Two minutes after Southport Police Officer Bryon Vassey arrived at a Boiling Spring Lakes home Sunday afternoon, shots were fired.
Mark Wilsey called 911 at 12:29 p.m. Sunday when his 18-year-old stepson, Keith Vidal, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, would not put down a screwdriver, prompting Wilsey and his wife Mary to have concerns for her safety, according to a 911 call.
Vassey—a nine-year veteran of the Southport Police Department—was the third law enforcement officer to arrive at the home on Presidents Drive in response to Mark Wilsey’s 911 call.
“He does have schizophrenia and we didn’t know if he was going to hurt himself,” Mary Wilsey said. “At that point, we called 911 and asked for assistance to help us get him to the emergency room so that he could get the proper treatment—safely—without hurting himself.”
Read related story: SBI investigating officer-involved shooting of mentally ill teen
According to 911 records, the first officer—Boiling Spring Lakes Police Officer John Thompson, arrived at the home at 12:36 p.m. According to the family, Thompson knew Keith Vidal—having responded to the home before. EMS arrived at the home at 12:37 p.m., followed by Brunswick County Sheriff’s Deputy Samantha Lewis, who arrived at 12:45 p.m.
“She was great with him,” Mark Wilsey said. “She talked to him. Everything was fine. There was no escalation; nobody threatened anybody. Keith didn’t show a screwdriver. He didn’t threaten anybody with the screwdriver.”
The 911 transcript stated there was a “confrontation in the hallway with the subject in the residence” at 12:42 p.m.
Vassey arrived at the home at 12:47 p.m., per 911 records.
EMS reported “shots fired” at 12:49 p.m. and again at 12:50 p.m. At 12:51 p.m., Lewis reported “shots fired.”
At 12:52 p.m., Vassey reported, “shots fired” and “advised he had to defend himself against the subject,” according to a 911 transcript. Vassey reported Vidal was “now in custody and being checked out by EMS” at 12:52 p.m., and one minute later, Vassey reported he was “having problems with the family…having problems with the family.”
Attorney James Payne, who represents the alleged shooter in the incident but declined to confirm his client’s name, said the timeline of events should not be given too much weight in determining how the incident unfolded.
“What my message about that is we need to be mindful that there is an investigation that is ongoing,” Payne said. “We shouldn’t be too tied down to a timeline that one may think is short or long. In law enforcement, things can happen very quickly that are unanticipated.
“And things can turn very violent very quickly. A timeline is something that I’m sure the SBI will look at and will consider. Things are different and happen differently when law enforcement is involved. Things can happen very quickly and law enforcement officers are trained to respond appropriately to situations like that.”
The family has offered a narrative of the events leading up to Keith Vidal’s death Sunday, which has not been corroborated by any law enforcement agency or by the District Attorney’s Office.
“This is my son,” Mary Wilsey said. “This is my flesh and blood that they murdered.”
“Then ‘RoboCop’ walks through the door,” Mark Wilsey said about the moments leading up to Keith’s death. “Within 10 seconds he tased him, killed him—shot him point-blank right there with all intent to kill. No reason.”
District Attorney Jon David—who on Monday announced he was seeking an independent investigation by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI)—has declined to comment on the case, citing professional conduct standards for prosecutors.
Though he acknowledged the “intense public interest” in the incident, David said he called for the SBI investigation “to ensure a neutral, independent review of the facts in this case.”
David and senior Assistant District Attorney Lee Bollinger are also reviewing the shooting.
“I believe that putting in an outside review is vital to the administration of justice, and so, as District Attorney, I ask that that occur immediately,” David said. “As a team we committed to getting in place an outside process that stood the best chance of assuring this community that we would have an independent review of the facts and circumstances that led to the death of an 18-year-old male in his home in the presence of his parents, and that we determine whether or not any crime was committed.”
Payne, whose client has not been charged with any crime in relation to Sunday’s fatal shooting, said he believes the investigation will reveal different facts than what the family has relayed to the media.
“First of all, we all grieve in the loss of life of this young man. That is something that everyone must understand. And we understand the grief of the family, and we sympathize with that,” Payne said. “I am confident that the SBI will do and is doing a thorough investigation of the matter and that Mr. David will be very judicious and very thoughtful in his consideration of that investigation.
“When the results of that investigation are known, it’s likely that a different story will be told—not the same one that has been reported thus far. I can’t go into what the differences will be–that takes me into what has occurred as a result of the investigation–but we’re very confident with the investigation on behalf of the officers.”
Vassey is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the SBI investigation, according to Southport Police Chief Jerry Dove. The other officers involved—Lewis and Thompson—are on full duty.
Caroline Curran is the managing editor of Port City Daily. Reach her at (910) 772-6336 or [email protected]. On Twitter: @Cgcurran
