Killing of Duncan Lemp
Duncan Lemp | |
|---|---|
| Died | March 12, 2020 (aged 21) |
| Occupation(s) | student software developer |
On March 12, 2020, Duncan Socrates Lemp was fatally shot at his home in Potomac, Maryland during a no-knock police raid by the Montgomery County Police Department’s SWAT team.[1] Lemp was a student and a software developer who associated himself with the 3 Percenters, a far-right paramilitary militia group.[1]
Background
Lemp associated himself with the 3 Percenters, a far-right paramilitary militia group, and set up websites for other such organizations.[1][2] He also "frequented the 4chan and Reddit message boards, sites popular with internet trolls".[1] A week before the raid, Lemp posted a picture of two people armed with rifles on Instagram, with text referring to "boogaloo", a term used by the boogaloo movement as coded language for an anticipated "war against the government or liberals."[1][3][4][5]
Warrant
Detectives assigned to the Investigative Services Bureau received an anonymous tip that Lemp illegally possessed firearms.[6][7] Police stated that "detectives applied for and received a no-knock search warrant for the crimes of possession of an assault weapon and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person."[6][8] Lemp allegedly had a criminal history in juvenile court that prohibited him from legally possessing firearms until the age of 30.[1][7][9] An attorney for Lemp's family said the family had been unaware of any conviction that would have prevented Lemp from owning a gun.[2]
Raid
The raid was conducted at approximately 4:30 AM by the Montgomery County Police Department’s SWAT team.[7][8]
"The officers entering the residence announced themselves as police and that they were serving a search warrant," police said. "Officers gave commands for individuals inside the residence to show their hands and to get on the ground."[7] The Montgomery County Police Department said that Lemp "confronted" police and was shot by one of their officers.[1]
"Upon making contact with Lemp, officers identified themselves as the police and gave him multiple orders to show his hands and comply with the officer’s commands to get on the ground," police said. "Lemp refused to comply with the officer’s commands and proceeded towards the interior bedroom door where other officers were located."[7] Police also stated that "Lemp was found to be in possession of a rifle and was located directly in front of the interior bedroom entrance door.”[7]
Lemp's family maintains that the officers "initiated" gunfire and flash bangs from outside the house through Duncan’s window without warning and while Lemp was sleeping.[7][9] Body camera footage has not yet been released.[3]
Police stated that Lemp had rigged a booby-trap device that was designed to "detonate a shotgun shell at the direction of anyone entering" the bedroom.[7] "After officers entered the bedroom, the other occupant of the room warned the officers to be careful of the device rigged to the exterior door," and Montgomery County bomb-squad technicians were brought in to "render the device safe," police said.[7]
Three rifles and two handguns were recovered during the raid.[9]
Aftermath
The Lemp family asserts that Lemp was asleep next to his girlfriend when a police officer shot him.[3] "The Lemp family requests that the Montgomery County Police immediately release all body camera footage and audio from this horrific event," Lemp family attorneys said.[7] The attorney stated that nobody in the house the morning of the shooting had a criminal record, but juvenile records would be sealed and therefore unavailable.[1][3]
The Lemp family released a statement that said, "The police had obtained a search warrant for the home, however the search warrant makes no mention of any imminent threat to law enforcement or the community. No resident of the home had any criminal record."[10] As of May 11, 2020, the warrant application had not been made available to Lemp's family.[3]
Since his death, Lemp has become a "martyr" for various movements, including anti-lockdown protesters and the "Boogaloo Boys".[3][4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kunzelman, Michael (March 13, 2020). "Lawyer: Man killed by officer was asleep when police fired". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Sommer, Will (May 11, 2020). "Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f Sommer, Will. "Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr". Daily Beast. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Boogaloo: Extremists' New Slang Term for A Coming Civil War". ADL. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Allam, Hannah. "'Boogaloo' Is The New Far-Right Slang For Civil War". NPR. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "Update: Officer-Involved Shooting in Potomac; Additional Information Released". MCPNews. Montgomery County Police. March 17, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Morse, Dan (March 17, 2020). "Md. man killed by officer during raid had door booby-trapped to fire at anyone entering, police say". Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Vukmanovic, Iris (March 12, 2020). "Potomac Man Fatally Shot by Police Attempting to Serve Warrant". NBC Universal. News4Washington. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Kunzelman, Michael (March 17, 2020). "Police: Man Shot by Officer Had Rifle, Ignored Commands". US News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ Coplin, Sydney (March 17, 2020). "Guns, 'Booby Trap' Found During Search Leading to Fatal Police Shooting: Police". NBC Universal. News4Washington. Retrieved May 16, 2020.