Press Release: May 11th, 2011
On May 11, 2011 at 12:55 PM a Henderson Police Officer, William “Will” Aiken was guarding a male at Maria Parham Medical Center in regards to an affidavit and petition for Involuntary Commitment. The male became irate and combative. The officer attempted to use verbal instruction to calm the male down. This was ineffective. The situation escalated when the male physically attacked the officer, striking the officer in the knee. As the officer continued to struggle to gain control of the male, attempts were made to subdue the male with a department issued Taser and pepper spray; none of which were a deterrent. With an injury to the knee and off balance, the male struck the officer in the head. With the officer almost losing consciousness, the male continued the assaultive behavior. The Officer un-holstered his department issued sidearm and fired one round striking the male in the leg. Both the officer and mental patient are being treated at Maria Parham Medical Center.
Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects the identity of the mental patient so his identity is unavailable at this time. The investigation is being conducted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Authority: Chief K. L. Sidwell
We hope all turns out well for this officer, injured in the line of duty. Keep up the great work!
The officer acted responsibly , I hope he recovers quickly. Just shows that this is not the time to drop the number of officers on HPD. I support Chief Sidwell and his officers.
Prayers for the officer during this time! Thank you for doing your job!
Just another Vance County nut case! I’m sure the officer will be crucified just because he works for the HPD. I hope all is well with the officer and he recovers quickly.
But by dropping the number of officers they can get immediate pay raises to the existing officers. We are losing good officers because cities or counties nearby pay more. Pray we don’t lose our Police Chief Sidwell who does a great job and seems to not get enough support from the citizens. Only the vocal few, who don’t want to see officers in their neighborhoods protecting them because they view it as harrassment, seem to speak out. And they would complain if the officers weren’t there, too – you can be sure.
just an update as per daily dispatch, the officer from the MPH incident was released last night in good condition while the shooting victim is still at the hospital.
for the news click this http://hendersondispatch.com/view/full_story_free/13239962/article-Officer-involved-in-hospital-shooting-released?instance=breakingNews_article
Dagny get a life or just say what you mean you rascist devil you.
Dagny I agree with you!