed a search warrant at a Tripe Street Residence. Grampus was charged with trafficking crack/crank, possession of a pistol during a violent crime and unlawful neglect of a child after the raid on 3 April, 2014. He was released from jail in May of 2014 on a bond drastically reduced by Judge Gosnell. Grampus subsequently failed to show up for court. Even so, the solicitor’s office dismissed all of these charges against Grampus in July of 2015. Grampus was arrest two months later on his still pending drug distribution charges.

This case may very well go down as a stand your ground case. Of course, I can only base that theory on what is being reported in the media and we all know how accurate that is.

 

On 6 February police found Donnell Louis Benjamin dead in a Pearson Street home after he forced his way in after being shot.

 

 

 

 

Benjamin had a criminal history dating back to 2001 for drug distribution, stolen cars and murder. He was charged with the 2002 murder in the death of Terry Dunbar, allegedly during a fight over drugs. Charges against Benjamin were dismissed. Benjamin killed again in 2005 when he shot Sherman Smalls in the head in the Ferndale neighborhood of North Charleston. Benjamin was charged with murder and armed robbery.

Smalls also had a criminal history that included charges of burglary, crack cocaine possession and pointing a firearm. It is quite common in these criminal on criminal murders for the solicitors office to reduce the murder charge to voluntary manslaughter. Benjamin took an Alford plea to that charge and was sentenced to 10 years. Benjamin was released from prison in 2013 or 2014, but he left his prison Facebook page up. Not much to see there.

According to the latest news this murder is being logged as a justified killing. It seems Benjamin got into a beef with someone at a Ladson Road party. That person left the party, but did not go home because he was afraid Benjamin would show up. Given Benjamin’s history of killing people I can’t say I blame him. Benjamin tracked this individual down, however, and started shooting at him. The victim returned fire and ended Benjamin. Something our prosecutors and courts couldn’t do.

WCBD has identified the victim of Benjamin’s aggression as Paul Darnell Williams. He took Benjamin down with what authorities say was a “legally purchased” weapon. The twist is that Williams has pending charges of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and 1st degree assault & battery from 2014. He is out of jail on a reduced and consolidated bond. According to news reports Williams was charged in April of 2014 after he stabbed a 16 year old in the back during a brawl on Upjohn Street in the Liberty Hill Neighborhood. Although Williams was also charged previously with CDV of a high & aggravated nature and has an attempted murder charge pending, he has not been convicted of any offenses which would bar him from buying, owning or possessing a firearm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Murder number 8 in Charleston county has been ruled self-defense. There may be a chance that murder number 7 could go that way, also.

 

News reports indicate the first Berkeley county murder of 2016 has occurred in Hanaha. Paula Lynn Anderson, 45, has been charged with murder in the death of her 68 year old mother, Frances Anderson. No details have yet been released regarding the mechanics of the murder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary:

Charleston county – 8 murders, 8 black male victims, four black males charged, police looking for at least five others, one of the eight victims was killed by another black male, but the case was determined to be self-defense.

Berkeley county – 1 murder, white mother murdered by white daughter.

 

 

Faces of Murder 2016 part 2

If you missed the first part of the Faces of Murder series detailing the first five Charleston County homicides you can find it here.

Murder number 6 happened the morning of 30 January, shortly before I typed up that summary of the other five. In this incident Fred Leroy Gibbs, 54, (aka Frederick Leroy Gibbs) was gunned down on Emden Street in the Ferndale neighborhood of North Charleston.

 

 

 

 

Gibbs was yet another serial felon who never served more than two years in prison despite a criminal history that included multiple convictions for burgary, resisting arrest, crack possession and ABHAN. Gibbs also had a CDV 3rd offense plead down to 1st offense and a CDVHAN plead down to CDV 1st offense. The next time Scarlett Wilson tells you she is serious about prosecuting criminal domestic violence, think about Fred Leroy Gibbs.

Gibbs was murdered by at least two as yet unknown black males who seemed to have gone into the area with the specific intention to confront Gibbs.

 

Faces of murder summary – six murders, six dead black males, four black males charged in three of those murders. Authorities currently looking for at least four black male suspects in the other three unsolved murders.

Blatant Disrespect

And you wonder why this country is circling the drain. The photo below was taken Aloha stadium in Hawaii where the NFL Pro-Bowl is being held. As you watch the game take note that the sponsor this year is USAA, a financial institution and insurance company catering to active duty military and veterans.

What you see in the picture is the giant flag to be used in ceremonies at the game tonight. Note the flag is lying on the ground. Also note the high school cheerleaders using it as a cushion to sit on. The picture made its way to me and I decided to put up a short post about it.

 

 

 

 

 

It seems the lack of respect for national symbols is now commonplace. Of course, that sort of attitude comes from the top down. According to some with experience working at the pro-bowl the flag is normally on a cart and not just thrown on the ground like a piece of trash. Is it just a coincidence this ugly situation is happening at a stadium in the home state of our current America-hating President? I think not.

Some members of the military who were assisting with preparations before the game were a bit offended by this mistreatment of the symbol of a nation they have pledged their lives to defend. They went through proper channels and asked the person in charge of the dancers and cheerleaders to rectify this situation and instruct the dancers to get their asses off the flag. The response they received? “We don’t see it as a real flag.”

Needless to say, there are some highly offended military folks at Aloha Stadium right about now. If you feel the same, head on over to the Facebook pages of USAA and the NFL and let them know about it.

Faces of Murder 2016

I think I will make “Faces of Murder” a regular entry here. It should go a long way toward showing where the bulk of the violent crime originates. Thus far in 2016 we have had five murders.

 

The latest homicide occurred in the vicinity of 2775 Ranger Drive on 23 January. At about 6 p.m. that evening police responded to a reported shooting to find 19 year old Lamonte Dashun Simmons suffering from two bullet wounds that ultimately killed him. Witnesses reported Simmons had been arguing with an acquaintance when the shots were fired. Lamonte Simmons, aka “Sam Low” was well known to law enforcement as a self-identified member of a local gang now known as the “Young Reckless Gunnas”.

 

 

Lamonte Simmons

 

 

Two suspects have been charged with murder in the case. Bryant Bennett, 17, faces the murder charge and a charge of possession of a firearm during a violent crime. Jayvon Deas, 18, just faces the murder charge for now. Based on media reports Bennett is the actual shooter while Deas admitted to giving Bennett the firearm before they headed over to Simmons’ location.

 

 

Bryant Bennett

 

Jayvon Deas

 

 

On January 4th 18 year old Larry Grayer was shot and killed in the Walmart parking lot at 7400 Rivers Avenue as he and two accomplices tried to rob a 16 year old they had arranged to sell drugs to.

 

 

Larry Grayer

 

 

Grayer’s two accomplices, Aliya Young, 17, and Deandre Stevens, 18, were both charged with armed robbery in the case.

 

 

Aliya Young

 

Deandre Stevens

 

 

Zarmell Polite, 16, was charged with murder in the shooting death of Grayer.

 

 

Zarmell Polite

 

 

 

It would appear all three of these suspects are now free on bond. Knowing how these things work I expect the charges against Stevens and Young to be reduced. I also expect the 9th circuit solicitor will eventually drop the murder charge against Polite on the basis of self-defense. They will also overlook the fact that a 16 year old was in possession of a handgun.

 

On 10 January Devante Smiley was shot and killed at “George’s Club” on Scott-White Road in Hollywood. No suspect or arrest information has been released in that case.

 

 

Devante Smiley

 

 

On January 15th Antwan Lamar Green, 26, was shot and killed at Marvin’s Barber Shop on Savage Road. No suspect or arrest information has been released on this case. Given the location of this murder it seems highly likely the suspect(s) is also a black male. Green had an extensive criminal history.

 

 

Antwan Green

 

 

 

January 16th brought another murder to North Charleston. Timothy Jamel Wilson, 30, was shot and killed outside of the “Lovey Dovey” club on Carner Avenue. Wilson also had an extensive criminal history.

 

 

Timothy Wilson

 

 

Richard Antwan Grandison, 36, has been charged with the murder of Wilson. He also faces a charge of possession of a firearm during a violent crime. Grandison is another serial felon with an arrest record dating back to 1997 for charges of multiple weapons violations, violation of probation, assault with intent to kill (multiple counts), failure to stop for blue lights, pointing and presenting a firearm, assaults on police officers, assault and battery with intent to kill and distribution of narcotics (crack). At the time of the murder Grandison was free on a $20,000 bond on yet another charge of resisting arrest.

 

 

Richard Grandison

 

 

I would encourage everyone to head over to the public database and pull up Grandison’s general sessions history. Based on what I see there, 95 percent of his serious felonies were dismissed by the office of the 9th circuit solicitor Scarlett Wilson. I will tell you what most police officers in Charleston and Berkeley counties will tell you. That record is rather typical of that office. Examination of those cases will prove I am being honest when I say crime in the lowcountry is low risk, high reward.

 

We normally don’t hear much from a certain segment of the community when it comes to the violent crime ravaging their neighborhoods. After the murder of Lamonte Simmons one of the usual race baiting types, Pastor Thomas Dixon, showed up on a WCSC story and claimed if there were better parks in the neighborhood Lamonte Simmons would still be alive. As usual, Dixon blamed the city of North Charleston, the North Charleston Recreation Department, and all of you taxpaying citizens (well, you white ones, anyway) of the city of North Charleston for the fact that violent gang members illegally possessing firearms are the leading cause of death in the lowcountry for black males between the ages of 15 and 35.

 

As I was about to wrap this up I got word of yet another murder in North Charleston. I’m still waiting on details, so look forward to the next installment of the “Faces of Murder” series.

 

 

Bank Bandits Bagged

Officers from the North Charleston Police Department successfully bagged a husband and wife bank robbery team on Wednesday. Erik Kenneth King entered the First Citizens Bank on Ashley Phosphate Road at about 4 p.m. King presented a note and was able to walk out with an undetermined amount of cash. Officers took King into custody as he tried to make his way to the Walmart parking lot where his getaway driver, wife Kimberlee Ann King was waiting. She ended up cuffed and stuffed, too. Both of the Kings, of 1124 Melvin Drive in Hanahan, were charged with entering a bank with intent to steal.

 

 

 

 

 

Kimberlee King has only faced general sessions charges once before. In 2013 she was charged with two counts of breach of trust $2000 – $10,000 in Berkeley County. Both of those charges were dismissed a year later.

Erik King is a serial offender who has benefited from lenient sentencing. Maybe we should take a trip through his criminal history.

 

In 1998 Erik King was charged in Berkeley county with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature (CDVHAN). That charge was pled down to a magistrate level CDV 1st offense and he was sentenced to 30 days and a $200 fine, suspended on 6 months probation and payment of the fine.

King was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill (ABWIK) in 1999 in Charleston county. He entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature (ABHAN) and was sentenced to 5 years, suspended after 90 days time served to 5 years probation.

In 2001 King was charged with escape in Berkeley county. That charge was reduced to contempt of court and he was sentenced to 90 days.

King stayed out of trouble until 2011 when he was charged in Berkeley county with CDVHAN and failure to stop for blue lights. The domestic violence charge was dismissed. He entered a guilty plea to the failure to stop and was sentenced to 1 year, suspended for 1 year of probation.

King was charged with 1st degree assault and battery in Berkeley county in 2012. That charge was dismissed.

Two months after the above charge was dismissed King was charged in Berkeley county with 2nd degree burglary (violent). That charge was dismissed three months later.

2013 also saw King charged in Charleston county with two counts of 2nd degree burglary (violent), grand larceny and possession of narcotics. The larceny and drug charges were dismissed after King entered a guilty plea to the burglary charges. He was sentenced to 10 years on one charge, suspended after serving 3 years to 2 years probation. King was sentenced to 3 years on the other burglary charge.

King is on probation for the above convictions until August 2016.

Being on probation didn’t stop him from committing a 1st degree burglary in February of 2015 or a 2nd degree burglary in July of 2015 in Berkeley county. In addition to being on probation when he committed those two offenses, King was free on bond on those offenses when he decided to rob a bank on Wednesday.

 

Crime in the lowcountry, low risk, high reward.