| Viewing Single Post From: Blog and Media Roundup - Friday, July 3, 2009 | |
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| abb | Jul 3 2009, 03:45 AM |
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1177877.cfm Police officer shot; man charged By KEITH UPCHURCH : The Herald-Sun kupchurch@heraldsun.com Jul 3, 2009 Bookmark and Share DURHAM -- A 23-year-old man has been charged in the wounding of a police officer who was shot in the abdomen early Thursday morning while responding to a call on Shannon Road. The officer, who had just joined the Durham force in May, underwent surgery at Duke University Hospital and was reported in stable condition at Duke University Hospital. Thomas Rashawn Monroe of 3300 Shannon Road, Apt. 5A was charged Thursday with assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. He was placed in Durham County Jail under a $250,000 bond. The case is still under investigation, police said. The officer, Damon Youmans, 32, was wounded while answering a call at Monroe's address in the South Square Townhomes apartment complex. Officers were sent to a "shots fired' call at the complex shortly before 4 a.m., according to police spokeswoman Kammie Michael. The call was then changed to a possible break-in in progress, she said. "As officers arrived on the scene, several shots were fired from inside the apartment,' Michael said. "One shot struck Youmans in the abdomen.' Police Chief Jose Lopez said from Duke Hospital on Thursday afternoon that the shooting is a shock. "It's like having a traumatic, violent situation happen to a family member,' Lopez said. "The mind starts to race to make sure that everything gets done, and also to monitor the officers who were there, to make sure that they're healthy also.' "He can use prayers, I can tell you that,' said Lopez, who had made three trips to the hospital by midafternoon Thursday to check on Youmans. "But they've got him stabilized, and we're just in a wait-and-see situation.' The chief said the officer's family is being contacted in New York, where he served two years with the New York Police Department before coming to Durham. Before Thursday afternoon's arrest, investigators were questioning four people who were inside the apartment, according to a police press release. The apartment complex has a large Latino population, and a police interpreter was at the scene on Thursday to help officers translate as police questioned residents. Some had wondered whether the language barrier might have played a part in the shooting, but Lopez said all those involved spoke English. "At this point in time, we truly can't speculate as far as what might have contributed until the investigation is done,' Lopez said. One apartment resident said he was awakened by the sounds of gunfire early Thursday. "I was sleeping, and then I heard 'pop, pop, pop, like six shots,' said Julio Beodran, who lives across the street from the shooting scene. Beodran, who works at a restaurant waiter, said he's lived at the complex for about a year and has never heard gunfire before. "It's nice living here,' he said. Another resident, Tempestt Watson, who has lived at the complex for 13 years, said the area is "pretty quiet, except for the weekends, when it's loud because there's a lot of kids.' Eduardo Castro-Merino, who lives near the shooting scene, said he slept through the gunfire. He said crime is seldom a problem at the apartments. "It's nice living here,' he said. "It's OK.' Chief Lopez said Thursday's shooting should remind the public what officers risk as they go about their jobs. "This reminds us not only the danger that these officers are in, but of their courage in being willing to step out there.' |
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| Blog and Media Roundup - Friday, July 3, 2009 · DUKE LACROSSE - Liestoppers | |
5:07 AM Nov 28
