An off duty constable shot and killed a man over the weekend and the Police Department says the shooting was not only justified, the officer in question may have saved a life. Police say 23-year-old George Frazer had murder on his mind and a deadly firearm in his hand when he went to a card spot on Neal Pen Road; but Frazer's family is crying foul. Keith Swift listened to both sides of the story.
Keith Swift Reporting, [keithkswift@gmail.com]
Less than a month after his release from prison on a prohibited firearm charge, 23-year-old George Frazer, - seen here before he went to jail, was killed by
a police officer. That officer is Constable 1060 Donald Gillett and for those in this neighborhood he is a hero.
Area Resident,
"What the policeman did, I don't think that was wrong because the family should stop and think what would have happened if their brother had used that gun, the amount of lives that would have been hurt; women, men, and children would have gotten hurt over there. So they should stop to think about that before they reach conclusions."
But to the dead man's family, Constable Gillett is simply a murderer.
Clarence Pasacsio, Deceased's Brother
"What my brother was trying to do was to write songs. He was writing songs to try and make a life and they just came and take away my brother's life just like that. This is outright murder."
Frazer was shot to death in front of this meat shop on the extreme end of Neal's Penn Road. He was playing cards with friends on Sunday evening when there was a heated exchange. Police say that constable Gillett heard the argument from his wife's meatshop. He also saw Frazer leave and return with this Uzi-submachine gun. That is when Gillett made the decision to pull out his licensed revolver and opened fire. Frazer's body was riddled with 5 bullets. Those who were there told us off-camera that Frazer did have the Uzi but it was empty.
Friend of Deceased,
"Well you can't return anything with a empty gun. The young man had a empty gun so he couldn't have done anything. Maybe he came to show off or so, that is how the youths are doing right now. That is how the Ministers and the police have us because they criminalize people right now."
Keith Swift,
You don't think he came back with murder on his mind?
Friend Deceased,
"I feel that the young boy was just showing off, maybe he came to play
big. It was an empty gun he had and he can't do anything with an empty gun."
But police say Constable Gillett was right in not waiting around to find out if the gun was empty and, in fact, the police say it was not. Gillett refused to comment to us today but at a morning press conference, the department's top brass defended his actions.
ASP Chester Williams,
"At least two shots were fired at the police from this Uzi. Hence the reason the police retaliated and the police fired his firearm which caused the fatal injury to the person."
Jules Vasquez,
Were any live rounds found remaining in Uzi you all confiscated?
ASP Chester Williams,
"Apparently he did not bring sufficient rounds, he ran out of rounds, only two was in the Uzi and those were the two that he fired at the police."
ACP Crispin Jeffries Sr., Eastern Division Commander
"Frazer was released from prison around the ninth, between the 7th and 9th of December 2005. He was serving a three-year sentence for firearm possession. He was released from prison after serving eighteen months for ammunition and prohibited firearm possession."
But don't tell that to his family. The family is demanding an investigation because they admit their brother wasn't a saint but they contend he didn't deserve to die.
Leslie Frazer, Brother
"They didn't give him any warning, they just opened fire so many times on him and left him right there. They shouldn't do things like this. This is going too far. You guys are the law and if you call yourselves the law you are supposed to deal with things the proper way. If a man has a firearm and you sneak up behind a man, you could have grabbed the firearm. That firearm wasn't loaded. I don't agree with what you did. You have family, I have family, and that is my flesh and blood you took away from me. You took away an innocent man's life because of a firearm which had in new rounds and no mags. Don't feel like its something you did because you don't get away with, one way or the other something had to be done about you."
Clarence Pasacsio,
"The police man came behind my brother. From the time you are a policeman and you have a gun and you haul up behind somebody, you could have just pointed the gun at the person and take away that Uzi. You didn't have to kill him."
And on the question of justifiable force by Gillett, there might never be an answer that will suit this mourning family.
We should note that while Frazier was shot on Sunday, he remained on a life support machine until 11:50 last night when he died. As noted in the story, Frazier was released on December 8th after serving a 3-year jail sentence for possession of a prohibited firearm. In that instance, it was an AK-47 and his family says he took the rap for someone else. A post mortem is scheduled for tomorrow but the family says due to a lack of finance, they can't afford to bury him.
