NC Police Kill Veteran in His Home During Welfare Check

A North Carolina man is dead after his family called the police to carry out a welfare check and the police shot the man.

WSCO TV reports the victim was a 74-year-old Army veteran named James Allen. The incident took place in Gastonia, NC the night of Saturday, Feb. 7. Allen had recently undergone heart surgery and his family asked the police to check up on him to be sure everything was ok.

The shooting took place after the police tried to get someone to answer the door but were unable to. After they were unable to get the door open by knocking or ringing the doorbell, they forced their way into Allen's home. When the police decided to use force to enter the home, it was their second time to Allen's address.

When forcefully entering the house, the police chose to use the backdoor. Once they succeeded in wresting the door open, they saw Allen standing in the doorway with a .22 caliber revolver, and an officer shot him.

The police claim they clearly and forcefully announced their presence, and who they were, before forcing open the door. At the same time however, one of Allen's neighbors told WSCO that Allen had very poor hearing.

The officer who fired the fatal shot is Officer Josh Lefevers, who has been with the Gastonia Police Department since some time in 2012.

Allen's sister told the WSCO that the authorities did not notify her of her brother's death themselves. She says she found out about her brother's death as she was home watching the news Sunday night.

Other members of Allen's family speculated that he thought his home was being broken into and that is why he was armed when the police encountered him.

WOKV reports that Allen was a veteran of the Korean War.