2010 West Memphis police shootings

Two police officers in West Memphis, Arkansas were shot and killed during a traffic stop on May 20, 2010. Police identified and killed two suspects, identified as Jerry Kane, Jr., and his son, Joseph Kane. The two were later identified as members of the sovereign citizen movement.^[1] Footage of the shooting and ensuing shootout with police was shown in a season 5 episode of World's Wildest Police Videos.

Details

Around 11:36 a.m. CDT, West Memphis police officer Bill Evans initiated a traffic stop on a white Plymouth Voyager minivan that was travelling on Interstate 40 eastbound toward Airport Road.^[2] According to a spokesperson for the Arkansas State Police, Officer Evans was "running drug interdiction", and the vehicle had license plates from Ohio. Sergeant Brandon Paudert provided backup for Evans. Upon Paudert's arrival at the scene, Evans attempted to frisk Jerry Kane.

Suddenly, Kane turned and attacked Evans in a scuffle down an embankment into a ditch. At that moment, Joe Kane emerged from the passenger door of the van and opened fire with an AK-47 variant. Paudert ran to the rear of Evans' police cruiser and returned fire with three shots from his .40-caliber handgun through the windows and taillight of Evans' cruiser, in an attempt to hit Kane firing from the other side. He then took cover behind the hood of his cruiser which was parked directly behind Evans' cruiser. Kane then fired multiple shots from his AK-47 variant through the hood of the car, striking Paudert in the head with a ricochet.^{[3][nb 1]}

Both officers were fatally wounded; Paudert, 39, died at the scene, and Evans, 38, died at the hospital. The suspects returned to their van and sped away.^[4] A FedEx driver from Houston witnessed the shooting and called 911; neither officer could make an "officer down" call.^[5]

As officers of other Arkansas law enforcement agencies — including the State Police and Fish and Game Commission — began searching for the suspects, Crittenden County Sheriff Dick Busby and Chief Enforcement Officer W. A. Wren stopped a minivan believed to be the suspects' at a Wal-Mart Supercenter.^[2] Authorities also searched many vehicles on I-40 for the suspects.^[4] Busby and Wren were then allegedly shot by one or more of the suspects, leading to a shootout.^[2] Dozens of other officers surrounded the van, and the Kanes were shot to death. Busby was shot in the arm, and Wren in the abdomen; both were taken to The Regional Medical Center (in Memphis, Tennessee) and survived.^[4]

Perpetrators

The day after the shootings, Arkansas State Police identified the suspects as 45-year-old Jerry R. Kane, Jr., and his 16-year-old son Joseph T. Kane. Jerry Kane had expressed sentiment against federal and local government online, and was accused of doing the same in person. Kane served three days in jail near Carrizozo, New Mexico for driving without a license and concealing his identity. He posted a $1,500 bond. After that incident, he complained of a "Nazi checkpoint". Based on a 2004 conversation with Jerry Kane, Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly expressed concern that Kane would pose a dangerous threat to law enforcement officers. According to Kelly, Kane had complained about being "enslaved" by a judge who had sentenced him to serve six days of community service for driving with an expired license plate and no seat belt.

Insurance analyst J. J. MacNab observed that Kane ran a debt evasion business.^[6] Jerry Kane also posted $10,000 bond (which a judge later ordered forfeited) on charges of forgery and attempted grand theft of a motor vehicle filed in Miamisburg, Ohio.

Although Kane was arrested in New Mexico, he was never extradited to Ohio.^[5]

Notes

1. ↑ Dashboard video from Evans' cruiser was the only video released of the actual shooting as the majority of events took place out of its line of sight. Although Paudert's dashboard camera recorded the initial scuffle and the entire shooting of both officers, only the events recorded before the actual shooting occurred were released to the public from its point of view. The details of Paudert's actions were given in an interview by Paudert's father who had viewed the video.

References

See also

• List of American police officers killed in the line of duty