
© GoFundMeKouren-Rodney Bernard Thomas
In a time of heightened racial tensions comes the story of Kouren-Rodney Bernard Thomas, an African-American man who was shot to death moments after a white homeowner called 911 to complain about "hoodlums," promising to "secure our neighborhood."
Chad Copley, 39, called 911 early Sunday morning from his home in Raleigh, North Carolina. He demanded a police car come quickly and told the dispatcher he was
"locked and loaded," ready to confront a group of "
hoodlums," the
Washington Post reported.
The dispatcher asked Copley to clarify, and he elaborated.
"I'm on neighborhood watch," he said. "I am going to have the neighborhood meet these hoodlums out here racing up and down the street. It's 1 in the morning. There's some devil in them. They have firearms and we're going to secure our neighborhood. If I was you, I would send PD out here as quickly as possible."
The police department did not have time to reach the scene. Just minutes later, Copley called back.
"I yelled at them, 'Please leave the premises,'" he said. "They were showing firearms, so I fired a warning shot and uh, we got somebody that got hit."
Comment: The circumstances and history suggest this is another person 'going off', who also had military training. Over all this only contributes to further chaos in the US, more police crackdown and one step closer to a civil war. There is definitely something in the air.