Steven Perkins’ car was being repossessed in the middle of the night. The driver of the tow truck had stopped by the house but reported Perkins flashed a gun and requested police officers to accompany him. Upon arrival, Perkins came outside, armed, and one of the officers yelled at him to get on the ground. Without giving Perkins any chance to react, the officer shot 18 times in rapid succession. Perkins is now deceased.
Marquinn Bergins, cousin of Perkins and an ex police officer, stated that they did not follow proper conduct. Officers “must knock on the door to make contact. They never knocked on the door,” Bergins said. Once the tow truck arrived in the driveway, one officer went to the front of the truck, while the other went around back, in order to surround Perkins. “They had time to position themselves,” Bergins said.
Perkins’ neighbor Justin Shepherd, a combat war veteran, believes they, the officers, did not give Perkins enough time to respond to the commands they were yelling. Shepherd said, “Within one second he put his hands up, [the officers] started firing [...] before they even got the first full command out.”
Bullet holes were not only found in both the ground and road but also in Shepherd’s house. At least six bullets hit the veteran's home, and it is miraculous nobody else was hurt. When Shepherd heard the gunshots, he had gone outside to see who was shooting his house. Upon exiting, he was not allowed back inside until after questioning.
After the whole ordeal, Justin Shepherd is being denied mental help. The police claim he is not a victim, and he made himself part of the incident when he decided to step outside.
Written by Kylee Little
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