Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Submitted by Sgt. Jake Corey

The Beckley Police Dept.  Drug unit located this container on a traffic stop. The bottle contained liquid in both ends. When turned upside down the air pocket stayed in the bottom end. Upon further inspection the container was found to contain several illegal prescription narcotics.

 

           

 

           

 

 

K-9 Sampson

April 15, 1997----April 7th 2008

K-9 Sampson started with the Charleston Police Department the 18th day of April 1999.  He worked the streets of Charleston until the spring of 2005 when he retired.  During his time with the department K-9 Sampson and I worked on "B" shift.  He did an excellent job during these years.  Sampson ran down and caught five suspects, tracked down several suspects, and found thousands of dollars of drugs and thousands of dollars in cash.

Sampson was known to the guys in the K-9 unit as a "HARD DOG".  He was the no nonsense kind of K-9.  On many occasions Sampson protected me from large crowds, and out of hand suspects.  He had a great nose on him and he loved doing his job.  There are so many stories I could tell, I don't know where to start.  Retired Sgt. Greg White trained Sampson and I.  During the years of training Sampson bit Greg on three different occasions that I can remember.  Every time Greg would say "That dog is going to be the death of me!"

Police dogs are not just pets, you trust them with your life, they will lay down their life for you.  It's a bond that I can't explain.  He did a great service for the police department and the city of Charleston.  He never missed a days work and never complained one time.  In his retirement years he enjoyed laying in the pasture above our house looking down to keep watch over everything so that where his final resting place is.  K-9 Sampson was a great partner and a good friend.

Cpl. T.B. Hawley

 

 

Beckley P.D. Rottweiler K-9 succumbs to cancer

By Amelia A. Pridemore
Register-Herald Reporter

Merlin, the city’s and possibly the state’s only Rottweiler K-9, died Thursday morning, Chief Tim Deems said. Merlin was 7.

In November, Merlin was diagnosed with a form of cancer affecting his lymph nodes. Statistically, a dog with that type of cancer would only have one to three months to live. However, Merlin remained on duty with the city. His handler, Cpl. Will Reynolds, said Merlin remained active and eager to work.

Deems believed Merlin was on duty as late as Wednesday night.

“He wasn’t just riding in the vehicle,” Deems said. “He was out working and was very successful at it.”

Merlin’s work after the cancer diagnosis included tracking what city police said was an intoxicated shoplifting suspect who shoved a Beckley Wal-Mart loss prevention officer and threatened to shoot her.

Merlin continued to track down illegal drugs as well, which Deems noted was his forte. He attributed that largely to Merlin’s breed, given that Rottweilers have such a strong will to work.

But while Merlin had an intimidating presence at first glance, he was a kind, good-natured dog that would quickly warm up to people, Deems said. He noted police dogs like Merlin live in their handlers’ homes, and the bond between the officers, the dogs and the officers’ families is extremely strong.

“No doubt, this is something Reynolds will really have to deal with over the next few days and weeks,” Deems said.

Upon Reynolds’ request, Merlin has been buried at the city police shooting range, where K-9 officers take their dogs for training and breaks, Deems said.

“I thought it was a good idea,” Deems said. “Merlin being there will be a reminder for all K-9 officers when they’re down there about the good job and the service Merlin and Reynolds provided. We certainly thank them.

“Merlin provided very good service to the city. ... We will miss him.”

 

 

Beckley P.D. Rottweiler battling advanced cancer By Amelia A. Pridemore Register-Herald Reporter   The Beckley Police Department has an officer who has stopped fleeing suspects in their tracks and has made a significant dent in the city’s drug trade — and all he wants in return is love, praise and someone to play fetch with him. But Merlin, the department’s and possibly the state’s only Rottweiler K-9, now fights an even stronger foe — cancer, which could end the robust dog’s life. Cpl. Will Reynolds, Merlin’s handler, said Merlin has been diagnosed with Stage 5 lymphosarcoma, a form of cancer affecting his lymph nodes. Statistically, a dog with this type of cancer only has one to three months to live. “It’s killing me to know he’s dying,” Reynolds said. “My job now is to keep him happy. He has served the city well.” “I wish it were me that was sick — not him. I truly mean that,” Reynolds said as he petted his partner who wears a police badge on his collar. “He has gone above and beyond for me. He means the world to me.” About two weeks ago, Reynolds said he noticed Merlin’s eyes were “gooey,” and he took his K-9 to a local veterinarian. The vet diagnosed Merlin with conjunctivitis and prescribed eye drops. Merlin’s eyes never cleared, and the vet sent Merlin to a specialist at Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech specialist took samples of Merlin’s lymph nodes and diagnosed the cancer, Reynolds said. Rottweilers like Merlin often do not show signs until the final stages because they tend to be strong, with high willpower. Reynolds said chemotherapy is an option, but after speaking with a Virginia officer whose Rottweiler K-9 is in a similar situation, he has opted not to do that. Chemotherapy would likely prolong Merlin’s life, but it would likely make him sicker and outright miserable. Merlin is being treated with other medications. While the cancer has partially affected Merlin’s eyesight, he does remain on limited duty with the police department. Merlin remains active and eager to work. “He’s still happy. He’s still Merlin,” Reynolds said. “He’s always ready to go. He runs out the door, and he’s right beside the car door. As sick as he’s been, he’s still got his drive. “I’m dealing with it one day at a time. As long has he wakes up happy, I wake up happy.” - - - Beckley P.D. purchased Merlin, now 7, in October 2004. Reynolds has been his only handler, and Merlin has been Reynolds’ only K-9. Both Reynolds and Police Chief Tim Deems said Merlin has been a mainstay in the community and has been an asset in getting drugs off the streets. “The first thought that comes to mind about Merlin is that he’s an excellent drug K-9,” Deems said. “He has done outstanding work in locating drugs. That’s where Merlin has really excelled. “A lot of that is Reynolds working with him. K-9 officers have to train their dogs every day to keep them on top of their games. Even on their days off, K-9 officers still have to work with the dogs to keep them proficient.” Detective Sgt. Gant Montgomery said Merlin has been responsible in the recovery of scores of illegal drugs and putting dealers behind bars. “This will be a big loss. Merlin is a trusted dog and very important to drug work,” Montgomery said. “He is going to be truly missed. I don’t know that the community really understands how important K-9s are in police work nowadays.” Montgomery said the entire department has grown attached to Merlin, making it painful for everyone. Deems agreed. “You get attached to K-9s like you do with a person,” he said. “Their handlers have them living in their homes, and the dogs go to work with them, too. They rely on each other, and they get pretty attached. When the dogs retire, the handlers usually keep them as pets for the rest of their lives.” Reynolds said he and his family are heartbroken because Merlin is a huge part of both his work and home life. “He’s a tool, but he’s also my buddy,” Reynolds said. “He’s even got his own room at my house.” Reynolds said Merlin is well known and popular among law-abiding citizens. Reynolds has brought Merlin for demonstrations at schools and churches, plus city festivals like the Kids’ Classic. A local kennel club purchased a special K-9 bulletproof vest for Merlin. Angie Stroud and Tina Doss are two citizens who know Merlin well. The two women work at the downtown Beckley Subway, next door to the police department. They often see Reynolds walking Merlin outside the store or see Merlin inside Reynolds’ cruiser. “His ears just perk up when he sees me,” Doss said. “The dogs are just like another officer, and just like if it were any other part of your family, Merlin getting sick is just terrible,” Stroud said. “The people at the police department are all our friends, and we take care of them. This is bad — the poor little thing. There’s so much history with Reynolds and Merlin — for three years, Reynolds has had his life in Merlin’s hands.”   K-9 Eran

Chuck Stanley dog Eran died yesterday.  He had some problems and Chuck took him to the Vet which sent him to a hospital and they found cancer all though him, and had to put him down. Chuck went on the road with Eran in 1998 and was still working. We are having a small service then burial Mon 9/10 at the FOP grounds where my first dog is and several Weirton PD dogs are.

 

I Our Task Force came across this item on a dealer they worked........Dennis Brown, Logan Sheriff Dept.

SMELLY PROOF BAGS. The website is http://www.everyonedoesit.com/ or you can just google smelly proof bags. The Logan County Sheriff Department and U.S. 119 Task Force came upon this item while conducting every ones favorite activity!!!! (Drug Busts). We conducted tests on the bag due to it being thicker and of a different material than the standard "baggies" we are all use to. The material is the consistency of a heavy cellophane with a standard closure on it.  We did research on the article using one "joint" inside the bag. After closing the bag, we wiped down the outside of bag to eliminate contamination and washed our hands. We then hid the bag on a vehicle and brought in Logan to search for the item.  After a 30-50 second time frame to allow him to acclimate to the garage, he found the bag with no problems. They don't work, but....... The dealers don't have to know that!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO........ I suspect that the dealers will be handling drugs and contaminating the outside of the bags so that will make it even easier for the dogs.................

 

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Look here, 24 lbs of marijuana.  They tried to hide the scent by using a orange mix or something like that.  Did not work, Niko almost ate the container.

 

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LEWISBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT

Trooper First Class D.A. "Andy" Evans' black Lab "Wrigley" expired Sunday. Wrigley was Lewisburg P.D.'s  1st K9! She was in service from 1998-2000 and retired when Andy was accepted to the State Police. She was 9 years of age at the time of her death.  Andy was a past member of the WVPCA. Until her death she still would "work" with the best of them. She was purchased from a private party and trained by Augusta K9 and Mike Munson.  She will be missed by Andy and his immediate family!

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BECKLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT     

Cpl. Roy Redden and K-9, Vinnie from Beckley PD found this in a vehicle on a dog indication.

I have never seen a pipe like this before........ Jake

    

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POINT PLEASANT REGISTER

Local News

Thirteen pounds of marijuana confiscated during arrest

By Diane Pottorff
Tuesday, November 15, 2005 5:40 PM EST

Mason County Sheriff’s Department/photo Trooper J.M. Finnicum of the Mason County Detachment of the West Virginia State Police, Sgt. Robbie Fruth II and Deputy Billy Gritt of the Mason County Sheriff’s Department show the marijuana and money they confiscated from a traffic stop outside of Point Pleasant Saturday.

APPLE GROVE - Two people were arrested early Saturday morning after officers pulled them over for speeding and found marijuana in their vehicle.

Brothers Todd E. Ward, 29, of South Point, Ohio, and Shawn Richard Ward, 31, of Huntington drove past Mason County Sheriff's Department Deputy William Gritt at a high rate of speed on W.Va. 2 south of Point Pleasant, according to Sheriff Scott Simms. Gritt proceeded to perform a traffic stop in the Apple Grove area.

In a search of the rented GMC Envoy the Wards were in, K-9 Unit Bull and his partner, Sgt. Robert E. Fruth II, discovered more than 13 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of $28,000, and $14,550 in cash, Simms said. Also assisting in the arrest was Trooper J.M. Finnicum of the Mason County Detachment of the West Virginia State Police.

Bull had detected the odor of the drugs coming from the Envoy which resulted in a justifiable search, he said.

“This is a perfect example of why the four K-9 units are such an important part of the Mason County Sheriff's Department war on drugs,” Simms said. “The deputies and K-9 units are aggressively working to fight drugs from coming into the county. They (K-9 units) are available to any other agency for this.”

He also said Bull alone has taken off the road in Mason County about $30,000 in drugs and $23,000 in drug-related money this year.

“People in Mason County have dedicated deputies who are out their fighting drugs and keeping the public safe,” Simms said.

 

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Having Your Cake and Eating It Too   On August 10,2005 while working with the U.S. 119 Task Force, I was involved in a drug interdiction stop and seizure. The suspect was a 60 year old woman whom the task force had been investigating for some time.   I was set in place and by using radar had stopped the woman for speeding. As I approached, I spoke with her and obtained her information and went back to my vehicle to retrieve the K9.   I deployed the dog and as I approached the passenger side front door, the driver opened the door. Logan jumped inside and immediately grabbed an angel food cake that was on the front seat. The cake was in a convenience store bag along with peaches and some ready to bake bread sticks. I  “outed” Logan and pulled him from the vehicle. The suspect immediately put her purse in front of the food bag and ask if I wanted to search her purse.  One of our task force officers was running back-up for me and I had him watch the woman and I put the K9 back in the car. As our policy is for a uniform to conduct the search if possible, I came back to the suspects vehicle and did the search. The first thing I did upon returning was to toss the purse on the roof of the vehicle and I grabbed the cake and opened it. As I opened it, I discovered three baggies containing approximately 100 tablets of hydrocodone in each. The suspect had opened the cake and had turned it over and created a hollow cavity in the center and had stuffed the baggies.   1.           Elderly persons DO mule drugs, money and/or other contraband. Do not be deceived by the age of a person. An older person will kill an officer and they don't have a lot to loose as their age will keep them from spending a lot of time incarcerated.   2.         Masking odors can be made from anything, even angel food cake!   3.         "Traps" or hidden compartments don't have to be connected to the vehicle, they can be in the container the drugs are hidden in. (Hollowing out the cake or the beverage cans that are really mini safes. )   4.         Do not be distracted by the suspect. In this case, after the K9 indicated, she immediately tried to take my attention off the cake by asking if I wanted to search her purse. ( Every time I have done an interdiction stop and have done a confiscation of any real importance, the suspect has tried to divert my attention away from what I was doing. If you are searching around an area and the suspect does something to try and divert you, search that area that much harder. The suspect is telegraphing his desire not to have you search that area. )   5.         Last but not least, DO NOT SEARCH ALONE unless you have the suspect(s) under constant control such as arrested and cuffed. You can't watch the dog, the suspect, and search the vehicle. Be alert and stay safe.     D. E. Brown/ Logan County

Keep an eye on this decision. 

Subject: New K-9 case law 

January 10, 2005

Please review the below memo put out by Attorney Bruce Praet on the NEW 
case decision out of the 9th circuit of Smith v. Hemet, 2005 U.S. App. 
LEXIS 336 (Jan. 10, 2005) which over rules the Vera Cruz v. Escondido, 
139 F3d 659 (9th Cir. 1997). 

As we all know Vera Cruz v. Escondido defined "deadly force" as only 
that which "was reasonably likely to cause death".

Now according to the Smith v. Hemet case (and no thanks to the 9th 
circuit and Judge Reinhardt) deadly force is now defined as "that force 
which has a substantial likelihood of causing death or serious injury".

I just got off the phone with Attorney Gene Ramirez regarding the below 
case decision of Smith v. Hemet. As most of you know Attorney Gene 
Ramirez is an attorney in southern California and handles a lot of K-9 
and Swat cases. He is one of the premier K-9 attorneys in the nation. 

Next week Gene is going to contact Hemet Police Department and see if 
Hemet will let his law firm appeal this awful case decision to the US 
Supreme Court. It was Genes case and his law firm which got us the 
favorable K-9 case Vera Cruz v. Escondido. 

Gene says this case is now technically law but since there are so many 
cases that support canines are NOT deadly force and someone WILL appeal 
this ridiculous 9th circuit decision he also agrees with Bruce Praet and 
he is also recommending not changing how you deploy canines or policies, 
for now. 

Please forward this information to other K-9 handlers in your area. 

As soon as I here something new I will let you guys know. 

Take care and be safe.

Brad Smith
West Covina Police Department 
N.T.O.A.’s National Canine Chairman 
http://www.skidds.com/

FERGUSON, PRAET & SHERMAN
A Professional Corporation
1631 E. 18th Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705-7101
Telephone (714) 953-5300 Facsimile (714) 953-1143 
Law4cops@aol.com 


CLIENT ALERT
January 14, 2005

TO: All Police Chiefs and Sheriffs

FROM: Bruce D. Praet, Attorney at Law

1.. URGENT!! The Ninth Circuit Has Dramatically Altered the Rules on 
Deadly Force - Especially for Police K-9's.

Not that we haven't grown accustomed to adverse rulings from the Ninth 
Circuit, but this time they have issued a devastating and potentially 
industry changing ruling, with particularly negative impact on police 
dogs. Although the decision of Smith v. Hemet, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 336 
(Jan. 10, 2005) was issued en banc (i.e. 11 judges instead of the usual 
3 judge panel), it was authored by the notoriously liberal Judge 
Reinhardt. As such, we are strongly urging Hemet to appeal this matter 
to the Supreme Court which fortunately has almost always reversed the 
opinions of Judge Reinhardt. In addition to our own offer to file an 
Amicus brief, we urge you all to rally support for the appeal of this 
outrageous decision.

Most of you will recall our May, 2004, Client Alert which announced the 
good news that the Ninth Circuit [in the now reversed Smith v. Hemet, 
356 F3d 1138 (9th Cir. 2004)] had determined that a guilty plea to a PC 
148 allegation served as a bar to any liability for excessive force. In 
the first part of the 2005 Smith decision, the Court has now determined 
that a guilty plea to 148 allegations does not necessarily bar an 
excessive force claim since it is impossible to determine whether or not 
the guilty plea encompassed the entire period during which force was 
used or whether it was only limited to conduct after which the excessive 
force continued. Ironically, and somewhat surprisingly, the Court did 
agree that a guilty verdict (vs. a plea) would in fact bar any 
subsequent excessive force allegation.

Quite candidly, while we would have preferred that the earlier Smith 
decision had stood, this part of the case is not overly problematic 
since we have always advocated that officers "marry" a suspect to all 
force having been used "during the arrest" by obtaining a highly 
advisable, recorded statement from all arrestees involved in a forcible 
arrest. [See: May, 2004 Client Alert and Chaves v. Martinez 123 S.Ct. 
1994 (2003)]. In light of this latest decision, we might add that 
agencies track all PC 148 allegations in order to either obtain a guilty 
verdict or at least some sort of stipulation as a part of any plea (or 
recorded statement) admitting that all force was used during the arrest.

If the Ninth Circuit had simply ended their decision there, this Client 
Alert would be little more than a routine clarification of law. 
Unfortunately, the Court took it upon themselves to go beyond the issue 
presented in order to address the definition of "deadly force" in the 
context of police dogs. As many of you know, Attorney Donald Cook (a 
nemesis of K-9's and the attorney in Smith) has always sought to have 
the Ninth Circuit lump police dogs into the definition of deadly force. 
If successful, police dogs would seemingly be limited to only those 
situations in which deadly force was justified and they would 
potentially be barred from use on fleeing felons under the longstanding 
rule of Tennessee v. Garner. Guess what? It would appear that Cook has 
finally gotten his wish!

Although I could go on about the unsupported and irrational "logic" used 
by Judge Reinhardt to reach his conclusion, you may recall that a series 
of good Ninth Circuit cases beginning in 1995 with Fikes v. Cleghorn 
through Vera Cruz v. Escondido, 139 F3d 659 (9th Cir. 1997) had 
appropriately defined "deadly force" as only that which "was reasonably 
likely to cause death". Because police dogs did not fit this definition, 
they have never been considered deadly force and all K-9 cases have been 
properly analyzed under the Supreme Court's 1989 "reasonableness" 
standard set forth in Graham v. Connor. Not any more!

Expressly overruling Vera Cruz, Judge Reinhardt has bastardized the 
criminal standard for deadly force set forth in the Model Penal Code 
(i.e. ADW) to now define deadly force as "that force which has a 
substantial likelihood of causing death or serious injury". As you can 
see, because police dogs now fit within the definition since "serious 
injury" is a likely potential, the Court has conveniently lumped police 
dogs (and potentially batons and other force likely to cause serious 
injury) into the "deadly force" definition. Although the Court 
conveniently tried to insulate itself by declaring that it wasn't 
expressly defining police dogs as "deadly force", it has effectively 
achieved that result.

IF this decision is permitted to stand, the use of police dogs to 
apprehend (i.e. bite) suspects will effectively be limited to those 
circumstances in which an officer would otherwise be justified in using 
deadly force. For example, unless an officer could articulate a 
reasonable belief that a concealed burglar presented an immediate threat 
to officers, a "find and bite" search of a building could be excessive. 
Obviously, the scope of examples of future restrictions on the use of 
dogs (batons, etc.) is endless and correspondingly illustrates the 
critical need to get this matter to the Supreme Court.

As a quick aside, it was also unfortunate that Hemet PD had yet to avail 
itself of our LEXIPOL policy manual at the time of this incident. As 
such, the Court took another opportunity to shove the ill-advised 
"continuum of force" right down Hemet's throat by noting that Hemet's 
own policy included the police dog as a high level of force. One more 
reason to get rid of the "continuum" and subscribe to a state of the art 
policy manual such as the one we currently provide.

In the hope that the Supreme Court will potentially stay and ultimately 
reverse this terrible decision, we are not currently amending K-9 or 
other policies. On the other hand, it is essential that the impact of 
this case be thoroughly reviewed with all affected personnel and 
carefully considered in all future applications of force. We'll 
certainly keep you posted

Police Dog Searches Do Not Invade Privacy, U.S. Supreme 
Court Rules

By David G. Savage, The Los Angeles Times 

WASHINGTON — The use of police dogs to sniff a car for 
drugs does not violate the privacy rights of a stopped 
motorist, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, even if the 
officers had no reason to suspect the car and its driver 
were carrying drugs.

The high court's decision gives police broad, but not 
unlimited, authority to use canines to search for drugs 
or bombs — whether on the highways or in schools, at 
airports and office buildings. 


While the case before the court was argued as a test of 
police power in the war on drugs, dogs also play an 
important role in the war on terrorism. In recent years, 
trained dogs have been used increasingly at airports and 
at the borders to sniff for explosives, and the justices 
made clear they would not stand in the way of such 
searches.

But the case decided today tested a common situation on 
the highways. An Illinois state trooper stopped a 
motorist on an interstate highway for driving 71 m.p.h. 
where the speed limit was 65. While the motorist, Ray 
Caballes, waited for the officer to write him a speeding 
ticket, a second trooper headed for the scene with a 
drug-sniffing dog.

The dog walked around the car and "alerted" to the 
trunk. Based on that evidence, the officers searched the 
trunk, found marijuana and Caballes was sentenced to 12 
years in prison.

The Illinois Supreme Court would have voided the 
conviction on the grounds that the police did not have 
the authority to turn a traffic stop into a drug search.

But in a 6-2 decision in Illinois vs. Caballes, the U.S. 
Supreme Court ruled the police may use drug-sniffing 
dogs so long as the officers have a reasonable basis for 
stopping a motorist or a pedestrian in the first place. 

"In our view, conducting a dog sniff would not change 
the character of a traffic stop that is lawful at its 
inception and otherwise executed in a reasonable 
manner," said Justice John Paul Stevens for the court.

It would be a different matter, he said, if the first 
police officer had held the motorist for some time while 
he awaited the arrival of the second officer and his 
dog.

"A seizure (of the motorist) can become unlawful if it 
is prolonged beyond the time reasonably required to 
complete that mission" of writing a ticket, he said. 

The two dissenters said the court's ruling would lead to 
a much wider use of drug-sniffing dogs.

"Today's decision clears the way for suspicion-less, 
dog-accompanied drug sweeps on parked cars along 
sidewalks and in parking lots," said Justices Ruth Bader 
Ginsburg and David H. Souter. 

November 13, 2004 News Article


For you guys who know John and Axel and what type of officer they are and 
how 
they train. We preach safety and proficiency for this reason. Thank God 
we're not reading about a friend loosing his life today.

Stay Safe
Jake Corey 

Roanoke police shoot man


Police said that when a police dog grabbed a man fleeing the 
officers, the man pulled a pistol and was shot by officers multiple 
times.


By Shawna Morrison
981-3349
The Roanoke Times 



Two Roanoke police officers shot a man they say pulled a gun in Southeast 
Roanoke on Friday night. 
The shooting happened about 8:25 p.m. near Ninth Street and Highland 
Avenue Southeast, next to CVS Pharmacy. 
Roanoke police Capt. Rusty Ross said the department's vice units had been 
investigating a man suspected of selling narcotics. Several units were in 
the area when they spotted the man walking down the sidewalk near CVS. 
Officer John Hoover of the department's K-9 unit got out of a police 
vehicle and identified himself to the man as a police officer, Ross said. 
Hoover, in full police uniform, told the man that police needed to speak 
with him. 
The man began to run, Ross said. After warning the man that he would do 
so, Hoover released his police dog, a Rottweiler named Axl. As Axl grabbed 

the man and began to pull on him, the man pulled a pistol from his 
waistband, Ross said. 
Hoover and Officer Allen Bower fired several rounds at the man, striking 
him multiple times, Ross said. He was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial 
Hospital, where he was in stable condition late Friday, Ross said. 
The man's name and age were not released because his family had not been 
told of the incident Friday night, Ross said. 
No officers were injured, Ross said. He said Hoover and Bower will be on 
administrative leave until an investigation into the incident is 
completed. 
Police did not say exactly how many times the man was shot, but several 
neighbors said they heard four shots. 
Tammy Fink, 42, who lives at the corner of Highland Avenue and Ninth 
Street, said she and her daughter were making floral wreaths when they 
heard the commotion. 
"It was like four big booms," Fink said. "We came out and didn't see 
nothing. About that time we saw all the lights" from police and rescue 
vehicles. Then they noticed a man lying in the street near CVS. 
"The one man was screaming, 'It hurts, it hurts,'" Fink's 23-year-old 
daughter Catina Caldwell added. 
The intersections with Ninth Street at Highland Avenue, Elm Avenue and 
Bullitt Avenue were cordoned off with police tape for several hours Friday 
night while detectives investigated the scene.