Police kill an African American

On August 24, 2009, 23 year old Mark Anthony Barmore was killed inside a day care center housed inside a church.

Two witnesses say that Mark Anthony Barmore had ran into a boiler/storage room. The police shined a flashlight in the room and ordered Barmore to come out. Witnesses say that Barmore proceeded slowly to walk out with both hands up and his head down. But then, the police shot him and according to one eyewitness, after Barmore had been shot numerous times and was on the floor, one officer continued to shoot, with a final bullet to Barmore's head. It is reported that the police fired 8 rounds.

The police allege that Barmore fought with them trying to get an officers gun.

Barmore was killed in the daycare center within the hearing and sight of children.

Police Chief Epperson said that Barmore was wanted in connection with two domestic disputes, one of which may have involved the use of a knife. A police squad followed Barmore after he ran into Kingdom Authority International Ministries. The House of Grace Daycare Center is located in a building connected to the church. House of Grace cares for 43 infants and 166 toddlers. It is reported that there were 10 children in the room when the officers killed Barmore.

"My concern was for the children," says daycare worker, Sheila Brown. "I wanted to make sure they were okay. I tried to push them as far back into the corner so they wouldn't see anything."

The officers were not injured and have been placed on administrative leave.
The Police Department would not release the names of the officers. However, one officer was readily identified by other officers (off the record) and witnesses as Officer Oda Poole. Reports have it that Officer Poole has been involved in three shooting of unarmed suspects.

In April 2007, Rockford, IL police officer Poole was involved in the suicide by cop case, firing the shot that killed Lewis Henderson Jr., 66, of Rockford. Henderson left behind a message saying that he was going to pretend having a gun so that the cops would kill him. (Ref: http://www.wickedlocal.com/rrstar/news/x1633044797)

In May of the same year, Officer Poole was awarded a law enforcement medal of honor for a 2006 incident where he risked his life to save occupants of a building that was on fire.

In or about February 2007, Oda Poole, who was then 35, shot two unarmed men. Officer Pooles shooting of the two men, Billy Peavy, 44, and Robert Evitt, 39, both of Rockford, was said to be justifiable as an act of self-defense when one allegedly attempted to run over Poole with his car.

On August 25th, Chief Epperson met with the pastor of the church where Barmore was killed. He refused to answer any questions from the media. The community gathered and discussed the situation. It is not only a matter of the police killing an unarmed man in the presence of children inside a church's daycare center. It is also a matter of Oda Poole, who is White, seemingly having a reputation for shooting unarmed Black men.