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VOLUME 14 NUMBER 4
Widow of slain man
disputes police account
by Theresa Minor
The widow of a man siain by a
Richmond County police captain
denies that her husband threatened
the life of the officer, but rather
suggests that Capt. Ray Myers
calculatedly shot her husband to
death.
27-year old Laverne Burch of
Hepzibah made the comments
following the results of an internal
investigation into the incident
which occured Saturday night.
That internal probe completely
exonerated Capt. Myers of any
wrong doing in the shooting death
of 33-year old Willie Lee Burch.
In a Tuesday afternoon press
conference, Richmond County
Police Chief Freddie Sanders
stated that Myers inflicted the 12-
guage shotgun wound to Burch’s
chest only after Burch lunged
toward the police captain with a
butcher knife.
That knife, according to police
reports, had previously been used
to threaten Mrs. Burch and
resulted in police being called to
the Hepzibah residence on a
domestic distrubance call.
Mrs. Burch concedes that her
husband chased her with the but
cher knife in hand. She says at one
point her distraught husband, who
at the time was raving about killing
her and himself, caught her as she
fell to the ground and sat on top of
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STAR PUPIL—Mrs. Helen B. Johnson admires progress of the Rev. R.B. Green.
News-Review staff photo
HRC chief says
agency needs
subpoena power
Frank Thomas, director of the we can do,” he said.
Human Relations Commission, ‘‘lf we had subpoena power I
said he has “no problem” with the doubt that we would have to use it.
Richmond County Commission Because they’ll know sooner or
having the authority to issue sub- later we’re going to issue them a
poenas in discrimination in- subpoena.”
vestigations of local companies or The county commission has to
individuals. date been reluctant to grant
Thomas’ request for the additional
Thomas had previously leverage. When asked whether
requested the county board to HRC’s proposed audit of the
grant HRC subpoena power and county’s hiring and promotion
said, “Without it we’re hurting.” policies was a factor Thomas
He said although HRC resolves rep lied, “They’re (commissioners)
eight of 10 discrimination cases it a little hesitant to give such a
hears, the aid of subpoena power powerful weapon to any agency. I
would make the agency much more don’t think it has anything to do
effective. with the audit.”
“Some respondents recognize The audit is being done at the
that we don’t have that authority request of the local NAACP. The
so they just don’t comply. And civil rights organization charges
really at that point there’s nothing see Subpoena page 5
Frank Thomas, director of the
Human Relations Commission,
said he has “no problem” with the
Richmond County Commission
having the authority to issue sub
poenas in discrimination in
vestigations of local companies or
individuals.
Thomas had previously
requested the county board to
grant HRC subpoena power and
said, “Without it we’re hurting.”
He said although HRC resolves
eight of 10 discrimination cases it
hears, the aid of subpoena power
would make the agency much more
effective.
“Some respondents recognize
that we don’t have that authority
so they just don’t comply. And
really at that point there’s nothing
her with the knife in his hand for
about an hour.
But she said she did not believe
he was actually going to harm her.
“He kept on saying ‘l’m going to
kill you,’ but he never did stab at
me. He kept on stabbing at the
ground,” she said.
Mrs. Burch said neighbors who
were watching the struggle called
police. When the first unit arrived
with two police officers, she said a
Black officer, known to her only as
Butch, attempted to talk her
husband into disarming himself.
Mrs. Burch said it was when the
officers arrived that she began to
fear for her husband’s life.
“I was telling them please don’t
shoot him, don’t come no closer.
He ain’t going to hurt nobody,”
recounted Mrs. Burch.
While this was taking place
back-up units were apparently
called in by one of the first officers
to arrive. She said at least six
police cars turned up, but at that
point her husband had already
released her and was retreating to
their mobile home.
“It was at least four policemen
in the front of him holding guns.
One had a shotgun, the others had
pistols,” said Mrs. Burch, “The
colored one was back there holding
me saying, ‘Please don’t shoot
him’,” she continued. She said her
husband then turned around to
face the officers with his arms out
stretched and as he began ap
proaching the group he shouted
“Go ahead and kill me, kill me.”
Mrs. Burch said she remembers
Capt. Myers, the man she iden
tified as the one holding the shot
gun, asking her to hold a flashlight
on her husband and then ordered:
“Everbody clear out.”
She said in a matter of seconds
Myers had blasted her husband in
the chest and he fell to the ground.
“I thought maybe they was
going to talk to him, calm him
down or try to take the knife. But I
didn’t know they was going to
blow him away like that,” she
said.
“They say he (Burch) stabbed at
him (Myers), tried to assault him
or something, but he didn’t.”
She said that Myers ordered
everyone away from the area of the
shooting until the ambulance
arrived a little over 15 minutes
later.
Among the other discrepencies
in the police report and Mrs. Bur
ch’s recollection is that she contends
her husband never threatened her
young son’s life. She further
denied the she told Capt. Gene
Johnson, the police internal affairs
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VALEDICTORIAN —David Parris, a native of Nevis in
the West Indies, was named Valedictorian during the Paine
College Commencement Convocation May 13. Parris also
received the President’s Award, the highest honor granted to
a graduating senior.
May 26,1984
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MRS. LAVERNE BURCH recall details leading to her husband’s death.
investigator, that her husband
made a move to attack Capt.
Myers.
80-year old minister
learning howto read
The Rev. R.B. Green is 80 years
old. And twice every Thursday he
goes to Shiloh Comprehensive
Center, where he is learning how to
read.
A native of Waynesboro, he has
been living in Augusta for more
than 60 years and has pastored
Newberry Baptist Church on
Less than 75 percent Advertising
Mrs. Burch indicated that she
has sought legal advice in the mat
ter, but had not made a decision as
Grand Boulevard for 32 years.
Why is he learning how to read
now? He replied, “So many times
I was called on to read scripture in
front of a large gathering and I’d
have to tell the ministers, ‘l’m not
a very good reader.’
“It embarrassed me, and put me
in a position where I needed to bet-
It n
| IHII r
DR. E. CLAYTON CALHOUN addresses graduates
during the Paine College Commencement Convocation held
May 13, after he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws
degree by President William H. Harris.
Calhoun was elected the eighth president of Paine College
in 1956. He served through 1970. He was influential in laun
ching the Black College Fund with the Board of Higher
Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.
News-Review staff photo
to whether she intends to go to
court.
ter my condition as a scholar.
“I often heard words that I’d
never heard used that way. So
there are a lot of reasons. You’re
never get too old to learn.
“I had a minister to tell me that
I was about too old to learn. I said,
‘You ‘bout don’t know nothing.
see Shiloh page 6
30C