I am thankful that Freda knew to gather her children and run.
..."This has rocked the community,” said Jackie Jenkins, police chief...
MANGUM POLICE OFFICER SHOOTS HIS FIREFIGHTER BROTHER-IN-LAW, THEN KILLS HIMSELF, OFFICIALS SAY
By Ann Kelley - Staff Writer
Published: November 27, 2009
[Excerpts] An off-duty policeman shot his brother-in-law Thanksgiving Day and then turned the gun on himself, authorities say. Members of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's tactical team late Thursday found Mangum police officer Brian Ditmore dead inside his home in the 900 block of W Tyler, said Jessica Brown, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman. Brown said it appears Ditmore, 37, shot himself in the chest after wounding his brother-in-law, Mangum Fire Chief Fred Willis, 41. The investigation is ongoing, she said. About 2:30 p.m. someone in the home reported a domestic dispute between Ditmore and his wife. Police responded, along with Willis who lives nearby, Brown said. "When police arrived Mr. Willis was stumbling out of the house, injured from a gunshot wound to the stomach," Brown said. "A few minutes later there was a single gunshot from inside the house." Brown said officers tried for several hours to communicate with Ditmore... Willis was listed in fair condition Friday after getting surgery at Jackson County Memorial Hospital in Altus. [Full article here]
MANGUM POLICE OFFICER SHOOTS BROTHER-IN-LAW, THEN FATALLY SHOOTS HIMSELF, AFTER DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE
altustimes.com8
Nov 27, 2009
[Excerpts] ...According to reports, off-duty Mangum Police Officer Brian Keith Ditmore, 37, and his wife were involved in a domestic dispute Thursday, and at one point [the wife] left the house with her three children and ran next door to her brother’s house and called 9-1-1. The woman’s brother then went next door and was going up the stairs when Ditmore was said to have shot down at him... Police, along with members of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, remained outside the home Thursday night. It was said that two different robots equipped with cameras were sent into the house, but couldn’t get up the stairs. Tear gas was then thrown into the house, around 2 a.m. today, and officers then went in and found Ditmore dead from a gun shot to the heart... [Full article here]
SUICIDE FOLLOWED FIGHT IN MANGUM
BY ANN KELLEY and SHIELA STOGSDILL
Published: November 28, 2009
[Excerpts] ...[Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica] Brown said it appears Ditmore, 37, shot himself in the chest after wounding his brother-in-law, Mangum Fire Chief Fred Willis, 41. The investigation is ongoing, she said. "This has rocked the community,” said Jackie Jenkins, police chief... "He was a good policeman”... Willis was listed in fair condition Friday after having surgery at Jackson County Memorial Hospital in Altus. His wife, Shalia Willis, said her husband is recuperating, but said he has a long journey ahead of him. "This is a terrible situation all the way around. This was my brother-in-law, and he’s never really been like this,” she said of Ditmore. "Our hearts just go out to his family”... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement fatality fatalities attempted murder suicide Oklahoma State]
MYSPACE
ReplyDeleteBrian Ditmore
37 / Male
Mangum, US
Last Login: 11/26/2009
www.myspace.com/492926867
I really hope yall don't look at Brian Ditmore as a bad guy. This is his step brother. He was a great guy and what happened this last thanksgiving is something I will never figure out because he has always been a devoted husband and dad. This is a great family we have here and I hope yall can find it in your hearts to pray for all of us. There is stuff that happened here that yall do not know and won't understand and I will never understand also but please find it in your hearts to pray for us because we lost a great person this thanksgiving and it will never be the same.
ReplyDeleteYour family loves you and misses you Brian and we will always have you in our hearts!!
Your brother,
Chris Ditmore
There are some people who are mean and abusive and when they do something no one is really surprised. But from reading even what's on the web it seems that Brian didn't show a pattern leading up to this. I am really sorry to your whole family, and have already added you all to my prayers. Email me. There is a resource I'd like to share with you.
ReplyDeletecloudwriter
at
gmail
dot
com
Also, the conerned citizen at kauz.com that is show is making false accusations. There was never a protective order issued to Brian. People just start making up stuff to make themselves look better.
ReplyDeleteI'll remove that.
ReplyDeleteI am a former law enforcement officer that served the people of Mangum and Greer County for many years before I realized what the job had done to my relationship with my family. Brian was a very dear friend of mine. I moved away several months ago but continued to talk to him from time to time. He was a man who wanted so badly to make everyone happy, including his family. After this happen I was so sick of hearing people talk about him in a negative way. Chris, you are right. There is so much more to this story and I'm so sorry for the loss of your brother. I know how much stress he was under at work,and for over a year he had tried to get time off to make things better with him and his family. However because of the short number of employees he was still forced to work 6 and sometimes 7 days a week. while Chief Jackie Jenkins and Asst Chief Bray Woodress were somehow able to find time to take their regular 2 day weekends and even a couple of vacations. When you are in the role of a supervisor, it's your responsibilty to take care of your employees. This is not the first incident that has taken place under the leadership of Jackie Jenkins. Each time it has gotten worse. I'm so sorry for the loss that the Ditmore family has face. My heart and prayers go out to you.
ReplyDeleteI hope that the Mangum Polce Dept and the Greer County Sheriff's Dept. take this opportunity to see the need to train for a situaton of this magnitude, perhaps if they would have listened to many of the officers a couple of years ago, then they would have had the training they needed to respond in a quick manner and Brian could have been saved.
It's my own observation that change most often comes in the wake of a costly civil lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteServices held for Mangum man who shot his brother-in-law
ReplyDeleteBY ANN KELLEY The Oklahoman
Published: December 1, 2009
Modified: November 30, 2009 at 11:05 pm
MANGUM — Funeral services were Monday for a lawman who shot his brother-in-law on Thanksgiving Day and turned the gun on himself.
Authorities say Brian Ditmore, 37, shot Fred Willis in the stomach before committing suicide inside his home.
Ditmore was a Mangum police officer. Willis is the fire chief in the same town of about 1,500 people.
"No one saw this coming for our family,” said Shalia Willis, the fire chief’s wife. "It’s a holiday that none of us will forget.”
Someone at Ditmore’s home called police to report a domestic disturbance. Willis, who lives next door, got there first. When police arrived he had been shot and was stumbling out of the house. A short time later they heard a single gunshot from inside, authorities said.
Ditmore’s wife and three children left the home before the shootings. Shalia Willis said she doesn’t know what triggered the shootings.
"With small children involved everyone is an emotional wreck,” Willis said.
She said her husband is recovering well from the bullet wound.
http://newsok.com/services-held-for-man-who-shot-his-brother-in-law/article/3421663
I think your page is crap! You didn't know him like we did. He was my Brother-in-law. You don't know the full story. Nobody does. He was the most devoted father and husband I knew. And to write stuff that you know nothing about tears the family apart. You should all rot in hell for what you posted. Thank you to those who showed your support. It is deeply appreciated.
ReplyDeletei liked officer ditmore he and his family were and are nothing but nice to me..i live in this small town and i love it
ReplyDelete