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with all due respect, sources say "white-supremacist"
→Warrant: The tip is clearly stated to be an anonoymous confidential informant, of course there would be no public source indicating who. The text is not vague and states exactly the information available.
 
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{{short description|2020 police killing}}
{{Infobox person
{{infobox event
| name = Duncan Lemp
|title=Killing of Duncan Lemp
| birth_date = September 6, 1998
|image=
| death_date = March 12, 2020 (aged 21)
|image_name=
⚫
| death_place = [[Potomac,_Maryland|Potomac]], [[Maryland]]
|caption=
| occupation = [[student]] <br> [[software developer]] <br> [[Activism|right-wing activist]]<ref name="Boogaloo" />
|date={{start date and age|2020|03|12}}
|time=
⚫
|place=[[Potomac, Maryland|Potomac]], [[Maryland]], U.S.
|coordinates=
|also known as=
|type=[[No-knock warrant]], [[homicide]] by [[Gun violence in the United States|shooting]], [[police killing]]
|cause= Multiple gunshot wounds
|first reporter=
|filmed by=
|participants=[[Montgomery County Police Department]] [[SWAT]] team
|outcome=
|reported death(s)=Duncan Socrates Lemp
|reported injuries=
|burial=
|inquiries=
|inquest=
|coroner=
|suspects=
|charges= None
|trial=
|verdict=
|convictions=
|publication bans=
|litigation=
|awards=
|notes=
}}
}}
On March 12, 2020, '''Duncan Socrates Lemp''' was fatally shot at his home in [[Potomac, Maryland]] during a [[No-knock warrant|no-knock search]] by the [[Montgomery County Police Department]]'s [[SWAT]] team. The police believed Lemp possessed firearms illegally, which were recovered at the scene.<ref name=police-statement17/>


Police have said that Lemp was shot after confronting an officer during the execution of the raid.<ref name="Kunzelman13" /> Lemp's family have said through their attorney that, based on an eyewitness, they believe Lemp was shot without warning while he was asleep.<ref name="morse17" /><ref name="Kunzelman17" /> Lemp has since been described as a "[[martyr]]" for the [[boogaloo movement]], some adherents to which believe Lemp was murdered by police because of his alleged involvement with the movement and his anti-government beliefs.<ref name=":1" /><ref>Far-right anti-government extremist movement:
'''Duncan Socrates Lemp''' was a 21-year-old [[student]] and [[software developer]] who was killed by [[police]] during a “no-knock” [[Police_raid|raid]] at his home in [[Potomac, Maryland]] on March 12, 2020.<ref name="Lawyer">{{cite web |last1=Kunzelman |first1=Michael |title=Lawyer: Man killed by officer was asleep when police fired |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyer-man-asleep-police-fired-house-killing-69587748 |website=ABC News |accessdate=April 23, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Mystery">{{cite web |last1=Bovard |first1=Jim |title=The Mystery Deepens Over The Pre-Dawn Police Killing Of Duncan Lemp |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-mystery-deepens-over-the-pre-dawn-police-killing-of-duncan-lemp/ |website=The America Conservative |accessdate=April 23, 2020}}</ref> Duncan lived with his parents and 19-year-old brother and was with his pregnant girlfriend when he died.<ref name="Sleeping">{{cite web |last1=Bovard |first1=Jim |title=Did Maryland Police Shoot And Kill A Sleeping Man? |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/did-maryland-police-shoot-and-kill-a-sleeping-man/ |website=The America Conservative |accessdate=April 23, 2020}}</ref>
* {{cite news|last=Charter|first=David|date=May 16, 2020|title='Boogaloo boys' prepare for next American civil war in Hawaiian shirts|work=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boogaloo-boys-prepare-for-next-american-civil-war-in-hawaiian-shirts-wsmdmmclm|url-status=live|access-date=May 30, 2020|issn=0140-0460|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528233519/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boogaloo-boys-prepare-for-next-american-civil-war-in-hawaiian-shirts-wsmdmmclm|archive-date=May 28, 2020}}
* {{cite news|date=May 23, 2020|title=Why some protesters in America wear Hawaiian shirts|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|url=https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/05/23/why-some-protesters-in-america-wear-hawaiian-shirts|url-status=live|access-date=May 30, 2020|issn=0013-0613|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528120822/https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/05/23/why-some-protesters-in-america-wear-hawaiian-shirts|archive-date=May 28, 2020}}
* {{cite news|title='Boogaloo' Is The New Far-Right Slang For Civil War|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/01/10/795366630/boogaloo-is-the-new-far-right-slang-for-civil-war|last=Allam|first=Hannah|author-link=Hannah Allam|date=January 10, 2020|website=[[National Public Radio]]|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423033100/https://www.npr.org/2020/01/10/795366630/boogaloo-is-the-new-far-right-slang-for-civil-war|archive-date=April 23, 2020|access-date=May 30, 2020}}</ref>


==Background==
Lemp was a right-wing activist who associated himself with the [[Three_Percenters|3 Percenters]], a far-right paramilitary militia group, and set up web sites for other far-right organizations.<ref name="Boogaloo">{{cite web |title=Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-lockdown-boogaloo-protesters-now-have-a-21-year-old-martyr-in-duncan-lemp |website=Daily Beast |accessdate=May 13, 2020}}</ref> He also "frequented the 4chan and Reddit message boards, sites popular with internet trolls".<ref name="Lawyer" /> A week before the raid, Lemp posted a picture of two people armed with rifles on Instagram, with text referring to "boogaloo", a white-supremacist slang term for the anticipated second civil war.<ref name="Lawyer" /><ref name="Boogaloo" /><ref name="adl" />
Lemp was a [[student]] and a [[software developer]].<ref name="Kunzelman13">{{cite web|last1=Kunzelman|first1=Michael|date=March 13, 2020|title=Lawyer: Man killed by officer was asleep when police fired|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyer-man-asleep-police-fired-house-killing-69587748|access-date=April 23, 2020|website=ABC News|publisher=Associated Press}}</ref> Lemp associated himself with the [[Three Percenters]], a far-right [[paramilitary]] [[militia]] group, and had set up websites for other such organizations.<ref name=Kunzelman13/><ref name="Sommer-2020">{{Cite news|last=Sommer|first=Will|date=May 11, 2020|title=Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr|language=en|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-lockdown-boogaloo-protesters-now-have-a-21-year-old-martyr-in-duncan-lemp|access-date=May 31, 2020}}</ref> He was a member of the [[United States Transhumanist Party]], having joined on September 6, 2019.<ref name="ustp">{{cite web |last1=Stoylarov II |first1=Gennady |title=Week of Mourning for Duncan Socrates Lemp – U.S. Transhumanist Party – Official Website |date=15 March 2020 |url=https://transhumanist-party.org/2020/03/15/duncan-socrates-lemp-mourning/ |publisher=[[United States Transhumanist Party|US Transhumanist Party]] |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref> A week before the raid, Lemp posted a picture of two people armed with rifles on [[Instagram]], with text referring to "boogaloo", a term used by the boogaloo movement as coded language for an anticipated war against the government or [[American Left|left-wing]] political opponents.<ref name=Kunzelman13/><ref name="Boogaloo">{{cite news|last=Sommer|first=Will|title=Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-lockdown-boogaloo-protesters-now-have-a-21-year-old-martyr-in-duncan-lemp|access-date=May 13, 2020|website=Daily Beast|date=11 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="adl">{{cite web|title=The Boogaloo: Extremists' New Slang Term for A Coming Civil War|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/the-boogaloo-extremists-new-slang-term-for-a-coming-civil-war| work=ADL |language=en|access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref><ref name="npr">{{cite news|first=Hannah|last=Allam|title='Boogaloo' Is The New Far-Right Slang For Civil War|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/01/10/795366630/boogaloo-is-the-new-far-right-slang-for-civil-war|newspaper=NPR.org|access-date=May 15, 2020}}</ref> Lemp had also made an Instagram post with a caption referring to the [[Three Percenters]] and a post captioned with the phrase ''[[sic semper tyrannis]]''. The phrase, which means "thus always to tyrants", is the state motto of Virginia, and had also been used both by Abraham Lincoln's assassin, [[John Wilkes Booth]], and the Oklahoma City bomber [[Timothy McVeigh]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bovard|first=Jim|date=March 14, 2020|title=Did Maryland Police Shoot and Kill a Sleeping Man?|url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/did-maryland-police-shoot-and-kill-a-sleeping-man/|access-date=October 14, 2020|website=[[The American Conservative]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Sottile|first=Leah|date=August 19, 2020|title=Inside the Boogaloo: America's Extremely Online Extremists|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/19/magazine/boogaloo.html|access-date=September 7, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


⚫
The police department stated that due to Lemp's criminal history as a juvenile, he was prohibited from legally possessing firearms until age 30.<ref name="Sommer-2020" /> Lemp's lawyer replied the family was unaware of any convictions that would have prevented Lemp from possessing a firearm.<ref name="Sommer-2020" /><ref name=Kunzelman13/><ref name=morse17/><ref name=Kunzelman17>{{cite web |last1=Kunzelman |first1=Michael |title=Police: Man Shot by Officer Had Rifle, Ignored Commands |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-03-17/police-man-shot-by-officer-had-rifle-ignored-commands|agency=Associated Press |website=US News |access-date=April 23, 2020|date=March 17, 2020}}</ref> An analysis by ''[[The Daily Beast]]'' was only able to find a [[traffic infraction]] in Lemp's Maryland court record, although they also said that a [[juvenile court]] charge could be unavailable to the public.<ref name="Sommer-2020" />
The raid was conducted at approximately 4:30 AM by the Montgomery County Police Department’s [[SWAT]] team, who, using an anonymous tip that Lemp was illegally possessing firearms, had obtained a “high-risk” [[search warrant]] the day prior.<ref name="Mystery" /> Although the warrant application has not been made available to Lemp's family,<ref name="Boogaloo" /> their lawyer, Rene Sandler, claims that it made no mention of any “imminent threat” that Lemp posed to any law enforcement official or the public in general.<ref>{{cite web |title=Maryland man fatally shot by police 'while asleep in his bedroom |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/14/duncan-socrates-lemp-maryland-shot-police-officer |website=The Guardian |accessdate=April 23, 2020}}</ref>


==Warrant==
⚫
Police state that Lemp had a [[Minor_(law)|juvenile]] record which prohibited him from possessing weapons until he was 30 and that they recovered three rifles and two handguns from the scene.<ref name="Lawyer" /><ref name="Police">{{cite web |last1=Kunzelman |first1=Michael |title=Police: Man Shot by Officer Had Rifle, Ignored Commands |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-03-17/police-man-shot-by-officer-had-rifle-ignored-commands |website=ABC News |accessdate=April 23, 2020}}</ref> Sandler maintains that nobody in the house the morning of the shooting had a criminal record, but juvenile records would be sealed and therefore unavailable.<ref name="Lawyer" /><ref name="Boogaloo"/>
Montgomery County Police detectives received a tip from a confidential informant that Lemp illegally possessed firearms.<ref name=police-statement17>{{cite web |title=Update: Officer-Involved Shooting in Potomac; Additional Information Released |date=March 17, 2020|url=https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail_Pol.aspx?Item_ID=32049 |website=MCPNews |publisher=[[Montgomery County Police]] |access-date=May 16, 2020}}</ref><ref name=morse17/> The police "applied for and received a no-knock search warrant for the crimes of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person."<ref name=police-statement17/><ref name="Vukmanovic12"/>


==Raid==
Accounts between the Lemp family and MCPD differ. Police say they found a booby-trapped shotgun shell that was rigged to go off when his door was opened, and had fire marshals disarm it before going in.<ref name="Boogaloo" /> They assert that they announced themselves when entering and Lemp “confronted” them, armed with a [[AR-15_style_rifle|rifle]], and ignored commands to show his hands and get on the ground.
The search warrant was served at approximately 4:30 AM by the Montgomery County Police Department's [[SWAT]] team.<ref name=morse17/><ref name="Vukmanovic12">{{cite news |last1=Vukmanovic |first1=Iris |title=Potomac Man Fatally Shot by Police Attempting to Serve Warrant |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/potomac-man-fatally-shot-by-police-attempting-to-serve-warrant/2239196/ |access-date=May 15, 2020 |agency=News4Washington |publisher=NBC Universal |date=March 12, 2020}}</ref>


Lemp’s family maintains that the officers “initiated” gunfire and [[Stun_grenade|flash bangs]] from outside the house through Duncan’s window without warning and while Lemp was sleeping.<ref name="Sleeping" /><ref name="Police" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Md. man killed by officer during raid had door booby-trapped to fire at anyone entering, police say|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/md-man-killed-by-officer-during-raid-had-door-booby-trapped-to-fire-at-anyone-entering-police-say/2020/03/17/d636ebe6-688a-11ea-b313-df458622c2cc_story.html|last=Morse|first=Dan|work=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2020-05-09}}</ref> Lemp’s girlfriend said no verbal commands were given to her or Duncan until after he was shot.<ref name="Mystery" /> Body camera footage has not yet been released. <ref name="Boogaloo" />
"The officers entering the residence announced themselves as police and that they were serving a search warrant," police said. "Officers gave commands for individuals inside the residence to show their hands and to get on the ground."<ref name=morse17>{{cite news |last1=Morse |first1=Dan |title=Md. man killed by officer during raid had door booby-trapped to fire at anyone entering, police say |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/md-man-killed-by-officer-during-raid-had-door-booby-trapped-to-fire-at-anyone-entering-police-say/2020/03/17/d636ebe6-688a-11ea-b313-df458622c2cc_story.html |access-date=May 15, 2020 |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |date=March 17, 2020}}</ref> The [[Montgomery County Police Department]] said that Lemp "confronted" police and was shot by one of their officers.<ref name=Kunzelman13/> "Upon making contact with Lemp, officers identified themselves as the police and gave him multiple orders to show his hands and comply with the officer's commands to get on the ground," police said. "Lemp refused to comply with the officer's commands and proceeded towards the interior bedroom door where other officers were located."<ref name="morse17" /> Police also stated that "Lemp was found to be in possession of a rifle and was located directly in front of the interior bedroom entrance door."<ref name="morse17" />


Lemp's family maintains that according to an eyewitness,{{who|date=May 2022}} the officers initiated gunfire and [[Stun grenade|flash bangs]] from outside the house through Duncan's window without warning and while Lemp was sleeping.<ref name=morse17/><ref name=Kunzelman17/> {{As of|2020|10}}, neither body camera footage nor the arrest warrant had been released, despite public record requests by [[Reason (magazine)|''Reason'' magazine]] and [[MuckRock]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Ciaramella|first=C.J.|date=July 2, 2020|title=Why Haven't We Seen the Body Cam Footage of Duncan Lemp's Killing?|url=https://reason.com/2020/07/02/why-havent-we-seen-the-body-cam-footage-of-duncan-lemps-killing/|access-date=July 21, 2020|website=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Weissmueller|first=Zach|date=October 16, 2020|title=The Complicated Truth About the Boogaloo Movement|url=https://reason.com/video/the-complicated-truth-about-the-boogaloo-movement/|access-date=October 17, 2020|website=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]|language=en-US}}</ref>
Since his death, Lemp has become a martyr for various far-right movements, including [[2020_United_States_anti-lockdown_protests|anti-lockdown]] protesters and the "Boogaloo Boys".<ref name="Boogaloo" /><ref name="adl">{{cite web|title="The Boogaloo: Extremists’ New Slang Term for A Coming Civil War"|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/the-boogaloo-extremists-new-slang-term-for-a-coming-civil-war| work=ADL |language=en|access-date=2020-05-13}}</ref><ref name="boys">{{cite web|title=A Self-Proclaimed "Boogaloo Boy" Was Arrested After Allegedly Livestreaming His Hunt To Kill A Police Officer|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/boogaloo-boy-arrested-texarkana-swenson| work=Buzzfeed| language=en| access-date=2020-05-13}}</ref>


Lemp had rigged a [[Booby trap|booby-trap]] device that was designed to "detonate a shotgun shell at the direction of anyone entering" the bedroom.<ref name=morse17/> "After officers entered the bedroom, the other occupant of the room warned the officers to be careful of the device rigged to the exterior door," and Montgomery County bomb-squad technicians were brought in to "render the device safe," police said.<ref name=morse17/>
==See also==

[[Red flag law]]
Three rifles and two handguns were recovered during the raid.<ref name=Kunzelman17/>

==Aftermath==
===State's Attorney investigation===
The shooting was investigated by the [[District attorney|State's Attorney]]'s Office of [[Howard County, Maryland|Howard County]], under a mutual agreement with Montgomery County where prosecutors from each of the two adjacent counties investigate fatal police shootings in the other.<ref name=":0" />

The official report documented prosecutors discovering "numerous firearms, both pistols and rifles, located throughout Lemp's bedroom in plain view. There were a number of loaded firearm magazines located. These items were seen on the nightstand next to Lemp's side of the bed, on top of a desk, and on top of the table between a couch and the television. Additionally, there was a large amount of boxes of ammunition (at least 50) inside the closet and a bulletproof vest hanging on the wall."<ref name=SAR>{{cite web |title=REPORT In the matter of the March 12, 2020 police-involved shooting in Potomac, Maryland |url=https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SAO/Resources/Files/REPORTMarch2020Event.pdf |publisher=Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office |access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref>

The report concluded:
{{blockquote|"Based upon a thorough review of all information known at this time, it is the opinion of the Howard County prosecutors, that the actions of the shooting officer on March 12, 2020 were reasonable under the circumstances. The threat caused by Duncan Lemp retrieving a rifle and pointing it at the officer, coupled with Lemp's apparent refusal to obey lawful commands, justified the shooting officer's use of deadly force. Accordingly, the Office of the State's Attorney for Howard County declines to file charges."<ref name=SAR/>}}

===Family reaction===
The Lemp family has claimed that Lemp was asleep next to his girlfriend when a police officer shot him.<ref name="Boogaloo"/> His girlfriend, who was pregnant, was forced to remain in the room for over an hour with Lemp after he was killed.<ref name=":2" /> "The Lemp family requests that the Montgomery County Police immediately release all body camera footage and audio from this horrific event," read a statement
from Lemp family attorneys.<ref name=morse17/> Attorney Rene Sandler stated that nobody in the house the morning of the shooting had a criminal record, but juvenile records would be sealed and therefore unavailable.<ref name=Kunzelman13/><ref name="Boogaloo"/> The Lemp family released a statement that said, "The police had obtained a search warrant for the home, however the search warrant makes no mention of any imminent threat to law enforcement or the community. No resident of the home had any criminal record."<ref name="Coplin">{{cite news |last1=Coplin |first1=Sydney |title=Guns, 'Booby Trap' Found During Search Leading to Fatal Police Shooting: Police |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/rifles-handguns-booby-trap-found-during-search-leading-to-fatal-police-shooting/2244639/ |access-date=May 16, 2020 |agency=News4Washington |publisher=NBC Universal |date=March 17, 2020}}</ref> As of May 11, 2020, the warrant application had not been made available to Lemp's family.<ref name="Boogaloo" />

===Political reactions===
After his death, Lemp became a "martyr" among some in the boogaloo movement who have speculated he was murdered for his participation with the movement, his anti-government beliefs, and involvement with other right-wing militias.<ref name="Boogaloo" /><ref name="adl" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=May 15, 2020|title='Boogaloo Boy' Arrested in Texas, Charged With Plotting To Murder Cops on Facebook Live|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/05/15/boogaloo-boy-arrested-texas-charged-plotting-murder-cops-facebook-live|access-date=2020-08-01|website=Hatewatch|publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]]|language=en}}</ref> Adherents of the boogaloo movement have adopted the phrases "we are Duncan Lemp" and "his name was Duncan Lemp", which ''The New York Times'' says they "repeat... like [[mantra]]s". Boogaloo adherents have also posted to Lemp's girlfriend's Instagram account promising to someday avenge his death.<ref name=":2" />

On March 15, 2020, the [[United States Transhumanist Party]] announced an "official week of mourning" in his honor.<ref name="ustp" />

A [[GoFundMe]] campaign to pay for Lemp's funeral and his family's legal fees raised, as of August 2020, over $17,000.<ref name=":2" />


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemp, Duncan}}
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:2020 in Maryland]]
[[Category:Boogaloo movement]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Maryland]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in Maryland]]
[[Category:March 2020 events in the United States]]
[[Category:People shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States]]
[[Category:Potomac, Maryland]]

Latest revision as of 08:47, 11 August 2024

Killing of Duncan Lemp
DateMarch 12, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-03-12)
LocationPotomac, Maryland, U.S.
TypeNo-knock warrant, homicide by shooting, police killing
CauseMultiple gunshot wounds
ParticipantsMontgomery County Police Department SWAT team
DeathsDuncan Socrates Lemp
ChargesNone

On March 12, 2020, Duncan Socrates Lemp was fatally shot at his home in Potomac, Maryland during a no-knock search by the Montgomery County Police Department's SWAT team. The police believed Lemp possessed firearms illegally, which were recovered at the scene.[1]

Police have said that Lemp was shot after confronting an officer during the execution of the raid.[2] Lemp's family have said through their attorney that, based on an eyewitness, they believe Lemp was shot without warning while he was asleep.[3][4] Lemp has since been described as a "martyr" for the boogaloo movement, some adherents to which believe Lemp was murdered by police because of his alleged involvement with the movement and his anti-government beliefs.[5][6]

Background

[edit]

Lemp was a student and a software developer.[2] Lemp associated himself with the Three Percenters, a far-right paramilitary militia group, and had set up websites for other such organizations.[2][7] He was a member of the United States Transhumanist Party, having joined on September 6, 2019.[8] A week before the raid, Lemp posted a picture of two people armed with rifles on Instagram, with text referring to "boogaloo", a term used by the boogaloo movement as coded language for an anticipated war against the government or left-wing political opponents.[2][9][10][11] Lemp had also made an Instagram post with a caption referring to the Three Percenters and a post captioned with the phrase sic semper tyrannis. The phrase, which means "thus always to tyrants", is the state motto of Virginia, and had also been used both by Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.[12][13]

The police department stated that due to Lemp's criminal history as a juvenile, he was prohibited from legally possessing firearms until age 30.[7] Lemp's lawyer replied the family was unaware of any convictions that would have prevented Lemp from possessing a firearm.[7][2][3][4] An analysis by The Daily Beast was only able to find a traffic infraction in Lemp's Maryland court record, although they also said that a juvenile court charge could be unavailable to the public.[7]

Warrant

[edit]

Montgomery County Police detectives received a tip from a confidential informant that Lemp illegally possessed firearms.[1][3] The police "applied for and received a no-knock search warrant for the crimes of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person."[1][14]

Raid

[edit]

The search warrant was served at approximately 4:30 AM by the Montgomery County Police Department's SWAT team.[3][14]

"The officers entering the residence announced themselves as police and that they were serving a search warrant," police said. "Officers gave commands for individuals inside the residence to show their hands and to get on the ground."[3] The Montgomery County Police Department said that Lemp "confronted" police and was shot by one of their officers.[2] "Upon making contact with Lemp, officers identified themselves as the police and gave him multiple orders to show his hands and comply with the officer's commands to get on the ground," police said. "Lemp refused to comply with the officer's commands and proceeded towards the interior bedroom door where other officers were located."[3] Police also stated that "Lemp was found to be in possession of a rifle and was located directly in front of the interior bedroom entrance door."[3]

Lemp's family maintains that according to an eyewitness,[who?] the officers initiated gunfire and flash bangs from outside the house through Duncan's window without warning and while Lemp was sleeping.[3][4] As of October 2020, neither body camera footage nor the arrest warrant had been released, despite public record requests by Reason magazine and MuckRock.[15][16]

Lemp had rigged a booby-trap device that was designed to "detonate a shotgun shell at the direction of anyone entering" the bedroom.[3] "After officers entered the bedroom, the other occupant of the room warned the officers to be careful of the device rigged to the exterior door," and Montgomery County bomb-squad technicians were brought in to "render the device safe," police said.[3]

Three rifles and two handguns were recovered during the raid.[4]

Aftermath

[edit]

State's Attorney investigation

[edit]

The shooting was investigated by the State's Attorney's Office of Howard County, under a mutual agreement with Montgomery County where prosecutors from each of the two adjacent counties investigate fatal police shootings in the other.[15]

The official report documented prosecutors discovering "numerous firearms, both pistols and rifles, located throughout Lemp's bedroom in plain view. There were a number of loaded firearm magazines located. These items were seen on the nightstand next to Lemp's side of the bed, on top of a desk, and on top of the table between a couch and the television. Additionally, there was a large amount of boxes of ammunition (at least 50) inside the closet and a bulletproof vest hanging on the wall."[17]

The report concluded:

"Based upon a thorough review of all information known at this time, it is the opinion of the Howard County prosecutors, that the actions of the shooting officer on March 12, 2020 were reasonable under the circumstances. The threat caused by Duncan Lemp retrieving a rifle and pointing it at the officer, coupled with Lemp's apparent refusal to obey lawful commands, justified the shooting officer's use of deadly force. Accordingly, the Office of the State's Attorney for Howard County declines to file charges."[17]

Family reaction

[edit]

The Lemp family has claimed that Lemp was asleep next to his girlfriend when a police officer shot him.[9] His girlfriend, who was pregnant, was forced to remain in the room for over an hour with Lemp after he was killed.[13] "The Lemp family requests that the Montgomery County Police immediately release all body camera footage and audio from this horrific event," read a statement from Lemp family attorneys.[3] Attorney Rene Sandler stated that nobody in the house the morning of the shooting had a criminal record, but juvenile records would be sealed and therefore unavailable.[2][9] The Lemp family released a statement that said, "The police had obtained a search warrant for the home, however the search warrant makes no mention of any imminent threat to law enforcement or the community. No resident of the home had any criminal record."[18] As of May 11, 2020, the warrant application had not been made available to Lemp's family.[9]

Political reactions

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After his death, Lemp became a "martyr" among some in the boogaloo movement who have speculated he was murdered for his participation with the movement, his anti-government beliefs, and involvement with other right-wing militias.[9][10][5] Adherents of the boogaloo movement have adopted the phrases "we are Duncan Lemp" and "his name was Duncan Lemp", which The New York Times says they "repeat... like mantras". Boogaloo adherents have also posted to Lemp's girlfriend's Instagram account promising to someday avenge his death.[13]

On March 15, 2020, the United States Transhumanist Party announced an "official week of mourning" in his honor.[8]

A GoFundMe campaign to pay for Lemp's funeral and his family's legal fees raised, as of August 2020, over $17,000.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Update: Officer-Involved Shooting in Potomac; Additional Information Released". MCPNews. Montgomery County Police. March 17, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Kunzelman, Michael (March 13, 2020). "Lawyer: Man killed by officer was asleep when police fired". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Morse, Dan (March 17, 2020). "Md. man killed by officer during raid had door booby-trapped to fire at anyone entering, police say". Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Kunzelman, Michael (March 17, 2020). "Police: Man Shot by Officer Had Rifle, Ignored Commands". US News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "'Boogaloo Boy' Arrested in Texas, Charged With Plotting To Murder Cops on Facebook Live". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. May 15, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  6. ^ Far-right anti-government extremist movement:
  7. ^ a b c d Sommer, Will (May 11, 2020). "Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Stoylarov II, Gennady (15 March 2020). "Week of Mourning for Duncan Socrates Lemp – U.S. Transhumanist Party – Official Website". US Transhumanist Party. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e Sommer, Will (11 May 2020). "Anti-Lockdown Protesters Now Have a 21-Year-Old Martyr". Daily Beast. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "The Boogaloo: Extremists' New Slang Term for A Coming Civil War". ADL. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Allam, Hannah. "'Boogaloo' Is The New Far-Right Slang For Civil War". NPR.org. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Bovard, Jim (March 14, 2020). "Did Maryland Police Shoot and Kill a Sleeping Man?". The American Conservative. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d Sottile, Leah (August 19, 2020). "Inside the Boogaloo: America's Extremely Online Extremists". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Vukmanovic, Iris (March 12, 2020). "Potomac Man Fatally Shot by Police Attempting to Serve Warrant". NBC Universal. News4Washington. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Ciaramella, C.J. (July 2, 2020). "Why Haven't We Seen the Body Cam Footage of Duncan Lemp's Killing?". Reason. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  16. ^ Weissmueller, Zach (October 16, 2020). "The Complicated Truth About the Boogaloo Movement". Reason. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "REPORT In the matter of the March 12, 2020 police-involved shooting in Potomac, Maryland" (PDF). Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  18. ^ Coplin, Sydney (March 17, 2020). "Guns, 'Booby Trap' Found During Search Leading to Fatal Police Shooting: Police". NBC Universal. News4Washington. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
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