Father, son say police shot at their car

A Queen’s Drive man and his 15-year-old son are counting their lucky stars after a run-in with law enforcement officers resulted in a bullet being fired into the trunk of their car.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday from his hang-out spot at Ottley Hall, Wesley Mofford said that last week Thursday, July 21, he and his son Michael were driving along the lower Edinboro main road in his newly refurbished Toyota Corolla when he observed a jeep and a car parked on the right side of the road and a few persons milling about.

He said that when he got closer, he noticed that a few of the persons who were in plain clothes and standing between the vehicles were brandishing firearms.{{more}}

Wesley said that he passed the group and when he was a short distance away, he heard a loud sound that rang in his ears, at which time his son asked him if someone was shooting at them.

“I see like the person come out in the road and position themself and fire off the gun…the thing ring out my ears; so when I reach down by the pan yard, I see a vehicle coming behind me close, so I pull aside and told the driver pass if you want to pass and he said they stopping me,” explained Mofford.

Mofford related that a number of men and a woman, who later identified themselves as police officers, got out of the vehicle that pulled him over and opened the back door of his vehicle and began frantically searching the back seat.

“I asked them what they searching for, if is guns or drugs and I told them I don’t smoke and I don’t have a gun…then they tell me go where I going, but before even that, a girl jump out the jeep with a whole set of arrogance, asking me if I ain’t see she by the road with her big gun holding and what I expect she supposed to be.

“Dem ain’t in no uniform either, so I don’t know who she supposed to be. In dem times here, anybody can be by the road with big gun,” said Mofford.

Bewildered, angry and also scared, Mofford who does maintenance work, said that no explanation was given to him for the search, “they just tell me go”.

He said that what is really upsetting about the incident is that his son was in the front seat of the car and he later found out that the bullet hit the left side of the vehicle and was heading for the front seat, but became stuck in a carburettor that was in the trunk of the vehicle.

“Three more feet and my boy might be dead; it was direct to the front that bullet was going,” cried Mofford.

He added, “Boy I frighten. I ain’t sleep for four days and whole night Thursday. I was wondering what they were looking for in the back seat.”

Mofford said the next day, when he went to put something in the trunk of his car, a bullet fell out.

“I see something drop and when I pick it up, I realize is the bullet dem fire off. It was a big piece too,” said Mofford.

He said that he has never been in trouble with the police before, but he knows that is not the way to stop a vehicle.

He went on further, “…They only search the back seat, probably looking for the slug. The fact that they didn’t search the entire car mean that they had nothing to stop me for.”

The father of two said that he would like compensation for his damaged trunk and tail light, while his son Michael commented, “I was scared, I still scared, I could have got shot.”

The matter has not yet been reported to the Police’s Public Relations and Complaints Department, as according to Wesley, he is seeking the advice of lawyer Grant Connell.

Connell said that he will be writing to the Commissioner to have the issue addressed.(LC)