CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Jason Arnie Owens helped carry his father’s casket to the hearse, then turned to embrace a relative. He by no means made it to the cemetery.

As mourners gathered exterior a northern West Virginia funeral house on Aug. 24, two plainclothes officers with a fugitive warrant swooped in from separate automobiles, known as Owens’ title and shot him useless, spattering his 18-year-old son’s shirt with blood as horrified family members regarded.

“There was no warning in any respect,” household buddy Cassandra Whitecotton mentioned.

Within the blink of an eye fixed, surprised family and friends already mourning one member misplaced one other. Now, they need solutions — not simply why Owens was shot however why the encounter occurred the best way it did.

Legislation enforcement officers aren’t explaining a lot proper now, citing an ongoing investigation. Owens, 37, was wished on a fugitive warrant, however the U.S. Marshals Service hasn’t mentioned what it was for. The company additionally mentioned in a press release that he had a gun when members of a fugitive process pressure approached. A number of witnesses contend that’s not true.

Whitecotton and others who stood simply ft away mentioned Owens was unarmed, had been hugging his aunt, Evelyn O’Dell, and was fired on instantly after his title was known as. Witnesses additionally dispute the U.S. Marshals’ assertion that first support was carried out immediately, earlier than emergency medical providers arrived.

“They yelled Jason’s title. They only mentioned ‘Jason’ after which began firing,” Whitecotton mentioned. “There was no identifications they had been U.S. Marshals — something. They didn’t render this man any support in any respect. By no means as soon as they touched him to render any support in any respect.”

As relations ready for providers Friday for Owens, a state police investigation of the taking pictures was underway. However endurance locally is sporting skinny.

Relations and supporters protested exterior the Harrison County Courthouse final week, accusing regulation enforcement authorities of overreach within the loss of life of Owens, who was white. A Fb web page known as Justice for Jason Owens has swelled to about 800 members — greater than half of the inhabitants of Nutter Fort, the place Owens was killed.

Underlying the unanswered questions is whether or not some boundary of decency had been crossed in arresting a person within the midst of burying his father.

“In the event that they’ve been looking for somebody they usually lastly determine the place they’re, they’re going to get them,” mentioned Tracy L. Hahn, a Columbus, Ohio-based safety marketing consultant who retired after 32 years in regulation enforcement, together with as deputy police chief at Ohio State College.

Hahn mentioned she is aware of companies which have gone to funerals however have waited till afterward to method the particular person.

“There should be some extenuating circumstance that they felt the urgency to arrest him then as a substitute of ready, if there was some danger issue, an escape danger or one thing like that,” Hahn mentioned.

Relations aren’t so certain. They are saying it solely provides to their sense of disrespect that the companies concerned really feel no obligation to handle their questions.

“We need to know why you’d do that in entrance of his household,” mentioned Owens’ cousin, Mandy Swiger. “And what provides you the correct to do this to an unarmed man?”

Appearing U.S. Marshal Terry Moore mentioned he couldn’t reply questions in the course of the investigation and messages left with state police weren’t returned.

It’s not clear whether or not video exists from police bodycams, a police car dashboard or the funeral house itself. In contrast to main cities the place detailed incident stories and video footage are launched after deadly police shootings — generally inside hours — that not often occurs in West Virginia.

West Virginia regulation exempts police from having to launch video footage throughout an investigation. And the U.S. Marshals Service workplace mentioned it didn’t write an in depth incident report concerning the taking pictures, referring to the information launch that withheld Owens’ title and different particulars.

Owens had been in hassle with the regulation earlier than. He was sentenced in 2018 to a few to 13 years in jail for fleeing a Harrison County sheriff’s deputy and making an attempt to strangle him throughout a scuffle. He was launched on parole in April 2021.

However Swiger mentioned he dedicated a parole violation “for not checking in simply as soon as. And that’s why he promised his mother after the funeral he would flip himself in.”

Whitecotton mentioned she was smoking a cigarette after the service when an SUV got here flying down the facet road the place the hearse would pull out.

“It about hit me, so I jumped again up on the curb and form of checked out him like, ‘What’s your drawback?’” she mentioned. A person in shorts and a T-shirt jumped out, leaving his door open.

Swiger mentioned a white truck with one other plainclothes officer inside nearly hit her mom’s car because the truck sped into the parking zone. Swiger mentioned Owens was shot from completely different instructions and estimated as many as 40 folks had been within the space. She, too, mentioned she didn’t see a gun in Owens’ palms.

Some mourners instinctively rushed towards Owens after he fell to the bottom, Swiger mentioned, however had been informed by one of many officers, “You step again or I’ll shoot you.”

Whitecotton mentioned she has lived in a lot bigger cities equivalent to Houston, Dallas and Fort Value.

“By no means in my life have I handled something like this,” she mentioned. “I might count on it there, actually. However not right here.”

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