Post by SoulTrainOz on Jul 14, 2006 2:56:51 GMT -5
He had grabbed gun, shot officer
Willie Forrest wanted to get rid of his two lawyers Wednesday.
Instead, the Raleigh man, known for his courtroom stunts, was shot dead after he snatched a revolver from a prison guard's holster and shot up a Northampton County courthouse, hitting an officer in the shoulder. Forrest was pulling a 56-year sentence in Central Prison for a string of incidents that include holding his aunt hostage, roughing up his lawyer and biting a police officer.
Forrest -- who has spent all but about 2 years of his adult life behind bars -- requested this day in court. He wanted a judge to fire his lawyers, Jack Warmack and Samuel Dixon. Forrest, 37, complained in a letter to the judge that his lawyers were taking too long to schedule his trial in the 2002 home invasion and killing of a convenience store owner in Garysburg, just east of Interstate 95 near the Virginia border.
It was the 2nd time he had asked for a new pair of appointed attorneys to defend him against the death penalty.
But Superior Court Judge Alma Hinton turned down the request. That's when Forrest -- whose wrists and ankles were shackled and chained to a metal waistband -- snapped, his lawyers said. He let loose a string of obscenities, yelling over the judge's orders. A correction officer who had escorted him from Central Prison that morning lunged toward him, locking his head with an arm. Even so, Forrest managed to kick 2 other officers out of the way, Dixon said.
"It was almost like he had superhuman strength," Dixon said. "He literally kicked 2 of them down."
Warmack stepped out of the way; Dixon froze in shock.
They had been warned about Forrest. After a Wake County jury found him guilty of kidnapping and assaulting his aunt in 2003, he knocked his lawyer to the ground, fracturing his skull. He once called a prosecutor a "big greasy pork chop" in court. During an attempted murder trial in 2003, Wake County jailers strapped him to a wheelchair with duct tape and put a mask over his mouth to prevent him from spitting at people.
Still, Forrest had seemed docile Wednesday morning, Dixon said.
But as officers began pushing Forrest out of the courtroom after his outburst, he snatched a Smith & Wesson revolver from a guard's holster. A Northampton County sheriff's deputy shouted, "He's got a gun!" Warmack heard the first pop and dived to the floor. Dixon and more than a dozen others also ducked.
A bullet blew through the shoulder of correction officer Christopher Hicks; another grazed his arm, Department of Correction spokesman George Dudley said. Another officer pushed Forrest's hands toward the ceiling, ensuring he couldn't shoot bystanders.
Warmack heard three shots before he finally crawled out the back door of the courtroom. At least two more shots sounded before a sheriff's deputy ushered the bystanders downstairs.
Somehow in the melee, a Northampton County sheriff's deputy shot Forrest. Forrest died later at a nearby hospital.
"It was just surreal," Dixon said. "You see your life flash before you. If it hadn't been for law enforcement, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead."
The State Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident.
Forrest had spent almost all of the past 2 decades in North Carolina prisons. His criminal record includes more than 60 charges dating back to the 1980s and includes larceny and assault on government officials.
According to Department of Correction records, Forrest remained in trouble after he landed in prison in 2003. His rap sheet there includes infractions such as assaulting other inmates and disobeying orders. Forrest spent chunks of time in confinement, out of the reach of other inmates.
(source: The News & Observer)
Willie Forrest wanted to get rid of his two lawyers Wednesday.
Instead, the Raleigh man, known for his courtroom stunts, was shot dead after he snatched a revolver from a prison guard's holster and shot up a Northampton County courthouse, hitting an officer in the shoulder. Forrest was pulling a 56-year sentence in Central Prison for a string of incidents that include holding his aunt hostage, roughing up his lawyer and biting a police officer.
Forrest -- who has spent all but about 2 years of his adult life behind bars -- requested this day in court. He wanted a judge to fire his lawyers, Jack Warmack and Samuel Dixon. Forrest, 37, complained in a letter to the judge that his lawyers were taking too long to schedule his trial in the 2002 home invasion and killing of a convenience store owner in Garysburg, just east of Interstate 95 near the Virginia border.
It was the 2nd time he had asked for a new pair of appointed attorneys to defend him against the death penalty.
But Superior Court Judge Alma Hinton turned down the request. That's when Forrest -- whose wrists and ankles were shackled and chained to a metal waistband -- snapped, his lawyers said. He let loose a string of obscenities, yelling over the judge's orders. A correction officer who had escorted him from Central Prison that morning lunged toward him, locking his head with an arm. Even so, Forrest managed to kick 2 other officers out of the way, Dixon said.
"It was almost like he had superhuman strength," Dixon said. "He literally kicked 2 of them down."
Warmack stepped out of the way; Dixon froze in shock.
They had been warned about Forrest. After a Wake County jury found him guilty of kidnapping and assaulting his aunt in 2003, he knocked his lawyer to the ground, fracturing his skull. He once called a prosecutor a "big greasy pork chop" in court. During an attempted murder trial in 2003, Wake County jailers strapped him to a wheelchair with duct tape and put a mask over his mouth to prevent him from spitting at people.
Still, Forrest had seemed docile Wednesday morning, Dixon said.
But as officers began pushing Forrest out of the courtroom after his outburst, he snatched a Smith & Wesson revolver from a guard's holster. A Northampton County sheriff's deputy shouted, "He's got a gun!" Warmack heard the first pop and dived to the floor. Dixon and more than a dozen others also ducked.
A bullet blew through the shoulder of correction officer Christopher Hicks; another grazed his arm, Department of Correction spokesman George Dudley said. Another officer pushed Forrest's hands toward the ceiling, ensuring he couldn't shoot bystanders.
Warmack heard three shots before he finally crawled out the back door of the courtroom. At least two more shots sounded before a sheriff's deputy ushered the bystanders downstairs.
Somehow in the melee, a Northampton County sheriff's deputy shot Forrest. Forrest died later at a nearby hospital.
"It was just surreal," Dixon said. "You see your life flash before you. If it hadn't been for law enforcement, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead."
The State Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident.
Forrest had spent almost all of the past 2 decades in North Carolina prisons. His criminal record includes more than 60 charges dating back to the 1980s and includes larceny and assault on government officials.
According to Department of Correction records, Forrest remained in trouble after he landed in prison in 2003. His rap sheet there includes infractions such as assaulting other inmates and disobeying orders. Forrest spent chunks of time in confinement, out of the reach of other inmates.
(source: The News & Observer)