- Archives

Officers say he lunged at them. Witnesses didn't see 'lunge'

The first formal report about a fatal police shooting Nov. 2 listed no evidence from witnesses to support officers' statements that a suspect lunged at them with a knife before he was killed. Navon Lefort Ligon, 43, died as two officers were trying to arrest him on a domestic violence assault charge outside his girlfriend's house at 4608 Brockton Drive. The report, written by Raleigh Police Chief Jane Perlov and submitted to City Manager Russell Allen on Tuesday, mentions three witnesses who heard officers order Ligon to drop the knife. It says two of the witnesses later saw the knife after the shooting, as it was kicked away from the suspect. A third witness saw the knife in Ligon's possession before the officers' arrival and in his hand before the shooting. The witnesses were not named in Perlov's report. But two witnesses told The News & Observer last week that three civilians saw the incident. They did not see Ligon lunge at anyone, the two witnesses said. The State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal probe, and the Police Department is conducting an internal review. Perlov's statement, released Wednesday, provides new details about what led to the shooting and what each of the officers said occurred. Ligon's girlfriend, Freda Gail Narron, called 911 about 1 a.m. on Nov. 2 to report that her boyfriend had assaulted her and stolen her purse, money and identification. [more]

Pictured above: Chief Jane Perlov's statement offers new details.
Witnesses Contradict Police In Suspect's Death [more]