Archive
Security officer dies shielding store clerk during robbery www.privateofficer.com
JACKSON, MS July 26 2011 – Fifty-four year-old security guard James McKinney is dead after trying to shield his co-worker from gunfire during an early morning shooting. The homicide happened at the Shell gas station at the corner of Fortification Street and Jefferson Street in Belhaven.
Jackson police were called to the gas station located at 855 Fortification Street around 2:30AM Tuesday morning. Police say an attempted robbery turned fatal for the man guarding the station.
Sgt. Joseph Daughtry with the Jackson Police Department says, “we found one subject the clerk suffering from a single gunshot wound and we do have the security guard that was shot and he is deceased.”
Police say the 54 year-old security guard, who was armed, was shot twice while trying to protect the store clerk. Jackson Police Officer Colendula Green says, “to my knowledge the security guard was shot once in the chest and the arm.”
Co-workers say the security guard worked at the station for five or six months. He wasn’t actually scheduled to work Tuesday morning, but came in because he wanted too.
Police say the 26 year-old clerk, Suvin Sharth was shot in the leg. Sharth’s injuries aren’t life threatening. Police say any information you may have can help crack this case. “If there’s anybody that was passing by this location that saw anything no matter how small it may be, no matter what they think they might have seen we ask them to contact the Jackson Police Department,” says Sgt. Daughtry.
Some individuals that work at the gas station say in the four years they’ve worked at the station, they’ve never experienced an attempted armed robbery.
Police say they’re looking for two black male suspects who were masked when they entered the gas station. The Shell is closed for the remainder of Tuesday.
If you have any information on this crime please contact the Jackson Police Department at 601-960-1234. You can also call Crimestoppers at 601-355-TIPS.
Source:WLBT
S.C. security officer killed in head-on collision www.privateofficer.com
Samuel McCauley, 19, has been charged with reckless homicide and felony driving under the influence, police spokesman Charles Francis said. Bail was set Monday afternoon during a hearing at Medical University Hospital, Francis said.
McCauley was taken to the hospital following the wreck. On Monday, a hospital spokeswoman declined to give his condition.
McCauley, who works at the Morgan Creek Grill, according to an incident report released Monday, was booked as a Charleston County jail inmate just after 4 a.m. Sunday, a jail duty officer said. Police have kept watch over McCauley at the hospital and he had not been transferred to jail by late Monday, the duty officer said.
Eleanor Caperton, 72, died of her injuries at the hospital, Charleston County Deputy Coroner Brittney Martin said. Caperton worked as a security guard, according to the incident report.
The collision happened just after midnight near the junction of I-26 and the Septima Clark Expressway north of Coming Street, Francis said. Traffic is supposed to flow toward Charleston there. McCauley was going in the opposite direction and ran into Caperton’s car, according to police.
There has been some confusion over McCauley’s identity because of incorrect information reported by other news outlets.
“There have been media reports last night and today that the 19-year-old charged with felony DUI near the Crosstown in downtown Charleston Saturday night is an incoming freshman wrestling team walk-on at The Citadel. That information is not accurate,” said Charlene Gunnells, The Citadel’s media relations coordinator. “This is a case of similar names.”
McCauley’s bail was set at $55,000 on the reckless homicide charge and $52,324.50 on the felony DUI charge.
Source:Post-Courier
Volunteer patrol group help police cover large area www.privateofficer.com
KITTITAS COUNTY WA July 26 2011 — They look like cops, but they’re not. What’s the difference?
“We have no authority,” says volunteer citizen’s patrolman, Ken Titus. “Just eyes and ears for the sheriffs.”
Titus and Bob Allen are spending their retirement keeping a watchful eye on Kittitas County.
“If someone is thinking of doing something, we might detour them,” says Titus.
If it doesn’t detour them, Titus and Allen will call dispatchers to bring a deputy to the scene.
In a time of budget cuts and tight wallets, this citizen’s patrol is a way to increase county safety without adding any costs to you–the taxpayer.
Even money for the vehicle, gas and uniforms is mostly donated.
Still, people told me that you can’t assign a dollar amount to peace of mind.
“They’re making sure we’re all staying safe, and I think it’s a great idea.”
Nick Snyder goes to CWU and says he sees how busy police and deputies often are. And, with a little less than a year under their belt, the sheriff’s office hopes to add more patrols, and subtract worries and fear from the people in Kittitas County.
“To me, it’s a pleasant drive in the county, and if we can do some good, that’s even better,” says Allen.
The minimum amount of volunteer time is 8 hours a month. If you want to be a part of the volunteer patrols, just call the sheriff’s office for more information. No experience is required.
Woman slashed at Fair Oaks Mall in Virginia www.privateofficer.com
Fairfax County VA July 26 2011 A woman was slashed and cut in a Fairfax County shopping mall Monday evening in what may be the latest of a series of similar incidents, Fairfax County police said.
The woman, whose wound was not considered life-threatening, was cut about 5:30 p.m. in a store that caters to young women in the Fair Oaks Mall, said police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell.
The woman was attacked after her attention was drawn to the sound of a package dropped behind her, Caldwell said. The woman felt a sudden pain and turned to see someone walking away.
She had been cut on the buttocks through her jean shorts with a box cutter or razor, Caldwell said.
According to Caldwell, investigators have recently recognized a pattern of about four or five incidents similar to Monday’s that occurred in retail stores in the county in the last six months.
No description of the assailant was available in Monday’s incident, Caldwell said. But in previous incidents, the assailant was described as a Hispanic man about five feet six, in his late 20s to early 30s. Victims have all been in their late teens to early 20s, Caldwell said.
Source:washington post
Security officer shot at houston game room www.privateofficer.com
Investigators said two people came to Mr. Game Room in the 12300 block of Veterans Memorial at 4 a.m. and were armed.
The security guard stopped them outside in the parking lot, and that’s when one of the gunmen began to shoot, officials said.
Four people, including the security guard, were hit, deputies said.
“The security guard did return fire. Right now, we’re trying to determine how many times he fired,” said Sgt. David Hilborn with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said the gunmen were not among those injured.
One man was transported in critical condition, and the security guard was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Deputies said the other two were grazed by bullets and treated at the scene.
Investigators said little information is available on the gunmen, who took off, but it’s unknown if it was by foot or in a car.
The motive for the shooting is not yet known.
“At this point and time, we don’t know a motive yet — as far as if it’s an assault cause or it’s a robbery situation,” Hilborn said.
The victims’ names were not released.
A dozen customers were inside the business at the time of the shooting. A sign on the door said it is for “members only.”
source-khou.com
SC motel clerk kills armed robber www.privateofficer.com
COLUMBIA, SC July 26 2011 – A man is dead after the motel clerk he tried to sexually assault and rob early Monday morning fought back and killed him, deputies said.
Investigators say 43-year-old Vincent Carson of Orangeburg entered Days Inn motel at 133 Plumbers Rd. near I-20 and North Main St. sometime before 6:00 a.m.
As the female clerk went into the breakfast room to prepare breakfast, she found Carson waiting inside. The victim said Carson held a knife to her throat and said “this is a robbery.”
Investigators said when her attacker slipped the knife into his pants pocket to begin tying her up with plastic ties, the woman pulled a handgun from under her shirt, turned and fired into the man’s chest at point blank range.
The victim was about 100 pounds lighter than Carson and stood at least a foot shorter than him, investigators said.
When deputies got to the scene just after 6:00 a.m., they found the suspect unresponsive on the floor. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said Carson died from a single gunshot to the chest.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Carson’s intent was not only to rob the motel, but also to rape the clerk. “There’s no doubt that was his intent,” said Lott. “Not only was he going to rob her, but he was going to sexually assault her. Now what was he going to do after that assault was over with, we don’t know.”
The clerk was not injured, but was taken to Palmetto Baptist Hospital as a precaution.
The suspect was wanted in at least one other motel robbery in the Midlands. The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department was looking for Carson in connection with a July 14 robbery at the Hampton Inn on US Highway 601.
In that incident, deputies said Carson broke into the room of two elderly tourists and took their money, their cell phone and their vehicle.
Lott said that this was an unfortunate situation in which the victim feared for her life and defended herself.
Lott said the clerk had been victimized in one of two recent robberies at the same Days Inn and had gotten permission from her employer to carry a .22 caliber gun. The suspect in both of those incidents was identified as 22-year-old David Wesley Watson.
Watson is also believed to be the man who shot and killed Papa John’s Pizza store manager Steven Fowler in June.
“Citizens need to be aware of their surroundings,” the sheriff said. “If you see or hear anything that may be out of place or suspicious in nature, it’s always best to use your better judgment and call law enforcement.”
No charges have been filed.
Source-wis
West Metro Soccer Club treasurer arrested for thefts www.privateofficer.com
WEST COLUMBIA, SC July 26 2011 – The treasurer of a Midlands youth soccer club has some explaining to do after $14,000 went missing from the club’s coffers and at least one law enforcement agency has charged her in connection with the missing funds.
Kimberly Denice Stripling of North was arrested Thursday morning and charged with Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent more than $2000, but less than $10,000. The 41-year-old mother of three was employed with Grace Baptist Church, and had served as Treasurer of the West Metro Soccer Club, according to police.
Stripling was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center just before noon Thursday and released later that afternoon on a $5,000 surety bond. “We advise the clubs to introduce some safeguards,” said soccer volunteer Hans Pauling. “But it still comes down to trust, and that’s what this was, a breach of trust on a massive scale.”
The president of the West Metro Soccer Club, Ralph Estep, filed a police report last week after he noticed over $14,000 was missing from the club’s bank account. “We’ve pulled receipts from local merchants, and it was just stuff,” said Estep. He said that “stuff” included items such as rent, groceries, car payments, a cable bill, and clothes.
A police warrant alleges that over a period of approximately one year, Stripling, who had access to the club’s debit card and check book, used club funds for her personal use.
Investigators have learned that Stripling used between $23,000 and $28,000 of soccer funds in multiple jurisdictions to include Richland County, Lexington County and the Town of Lexington. Investigations in those jurisdictions are on-going and additional charges may be brought against Ms. Stripling. “It’s pretty major,” said Estep. “We’ve got $297 left in the bank.”
The money was to finance a season of soccer matches for nearly 400 children. ” A club could disappear because of the actions of one person?” questioned Pauling.
WIS News 10 went to Stripling’s new home and tried to ask her about the charges, but she didn’t answer the door. Sonya Freeman was her friend. “Very disappointed,” she said. “She and I were friends as well and actually met at church.”
The West Metro Soccer Club is an all volunteer community-based soccer league with an emphasis towards children ages 4-17 playing soccer regardless of their skills. The club, which has been in existence for over 30 years, serves West Columbia, Cayce, Springdale and all areas of eastern Lexington County.
The club’s board is working on ideas to overcome the financial blow and get the season going. “We’re going to have a soccer season one way or another, even if we have to do it in T-shirts and blue jeans,” said Estep.
If convicted, Stripling could be fined or sentenced to five years in prison.
Police are asking that anyone with information concerning this case contact Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or the West Columbia Police Department at 803-794-0721.
source-wis.com
Hamilton County TN corresctions officer arrested www.privateofficer.com
A corrections officer with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office was arrested over the weekend and charged with sexual battery.
Police received a call around 2 a.m. on Saturday and responded to the Palms Club at 6925 Shallowford Road where they spoke with the victim. She advised that while dancing on the dance floor, she was approached by the suspect, Jerry Melbert.
At some point during their brief conversation, the victim said Melbert zipped up her top and stuck his hand into her blouse. The victim and her husband immediately alerted security who escorted Melbert from the club.
The victim contacted police to report the incident, but Melbert was not on the scene when they arrived. After speaking with the victim and other witnesses on the scene, police obtained warrants in the case.
Melbert was subsequently charged on the warrant.
Roanoke police arrest man with links to security officer murder www.privateofficer.com
Roanoke VA July 26 2011 Police arrested a man on a gun charge after executing a search warrant that links him to the July 13 killing of Afton Gardens apartment complex security guard Steve Orange Jr., according to court filings.
Gene Anthony Brown, 28, was jailed without bail in Roanoke City Jail following his arrest July 20 by heavily armed members of the police tactical team at the Econolodge hotel on Orange Avenue. Brown, convicted of buying a stolen firearm and escape in 2001, was charged with possessing a firearm by a felon.
Police seized cell phones from an Econolodge room to see whether they were used to plot Orange’s killing, according to a search warrant filed today in Roanoke District Court.
“It was found by detectives that there was communication through the use of cell phones about the planning of the killing of the security guard,” the search warrant said. Police sought the phones “to further aid in this homicide investigation,” according to the document.
No one has been charged in Orange’s killing. Police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson declined to comment.
Brown fell under police suspicion the day before he was arrested, when an unnamed witness told detectives of seeing Brown toting a sawed-off shotgun on Hunt Avenue northwest, near the Afton Gardens apartment complex in northwest Roanoke.
Over the next two days, detectives searched a house where Brown had been seen coming and going, the Afton Gardens apartment he shared with his girlfriend, his girlfriend’s car and two Econolodge rooms, the search warrants said. They found a gun two empty gun boxes and multiple cell phones, according to the warrants.
Orange, 46, patrolled Afton Gardens since at least 2010, when his security company ProTecht was contracted. He enforced a 9 p.m. curfew on the property and kept away people who had been banned from the complex. ProTecht guards carry a gun and have arrest authority.
Source:roanoke.com
Shots fired in casino robbery www.privateofficer.com
Milwaukee WI July 26 2011 A man attempted an armed robbery early Monday at Potawatomi Bingo Casino but didn’t get away with any money, police said.
Milwaukee police were called to the casino around 3 a.m. Monday after someone fired shots in the parking lot of the casino on W. Canal St. near 16th St. in the Menomonee Valley.
Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said an alert security guard confronted the suspect outside as he was about to flee. The suspect fired a couple of shots before taking off in a black Ford Explorer, police said. No one was injured.
20 shot in unrelated violence in King County WA www.privateofficer.com
Kent WA July 26 2011 A man opened fire at Muckleshoot Casino near Auburn early this morning after finding his estranged wife on a crowded dance floor with another man, police said.
The suspect shot them both with a handgun and continued firing, striking five more people, including two of his wife’s sisters, before a security guard tackled him.
A 42-year-old Covington man was arrested and booked into jail on four counts of suspicion of attempted murder.
Auburn police said all seven victims were hospitalized. Two others received minor injuries while trying to flee Club Galaxy inside the casino.
The incident was the second large shooting in South King County in less than 10 hours.
On Saturday afternoon, 13 attendees of a low-rider car show in Kent were shot and wounded.
The Covington man is believed to have come to the nightclub about 1:30 a.m. in search of his wife.
“The information is he either followed her there or arrived just after her,” Auburn police commander Mike Hirman said.
Police said he watched his estranged wife, her male companion and her two sisters for several minutes on the dance floor before approaching them with a gun.
He was caught while trying to escape the club. Security guards detained him until police arrived.
Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg said four victims from the casino shooting – a 29-year-old man and three women in their 30s – were brought to the Seattle facility.
Two were listed in serious condition and two were satisfactory Sunday, she said.
The other three victims suffered minor injuries and were expected to be released Sunday from Valley Medical Center in Renton.
A man who answered the phone at the casino Sunday declined to comment. The facility is owned and operated by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.
On Sunday, authorities marveled at the number of people shot over the weekend but said they were not connected.
“What’s unusual is that so many got shot and nobody got killed,” said Ralph Fascitelli, board president of Washington CeaseFire, a statewide group that seeks to reduce gun violence. “To have two things back to back, it’s a quirk, but I’m not surprised. It’s a wakeup call to officials to do more about gun violence in this state. It’s very lucky that nobody got killed.”
Kent detectives on Sunday continued sifting through evidence and interviewing dozens of witnesses to the chaotic shooting at La Plaza shopping center the day before.
It was about 4:15 p.m. Saturday when a fight in La Plaza shopping center erupted into a shooting. Gang investigators went to the scene, but Kent police Sgt. Jarod Kasner said a motive remained unclear.
“We’re not ruling out anything,” he said. “We’re still going through the evidence and following up with the information we get.”
Nine of the victims in the Kent shooting – six men and two women – were brought to Harborview Medical Center, Gregg said.
There were no life-threatening injuries, Gregg said. The victims range in age from 14 to 32. Some were hit on a foot, leg and chest, Gregg said.
Anyone who attended or took photographs during the car show is asked to call the Kent Police Department’s tip line at 253-856-5808.
Source:www.thenewstribune.com
Augusta nightclub bouncer attacked www.privateofficer.com
The bouncer had just thrown out an unruly customer when he says he was jumped by several unknown males. The complainant said he was punched in the face and kicked several times. He was taken to MCG.
The bouncer told deputies he could not give any kind of description of anyone because it happened too fast.
Man arrested for trying to stab nightclub security www.privateofficer.com
Michael Mitchell, 38, 1816 Morningside Ave., was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault and public intoxication, according to a police report.
A bouncer at the nightspot, Christopher Newcomb, asked Mitchell to leave because he was very drunk and causing a disturbance, according to the report. Mitchell left but returned twenty minutes later.
When Newcomb and another bouncer confronted him, Mitchell pulled out a steak knife and took a few stabs at Newcomb, according to the report. The bouncers disarmed him without injury.
When a police officer arrived, he found Mitchell lying on his back in the middle of the road. Mitchell wasn’t wearing shoes, and his speech was slurred. He first told the officer he hadn’t been in a fight but later said he tried to stab “that guy,” according to the report.
The officer found a steak knife on the scene. Mitchell was taken to the Maury County Jail and later released on a $5,000 bond.
Source:cdh
Greenville shootings leave security officer injured www.privateofficer.com
Greenville NC July 26 2011 Two shootings and three armed robberies kept Greenville Police Department officers busy Saturday night and early Sunday.
Four people were injured in related shootings at Fusion Skate Park at 500 W. 10th St. and a Sheetz convenience store at 1000 Charles Blvd.
Both shootings involved the same group of people, Sgt. Carlton Williams said Sunday.
It was the second shooting outside Fusion this month. A man was shot in the leg near the skate park on July 4.
Officers were dispatched to Fusion at 11:23 p.m. to disperse a large crowd and investigate a possible fight. The owner of Fusion sometimes rents the space in the evenings for special events, Williams said. The park’s owner informed police that he plans to stop renting out Fusion for events after hours, Williams said.
On Saturday, a middle-aged woman rented the site for a birthday party, Williams said, adding she has rented it before without incident.
While officers attempted to clear the crowd from the parking lot, they heard a gunshot, and a vehicle was seen quickly leaving the area.
Police determined a male had been shot, and he was transported to Pitt County Memorial Hospital. He remains in serious but stable condition, Williams said.
No suspects have been identified.
That same group of people leaving Fusion migrated to a nearby Sheetz and again became a target, Williams said. There, three people were shot.
Arriving at the scene at 11:38 p.m., police located the three victims, including a Sheetz security guard. They were all transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Sheetz can be a busy place because it serves made-to-order food throughout the night, Williams said. A security guard and two East Carolina University Police officers were on the premises at the time of the shooting.
“This kind of shows that people have no regard for who’s around when a shooting occurs,” Williams said. “They were within 50 feet of where the shots were fired. An officer can be right on top of the situation, and it doesn’t necessarily make that much difference.”
The names of the victims have not been released because the reports are being processed, Williams said.
No suspects have been identified in either shooting, though Williams said investigators have identified persons of interest. He said there is no indication that the shootings were gang-related.
Meanwhile, two businesses and a pedestrian were targeted by armed robbers.
Two black males entered Bojangles at 3210 E. 10th St. at 9:45 p.m. One was armed with a knife, police said.
One was wearing a blue bandana over his face, dark clothing and a white glove on his left hand, and the other wore a brown hooded shirt, white mask or bandana and white gloves on both hands.
At 3:06 a.m., a black male armed with a handgun entered a Kangaroo store at 4000 S. Memorial Drive and demanded money from the store cashier, police said.
Less than 40 minutes later, gunshots were reported at a different Kangaroo store, located at 1306 W. Arlington Blvd.
Validated members of the Bloods gang were arrested and charged Sunday in those two incidents.
A male East Carolina University student was robbed of his passport, cellphone and $30 cash about 3:15 a.m. Sunday at Fourth and Library streets.
Three to four males armed with knives fled from the scene on foot, police said. The victim was not hurt.
Williams said that despite the level of criminal activity Saturday night, gang suppression tactics enacted July 9 are working.
Between 25 and 30 officers working as IMPACT teams were out in addition to usual levels of enforcement, Williams said.
“When you suppress activity in one location, it may flare up in other areas,” he said. “Even with all the officers we had out, it was a tough night for the police department.”
Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to contact the Greenville Police at 329-4949 or 329-3937. Pitt-Greenville CrimeStoppers also can be contacted by calling 758-7777 or by texting “PITTGV” and information to 274637.
