Sunday
21Nov
Mentally Ill Black Man Shot & Killed by Shelby Police
Sunday, November 21, 2004 at 04:11PM
A Shelby police officer shot a man Wednesday afternoon during a
struggle to take the man to a mental health facility. Shelby police
officer Sean Mowery shot Milton Gaines, known as "Karate Man," who was
then transported to Cleveland Regional Medical Center. Some witnesses
said Gaines was shot in the torso, although Shelby Police Chief Tandy
Carter could not confirm that Wednesday evening. "The officer was
defending himself," Carter said at the scene near the intersection of
Logan and Crawford streets. "If you feel your life is threatened, you
can use deadly force. That's why we carry guns." Gaines had been in and
out of mental health facilities, neighbors said. They said he lived
alone and they didn't consider him a threat. He walked along the street
talking about religion, they said. About 4:20 p.m., Mowery arrived at
Gaines' home at 505 Crawford St., a few blocks east of Cleveland
Regional Medical Center, to serve involuntary commitment papers that
would force Gaines to undergo psychiatric treatment. Gaines became
combative and Mowery called for backup, Carter said. The two got into a
struggle and Mowery defended himself by shooting Gaines, Carter said.
Gaines lives alone and most mornings can be seen performing T'ai Chi, a
form of martial arts, in his front yard, neighbors said. "He doesn't
bother anybody," Torie Woods, a neighbor, said. "He walks around and
talks to anybody. There was no need to shoot him." Dozens of Shelby
police officers, Cleveland County Sheriff's Office deputies and
emergency medical services workers raced to the scene. A crowd gathered
and watched as ambulances carried Mowery and Gaines away. [more]
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Reader Comments (6)
This is disgusting. Why does everything have to be race related. None of you were there. None of you know what really happend. You speculate as to how the officer did not have to shoot the man, but you don't know what the man was doing. You don't know if the officers love may have been in danger.