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Sam and Dave star Minister, 80, HRC chief ; ' tells of is learning says agency ne . lt Sam and dope how to read subpoena power ii hUDO<y a a th Page 2 PagelPagel 11 Page 1 Auiuwta 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 u 1 II IM • IHI H t I * 'A" i 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 t JR! ' .A 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 7- sW «-& S <*Ss| . sp* , 41 ■» iflß|| * || t’i R J .-. % sl' Kb I : 'IB W'*****^w : - •■ ‘ - * J “' ; ’ • •• ■ F ' ▼ Jr *x ; w**fe 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