Police opened fire on a person believed to be “NO/ONE” – the shadowy yet-unknown figure tied to last summer’s “accountability murders” – after the masked man assaulted officers near the scene of a shooting that left Three Rivers University head football coach Nathan Cade dead.
And at a press conference hours later, the department’s assistant chief of operations – whose son is in custody in connection with last summer’s murders, who himself was shot last week, and whose other son was killed the same night – abruptly retired.
The chaotic eight hours began with the murder of Nathan Cade and ended with an overnight press conference where more questions were raised than answered.
Cade was found shot in a downtown parking garage Wednesday afternoon, just before dark. It’s not clear when he was shot, and police wouldn’t release information about what led them to the scene. Chief Albert Mixon, at the overnight press conference, said “detectives were still piecing together all of what happened.”
“We have a lot here,” he said “The tragedy of the coach’s murder, obviously. And separately, the officer-involved shooting, in which thankfully no officers were injured.”
Mixon said officers opened fire after a suspect who police are calling NO/ONE “assaulted” officers during a brief foot pursuit. At least one officer was hospitalized with “injuries not believed to be life threatening,” police said.
Hours after officers found Cade – with dozens of reporters and residents gathered outside the scene – officers fired at NO/ONE near the parking garage. The gunfire – some of it from state police helicopters that had been circling the area and responded to an officer’s request for help in a foot chase – sent onlookers scattering into nearby restaurants and behind dumpsters and cars.
“Officers engaged the suspect who fled on foot across the top of the parking structure before attacking Officer Dillon with a Taser-like device” Mixon said. “Fortunately, state police were able to provide air support as officers came to (Dillon’s) aid. (Dillon) was treated for his injuries earlier and is now home resting with his family.”
“This act of aggression was completely unprompted,” Mixon said. “Out of nowhere he attacks our officers, at which point, at least one discharged their weapon.”
Police said they don’t believe NO/ONE was hit, and he’s not in custody. According to police scanner traffic, officers were checking nearby hospitals for walk-in gunshot victims into the night, in case NO/ONE sought treatment after making good his escape.
Mixon called together reporters after midnight for a hastily-assembled press conference but offered very few other specifics about either incident. It’s not clear if officers were wearing cameras or whether private surveillance footage may have captured the police shooting. Mixon did, however, confirm that the specifics of the murder appeared similar to previous shootings tied to the doxing of public officials by online hacker and activist “NO/ONE” last summer.
State Senator Noah Kemp, who survived a shooting after he was accused of wrongdoing in documents released by the online activist operating under the moniker “NO/ONE,” made a surprise appearance at the press conference. Kemp and others shot last summer were targeted after NO/ONE released damning information about their business and personal lives online.
Kemp was announcing a policy effort he hoped to spearhead, in light of his shooting, the shooting of Kern, and then the shooting of Cade, whom he called a “close friend.” Kern was shot last week, hours before his son was murdered, each shooting believed to have been committed by a copycat of last summer’s murders. Kern’s other son, Aaron, was arrested in the fall and is being held in connection with those murders.
At the time Kern was shot, Mixon and other officials wouldn’t speculate on motive. He had asked media to respect the family’s privacy – owing to Mixon and Kern’s long together – so some were surprised to see Kern at the overnight press conference.
Kern was saved by a Good Samaritan who intervened in the attack, leaving him with just a graze wound. The gun used in both shootings had previously been tied to the shootings last summer – which Kern’s son Aaron is in custody for. Kemp introduced Kern, when Kern stood up and after a couple seconds of silence said:
“Actually, I’m retiring. Effective immediately.”
After he announced his retirement overnight, Kern walked out of the room. Mixon appeared surprised, grabbed the microphone and said the press conference was over. The assembled public officials hurried from the room.