Man accused of killing Shelby cop last year says jail isn’t meeting his social needs
An attorney representing the man accused of killing Shelby Police Officer Tim Brackeen last year says her client doesn’t approve of his jail accommodations and would like more time out of his cell, the Gaston Gazette reported.
He’d also like a cellmate for company.
The Gazette said it learned the details from Cleveland County court officials.
Irving Fenner Jr. is being held at Gaston County Jail rather than at the Cleveland County Jail for security reasons, officials said. His attorney, Victoria Jayne of Buncombe County, recently spoke for Fenner in Cleveland County Court about his accommodations, the Gazette said.
Fenner reportedly now wants to be moved again, to Buncombe County.
Jail administrators have agreed to work on letting Fenner’s time away from his cell be more convenient to making phone calls, it was reported, but his request for the transfer to Buncombe County was not addressed.
Fenner requested a cellmate, the Gazette said.
He was extradited back to North Carolina in September from Rhode Island and faces murder charges in Cleveland County.
Police say Fenner shot Brackeen during a routine warrant delivery on Sept. 10. Rhode Island State Police and the FBI found him four days later near Providence, R.I., and he was taken into custody. Officials said he had been wounded during his encounter with Brackeen and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Brackeen, 38, died at Carolinas Medical Center two days later.
He had been on the police force for 12 years and was assigned as a K9 officer, police said. He was named the Shelby department’s officer of the year in 2012. Brackeen had a wife and daughter.
Brackeen’s death prompted an outpouring of support from law enforcement departments around the nation, including many that sent representatives to the funeral.
Mark Price: 704-358-5245, @markprice_obs
This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 7:38 AM with the headline "Man accused of killing Shelby cop last year says jail isn’t meeting his social needs."