CMPD: US Marshals tried to serve 16 warrants before fatal shooting of Charlotte man
The U.S. Marshals Service was attempting to serve 16 outstanding warrants to 32-year-old Frankie Jennings, when a deputy shot and killed him at a Charlotte gas station, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said on Wednesday.
Authorities, however, gave no new details about what prompted the deputy to shoot Jennings.
CMPD Capt. Joel McNelly said Jennings had six Charlotte-based warrants: two for possession of firearm by a felon, and breaking and entering, discharging a firearm within city limits, assault on a female, and damage to property. Jennings also had six traffic warrants and one for marijuana possession in York County, S.C., McNelly said.
Those warrants against Jennings are in addition to three that had come out of Carolina Beach, south of Wilmington, the Observer previously reported.
Carolina Beach police Detective Sgt. Scott Hettinger told the Observer the three warrants were sworn out by the department on March 5. It charged Jennings with three felonies stemming from a confrontation the day prior: assault with a deadly weapon against a government official, fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle and reckless driving to endanger.
Tuesday’s incident took place around 11 a.m. at the Citgo gas station at the intersection of The Plaza and Parkwood Avenue. A deputy “perceived a lethal threat” and fired a service weapon, CMPD said in a statement Tuesday.
According to family members, Jennings had started the day by celebrating his 32nd birthday. He had lived in Charlotte for 20 years, was the father of four children and owned a car detailing business. On Tuesday night, family members and community activists held a vigil at the gas station in honor of his life and criticize police brutality.
At the gas station Wednesday, Jennings’ family said they want to know why the deputy marshal felt threatened and whether video from a body-worn camera exists, according to Observer news partner WBTV.
“My brother go try and celebrate his birthday. What threat did he give? Sitting there, whatever he was doing? We want to know, what threat did he give,” Kesha Leak, Jennings’ sister, said in the WBTV report.
In the short time period since Jennings’ death, activists have said he did not deserve to die from a law enforcement officer and there needs to be more police accountability.
“When police aggressively get behind (a Black man) in pursuit, a lot of time they act and react out of fear. But again it’s no reason to take their lives,” community activist Lucille Puckett told the Observer on Tuesday.
McNelly emphasized that CMPD officers were uninvolved in the incident but declined to say whether CMPD was aware of the U.S. Marshals’ attempt to serve Jennings the warrants or whether the two agencies had been in communication prior to the incident. On Wednesday, CMPD said there are no 911 calls associated with the incident.
“The attempt at service on those warrants was (done by) the U.S. Marshals (Service),” McNelly said. “There were not any CMPD personnel on that scene until after the incident happened.”
CMPD is the default agency to investigate any crimes that occur within Charlotte, he said. The U.S. Marshals Service could have also requested the N.C. State Bureau of Investigations or the FBI to conduct the investigation, he said.
CMPD is leading the investigation and will submit information to the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s office, which then will make a decision on whether to prosecute the deputy involved..
“Whether it’s a homicide somewhere else involving normal citizens or a shooting incident involving a law enforcement officer, we’re going to be objective and do a comprehensive investigation,” McNelly said.
According to public records, Jennings served two stints in state prison: in 2009 for marijuana possession with intent to sell, and in 2014-15 for a habitual felon conviction. He was also convicted of possessing and breaking into vehicles. Many other criminal charges against him were dismissed.
McNelly said CMPD would refer any information on personnel matters to the U.S. Marshals Service. A spokesman for the federal agency said Tuesday it would not be releasing any information on the deputy involved or whether that person has been placed on administrative leave.
McNelly also said CMPD has gathered information consisting of physical evidence, witness statements and video surveillance but refused to say whether the deputy was wearing a body camera or provide any details on the firearm recovered at the scene.
Staff writers Michael Gordon and Gavin Off contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 6:27 PM.
