James Blade Jr.

How they died

Deadly force

Officers went to a house on Plymouth Place to serve a probate order on James Blade Jr., who had been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Blade didn't want to go and opened fire on the officers who had gone inside the house, police said. Officers fired tear gas into the house, but Blade refused to give up and crawled under a blanket, wedging himself between some mattresses and a wall. He also shot out some of the attic windows to disperse the spray. Blade fired shots at officers and shortly thereafter jumped out the rear third-floor attic window while still firing at officers. Police returned fire and killed him.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that James Blade Jr., and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources