This article was published in the 2009 Year in Review issue of The Daily Tar Heel.
The death of junior Courtland Smith in August resulted in more than three months of questions about what led to police shooting him 40 minutes from Chapel Hill.
A report released Friday by Randolph County District Attorney Garland Yates provides many details into Smith’s interaction with the two Archdale police officers. In the release, Yates also said he found officer Jeremy Paul Flinchum was justified in shooting Smith because Flinchum believed his and another officer’s life to be endangered.
Some questions still remain, including why Smith was 40 minutes from Chapel Hill and why Smith’s autopsy report was amended to remove details that the district attorney’s statement confirmed.
Just after 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 23, Flinchum and officer Chris Jones, in separate patrol cars, pulled over Smith’s vehicle on I-85 South near Greensboro, the release states.
Archdale Police Department Communications, who spoke with Smith when he called 911 about 15 minutes earlier, had notified the officers that Smith was possibly suicidal, intoxicated and armed with a 9 mm handgun.
Smith exited his car, and both officers drew their pistols. They gave Smith repeated directions to get back in the car and show his hands as Smith walked toward the officers with one or both of his hands behind his back.
“At one point the officers warned Mr. Smith that because of his actions he was about to get shot,” Yates said in the release.
Smith walked backward to his car and leaned into the driver’s side.
As Smith once again advanced on the officers with his hands concealed, Jones and Flinchum retreated back to Flinchum’s car, attempting to tell Smith “to not do anything stupid, and that they just wanted to talk to him and help him,” the release states.
When Smith quickly drew his right hand from behind his back, holding a black object and standing 10 feet away from the officers, Flinchum fired five shots. Four shots hit Smith.
Smith was not armed, despite his earlier comments to a 911 dispatcher that he had a gun. Authorities found a black BlackBerry phone next to the location where he was shot, the release states.
The report also notes a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey was in Smith’s gray Toyota 4Runner.
Smith’s autopsy report found his blood alcohol level was .22 percent.
Yates decided Flinchum had acted appropriately after reviewing the State Bureau of Investigation’s report on the incident, completed Nov. 16. The SBI routinely looks into police shootings, and its findings are not public record in North Carolina.
Archdale Police Chief Darrell Gibbs expressed confidence in the decision with a statement Friday.
“Both officers’ actions were reasonable, lawful and justified under the circumstances,” the statement reads. “Both officers are certified through North Carolina Training and Standards as well as in the use of deadly force.”
In October, N.C. Chief Medical Examiner John Butts revised Smith’s autopsy report after meeting with Smith’s parents, who had raised concerns over the accuracy, source and inclusion of some details.
Butts crossed out mentions of Smith talking to friends about suicide, as well as the cause of death and medical history. But Friday’s release said Smith had sent an e-mail to his family on the night he was killed indicating suicidal thoughts.
A representative for Butts said Friday he had no comment on the changes.
Smith was last reported seen in Chapel Hill at about 12:30 a.m. at a Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house party. The party prompted UNC to re-examine its relationship with Greek life and led to several sanctions on the chapter.
Smith, 21, was a biology major from Houston. He was a passionate white-water kayaker and president of DKE.
His fraternity brothers are contributing to a Habitat for Humanity house in his memory.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
