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Friday, January 24, 2014

'He was shot dead like a dog in his own home'

'He was shot dead like a dog in his own home': Fury after mentally ill 18-year-old was killed by police in front of his mortified parents who had called for help to control him

Keith Vidal, 18, was held down by two officers and shot dead by another, his family allege
He was having a schizophrenic episode when his family called 911 to help calm him down
The officer who shot the boy to death was on the scene less than a minute before firing his gun, according to an incident report
Friend Anthony Owens claims officer said 'I don't have time for this' before shooting
Claims father bravely stopped officer from firing another shot
A detective has been put on leave while authorities look into the incident

By PAUL THOMPSON

PUBLISHED: 14:58 EST, 7 January 2014 | UPDATED: 05:10 EST, 8 January 2014

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An 18-year-old mentally ill boy who was killed by police was 'shot to death like dog', a close family friend said today.

Keith Vidal was already restrained by two police officers when a third officer shot him in the chest on Sunday after allegedly saying 'I don't have time for this'.

The officer was preparing to fire a second shot when he was grabbed by the victim's step father.

Vidal, who was having a schizophrenic episode, did not pose a threat to any of the officers - who had been called to help by his family, friends said.

Justice: Keith Vidal (pictured with his mother, Mary) was already restrained by two police officers when a third officer shot him in the chest on Sunday after allegedly saying 'I don't have time for this'

Anthony Owens, a close family friend, insisted the teenager posed no threat to the officers and has demanded an investigation uncover the truth.

'Do not let this be swept under the good ole boy run,' Owens wrote on a blog post for CNN.

'Do not let this man get away with murder. Next time it could be closer to home. Keith was shot like a dog on the floor of his home.'

North Carolina authorities have vowed to carry out a full investigation into the shooting that has left the family of the teen grief stricken and desperately searching for answers.

District Attorney Jon David has called for an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of Vidal at his home in Boiling Springs Lake on Sunday.

'The public deserves to have a process put in place that will lead to the most just resolution,' said David.

David said he will not show any deference to law enforcement officials, promising to 'go wherever the truth leads in this case'.

Police had been called to the North Carolina home by the teen's parents after he apparently became agitated and grabbed a screwdriver.

Mentally ill: Keith Vidal suffered from schizophrenia and was having an episode when his family called 911

Gunned down: Family friend Anthony Owens claimed the officer said "concern for officers' safety" was the reason he shot Keith. Yet the family claim two other officers had already successfully subdued the 90lb boy

Mary Vidal and her husband Mark Wilsey made the 911 call so they could get help in getting Vidal to an emergency room for treatment.

Two police officers from Boiling Springs Police Department responded to the call and were talking with the teen, apparently defusing the situation.

Vidal, who was 5ft 3in and weighed 90lbs, was seemingly listening when a third officer from Southport Police Department entered the home.

According to accounts from family members, the officer who had been on the scene for just over a minute, ordered the other two deputies to use their Taser guns to subdue the teen.

Owens said Vidal collapsed to the floor after being hit by the 50,000 volt stun gun prongs and was being restrained while with his step-father making a grab for the screwdriver.

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He said the officer fired into the melee of bodies, hitting Vidal in the chest.

Owens said: 'Keith was murdered in the hallway of his home by a Southport Police Officer in Boiling Springs Lakes.

'The officer said "concern for officers' safety" was the reason he shot Keith. Yet his concern for officer safety was null and void when he fired his weapon into a mass of bodies on the floor at close range..

'He could have just as easily killed one of his own.

'If it weren't for Keith's father grabbing the officer, he would have shot him again.. Keith was a big person in a small body. About 5'3 to 5'5 and 90 to 100lbs Keith was small for his age. Trained officers should know the difference between a 6'5 335 lbs monster and a 5'3 100lb kid.'

Devastated: Keith Vidal's grieving family gathered Monday for a press conference outside the office of the District Attorney

Police have not named the officer responsible for shooting citing an ongoing investigation but said Detective Byron Vassey, 44, has been placed on administrative leave.

Vassey, who is married and lives in Southport, has been with the force since 2004 and according to a police spokesman it is the first time he has been taken off duty.

Owens said in his blog post that Vidal used medication to control his schizophrenia and had never harmed anyone before.

He said Vidal was a talented drummer and had posted numerous videos to YouTube. He also loved to play on his X-Box.

'There aren't any words that can express how deeply hurt I am that this happened,' he wrote.

'Today the world lost an awesome person. Keith was like a little brother to me. I sat many times with him and listened to him play drums, or sat in a hot condo stand with him waiting for a pig to mosey out to eat some corn... or just watching his drumming videos saying "man this kids talented".

'Keith was a very passionate kid and loved music and basketball more than anything on this earth...he had many friends and will be dearly missed. He loved his family and they in return loved him.'

Describing the horror that unfolded in the Vidal home, Owens said he had spoken at length to the teen's parents.

Greatly missed: Many friends and family took to Facebook to post their condolences and vent their shock over the teen's sudden death

He wrote: 'Keith suffered from depression and schizophrenia which he was on medication to control.

'We all know someone who has been touched by the hand of mental illness. Whether it be in the form of bi-polar disorder, dementia, Alzheimer’s, or schizophrenia, we try to be compassionate and understanding to those handicaps.

'Today that was not the case. Vidal's father contacted the Boiling Springs Lakes Police Department around 1 pm Sunday to try to get help putting Vidal in the car, so he could be taken to a mental evaluation.

'Vidal was abrasive and did not want to go and picked up a small electronics screwdriver. Two officers responded to the scene and started negotiating with Vidal. After about 10 minutes the situation started defusing itself with Vidal becoming more rational.

'At that very moment an officer from another town entered the residence and instructed the officers to stop talking and Tase Vidal.

'As Vidal tried to flee into the bathroom adjacent to where he was standing the two officers simultaneously shot him with their Tasers.

'As Vidal collapsed backwards on to the floor the two officers jumped on top of the 5ft 3 100 lb Vidal to restrain him.

'Vidal's Father tried to step in and grab the screw driver. The Southport police officer that had instructed the other officers to use their Tasers, moved between the father and the pile of people on the floor and said "we don't have time for this" and shot Vidal Once in the chest as the other two officers held him on the floor.

Dead too soon: Keith Vidal had only celebrated his 18th birthday last month

'Vidal's father then grabbed the officer as he was lining himself up for another shot.'

According to the police event report, the first unit on scene was a Boiling Spring Lakes officer who arrived at 12:34 p.m.

He was joined shortly after by two additional officers and a Brunswick County Sheriff's Deputy.

The first unit on scene reported a confrontation in the hallway, but told Brunswick County Dispatchers several times that everything was OK.

Unit 104 from Southport arrived on the scene at 12:48:41, fourteen minutes after the first officer had already been on scene.

Seventy seconds later, Unit 104 radioed out that he had to fire shots at the subject in order to defend himself.

Owens said Vidal was not threatening anyone, and had said the screwdriver was his and 'did not want to put it down.'

The teen's parents have also demanded answers to why they lost their son.

'See this kid? This is my son,' said his mother Mary while struggling to hold up a picture of the boy hugging a GUMBY mascot. 'This is my flesh and blood that they murdered.'

Friends of the family have set up a gofundme site to help pay for the funeral.

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Friday, January 24, 2014