As Cedar Posts reported early Tuesday, I was a little surprised that a shooting last Friday night didn't merit any media coverage, even more so because the shooting victim was a CMPD Crime Scene Investigator.
Even more troubling is that not one member of CMPD's command staff came to the scene where one of the department's own employees had been shot.
Reportedly James Dearmon Whitley age 49 of 3601 Driftwood Drive, had been upset for a period of weeks if not longer and was waiting in the dark when CMPD Crime Scene Investigator Roy Patterson came home Friday. It was around 10:30 pm, as Patterson exited his car in the driveway of his home when Whitley sprang from the bushes and began attacking Patterson. During the attack Patterson was shot once.
But why wasn't at least one member of CMPD's Command Staff notified?
Details are still filtering out but if rumor has it right CMPD duty captain Chuck Adkins didn't notify anyone about the call. Standard Operating Procedure for major calls, which this should have been, due to the victim, and nature of the call would require that a notification be sent to all command staff and relevant personnel including Chief Monroe.
Apparently, the duty captain was asleep at the wheel and didn't think it was important enough. There was no call from dispatch of "shots fired officer down" that brought a phalanx of CMPD cruisers nor was the media notified. CMPD information officers for some reason have yet to issue a statement. However Cedar Posts has learned of an internal memo sent out Tuesday.
It is said that during the attack Patterson was able to break away from Whitley and run to his house where he managed to call 911, give his address and explain that he had been shot. What units the 911 dispatcher sent is unknown at this time.
Sources tell Cedar Posts that on Monday morning as the news of the attack began to circulate, the duty captain was called on to explain his lack of action. Word is it wasn't a very pleasant experience.
But that fact remains that a CMPD employee was shot and the only response came from a couple of officers and medic, had it been had it been a badge it would have certainly played out differently. I'd expect non sworn CMPD employees have quietly taken notice.
Why was Patterson attacked?
Sources tell of an ongoing feud between Patterson and Whitley. Whitley lives in the house which once belonged to his parents. Whitley has reportedly lived there for years. He is well known to neighbors as strange and unpredictable. In the past Patterson has been verbally assaulted by Whitley and CMPD records show a number of calls to Driftwood Drive although it is not known why or to which house.
Patterson is reportedly gay and neighbors say that Whitley had a problem with Patterson living in the neighborhood perhaps because he was gay. Some believe the attack is a clear hate crime and that the federal authorities should be investigating the shooting as well.
There are also concerns that the lack of response from CMPD was also because Patterson is reportedly gay.
Whitley is being held in the Mecklenburg County jail charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury and assault in a secret manner, often described as the act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack by surprise or ambush.
Whitley's bond has been set at $150,000.00.
Cedar Posts prior story on the shooting of Roy Patterson is here.
28 comments:
I have to tell ya, I usually like what you say, but you went overboard here. I'm not sure who suspects Patterson is gay, but you have no right to be the person to out him, especially in CMPD. I certainly did not know he may be gay, nor did it matter. Use your brain. You wrote this because of the sensationalism. The story is that he was attacked, not that he may be gay. Your dislike of Monroe has to stop with him and not hanging out other employees.
I'd say it's a tough call for Cedar as what to report. But the word is that Patterson is or at least is thought to be gay and for that reason, Whitley attacked him and did so in a manner that plays to that fact.
He was shot in the pelvic area is a nice way of saying what really happened.
While it may indeed be sensational news it should not be, hate crimes happen and in this case Patterson had expressed his concerns about Whitley many times. But no one was listening.
Then when he is attacked someone at CMPD made the decision that this was not news, clearly the reason the attack on Patterson was kept quiet was because he is gay.
Normally I’d say it doesn’t matter if someone was gay or not, but in this case it does. CMPD didn’t respond to this call they way they normally would because the victim although one of their own is gay. And that is what is wrong with this police department.
If this story is accurate, and since the mainstream media is staying away, making it more believable, the CMPD has a lot of explaining to do.
Do they only protect heterosexuals?
Did Rodney not learn anything with his meetings earlier this year w/ the gay groups?
This will be national news shortly, and light will shine brightly upon the CMPD and Charlotte, since the DNC and many fellow gay groups will be coming to town.
Anonymous 6:47 Cedar Posts here, I'm not trying to "out" Roy Patterson but if the facts play out as they have been presented to me and as I've tried to present them, then the fact that he is gay is key. If the facts are wrong and this is not a hate crime then I’ll point that out as well. But at this time I can find no other reason for the clandestine way this attack on one of the departments own employees has been handled.
As to Rodney Monroe, I don't dislike the chief, I admire that he worked his way up from patrol to become chief of the largest police department in the Carolina's.
Nothing personal, but he is totally unqualified for the job, an opinion that I have strongly felt since my first introduction. I have observed the Chief’s interaction with rank and file officers and his staff first hand and the man is not a leader, he is a hubris, sociopath who has risen to his highest level of incompetence.
He has run the department via fear and intimidation, lies and half truths and it has cost many good officers dearly. Not just in monetary compensation but emotionally as well.
I don't know if Cedar Posts is right on Patterson, but the blog's track record is pretty much 100% telling it how it is.
Remember he was saying Valerie Hamilton was into drugs and everyone including her friends were saying oh no she's not like that. Well the sad truth is she was a user.
Even when CMPD issued a statement that Cedar wasn't a creditable source, it turned out he was right. I'm speaking about the Chaplin resignations.
And what about the reserves? Cedar said a lot of reserves and Foster said only a couple. Well look around my friends, how many faces are missing. Have you noticed? Nearly all of those who used to be at the Cable Box are gone.
I'd guess if Patterson isn't gay and this was just a neighbor vs neighbor dispute then Cedar will be eating a crow for lunch. But my gut feeling is he's nailed it again.
And for some reason Command wanted to cover up the shooting.
you can bet that Gil Grissom would have been there if this was one of his CSI team
Cedar I don't know if the lack of response by CMPD command was because Patterson is gay or if it was just a huge screw up. But it sure does make you wonder about the crime reporting.
A human being was shot by a lunatic, and not with a BB gun, but yet CMPD choose to try and brush it off?? We are use to the media messing up reports, but if we can't trust CMPD to tell the true story about the shooting, then who can we trust. If there wasn't a cover up going on, then none of us would be here commenting on it. Don't believe that; then go ahead and stick your head back in the sand
Sad that we have pepole out there like Whitley.
Cedar,
The Duty Captain us being thrown under the bus on this one.
There is a Deputy Chief who knew about this and she failed to react correctly, also.
There is plenty of blame to go around.
Failure to supervise......from the very top down.
Who gives a flying flip if Roy Patterson is gay or not.. that is his business and his life. Would it make what was done to him not as bad? Or maybe it's not publicized for PERSONAL choices.. being it's private or untrue. Regardless - that shouldn't be the point of this. B/c it's about as awful as it gets no matter what. People should keep that kind of information to themselves.
I know Jimmy Whitley very well & this was not a hate crime. The man is mentally ill & that & only that was the reason for the shooting. He's not a bad person, in fact he has a heart of gold. In his mind, Patterson was tormenting him, which is a very long story that I will not go into. He's a very sick man & needs help, not prison!!
Don't take your eyes off the ball, its not about if Roy Patterson is gay or not, it is about how CMPD command staff reacted to the shooting of one of their own.
They swept it under the rug is how they reacted.
Why?
Because Roy Patterson is gay that's why.
And let's not forget that crazy guy Whitley who needs to be sent to Dorthea Dix or wherever they send the state's nut cases these days.
I am a family member of the shooter. He is severely mentally ill and we have been trying to get him help for some time. This is NOT a hate crime. He did not care that this man is gay. He is ill.
Trust me, CMPD does not give a damn about its employees, sworn or otherwise. That being said, I am still dumbfounded that the chief or the minions that suckle on his nipple, did not come to the scene of that shooting. Putney and Medlock should hang their heads in shame. This circus started in 2008. Now when they don’t show up it makes them look pathetic.
Interesting that a family member of the shooter says he is ill, guess they never heard of taking the time for an Involuntary Commitment and what boggles my mind is they knew he was "ill" and did nothing about it, guess they didn't have the time to stop the madness
I am the family member of the shooter and we have been trying to get him committed for a long time. The anonymous asshole that had the nerve to post about us not taking the time for involuntary commitment doesn't have a clue about this. We had him committed and they said they could only hold him for 3 days, and then they released him. You have no idea about what we have taken the time to do, so don't go and throw around accusations that his family did nothing. We tried our best. It is easy to point a finger when you are not in that situation.
A sane person lays in wait to ambush their targeted victim. The family opened up the can of worms by allowing an ill family member to remain unsupervised, as I see it that means they are going ahead and setting up a defense. And since I do know, after an involuntary commitment, after the Dr does the evaluation and finds no probable cause to keep the patient committed, then the patient is released. If probable cause is found, the patient remains and treatment is begun.
There is a recovering victim, a suspect that should remain behind bars, and still unanswered questions of why CMPD picks and chooses its family members to give respect and service too
February 10, 2011 1:24 PM: You are right to be angry about being accused without the poster having any knowledge of what you have done. Having someone with mental illness in my family, I have sympathy for your situation. I hope Mr. Patterson recovers quickly and is able to move on with his life.
I too am a close family member. How dare you point fingers at us about not having him committed. We've tried everything including hiring an attorney. Apparently in this country you have to kill or seriously injure someone before anybody bothers to pay attention. Our system with regards to the mentally ill is pathetic to put it mildly. Most of them are on the streets. Remember Arizona! That's a prime example of what I'm talking about. You have no idea how heartbreaking it is to see someone you love suffering with mental illness & nobody seems to care. Would you make nasty remarks about someone with cancer? No I don't think so. Mental illness is a disease just the same. All I have to say, is those of you who choose to blame the family might want to think again. The system failed us not the other way around!! Walk a mile in our shoes & maybe you'll change your tune!!
To the family members of the shooter, I do sympathize with you as it relates to dealing with the mess that is mental illness. It is truely a nightmare for familes to deal with. But, did you know he had weapons in the home? Guns and mental issues just don't mesh well as we know all to well.
But alas, before folks jump all over them for this issue, know that those guns belonged to the nut job and it is hard to take property without getting arrested. Notice I didn't say "go to jail", we know that is a long shot.
Regardless of anything, this guy did pull the trigger and deserves punishment. I suspect the victim will eventually be selling that house. So, family members, start cleaning out a spare bedroom.
To the family of this nutcase...I have very little sympathy for you. Did you know the nut had weapons? Did you notify the police of his erratic behavior and the possession of weapons? How about notifying the mental health folks about his problems and weapons? How about telling the neighbors that he is a nut AND has weapons? Or did they patently avoid the nutcase BECAUSE he is a nut and had weapons?
Let's do some logic...a relative is talking out of his noggin about elves or whatever and no one thought of taking possession of the man's firearms???? This man was a ticking time bomb and I'm supposed to be satisfied that his family "tried" to get him help? What, they made a phone call or sent a letter? Wow! Great job.
There have been uniformed officers involved in incidents where they were injured or victimized OFF DUTY and the command staff didn't show up at the scene. IN FACT, there have been officers hospitalized after attempting to make an arrest off duty that didn't require the command staff's presence at the scene. Medic, CMPD Patrol Officers and Detectives know what they are doing. So, the charge that the CMPD command staff should have shown up en masse at the crime scene is ridiculous.
And...your posting of the young man's alleged orientation is tactless. If it isn't true, you've hurt the young man. If it is true, he would have told you himself and you've hurt the young man. Either way, you are wrong, and you know it.
To the shooters family.. maybe he isn't ill but just evil. Ever think of that? It absolutely was a hate crime. He doesn't deserve help .. he has RUINED a young mans life. I don't believe he deserves help OR prison. He isn't worth a dime. He deserves the death penalty .. but I'm sure that won't happen.. so hopefully it'll settle for life in prison. Mentally ill ... give me a break. And if you didn't do more to help him them YOU should go apologize to Mr Patterson .. look at him and tell him he's not evil.. just sick.
The police were contacted a number of times about his weapons and his mental state, and they simply said that could not legally seize his weapons without a crime having been committed, and mental health was also contacted. He actually went to mental health on his own just a few weeks ago, and they sent him right back to his house with medication that he takes sporadically. Mental health and the police were made aware of this problem. In fact, the police were called out a few weeks ago, and both officers had been there before and seized weapons before.
I understand that he has ruined a young man's life. No one needs your sympathy, but how many mentally ill people do you have in your family? Before you are so hateful in what you say, you should try to put yourself in someone elses shoes.
I don't understand why troubled idiots and nut cases turn their guns on other people.
If they would just stick it in their ear and squeez the trigger it would save the rest of us ohhhhh so much grief.
I am shocked it took so long to come out an employee was shot.
Either way, the nut will go to prison for a short time where he will be cracked (I hope) on a regular basis. Or he will be placed in an institution for a much longer time. Unless a damn liberal judge or doctor decides he is fit to return to society.
What's happening with this story?
I knew Jimmy in the early 90s. I had to part ways with him due to his depression. He was very intelligent but was adept at not knowing how to pull himself out of issue that challenged his happiness. I often wondered what happened to him, saw a police article and then, and here we are. The people blaming the family are ignorant. The entire mental health system was a nightmare full of horror stories, experiments, and torture and was essentially terminated during Reagan. The downside to that is people like Jimmy not being helped/stopped before they do something stupid.
Also, the Jimmy I knew wouldn't have harmed anyone due to orientation, at least way back then.
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