by Eric Ginsburg

The Greensboro Police Department provided a detailed account of what allegedly occurred on Oct. 6 leading up to two police detectives shooting 26-year-old Greensboro resident Isaiah Jurel Fox. The criminal spree, which allegedly involved the suspect causing serious bodily injury to several people, is spelled out in detail in the department’s press release, right up until Fox’s encounter with police.

“Witnesses directed police to Fox who was in the area of Sues Blues Alley and the wood line near Martin Luther King Jr Dr.,” the release states. “Fox then confronted police. At approximately 4:16 pm, Det. R.E. Ferrell and Det. W.C. Tyndall fired at the suspect, striking him. Fox was transported to a local hospital where his condition has been upgraded from critical to stable. The gunshot wound he received is not considered to be life-threatening.”

As usual, the State Bureau of Investigations is conducting an investigation into the shooting. The Greensboro Police Department directed the following questions to the SBI, declining to comment. The SBI’s Chief Information Officer Shannon O’Toole said today that his agency can’t answer the questions either, but that when the investigation is completed it will be turned over to the local district attorney who should be able to comment.

Until that time, the following eight questions will go unanswered:

  1. The press release states that Fox told an elderly male victim earlier in the crime spree that he had a gun. Later he allegedly entered a residence and displayed a handgun. Did Fox produce a weapon or reach for a weapon before being shot?
  2. The press release says Fox confronted the police. Did he refuse to comply with officers’ orders?
  3. Was there a standoff?
  4. The press release makes reference to a singular gunshot wound. Was Fox only shot once? How many times was he shot?
  5. Where was he shot? (Which part of the body, from the front or from behind, etc.)
  6. How many shots did officers fire?
  7. Did Fox fire at the officers?
  8. Was a gun or other weapon recovered? If so, what?

The SBI will determine if the uses of force were legal. But these specific questions still need to be answered publicly, and quickly.

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