Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

North Carolina Sheriff's Deputy Charged After Leading Armed 'Mob' That Tried To Force Its Way Into Black Family's Home

North Carolina Sheriff's Deputy Charged After Leading Armed 'Mob' That Tried To Force Its Way Into Black Family's Home
WECT News

A mother and son's relaxing Sunday night at home suddenly turned scary and dangerous when an all-white crowd of armed local residents demanded entry into their home.

The mob eventually dispersed after realizing it had the wrong house, but not before creating an alarming scene in the doorway.


Monica Shepard and her son, Dameon live in Pender County, North Carolina. They aimed to spend their recent Sunday night quietly: Monica heading to sleep early and Dameon remaining awake to play video games.

The peaceful night at home came to an abrupt halt when a large mob arrived at the Shepard's front door.

WECTreports that when Dameon answered the door the group—composed entirely of White people—demanded information about a local missing girl, according to a letter written by the Shepard's attorney, James Lea.

Monica and Dameon Shepard are both Black.

Lea's letter, which was addressed to the Pender County District Attorney, goes on to provide even more details about the incident. The crowd arrived at the Shepard's hoping to find someone named Josiah, a possible connection to the missing child. Josiah had lived in the house next door but moved away a month prior.

And even though Dameon repeatedly identified himself, the mob remained at the doorstep and pressed for more information, despite Dameon's complete lack of any knowledge at all. One person in the crowd carried an assault weapon and another held a shotgun. Among the mob's members was an armed and uniformed off-duty Sheriff's Deputy, J.T. Kita.

Lea's letter goes on to explain that when Dameon tried to close the door, Kita held it open with his foot and demanded entry. It was at this point that Monica Shepard awoke and came to her son's aid.

She told WECT what happened when she tried to shut the door.

"[Deputy Kita] just said 'I'm going to step inside, close the door and talk to you guys.' And I said, 'no you're not.'"
"He had his foot on the threshold of my door, holding the door open and he said it again, he said 'I'm going to step inside close the door and I'll talk to you,' when I said 'no you're not,'"

When the facts became clearer the mob dispersed, only to return again as illegitimate backup when more Sheriff Deputies arrived at the house on account of the disturbance.

Nobody in the mob was charged or questioned.

Lea's letter to the DA demands greater accountability for the trespassing group:

"We obviously cannot have armed groups of citizens patrolling the streets of Pender County or New Hanover County terrorizing innocent families."
"Add to the fact that they were also accompanied by apparently a New Hanover County Sheriff's Deputy that was off duty and armed, makes this matter particularly egregious."

According to Yahoo! News, Deputy Kita has been fired and charged with trespassing, as well as breaking and entering. Another gun-toting member of the mob was charged with "going armed to the terror of the public."

May 8 Press Conference on 'vigilante group' in Pender Countyyoutu.be

All are misdemeanor charges.

After several outlets covered the story, people across the internet were quick to share their appalled responses to the incident.





Though the incident is all over with, Monica Shepard is still reeling from the horror of the nighttime threat. Unfortunately, she has no trouble seeing how this story could have ended.

"Coming to the door like that with a mob of people with guns what do we expect? What were their intentions? What if he was the person they were looking for or what if I was not home? What would've happened?"
"I don't want to have that conversation. I don't want him to be a statistic. It's scary."

More from Trending

Donald Trump
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Slammed After Saying He's 'Not Joking' About Running For A Third Term

Republican President Donald Trump was ridiculed for insisting he was "not joking" about running for a third presidential term, which would violate the Constitution under the 22nd Amendment, stating a President cannot be elected beyond a second term.

In an NBC interview Sunday morning, Trump maintained his allies were pushing for a third term for the Trump administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Ripped For Bonkers Answer After Being Asked To Define What A 'Woman' Is

President Donald Trump was called out after he was asked by a conservative reporter at the end of Women's History Month to give his definition of a "woman"—only to show that he doesn't even know his own talking points let alone those of the wider GOP.

This past Friday, Trump attended the swearing-in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, where he also took questions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Karoline Leavitt
C-SPAN2

Karoline Leavitt Gives Mind-Boggling Update On Signal Group Chat Scandal—And Critics Are Furious

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was called out after she dismissed reporters' questions amid revelations that Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials, particularly Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussing military strategy surrounding war strikes in Yemen.

Lawmakers from both parties have increased their calls demanding an investigation into the Signal scandal. The latest push came from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, who on Monday sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard calling for an independent probe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kids in a classroom
Maskot/Getty Images

Tennessee Senate Passes Bill Requiring Schools To Teach Students To Get Married And Have Kids

The Republican-led Tennessee Senate has passed a bill that requires schools to teach children a "success sequence" that emphasizes the importance of getting married and having children.

If approved by the state House, the “Success Sequence Act” would require schools to teach students about the purported “positive personal and societal outcomes” of following a prescribed sequence of life events: earning a high school diploma or equivalent, entering the workforce or pursuing higher education, getting married, and then having children.

Keep ReadingShow less
Two people flirting
Photo by Jed Villejo on Unsplash

People Break Down Telltale Signs That Someone Thinks You're Attractive

Let's be honest: Some of us are pretty clueless when it comes to flirting.

Whether it's knowing how to flirt or suspecting when someone is flirting with us and acting on it, we fumble our way through the experience and might only occasionally find our way to a date or relationship.

Keep ReadingShow less