Group of armed men, including a deputy, tried to forcibly enter innocent black family’s home
Wilmington, North Carolina: A sheriff’s deputy has been fired and is now charged with criminal offenses after he brought an angered mob searching for a missing child to the home of a black teenager, where they attempted to push their way inside, according to authorities.
Jordan Kita, who is a former New Hanover Deputy, was wearing his uniform and was armed at the time of the incident which took place on May 3, as reported by Star News. Ben David, a Pender County District Attorney said last Friday that Kita is facing charges for forcible trespass, willful failure to discharge deputies, and breaking and entering.
Another man, named Robert Austin Wood, is facing charges of going armed to the terror of the public, according to Star News.
Kita was employed as a deputy at the New Hanover County Detention Center.
“Upon hearing of the incident involving Jordan Kita, I immediately began an internal affairs investigation,” EdMcMahon, the New Hanover County Sheriff, said in a statement last Friday. “Today after speaking with the District Attorney and [Pender County] Sheriff [Alan] Cutler, Jordan Kita has been terminated from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.”
According to the Associated Press he was the leader of the group, which was looking for a missing 15-year-old girl, to the home of a young man named Dameon Shepard. Shepard is a senior at Wilmington’s Laney High School.
Armed 'mob' allegedly tried to enter black family's North Carolina home.
White deputy Jordan Kita charged.
Among the people demanding to enter the home was a person carrying an assault weapon and another with a shotgun, according to local reports: @NBCNewshttps://t.co/B2RgET1qjA pic.twitter.com/4mYcOCsC2G— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) May 10, 2020
The group attempted to forcibly enter, as per the Associated Press.
Shepard’s lawyer, James Lea, wrote a letter, which WECT gained access to, where he said that the group was looking for a man named Josiah who lived next door to the Shepards but left the neighborhood around one month before the incident. They went to the home of Shepard, who at the time was playing video games.
They demanded to know where the girl was and wanted to talk to Josiah.
The boy told them that his name was Dameon a number of times and even showed the men a sign in his yard which had his name written on it but the group kept on asking about the girl, according to Lea.
One member of the group allegedly held a shotgun while another had an assault weapon.
According to Lea, Shepard tried to shut the front door, but Kita blocked it by placing his foot in the doorway while demanding to be let in, according to WECT.
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