Man shot by officer died of fall at Tampa airport, official says

10-29-2013 Florida:

A man who was shot by a Tampa International Airport police officer died from the impact of the fall after he jumped from the fourth-story of a parking garage Monday afternoon.

Allen Piano died from blunt impact from the fall, said Dick Bailey, a Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office spokesman.

Airport police Officer Jason Virt shot at Piano but hit him only once in the upper body. That wound was not lethal, Bailey said.

The investigation hasn’t revealed the manner of Piano’s death, whether it was an accident or suicide, Bailey said.

Piano, 47, of 3172 Cypress Green Drive, Palm Harbor, was on sex-offender probation and faced imminent arrest when he was confronted by Virt, authorities said Tuesday.

Piano was sentenced to sex-offender probation two months ago in St. Lucie County on a 2010 charge of providing obscene material to a minor. The probationary period was for 10 years, Florida Department of Corrections records show, and he is listed in the state’s sex-offender database.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Misty Cash said Piano violated his probation by moving without notifying his probation officer.

Rapist killed in cell in Jefferson City prison

2-17-2014 Missouri:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Authorities are investigating a homicide involving inmates at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.

The Cole County sheriff's office said Monday that inmate Daniel Skipper, 65, was killed Sunday in his prison cell. He had been serving a sentence for statutory rape and sodomy.

The sheriff's office identified the suspect in Skipper's slaying as his cellmate — 23-year-old Ryan Vaught, who was serving a sentence for armed criminal action and assault. He has been placed in a segregated unit.

The sheriff's office said inmates in a neighboring cell reported hearing a violent disturbance. The sheriff's office says Skipper was found with multiple wounds to his face and scalp and had a piece of fabric wrapped around his neck.

An autopsy is planned for Tuesday. ..Source.. by Post-Dispatch

Family Identifies Sex Assault Suspect Shot & Killed by Officers

2-7-2014 Michigan:

A Kalamazoo man shot and killed by Public Safety Officers during an ongoing sexual assault investigation has been identified by his relatives.

FOX17′s Troy Campbell spoke with Wanda Coskey, who identified the deceased as 42-year-old Brad Allen Mason, her son. Online records with the Michigan Sex Offender Registry show Mason was a registered sex offender, with a past conviction for Accosting a Child for Immoral Purposes in 2006.

His registered address is the same location where a deadly confrontation took place with Public Safety Officers Friday night. Police have not officially released the name of the deceased.

Officers were sent to his home in the 100 block of Dutton St. around 5:30 p.m., not far from Bronson Hospital, to follow up on a sexual assault that happened earlier in the week. Official details on what led investigators to his location have yet to be released.

In a press release earlier this week, detectives announced they were looking for a white male in his mid to late 30′s with dirty blonde or brown hair and a short beard connected to the abduction and sexual assault of a 24-year-old woman in the area of Fairview and University Streets in Kalamazoo early Wednesday morning. Investigators say the suspect grabbed the woman and forced her into a red truck and drove away from the area, sexually assaulted her, then released her near the area where she’d been abducted.

UPDATE: 3 arrested in murder of sex offender in Meigs County

5-9-2013 Ohio:

Law enforcement officials identified the victim as 57-year-old Wallace Chafin of Pomeroy, Ohio. It appears he was stabbed and assaulted, however the exact cause of death has not been released.

Three are charged in connection with Chafin's murder: Ryan Cozart of Racine, Ohio who is charged with the murder; Ariel Smith of Portland, Ohio and Sara Craig also of Portland, Ohio are both charged with complicity to commit murder.

Detectives report Chafin knew the trio but it is not clear what sort of relationship they had. Police believe the trio went to Chafin's room, stabbed and assaulted him and then stole his car. Deputies arrived on scene after midnight.

About 1:50 a.m. Cozart and Craig returned to the hotel in the victim's car and were arrested. Investigators later picked up Smith at a house in Portland.

The scene was described as gruesome and bloody. It took detectives hours to check several locations including Meigs Motel room 22. A motive has not been determined.

Wallace is listed as a sex offender in Ohio. Investigators have not said whether or not his criminal past had anything to do with his murder.

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UPDATE:

According to Sheriff Keith Wood, two women and one man are in custody right now.

No charges have been filed yet.

We have learned the victim is from out of state but has apparently lived in the area for a while. A cause of death has not been released.

Investigators are trying to track down the victim's family right now.

Investigators still have to serve a search warrant on a White Lincoln Town Car recovered at the crime scene, a house and another car that's not on the Meigs Motel property.

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UPDATE:

Crime scene investigators are on the scene of an apparent homicide. A man is dead, however his identification is not available until his next of kin can be notified. Law enforcement officials say they are processing several crime scenes but the focus is on Room 22 in the Meigs Motel.

The prosecutor's office has assembled with the sheriff's office to sort out what charges will be filed. No new information at this time on the three in custody or what led up to the man's death.

13 News has a crew on the scene. Look for live updates on WOWK-TV 13 News.

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ORIGINAL:

The Meigs County, Ohio Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide at the Meigs Motel in Pomeroy, according to authorities.

There, authorities found the body of an individual. They believe foul play is involved.

It happened late Wednesday night.

Investigators said they are interviewing multiple people in connection with the homicide.

There is an active crime scene at the motel right now. ..Source.. by Lisa Robbins and Courtney Khondabi

Texas deputy dies in shootout with alleged sex offender

7-1-2013 Texas:

FORT WORTH, Texas - A Texas Sheriff says one of his deputies has died after being shot by a man later killed by police.

Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said Saturday that Sgt. Lance McLean died at a hospital in Fort Worth.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said Friday McLean was shot in the head by 49-year-old Ricky Don McCommas when he responded to a disturbance call at a home near Granbury. McCommas fled into town where he shot Granbury police Officer Chad Davis in the arm. Officers fatally shot McCommas.

Johnson County court records indicate McCommas was indicted in April for sexual assault of a child. A warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court Friday. ..Source.. by KTXS.com

Escaped Montana inmate shot and killed by deputy sheriff

7-6-2013 Montana:

A convicted sex offender who escaped from a Montana prison was shot and killed on Friday by a deputy sheriff at a shopping center in Billings, police said.

Dean Jess, 42, was serving a 30-year sentence in the state penitentiary in Deer Lodge on an incest conviction when he fled in a maintenance truck on Monday, triggering a statewide manhunt, according to the Montana Department of Corrections.

Authorities in Billings responded to a tip that Jess was in the area and was thought to be driving a stolen Jeep. The vehicle was spotted in a parking lot outside a Walmart store on Friday afternoon, Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder said at a news conference.

Several deputies surrounded the Jeep and ordered him to turn off the ignition, Linder said. A deputy saw Jess reach for what the officer suspected was a gun and shot the fugitive dead, Linder told reporters.

Major Case Squad investigating sex offender's death in Cahokia

2-7-2014 Illinois:

(KMOV) – The St. Louis-area Major Case Squad is investigating after a man was found dead in Cahokia on Thursday.

Authorities responded to the 100 block of Amelia Dr. around 9:30 p.m. and found 26-year-old William Harriel Jr. shot to death.

According to Illinois State Police records, Harriel Jr. was a registered sex offender and was previously charged with sexual abuse of a victim between 13 and 16 years old.

Police continue to look for suspects in the case.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the Major Case Squad at (618)-825-5700. ..Source.. by KMOV.com staff

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Sex offender murder in Parkfield Terrace draws Major Case Squad

The murder of a registered sex offender Thursday night in the Parkfield Terrace neighborhood led to a call for help to the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis.

William E. Harriel Jr., 26, of Parkfield Terrace, was found dead on the ground after the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department was called at 9:26 p.m. Thursday, said Lt. George Mokriakow. Harriel appeared to have died after being shot near 159 Amelia Drive.

Registered sex offender found murdered in Groveland neighborhood

2-1-2014 Florida:

GROVELAND -- Deputies are working to find the person they say shot and killed a man in Lake County.

Officers said they found 31-year-old Justin Russell shot on the 15000 block of Stuckey Loop around 2:30 a.m. Saturday.

He was taken to South Lake Hospital where he later died.

Russell was released Nov. 4, 2013 from the Everglades Correctional Institution in Miami on cocaine possession and simple battery.

He was previously arrested for attempted sexual battery and failing to comply as a sex offender.