Today's news...

On Thursday May 23 at about 9:15 pm Greenville Police responded to the reports of gunfire on the 600 block of Griffin Street.  When officers arrived they found two victims in the street with gunshot wounds.  Both were transported to Vidant medical center.

The first victim was pronounced dead at Vidant medical center.  His name is being withheld pending notification of family members.  The second victim was hospitalized with gunshots wounds to the lower body and legs.  His name is being withheld pending notification to family.

Detectives from the GPD Major Crimes Unit, Gang Unit, and Forensics Unit are on scene, and leads have been developed in the case.  No motives have yet been established.  A neighborhood canvass is being conducted at this hour.  GPD expects to hold the crime scene secured through sunrise to allow a thorough examination of the area.

Anyone with information on this case should call the Greenville Police Department

at  252-329-4315.

Prior arrests...

At about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday May 23 Greenville Police responded to a robbery alarm at the Wilco-Hess service station, 3000 Stantonsburg road.  The clerk told police officers that a suspect came in to the store armed with a knife.  The suspect threatened the clerk and then took cigarettes.

Officers from A-Platoon set up a perimeter, and a police dog began tracking the suspect toward Park West Drive.  The police dog took officers directly to 1285 Park West Drive, where police located the suspect, Michael Wayne Nelson.

Officers recovered stolen cigarettes from the suspect’s apartment, along with the clothes Nelson wore when he committed the robbery.   Detective Stanton from the Major Crimes Unit responded to assist with the investigation.

Nelson was taken to the police department where he was debriefed and processed.   He was then arrested and charged with one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon.

He was jailed at the Pitt County Detention Center under a $100,000 secured bond.

Nelson has prior arrests for larceny, burglary, and obtaining property by false pretense.

The thin blue line..

In 1962, President Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation's Capital each year.

The National Peace Officers' Memorial Service, which is sponsored by the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, is one in a series of events which includes the Candlelight Vigil.

National Police Week draws in between 25,000 to 40,000 attendees. The attendees come from departments throughout the United States as well as from agencies throughout the world. 

 These events are open to all law enforcement personnel and are an experience unlike any other.  the Greenville Police Department is well represented at this event.  The GPD Honor Guard is there, as are several police officers who annually take their vacations to attend this week-long observance.

One of the highlights of Police Week is the illumination of the the laser during the candle light vigil,...representing the thin blue line.

Greenville Police Officers at Police Memorial Week, 2013

Not again...

October 31, 1975:

What began as a Greenville downtown Halloween celebration turned into a riot.  Eight students and two Greenville Police Officers were injured. 57 other people were arrested.  The event made headlines in North Carolina and Virginia.

An account of the incident from the ECU yearbook, goes like this:   Around 11:00 pm the police attempted to disperse a crowd of about 400 persons.  The crowd had gathered on Cotanche Street, between 4th & 5th streets.  

Chief of Police Glenn Cannon gave the order and the crowd was allowed five minutes  to disperse.  Some witnesses say the order could not be heard by most of the crowd.

The police then deployed a tear gas fogger (seen in the photo above) and tear gas canisters to break up the crowd.  Tear gas was also sprayed in the nightclubs along Cotanche Street, forcing the patrons out and into the streets.

Soon people began throwing rocks and bricks at the police, and some people threw bricks through storefront windows.  Damages to storefronts was estimated at $3,000. The police arrested 27 people for failure to disperse, and 29 others were arrested for inciting a riot.

In the days and weeks following the riot and arrests, there was much discussion about the incident among citizens, the ECU community, the police, and the media.   Many felt the incident was a poor reflection of ECU, but only about half of those arrested were ECU students.  Opinions were mixed and remain so this day.  Some condemned the police as overreacting. Others praised them for taking control of the situation.

Halloweens have changed drastically since those days.  And nobody wants to go back there, again.

Pay off....

Typically, covert surveillance operations do not pay off often.  When they do, it is a wonderful thing from the perspective of the police officer.  Hours and hours of silent watching results in the apprehension of criminal, or in this case, the sure prevention of crime....In an effort to deter and prevent crimes around the university area, Greenville Police Officers have been conducting undercover surveillance operations throughout the university and Tar River neighborhoods, especially after downtown bars close, when many students may be walking in the areas.

On early Sunday May 5,  between 2-3 am,  Officers Simmons and Cates observed a white Ford Crown Vic riding slowly in the area of Summit and East 3rd. St. They observed the vehicle circle the area numerous times, and they began surveillance on it. The officers saw the car  pull up behind students  who were walking in the area and began to stop.  A uniformed GPD officer was contacted to assist and make the traffic stop on 3rd St. near Greene St. 

Upon approach to the vehicle a box of open ammunition was in plain view in the back seat. The driver and passenger were removed from the vehicle and a .22 caliber revolver was located. The weapon was found in between the passenger and drivers seat in the front of the vehicle. 2 pair of thick cloth gloves as well as latex gloves were also located on the dash board. 

Upon identifying the suspects it was determined that the passenger was a convicted felon.  The following suspects were arrested and charged. 

Timothy Terell Jones

Greenville NC 27834

21 yrs old 

charge: Carry Concealed weapon

Jarret Jarmal Gray

Williamston NC 27892

22 yrs old

charges: Possession of Firearm by felon

Identity Theft

CCW