Statement from Reentry House Plus around the incident of August 25th

August 31, 2023

Neighbors,

What happened on Carolina Loop is a tragedy for all of us.  We certainly understand how unsettling it is for all of you.  The safety of the men and of the community has always been of paramount importance to Reentry House Plus. 

Reentry House Plus will have further comments once the incident has been fully investigated by both the Sheriff’s Department and the State Bureau of Investigation and a definitive statement of facts has been offered.  In the meantime, we ask that everyone reserve judgement until all of the facts have been fully disclosed.  At this time, we would like to offer some indisputable facts that are either obvious or a matter of public record:

• ·        Derrick Williams, a young man of color, 24 years old, has been shot multiple times by an officer of the Sheriff’s department and is in serious condition in the hospital. 
• ·        That young man has been living at Reentry House Plus for over eight months.
• ·        Derrick has never been in Prison and is not a convicted felon.  His previous troubles with the law have been non-violent and resulted in some local jail time.
• ·        We have very strict rules about the men having weapons of any kind on the premises or in the house, and each man signs and pledges to that promise.  In our years of existence we have never had a violation of that rule.
• ·        There has been no official public statement that Derrick’s alleged gun has been found and all published comments about a gun being “displayed” have been surrounded by quotes, indicating that those making those comments do NOT know if it is established fact.

We do not offer these facts as a way to underplay the seriousness of what happened at the house last week.  We fully appreciate how difficult this is for all involved, not the least for all neighbors on Carolina Loop.  We do offer these facts as a way of asking for your forbearance during the time necessary for all aspects of the event to be fully investigated and reported.  Until then we ask that all of you offer up prayers for Derrick’s speedy recovery, for the other men in the house who shared this experience, for the men and women who are working with these men daily, for the officer involved, and for residents in our community who have been touched by this tragedy.

Faithfully,

Doug Peterson, President

Reentry House Plus, Inc.