Outrage as sheriff's office swoops in to arrest murder suspect at FUNERAL...but they made a terrible mistake
A heartbreaking goodbye quickly descended into chaos after police stormed a funeral in North Carolina, arresting the wrong man in front of shocked mourners.
As friends and relatives stood mourning Kabem Smith, a beloved father and community member, officers from the Lee County Sheriff's Office swooped in, targeting what they believed was a breakthrough in a 30-year-old cold case.
But, their so-called 'suspect' turned out to be Smith's brother - an innocent man simply saying goodbye to his loved one.
'It was the most unreal thing I have ever seen,' family friend Bryant McKinney told WRAL.
The man officers detained bore a striking resemblance to Willard Eugene Smith, who has been on the run for decades in connection with the 1995 murder of Rodney Cotten.
Lee County deputies acted on a tip that the long-missing murder suspect - who allegedly used several aliases - might appear at the funeral under the name 'Willard Partridge,' which was listed in the obituary as one of Kabem Smith's surviving brothers.
'The Lee County Sheriff's Office received information from multiple separate sources regarding a Homicide that occurred in the Moncure area in 1995.
'The information was very detailed, which led Lee County Deputies to a location in Chatham County where Willard Eugene Smith (Suspect) was reported to be in the attendance of his brother's funeral' a statement from the Lee County Sheriff's Office reads.
'For almost 30 years previous tips have indicated that Willard Smith has used several aliases, including family member's names. One of which, is the name Willard Partridge, which was listed in the obituary as a surviving brother. Tips also say that he has come back to the area on previous occasions to visit family,' the statement continued.
Believing they had a rare opportunity to nab their man, deputies went in hard sparking unruly outrage from the reeling family.
As officers worked to get their suspect into the back of their vehicle, infuriated relatives swarmed the officers shouting profanities, expressing their confusion and even raising threats 'to sue' the department.
'We will put all our money together and sue y'all!' one woman can be heard yelling as she captured a video, later posted to Facebook, of the frenzied scene.
'A large number of people began to surround the Lee County Deputy cars in an attempt to block them in,' the sheriff's office statement reads.
'They started banging on the hoods and rocking the patrol cars with Deputies inside. Attendees also attempted to use vehicles to block the exit route for the Deputies.'
However, the man they arrested had no connection to the decades-old murder and after eight hours in custody, was released with no charges.
Sheriff Brian Estes has since defended the arrest attempt, stating the department 'had never had a location' for the suspect until now and felt compelled to act on what they believed was a solid lead.
He acknowledged the timing was 'not ideal,' but emphasized the urgency of solving a case that had haunted the county for three decades.
'We never want to upset a family or do anything to disrespect anyone, but we had to go check that out to see if we could locate him. I kind of feel like it was our only opportunity,' Estes said.
Now, the sheriff's office says it's reviewing protocols to ensure this kind of mishap doesn't happen again - but for the Smith family, the damage is already done.
'What was meant to be a sacred and solemn moment of farewell for our beloved son, brother, cousin, friend and father was violently interrupted by an aggressive and unjustified action carried out by the Lee County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit,' a statement on behalf of the Smith family, posted to Facebook, reads.
'Acting on what we have since been informed was a false tip, armed officers stormed our private burial ceremony, threatening grieving family members, including elders and children, with drawn weapons and deploying tear gas. This excessive use of force against unarmed mourners not only desecrated our loved one's final rites but inflicted lasting emotional trauma on an already grieving family,' the statement continued.
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