Article 7 of a Series—Just a few minutes before the Shots are Fired!!! And MORE!! SPD Officer Tim Brackeen v. Irving Fenner Jr. Similarity with the lies and cover-up in the Willie Green cases!!! And Others!!! Gossip, source reports, Court Records, arguendo and similarity by Robert A. Williams
In previous articles on this Series we have described how the women living at the corner house fronting 212 Gidney Street, straight across from Bethel Baptist Church in Shelby, were involved with Irving Fenner Jr. and SPD K-9 Officer Tim Brackeen. The black woman was dating Fenner and the tattooed up white woman, Ashley Hamrick was “getting it on” with Officer Brackeen.
Sources told me that Brackeen was providing drugs to Ms. Hamrick that were confiscated from street level drug dealers provided to Hamrick to satisfy the addiction that drugs bring to a person. In exchange, Hamrick would “narc” on people that the SPD would then arrest. Hamrick would, according to sources, also provided Brackeen with the sexual “blow-jobs” that he seemed to prefer.
It is also well publicized that Ashley Hamrick was quickly arrested by the SPD after the death of Officer Brackeen. But was quickly released where she then, just as quickly, began telling the news media that she had witnessed the killing and Fenner did it. Although it was after midnight and dark. But Hamrick said, because of a bright street light, she could plainly see Fenner’s face. See Article 2 for more details about that. However, Brackeen’s body cam showed it was pitch black when and where the shooting occurred. Hamrick was released from jail while Fenner and others were jailed for three years without benefit of trial, findings if guilt or even any kind of sentencing. Nobody but me, it seems, cares about that. Or the US Constitutional right to a speedy trial.
OK folks. It has been established that Brackeen and Fenner knew each other, hated each other and were often visitors to the Gidney Street home of two women. Perhaps not often at the same time. According to sources, sometime before the night of the shootout, word on the street reached Fenner that the Shelby Police Department had some “papers” on him (Fenner) and that he was liable to be arrested soon. Fenner allegedly did not know what the charges were or whether the word on the street was true. Or not true.
But, true or not, Fenner did not care to be arrested as previous arrests always ended up with him spending months in jail before any kind of hearing, trial or whatever. On the most minor of charges. A fate that lots of young black boys in Shelby, NC and across North Carolina and the USA often met with. Bond was always too high for that to be an option. So, for Fenner, avoiding the police was a top priority.
Sources report that on the night of the shooting, dates here are confusing since it is one date up to midnight and another date after midnight. So, to avoid confusion, we are now talking about the night of the shootout. Starting a few minutes before Just before midnight.
Sources say that Fenner and perhaps other friends walk down to the Shelby Dairy Queen after business hours to get on to the Wi-Fi network that the Dairy Queen has. They were on foot because if cops were spotted it would be easier to escape running through back yards in the dark.
According to sources, just about that time at the Shelby Police Station, K-9 Officer Tim Brackeen was going off-shift and changing to his street cloths before going home. Two other officers had just come on duty and were assigned to serve arrest papers on suspects, including Irving Fenner, Jr. The Officers coming on duty spotted Brackeen, knowing he hated Fenner and asked Brackeen if he wanted to come along to participate in Fenner’s arrest.
Brackeen immediately decided that he wanted to go along, but during his changing of cloths Brackeen had removed his police uniform shirt but not his personal armor and body cam. Since he was actually off-duty he put on his civilian shirt, in a hurry, and went along with the other officers. Service pistol, K-9 animal “Ciko,” pronounced Psycho, K-9 vehicle and all.
The officers devised a plan. They would have Brackeen park his K-9 vehicle in a hidden location in or near the Bethel Baptist Church parking lot, away from any lights, and away from view from the Gidney Street home. Brackeen would sneak around to the Gidney Street home, leaving Ciko locked in the vehicle so nobody would be alerted by a dog barking. Brackeen would hide in the bushes while the other officers would circle the neighborhood with the hopes of “driving” Fenner toward the Gidney Street home and into the trap that Brackeen was laying for him.
Sources say that Fenner, and perhaps others, saw the Police officers driving around the neighborhood and Fenner calls the Gidney Street home and Ashley Hamrick answers. Fenner asks Hamrick to drive down to his location and pick him up. Which she does. But Fenner is street smart enough to not go all the way to the Gidney Street home where Hamrick’s car can be surrounded and he would be easily captured. So, Fenner gets out of the car before it gets to the Gidney Street home and would walk the rest of the way. Always having the darkness of the night as well as many back yards to escape through, if necessary. Hamrick drives the rest of the way home and parks in that parking area that is brightly lit. Very brightly lit. But a fence, trees and bushes made the back side of the house almost pitch black.
It is after midnight. In the very dark areas behind the Gidney Street home Fenner is approaching from the south through some back yards. Brackeen is hiding in the darkness under some shrubbery. About to spring the trap on Fenner.
Per the reports I received, as Fenner sneaks on by, Brackeen jumps out from the bushes in almost total darkness and tackles Fenner. There is a bit of a struggle and Brackeen fires one shot into Fenner’s back. However, somehow in the struggle and in the dark, Brackeen’s weapon’s ammunition magazine is ejected and Brackeen’s repeated attempts to fire was limited to that single round that was in the chamber. Although Fenner was wounded, he managed to retrieve his own weapon and fire at Brackeen. At least one round from Fenner’s weapon entered the arm hole in Brackeen’s vest and mortally wounds Brackeen. And Fenner is able to escape.
Sometime after the firing of the shots and before the nearby police officers arrive, Ashley Hamrick is reported to have franticly called on some nearby friends who assist Fenner’s escape from the Gidney Street property to nearby assistance and a hideout. Fenner’s family members in Rhode Island were called and immediately left by car to come to North Carolina to get Fenner out of NC and up to Rhode Island.
The police officers quickly arrive, find Brackeen mortally wounded and call for help. Somebody retrieves the Police Dog Ciko locked in Brackeen’s vehicle and the manhunt for Fenner begins. Ashley Hamrick is arrested.
Folks, this is not the end of the story. In many respects it is just the beginning.
As I have previously stated many times, this is the story that I have been told. Not by only one person, but by several; However, this is not one of those he said, she said unsolvable accounts. There are many things that I do NOT know from my own personal knowledge. But somebody knows!!!
For instance:
1. Brackeen’s leaving his Police dog locked up in his police vehicle hidden from view and away from the Gidney Street address. Where was the Police vehicle, dog inside found? The City of Shelby’s narrative leaves out these details and the public deserves an explanation. Also, Brackeen serving arrest warrants by himself, on foot in a back yard and in a predominantly black neighborhood. I don’t buy that for a minute, do you? Especially when you think about this for about 15 seconds. I don’t have any of these answers, but somebody does. And why were none of these details disclosed to the public over the past three years?
2. The other two officers? Did they hide the truth to save their own skins and to place the total blame on a young black man that they were planning to kill? To save face for the SPD and Brackeen in the process-now that the plan had backfired? I was not there and I am also NOT a mind-reader. But somebody knows the answer to this.
3. Brackeen’s service weapon’s magazine being ejected? I personally don’t know that for a fact. But somebody knows.
4. Brackeen’s shirt? Civilian shirt or an SPD uniform shirt. I don’t know that for a fact. But SOMEBODY knows.
5. Where the shootout actually took place. In the well-lit area as per Ashley Hamric’s statement to the news, or in the dark area? Brackeen never walked another step after being shot. Somebody knows exactly where he fell. Brackeen’s body cam video clearly shows it was in the darkness of the night. Which had to be away from the well-lit area on the other side of the Gidney Street home. The home at the corner of Gidney Street and Parkview Street. Straight across from Bethel Baptist Church.
It took me almost three years of believing the City of Shelby’s narrative about the Brackeen killing before I was made aware of facts that were contrary to the Shelby narrative. I also learned that what I was told had been circulating through the Black Community from the git-go. And nobody was complaining. Sources say members of the White Community, especially Shelby City Employees, including the Shelby Police Department, knew this Shelby narrative was phony. But wanted to keep their jobs.
There are plenty more questions about the exact details of what happened right before, during and right after Brackeen-Fenner shootout. As well as the three years of illegal imprisonment of Fenner, potential witnesses and accomplices (including Ashley Hamrick) in Fenner’s escape. Stay tuned for more articles to come.
And this is where the “similarity phenomenon” kicks in. Somebody knows the answers to the questions raised that are noted above. Multiple somebodies probably. But ALL the City of Shelby officials and employees as well every law enforcement agency as well as the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office lead by ADA Sally Kirby-Turner (Where the Elected DA Mike Miller was during all of this is unknown-although DA Mike Miller being missing in action is commonplace) have backed up one of their own. Right or wrong. Backing up lies and tall-tales with more lies and tall-tales when it suits their purposes.
This “Shelby situation” of what appears to be “systemic racism,” as is the common term, is similar for the apparent “normal” as shown in Willie Green’s (a Former NFL Superbowl winner and now a Shelby businessman) attempts to do business in the City of Shelby and Cleveland County. Officials make up reasons to deny Mr. Green’s proposals. Then slander his name by calling him a Muslim and broke. And when they are sued by Mr. Green, they concoct lies and have city employees submit affidavits that the lies are the truth. More on this later.
Even more troubling is the fact that the County, the DA and Law enforcement (Shelby and otherwise) all join in on the injustice and the cover-up, lies and tall-tale. Other examples come to mind. The Mindy Morrow phony prosecution by Cleveland County Schools linked to Mindy’s complaint about illicit sexual relations between a Principal and a teacher. The false charges and prosecution against former State Highway Patrol Officer Brian Ledbetter and his father Clyde. All stemming from illicit sexual deviances of a CCS School Teacher and the ever-present cover-up of such things. This started at CCS, moved to a school in South Carolina and then back to Gastonia, North Carolina. Where the pervert still teaches children to this very day. Brian Ledbetter’s father, Clyde Ledbetter, ran for Sheriff of Cleveland County in 2018 as a write-in. Clyde has announced that he plans to run again for Sheriff in 2022 as a Democrat. You can expect to hear more about this story in the very near future.
Folks, there are plenty of injustices and just plain acts of corruption in Cleveland County. This series of articles is just one of them that needs to be reported. Stay tuned as the news about the problems and recommended solutions are forthcoming in regard to the Fenner “Cop-Killer” trial that never happened.
As for RIGHT NOW, Cleveland County Schools are failing under the “old” leadership and a new slate of challengers who want to right the wrongs at CCS are on the ballot for the 2020 elections which will start (early voting) in about six weeks.
Our recommendations for the 2020 School Board Elections are:
Robert Queen
Ron Humphries,
Joel Shores
Rodney Fitch
Samantha Davis
These FIVE candidates represent a majority on the School Board and can immediately make the changes that are necessary to begin setting CCS on the right path to improving education in Cleveland County.
Folks, stay tuned!!! You will hear the facts here that you will never hear anywhere else. Including the rest of the Brackeen-Fenner Shootout and the insidious cover-up of the major injustices surrounding it.
For your convenience the previous articles in this series can be found at: