It has now been over two months since North Carolina Wildlife Enforcement Officer Mark Minton shot and killed 76 year old Cyde Coffey while Coffey was hunting turkeys on his own land.
In spite of dozens of news reports the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has yet to release any information about the case and the county District Attorney has yet to issue any statement about imminent prosecution.
Family members allege Officer Minton was not in proper uniform and the use of deadly force over an alleged wildlife violation was excessive.
Interested readers can follow as many video and print links as they desire:
Excerpt from WXII12:
Coffey’s family members said Sunday they doubt Minton’s claim that he was provoked. “He was taken from us and he was shot on his own land minding his own business. Who shoots a 76-year-old on his own land?” Coffey’s daughter told WXII12 news.
Link to video and print report click here.
From WGHP:
In a previously issued statement, the commission spokeswoman Penny Miller said: “An armed confrontation with a hunter resulted in Officer Minton firing a shot, apparently in self-defense, which led to the death of the alleged assailant.”
According to the 911 tapes, first responders soon realized Coffey was dead when they got there and described the scene as a madhouse.
Local Message Board Discussion Click Here
Local Message Board Discussion Reverse Order (From the beginning) Click Here
Interesting Comment on reverse order page:
informerxxx Posted 12:54 am, 04/12/2009
IT IS SO TRAGIC WHAT HAPPENED SATURDAY, HOWEVER IT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. I KNOW IN 2003 A TRAPHILL MAN MET MULTIPLE TIMES WITH MINTON’S SUPERIOR OFFICERS AND BEGGED THEM TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIS DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR, BUT NO ONE LISTENED. THEY JUST COVERED FOR HIS ACTIONS. I AM SURE MARK DID SHOOT THE MAN OUT OF SELF DEFENSE, BUT WHAT EVENTS LED UP TO THIS WE WILL NEVER KNOW. I KNOW PERSONALLY HOW MARK WILL PROVOKE PEOPLE. SOME PEOPLE DONT RESPOND TO WELL TO THIS BEHAVIOR. IF IT HAD BEEN THE LEVEL HEADED WARDEN, WALSH, WHO WAS NOT FAR FROM MARK WHO MADE THE INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE MAN THE SITUATION I KNOW WOULD HAVE BEEN NEUTRALIZED. MY HUSBAND WAS WITH THE TRAPHILL MAN WHEN HE MET WITH THE WILDLIFE OFFICERS A COUPLE OF TIMES. BILL TOWNSEND, JOHN CAMPBELL, C.D. THOMPSON, ROGER LEGUIRE, AND MAJOR BLANTON, YOU GUYS WERE ALL WARNED THIS DAY WOULD COME, YOU SHOULD HAVE PAID ATTENTION.
John Jacob H's RKBA Commentary 