NAACP Press Conference Illustrative of Concerns with Police Procedures

The NAACP called a press conference on July 16, 2012 to address their concerns with two Hendersonville police officers' actions during a shooting that occurred on March 9. 2012. The shooting occurred after police chased the suspect of a home burglary on foot. The three officers involved in the shooting claimed they believed the suspect was reaching for a weapon when they initiated fire. The bullets the officers fired struck the suspect in the arm, as well as several homes and a church located in the neighbor.

The suspect claimed that the officers were harassing him during the night of the shooting and that he never had a weapon to initiate the shooting. The State Bureau of Investigation investigated the incident, but their investigation revealed that the police officers' actions did not amount to criminal conduct sufficient enough to warrant charges. However, after conducting an internal investigation of the incident, the Hendersonville Police Chief discovered there were several policy violations. As a result, one of the three officers was fired and another officer was suspended for two weeks without pay. The third officer only received a reprimand.