kills another Black man
By OLU ALEMORU, Staff Writer 24.JUL.08 Some demand police chief’s resignation, as postal worker is gunned down by officer investigated for the May slaying of an unarmed teenager.
INGLEWOOD — An extraordinary council meeting Tuesday night saw widespread community anger over the police shooting death of Black postal worker Kevin Wicks by Inglewood Police Officer Brian Ragan, who was already under investigation in connection with the shooting death of Michael Byoune two months ago. All regular council business was deferred until Wednesday morning as members of Wicks’ family, outraged residents, community activists, media and a phalanx of Inglewood police officers crowded into the ninth floor city council chambers. The crush of people trying to get in was initially so great that officials opened a second meeting room on a lower floor to accommodate the overflow. Back from her vacation, Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks stood grim-faced for more than two hours as a number of speakers took to the podium and called for her resignation. Those calling for her resignation included Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic HOPE and Min. Tony Muhammad of the Nation of Islam. State Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas also observed the proceedings. Ali, a spokesperson for the family, accused Seabrooks of “spitting in the face of Inglewood residents” by not making an immediate statement on the latest tragedy. “We are demanding that the chief offer her resignation,” Ali said. “It’s not her fault that she was on vacation, but it was her fault that she did not cut that vacation short and make some kind of comment on another murder of an Inglewood citizen by one of her officers. “Kevin Wicks was shot unnecessarily and there is a crisis [of confidence] in the Inglewood Police Department. They need to be held more accountable and there needs to be a sense of urgency.” Ali repeated a call he made at last week’s City Council meeting, for an elected civilian police review board, as well as a federal civil rights investigation into the department. Meanwhile, Muhammad recalled a community meeting held with Seabrooks after the Byoune incident, where she promised that the officer in question would be placed on administrative leave until the investigation was complete. “Someone betrayed us,” he said. “How did that man get back on the streets? Heads need to roll.”
Family members, including Kenya Carter, Wicks’ girlfriend and mother of his two children, grandmother Dorothy Nelson and Kenya’s father and brother, Fred Carter and Fred Carter Jr., followed Ali to the podium. “We want to see justice served,” Kenya Carter said. “We need the truth. Two more children are now without their father. Kevin was a good guy, a family man, a good father to his daughters.” Wicks, 38, was shot and killed Monday morning after police responded to a domestic disturbance call at an apartment in the 100 block of North Hillcrest Boulevard. According to Capt. Eve Irvine, commanding officer of the department’s detective bureau, Ragan was one of four officers to arrive at the address following a domestic disturbance call. Irvine said that about 12:20 a.m., officers knocked on the front door of the apartment, verbally identified themselves as police and Wicks opened the door. “At one point, the officers could not see Mr. Wicks’ hand,” she said. “They said, ‘We need to see your hand.’ At this point, Mr. Wicks suddenly raised a handgun.” Irvine said Ragan fired in self-defense, but did not know how many times he fired his weapon. Wicks, who was alone in the apartment, was taken to the hospital, where he died, police said. However, that version was contradicted by sources close to the family.
“Kevin was a law-abiding citizen fearful for his safety,” Ali said. “According to family and neighbors he heard banging at his door and assumed someone was trying to break in. There was a comment in the AP story where an officer said we can’t see your hands and he complied. But one of the officers seeing the gun immediately fired.” The gun was registered to Wicks, a 19-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service who was described by friends as a nice man who had no trouble with the police. Ragan and officer Roman Fernandez had previously been placed on administrative leave after the May 11 shooting of Michael Byoune, 19, Larry White, also 19 and Chris Larkin, 21. Byoune died from his wounds. The three were in a car leaving a fast-food restaurant in Inglewood when police officers, responding to hearing gunshots, arrived on the scene. It was later discovered that neither Byoune, White or Larkin was armed. “I’m horrified to think that two and half months after the Byoune tragedy the same officer is back on the streets and involved in another questionable shooting,” said attorney Carl Douglas, who has filed a $25 million lawsuit on behalf of Byoune’s family. “Inglewood officers seem to be exercising deadly force on far too many occasions. There were four officers present, but only one felt threatened enough to fire his weapon.”
Daughter of man killed by Inglewood police files claim against city
Kevin Wicks was shot and killed by Inglewood police officer Brian Ragan July 21.
From CITY NEWS SERVICE 07.AUG.08
INGLEWOOD — The 11-year-old daughter of a Postal Service worker killed by Inglewood police has announced that she and her mother are filing a $25 million wrongful-death claim against the city and the police department. Kevin Wicks, 38, was shot to death by Inglewood police Officer Brian Ragan at about 12:20 a.m. July 21 after four officers went to his door in response to a report of an argument involving a man and two women, police said. “He won’t be here when I get married, when I have my first child, graduation,” Wicks’ daughter, Milan, said. “I will miss his jokes, his laugh, his smile, his voice.” Police said Wicks, a 19-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service in West Los Angeles, answered the door with a gun in his hand and raised it toward the officers, prompting Inglewood police Officer Brian Ragan to open fire. But relatives and community activists have decried the shooting, saying officers went to the wrong apartment in the complex at 124 N. Hillcrest Blvd. They also insisted that Ragan should not have opened fire, and if Wicks was holding a gun, it was likely only for his safety since he lived in a dangerous neighborhood and was responding to a knock on his door around midnight. Attorney John Sweeney said he questioned the police contention that Wicks pointed a weapon at officers. “It defies logic that someone who is a law-abiding citizen, 38 years old, a 19-year employee of the Postal Service, would point a gun at a police officer, at officers he called friends, or a department that has officers he called friends,” Sweeney said. Inglewood city officials could not be reached for immediate comment on the filing of the claim.
Inglewood Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said last week that there would be a full probe of the Wicks shooting. “We will look at all of the facts, and should the facts prove that we need to do something differently, that we need to approach the situation differently, you have my absolute word that we will do exactly that,” she said. Adding to the outrage over Wicks’ death was the knowledge that Ragan, a five-year department veteran, had been placed on leave in May after being involved in a shooting in which a 19-year-old man was killed at a restaurant near Crenshaw Boulevard and 85th Street. The Inglewood City Council voted this week to contract with the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review, an agency created to provide investigative oversight of the Sheriff’s Department, to conduct a probe of the department. On Monday, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, sent a letter to the U.S. attorney general calling for a federal investigation into the department.
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Blogs regarding Kevin wicks:
Blacks: Disorganized
Who is Officer Ragan?
Timeline for Inglewood Police Chief Seabrooks leading up to Mailmans murder.
Farewell to Kevin Wicks....
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Created August 17th, 2008.
My life with Kev Wicks
By Kev-Mac
Kevin Wicks was a good friend of mines. We referred to each other as brothers, cousins, friends, and homeboys. I've known Kev 35 years.
My family moved on Eileen Ave across the street from 54th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles around 1969. Donna Wicks and her kids moved around the corner from us on Keniston Ave in 1972, Kev was 3 years old then. When Kev and I first met his lil’ brother Austin was still in diapers. I remember walking down Keniston one afternoon and seeing Kev and Austin riding their bikes. I stopped and talked to Kev and was puzzled that he was not enrolled in 54th as most of my friends were. I tried for years to make him convince his mother to enroll him into 54th with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood, to no avail.The rest of my friends on Keniston had not known Kev and Austin yet, they had only seen them loading and unloading when arriving and leaving home. Soon after befriending Kev I introduced Kev to everybody on the block, and the next block, and the next block. All accepted Kev.
As adolescents we all made fun of each other and handed out nicknames. We called Kev ‘Huskie’ because of his size. He got a big kick out of that and would always respond with a nickname of his own for everybody. He called me man ears because of my large ears, but it was never personal. The brothers and sisters in the neighborhood were like one big family, and bagging on each other was to be expected at all times.
In 1979, many of our closest friends enrolled in different schools as we made the jump to Junior High. I enrolled in Webster Jr. High while others went off to Orville Wright and Audubon. I tried to pursuay Kev to follow me to Webster 2 years later when he too made the transition to Junior High, again to no avail. Kev enrolled at Paul Revere.
One year later, I enrolled in Palisades High School. As I became disinterested in School for various reasons, I would detour on the City bus and visit Kev’s school during recess and lunch hours. During that time, Kev introduced me to several of his friends and several girls. Kev never had a shortage of friends, especially females.
By now, Austin was beginning to mature and seemingly catching us in age. He was jealous that we lent Kev so much attention and for the life of him he couldn’t understand that he was too young to hang with us. Kev would usually think twice before during something stupid because his grandparents were very strict and instilled great values in him. Austin on the other hand was young and would do anything to be accepted. Kev just wanted to have fun and stay safe; Austin was daring and more of a follower. Although they were two very different types of people, one could not help but love them both!
Austin was enrolled at Palisades elementary at the time, not far from Palisades High School. With his eagerness to be apart of our circa of friends, I would also stop by Austin’s school just to say hi and keep it pushin’. This was inflammatory to Kev’s ego and so anytime Austin was around, Kev would try an Austin go back home or Kev himself would go home upset. Since I enjoyed them both equally, I would always try an implement a plan to keep the neighborhood united, especially the wicks.
When we played video games I would make teams of two’s, Kev and I against my brother and Austin, or me and Austin against Kev and my brother. On weekends we would try to recruit others in the neighborhood to join our leagues. When we played board games like monopoly or life, I would make it a team game. When we played sports whether outdoors or on a video game I would keep stats in an attempt to remain one unit. I tried to keep everything competitive but never personal and with all intensions of a comradery.
Kev was usually in between homes, either in Baldwin Hills with Mrs. Nelson, or near Windsor Hills with Donna but it didn’t matter where Kev was; I was always going to be there either because I wanted to be there, or because Kev asked me to be there. Mrs. Nelson wasn’t too enthused when I would visit, and she wasn’t very enthusiastic about Kev and Austin hanging on Eileen either.
Kevin’s grandmother seemingly blamed me for everything that went wrong, even if I were not around. So, whenever I would see Dorothy turn the corner in her pretty cars, I would go running and hiding because I knew whatever she had to say was not going to be nice. Yeah, I had plenty of influence over Kev and Austin, but Kev was only going to do what Kev wanted to do. He was curious, but he was not a follower. He often asked for advice, but he made his own decisions. He was not perfect, but he has always received love from everyone.
When Donna would go out of town on business (entertainment; music &. video), Kev and Austin would spend the night at my mother’s house. I too, spent numerous nights at the Wicks’ residence as both a child and an adult. They referred to me as their cousin, and I referred to their mom Donna- as my auntie. Donna was always very cool and understanding as well as supportive of the kids in the neighborhood.
Wicks’ was well mannered, well dressed, and well spoken. He enjoyed sports, music, plays, festivals, and classic cars. Whenever I needed a ride, to borrow a car, or a 1st baseman on our softball teams Kev was always there. Kev and I shared a lot of good memories throughout the years. In fact, because of Patrick Van Liew most of our friends that go back to elementary all purchased Datsun/Nissan Z Models from the 240Z-to 300Zx. On weekends we usually chilled out in Westwood by UCLA campus.
It was around 1989 that Kevin was nicknamed ‘The Mailman’. It was a time when several influential guys in the neighborhood had paroled and a new wave of residents became regular faces in our community. There was a lot going on at the time with drive by shootings, gang sweeps, guns being passed around, burglaries and robberies etc. A large group of us would go out to Venice Beach, World on Wheels, Long Beach Sports Arena, and yadda yadda…. Afterwards we would usually hang out, party, gamble, and then cap the night off with breakfast. There were many of nights when Kev had to end his night early so he could get up and go to work in the morning. Man, he hated that!
The following day, we were usually posted up on my block, or at the wicks residence talking about, laughing at, and telling stories about the weekend or the night before. Kev would come home for lunch in his mail truck, or come home from work in his post office uniform and join the crowd. Many of us respected Kev for getting up and going to work everyday so we discouraged him from hanging out with us. That’s about the time Shawny Mac dubbed him ‘The Mailman’.
People don’t know it but Kev hated that name, he took it as an insult. It was like letting the air out of a balloon. To us, it was hilarious, and would always draw laughter. To Kev it was a fail on his report card/street credentials. He would look at the ground, frown, and though he was used to decades of jokes, he didn’t think the name mailman was very funny. This went on for at least 2 years.
Over time, I, along with others had to explain to him that having a government job was commendable and he would reap the benefits in the end while most of us would be dead or in prison. We reminded him that the post office is what allowed his grandfather Mr. Nelson to be successful, respected and live in comfort. Calling him the Mailman separated a hardworking man, from those of us who thought we could cheat society and make a living in the underworld.
For years Kev didn’t want to hear that, but after realizing that he was still accepted as our friend and loved by many the name no longer bothered him. After years of seeing his friends walk in and out of revolving prison doors he began to smile, and took the name with pride. He eventually began to enjoy traveling, and swimming before joining the motorcycle scene.
I have a lot of pictures of us growing up that I won’t be able to get to for about 6 months. I have two pictures of Kev over my desk and it looks like he is staring at me, it’s still hard to believe Kev is gone.
This is unedited.. and I’ll add more to it and insert some stories as time permits.
since August 17, 2008
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