NAACP wants more details on shooting

Police killed man in Pisgah traffic stop

Friday, Oct. 9, 2009

By BETHANY RODGERS

Staff writer

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Warren

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The president of the Charles County NAACP said his group is concerned about the number of times sheriff's officers shot a Pisgah man in a deadly confrontation on Oct. 2, but is taking a "wait and see" approach as police continue investigating the incident.

William Braxton said although the family of Cornelius Maurice Warren has contacted the county National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter, he is waiting for more facts about the shooting before coming to any conclusions about it.

"There are no quick fixes and no quick solutions," he said.

Saturday, Charles County Sheriff Rex W. Coffey (D) said he would brief the county NAACP on the incident once the investigation collected more information, according to Braxton. But at this point, Braxton isn't sure how many times Warren was shot; some people have told him Warren had four gunshot wounds, others reported there were seven wounds.

According to police, two sheriff's officers fired at Warren after the 44-year-old man tried to grab a deputy's handgun. A police radio call the day of the incident reported that a suspect had "four to the chest" but it was unclear if the officer was referring to gunshot wounds.

Officers had pulled Warren over for speeding near the intersection of Masons Spring Road and Nelson Point Road in Pisgah at about 3:25 p.m., according to Diane Richardson, sheriff's office spokeswoman. During the stop, police found a "large quantity" of marijuana inside Warren's white sport utility vehicle, Richardson said.

At some point, Warren, who had gotten out of the SUV with a male passenger, jumped back into the Chevrolet Tahoe and tried to flee, according to police. As he struggled with officers, Warren allegedly tried to grab a deputy's gun. The officer and a second deputy began shooting at him, and Warren was later pronounced dead from his wounds at Civista Medical Center, the report stated.

The fact that police still haven't released many details about the shooting or the names of the two officers involved worries Braxton. However, he said he understands that by law, the two deputies have 10 days following the incident before they must give a statement to the sheriff's office.

Police want to interview everyone involved in the shooting before releasing additional information, according to Richardson.

She said a police investigation has "led to developments that the officers' safety is of concern," which is why the sheriff's office hasn't publicized the deputies' names. Both officers are on administrative leave, in accordance with agency policy.

A citizen review panel, which the NAACP has previously advocated instituting to look over alleged police misconduct, would be useful in this situation, Braxton said.

"There's no justice to the family for them to hear what a department-backed investigation is going to tell them," he said.

"They already know what it's going to tell them."

Warren's family has called the police account of the shooting into question, challenging the claim that Warren tried to take an officer's weapon. They also said witnesses reported hearing sheriff's officers fire 25 to 30 shots. Some people living in the area interviewed Monday after the shooting either said they heard no gunshots or that they were not at home at the time of the shooting.

brodgers@somdnews.com

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