Copley, who apparently called police to complain about “hoodlums” near his house, was charged with murder after he shot and killed a black man outside, authorities said. Reporter: Police say 39-year-old Chad Cameron copley fired a shotgun from inside his garage around 12:30 A.M. Hitting Thomas who was just passing by this mailbox on his way back to the vehicle.
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Kouren-Rodney Thomas, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Following the investigation, the Raleigh Police Department arrested Copley, who was charged with murder.
The culprit known as Chad Copley called 911 at 1 a.m. on Sunday after allegedly fearing for his family and himself. “I’m going to secure my neighborhood”, Copley said. “I yelled at them ‘please leave the premises.’ They were showing firearms, so I fired a warning shot and we got someone that got hit”, said one caller, who was later identified as Copley. “We haven’t seen him yet”. Copley could face the death penalty if he is convicted. They have firearms and we’re going to secure our neighborhood. “It was silent. No fighting and no arguing and no one waving guns”, said David Walker, who came to the party with Thomas.
“This man took my baby’s life”, the victim’s mother Simone Butler-Thomas said Tuesday from her home in Louisburg. We urge restraint and that folks not rush to judgment.
In the second call, Copley admitted he fired his weapon, but said he wasn’t sure if he had shot anyone.
“We have a lot of people outside our house yelling and shouting profanities”.
“There’s friggin’ black males outside my friggin’ house with firearms”. About 50 people were attending, half inside the home, the other half spilled out into the yard, Walker recalled.
As they walked back to where they had parked behind “a string of cars, ” Thomas saw what he believed were police lights. In the 911 call, he admitted to firing a shot from his garage but was unsure if it hit anyone. “I don’t know how (Thomas) was a threat from the garage”.
“I’m looking at him running the whole time”, Walker said.
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Butler-Thomas was born and raised in NY, but she left with her three sons in 2001 for their safety because she thought Harlem was too risky. “He was fun, lovable, caring, just a good guy, and very overprotective of me his mother and other loved ones in general”, she wrote. She told police that she was upstairs and unaware of what was going on.
