Deputy US marshal shot, killed man at Charlotte gas station while serving warrant
A deputy U.S. marshal shot and killed a man while attempting to serve an arrest warrant at a Charlotte gas station on The Plaza on Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.
CMPD homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shooting that occurred at a Citgo location at the intersection of The Plaza and Parkwood Avenue around 11 a.m.
The victim of the shooting is Frankie Jennings, according to police and family members. He turned 32 on the day of his death.
According to his sister Latannya Jennings, he was the father of four children — two boys and two girls — and was originally from the Brooklyn borough of New York City. He had lived in Charlotte for 20 years and owned a car detailing business, she said in an interview with The Observer.
According to police, deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service were attempting to arrest Jennings on “several” outstanding warrants and made contact with him at the gas station, which is close to Villa Heights and Plaza Midwood.
“One of the deputies perceived a lethal threat and fired a service weapon, striking the man,” CMPD officials said in a statement.
A firearm was recovered at the scene, CMPD said.
No deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service were injured and no CMPD officers were involved, according to police. The name of the deputy U.S. marshal has not been released. A spokesperson said the agency will not identify the deputy or say whether the deputy is on leave until the investigation is complete.
Deputy marshals, in addition to apprehending wanted fugitives, also provide protection for federal courts, manage and sell seized assets acquired by criminals through illegal activities. The U.S. Marshals Service also transports federal prisoners and operates the Witness Security Program.
The arrest warrant the marshals were attempting to serve on Jennings, who had an extensive criminal record, had come out of Carolina Beach, south of Wilmington, according to federal Clerk of Court Frank Johns of Charlotte.
The warrant against Jennings was sworn out by the department on March 5, according to Carolina Beach police Detective Sgt. Scott Hettinger. It charged Jennings with three felonies stemming from a 4:30 a.m. 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.
Within hours of Tuesday’s shooting, a crowd of around 50 people had gathered nearby. Some people were bystanders who lived nearby and while others arrived to support Jennings’ family.
Latannya Jennings, his sister, said that she had traveled from New York to visit him.
“I came to North Carolina to celebrate his birthday to find him murdered by police,” she said.
Community activists gather
Several community activists at the scene said Jennings’ death is another example of law enforcement officials taking the life of a Black man and that there needs to be more accountability and transparency for law enforcement officials and police officers who use fatal force.
According to a recent investigation by USA Today and The Marshall Project, local task forces set up by the Marshals Service tend to face less scrutiny after shootings by deputies, despite using their guns more frequently than local police agencies. The investigation found that in recent years task force members average 31 shootings each year, 22 of them fatal.
Community activist Lucille Puckett, who lost her son to gun violence five years ago, said that she came to the scene to comfort the family and keep them calm. She said her organization, Take Back Our H.O.O.D.S., tries to prevent gun violence and police brutality.
“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.”
Kabaka Bey, chairman of the Charlotte chapter of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, said he came to the scene to support protesters.
“When it comes to the civil rights of this country, some cops don’t allow (them) to be applied to Black people,” he said.
“Somebody having warrants does not equal a death sentence,” said Kristie Puckett-Williams, Smart Justice manager for the ACLU for North Carolina.
‘A loving guy’
Latannya Jennings described her brother as a 6-foot-2 teddy bear who was laid back, a helper and a jack of all trades, especially when it came to his car business.
He had a good sense of humor and used to give many people funny nicknames, she said. She was tall and thin as a kid, and her brother used to call her “Grand Daddy Long Legs.”
Latannya and Frankie Jennings were raised by a single mother in Brooklyn, she said.
“He grew up hard. ... Despite all that, he was a loving guy,” she said. “Despite all the obstacles, he rose above it.”
Although Frankie Jennings had gotten in trouble with police, he was a loving father and brother, she said.
“I can’t even grasp the fact that I’m not going to see him again,” she said.
Shots fired at the gas station
Les Ledbetter, 40, was walking down The Plaza toward the gas station when he heard multiple shots fired and ducked behind a tree near the gas station.
When he looked back, Ledbetter said, he saw an officer exit his vehicle, a black SUV, and walk toward the victim’s vehicle near a gas pump.
Ledbetter said he lives nearby and was shaken after hearing the gunshots.
“It concerns me,” he said. “I have a 10-year-old son.”
Anthony Jett was across the street installing synthetic grass for a contractor when he heard “a pop pop pop” at the Citgo.
“It sounded like fireworks, but I know there’s no fireworks going off this time of year,” he said.
Within moments, he heard sirens, and police vehicles “flooded the intersection.”
Police closed off the area immediately after and asked drivers to use Central Avenue as an alternate route. The area and the gas station reopened later in the afternoon.
Observer staff writers Gavin Off contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 12:30 PM.
