The local news and Chattanoogans’ social media accounts are inundated with people’s opinions on whether they thought the shooting death of Roger “Mac Purp” Heard Jr. was justified. I think the shooting was justified due to the police defending themselves with one major caveat. Did Roger know that the large man in a T-shirt shoving a gun in his face was an undercover cop?
First and foremost I want to extend my condolences to Roger’s five children and to his mother and everyone else who is suffering as a result of this tragedy.
Roger had tremendous potential and was close to turning his life around. If anyone doubts that people can go from poverty and hustling to prosperity, just look at the lives of former drug dealers turned moguls and executives 50-Cent and Jay-Z.
Let us separate facts from emotions and analyze what happened and why.
On the night of his death we know that Roger was a convicted felon who was in possession of an illegal firearm at a Speedway gas station on E. 3rd Street in Chattanooga. Should felons be allowed to defend themselves and also vote; that is debatable. In my opinion the answer is yes; felons should be allowed to bear arms and vote once released from prison and in theory already punished and rehabilitated. Otherwise, we have a two-tier caste system that increases the recidivism rate.
It was alleged that Roger “Mac Purp” Heard Jr. was selling illegal narcotics and had an active warrant. A plan by Chattanooga Police officers to make a felony stop was put into motion. This sting operation included sending in controversial cop Celtain Batterson first. Batterson was in civilian attire without a bodycam and had his pistol drawn. Nine year veteran officer Batterson had been recently reinstated after being relegated to desk duty by Police Chief Celeste Murphy due to questions surrounding his credibility. Numerous civilian complaints have been made against Batterson over the years claiming that he is overly aggressive. The powers that be, including Mayor Tim Kelly, deemed him fit for duty and he was put back on the street.
“Mac Purp” was a gang member with a lengthy criminal history and a background check has confirmed that. However, being a gang member doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person but it does usually expose you to dangerous and illegal lifestyles that lead to incarceration or death.
The tower cam video released by the District Attorney’s Office shows Chattanooga Police Officer Batterson was in plain clothes in an unmarked car and not wearing a body camera. He rapidly approached Roger’s SUV driver’s side window with his gun drawn. District Attorney Coty Wamp says that Batterson loudly and repeatedly identified himself as being a police officer but the released tower cam footage had no audio to authenticate that.
The two main take aways from this nightmare in my opinion are to not sell drugs and put yourself in a compromising position and if you are an officer of the law to wear a body-cam always when making an arrest especially if you are not in uniform.
In order for our city to be One Chattanooga we need community members to respect the law and law enforcement and for cops to remember that they work for the people and are public servants. Both civilians and sworn officers deserve to feel that they have due process and their civil rights are respected. I hope a silver lining in this painful case is that constructive and mutually beneficial communication and programs can coalesce.
A coalition of the willing similar to the recently state banned civilian police oversight committees would be an important first step in the healing process. My recommendation is for the creation of a DA and city and county mayoral task force that focuses on increasing opportunities for people returning home from prison and their families by hiring convicts and former gang members. Personal responsibility is paramount but, as author and U.S Marine Corps Officer Rye Barcott eloquently stated, “Talent is universal, opportunity is not.”
"Mac Purp” had talent, but needed an opportunity.
Andrew McLaren