Denzel Curnell: SC Teen Killed During Encounter With Police Officer
Witnesses say Denzel Curnell, 19, was killed when a police officer shot him while he was kneeling down with his hands behind his back. Denzel was unarmed.
Last Saturday, 19 year old Denzel Curnell aka Jaba had an encounter with a police officer at the housing projects where he lived in Charleston, South Carolina. That unfortunate encounter has left the unarmed youth dead, shot in the head, and has raised a lot of unanswered questions. According to The Post and Courier, “ None of the half dozen residents who were interviewed were willing to give their names, but they all had the same story. They all believed that Curnell was shot while kneeling and had no weapon. Several said they saw it happen.”
A note left on the scene by a girl named Sunshine was attached to a pole where a memorial to Denzel was constructed near where he was shot. It read:
“JaBa was always a good person. He never bothered anyone. One day he was walking in the back of Bayside (Bridgeview’s former name) and he heard a voice that said put your hands behind your back, and he did that, and then the police shot him in the back, and we want justice for JaBa.”
Now the Charleston Police Chief, after being quite for days, is saying there is no evidence that the officer did anything wrong or even fired his gun. Even worse, the police department sent an email to city leaders saying Denzel’s death was a “possible suicide”. Police are saying they found a gun, but Denzel has no history of any criminal activity. Also, the spokesmen of the State Law Enforcement Division, who is investigating the incident said, “We were told there was a struggle, and a shot or shots were fired, and an individual is deceased. The officer is OK.” How can there be a struggle with an officer if this was a suicide?
This is the 23rd officer involved shooting in Charleston, SC this year alone. According to family and friends, Denzel Curnell had just completed basic training for the U.S. Army in Fort Benning, Ga. They said he mostly stayed in the house playing video games and rarely went outside. Disputing the allegations of Denzel’s killing being a possible suicide, his aunt, Sylvia Campbell said, ”He wanted to travel in the military. He wanted to get married and have children. His life was cut down at an early age.” Please sign the online petition calling for the prosecution of the officer who shot and killed Denzel “Jaba” Curnell #JusticeforJaba
Denzel “Jaba” Curnell, 19, died from a bullet wound to the head after an encounter with a South Carolina police officer on Friday night in, what authorities claim, was a suicide. But witnesses tell a different story, reports the Charleston City Paper.
Several witnesses, who refused to be named, say that Officer Jamal Medlin told Curnell to get down and put his hands behind his head as he walked through Charleston’s Bridgeview Village apartments. And once he did that, Medlin allegedly shot him in the back.
An autopsy, however, revealed that Curnell died from a bullet wound to the right side of his head—which still raises difficult questions, reports the Post and Courier.
Curnell, according to family, is left-handed and had everything to live for.
“He wanted to travel in the military. He wanted to get married and have children. His life was cut down at an early age,” said his aunt Sylvia Campbell.
Curnell, a recent graduate of Burke High School, was administratively discharged from basic training in Georgia.
The Post and Courier reports:
When Curnell enlisted last fall, an Army officer saw a young man who could motivate himself and other recruits.The recent Burke High School graduate was focused, confident and ready to take on rigorous training. A staff sergeant noted those qualities at a North Charleston recruiting substation, where prospective soldiers are evaluated.“Future soldier has been outstanding,” the recruiter wrote in Curnell’s paperwork. He “would make a great addition to the U.S. Army.”But during Curnell’s basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., officials noticed depression, hopelessness and separation anxiety. He had lost his mother to cancer earlier that year.
On the night of his death, Curnell’s step-father said that he had not noticed any “depressive behavior.”
Though family and friends say that Curnell did not have a weapon, Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said in a press conference Monday afternoon that a firearm was recovered at the scene and there is “no evidence” that Medlin fired the shot that killed Curnell.
“A vacuum occurs, and rumors, speculation, and inaccurate information fuel a version of the event that can cause anger, distrust, disruption, and misinformation,” Mullen said. “It is especially disappointing when this misinformation creates a divide between the police and the community that we are working hard to foster positive relationships.”
Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. released the following statement:
My heart goes out to the family of Denzel Curnell. It is so very sad to have a young life ended. Denzel and his family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers … Because the City police officer was at the scene, normal protocol require that this matter be investigated by the State Law Enforcement Division. They are in control of the investigation. It is not appropriate for the City to present the complete details until SLED’s investigation is concluded. I am completely confident that the results of the sled investigation will conclude that the City of Charleston police officer’s actions were proper in all circumstances.
Though police have not been forthcoming with information, Dot Scott, president of the local NAACP chapter said that “in this case, silence is not golden but is confusing and infuriating”:
Why was a young man with a clean legal record and a bright future in the military stopped by a police officer for simply being on the street? Why did his encounter with that officer end in what’s alleged to be his suicide —and why would a left-handed young man in a stressful situation shoot himself in the right side of the head? Why would an officer trying to stop a suicide be seen by witnesses with his weapon in his hand?Why did the agency with the officer involved process the crime scene before SLED’s arrival? Why was the involved officer given time off and an opportunity to gather himself before speaking with investigators — a procedure usually followed when law enforcement officers fire their weapons and injure or kill their targets?”
Medlin, who has been on the force since to 2011, has been placed on paid leave pending the completion of an investigation.
A petition has been started to prosecute Medlin and hold him accountable for Curnell’s death.
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