Latest news with #FranciscoFlattes
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says
A federal inmate escaped from custody at a medical clinic in western North Carolina and fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun Monday, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county, a sheriff said. The inmate had been taken to an orthopedics office in Murphy for undisclosed treatment when a scuffle began. The inmate took the officer's weapon and shot him, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith said at a news conference. The inmate ran into the parking lot, jumped into a vehicle that had just arrived and took off. The inmate was later apprehended in Macon County, nearly an hour to the east, Smith said. Smith said the inmate, Kelvin Simmons, 48, will be charged with first-degree murder. The detention officer was identified as Francisco Paul Flattes, 56, a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Smith said Flattes' wife also works for the county detention center. Another officer suffered injuries unrelated to the shooting and was recovering, the sheriff said. 'This has been probably one of the worst days of my career,' Smith said. Emergency personnel in Clay County had alerted Macon County deputies that the inmate was driving to their county on U.S. Route 64, authorities said. Simmons' vehicle was stopped and he was detained after a short standoff. There were no injuries at the scene. Smith said Simmons was already being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says
Crime Gun violence FacebookTweetLink A federal inmate escaped from custody at a medical clinic in western North Carolina and fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun Monday, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county, a sheriff said. The inmate had been taken to an orthopedics office in Murphy for undisclosed treatment when a scuffle began. The inmate took the officer's weapon and shot him, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith said at a news conference. The inmate ran into the parking lot, jumped into a vehicle that had just arrived and took off. The inmate was later apprehended in Macon County, nearly an hour to the east, Smith said. Smith said the inmate, Kelvin Simmons, 48, will be charged with first-degree murder. The detention officer was identified as Francisco Paul Flattes, 56, a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Smith said Flattes' wife also works for the county detention center. Another officer suffered injuries unrelated to the shooting and was recovering, the sheriff said. 'This has been probably one of the worst days of my career,' Smith said. Emergency personnel in Clay County had alerted Macon County deputies that the inmate was driving to their county on U.S. Route 64, authorities said. Simmons' vehicle was stopped and he was detained after a short standoff. There were no injuries at the scene. Smith said Simmons was already being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Officer shot and killed by inmate during medical visit: Sheriff
A North Carolina detention officer was fatally shot during a "scuffle" at a medical facility after a federal inmate who had been taken to the facility for treatment managed to seize his weapon, authorities said. The inmate was apprehended after fleeing in a stolen vehicle and now faces a murder charge, according to Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith. "This has probably been one of the worst days of my career," Smith said during a press briefing Monday evening. "This is a tough day for law enforcement for Cherokee County." MORE: Suspect in deadly Idaho ambush previously wanted to be a firefighter: Sheriff The inmate -- identified as 48-year-old Kelvin Simmons -- had been transported to a medical facility for orthopedic treatment after he complained of foot pain, according to Smith. Two detention officers were escorting Simmons -- a heightened protocol after the inmate had previously attempted a failed escape from the Cherokee County detention center last year, Smith said. One of the officers, 56-year-old Francisco Flattes, was shot at the medical facility, the sheriff said. "There was a scuffle, and that's when the officer's weapon was taken from him," Smith said. Flattes was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other officer, George Feinauer, was injured during the incident but is expected to recover, Smith said. Simmons is then accused of carjacking a vehicle from someone who was at the medical facility and fleeing the scene. He was later apprehended in Macon County, North Carolina. No one else was in the vehicle. He was transported to a hospital in the area after complaining of foot pain, the sheriff said. MORE: 82-year-old woman dies from injuries suffered in Boulder Molotov cocktail attack: Prosecutors Simmons is a federal inmate who was being housed in Cherokee County on bank robbery charges, according to Smith. Online records show he pleaded guilty to bank robbery by force or violence and motor vehicle theft in 2023 but has not yet been sentenced. Simmons also faces escape charges after attempting to break out of the Cherokee County detention center in October 2024 by climbing over a fence, according to Smith. He is going to be charged with first-degree murder in Flattes' death, according to the local district attorney, Ashley Hornsby Welch. "We anticipate that more charges will be forthcoming," she said at the briefing. "We've also been in contact with the United States Attorney's Office, and I do believe that charges are likely coming from them as well." Flattes had been with the sheriff's office for four years, Smith said. His wife also works for the Cherokee County detention center and his son-in-law works for the sheriff's office. "I just ask that you pray for our office, for Officer Flattes' family," Smith said.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Inmate Fatally Shoots North Carolina Officer Before Being Caught in Stolen Vehicle, Sheriff Says
A federal inmate escaped from custody at a medical clinic in western North Carolina and fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun Monday, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county, a sheriff said. The inmate had been taken to an orthopedics office in Murphy for undisclosed treatment when a scuffle began. The inmate took the officer's weapon and shot him, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith said at a news conference. The inmate ran into the parking lot, jumped into a vehicle that had just arrived, and took off. The inmate was later apprehended in Macon County, nearly an hour to the east, Smith said. Smith said the inmate, Kelvin Simmons, 48, will be charged with first-degree murder. The detention officer was identified as Francisco Paul Flattes, 56, a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Smith said Flattes' wife also works for the county detention center. Another officer suffered injuries unrelated to the shooting and was recovering, the sheriff said. 'This has been probably one of the worst days of my career,' Smith said. Emergency personnel in Clay County had alerted Macon County deputies that the inmate was driving to their county on US Route 64, authorities said. Simmons' vehicle was stopped and he was detained after a short standoff. There were no injuries at the scene. Smith said Simmons was already being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Inmate fatally shoots North Carolina officer before being caught in stolen vehicle, sheriff says
A federal inmate escaped from custody at a medical clinic in western North Carolina and fatally shot a detention officer with his own gun Monday, then fled in a stolen vehicle before being captured in another county, a sheriff said. The inmate had been taken to an orthopedics office in Murphy for undisclosed treatment when a scuffle began. The inmate took the officer's weapon and shot him, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith said at a news conference. The inmate ran into the parking lot, jumped into a vehicle that had just arrived and took off. The inmate was later apprehended in Macon County, nearly an hour to the east, Smith said. Smith said the inmate, Kelvin Simmons, 48, will be charged with first-degree murder. The detention officer was identified as Francisco Paul Flattes, 56, a four-year employee of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. Smith said Flattes' wife also works for the county detention center. Another officer suffered injuries unrelated to the shooting and was recovering, the sheriff said. 'This has been probably one of the worst days of my career,' Smith said. Emergency personnel in Clay County had alerted Macon County deputies that the inmate was driving to their county on U.S. Route 64, authorities said. Simmons' vehicle was stopped and he was detained after a short standoff. There were no injuries at the scene. Smith said Simmons was already being held on bank robbery charges along with an October 2024 escape.
