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NC man calls cops to report 'hoodlums,' fatally shoots black man

RALEIGH, N.C. — "911. What's the address of your emergency?" an operator said.

"We've got a bunch of hoodlums out here racing. I am locked and loaded. I'm going outside to secure my neighborhood," Chad Copley replied.

Chad Copley of Raleigh, North Carolina, has been charged with the murder of a 20-year-old. According to a witness, the victim, Kouren-Rodney Bernard Thomas, was at a party on Copley's street when Copley fired from inside his home Sunday.

Copley says he was only protecting his community by firing a "warning shot" and said someone outside had firearms, though Raleigh police haven't been able to substantiate that.

Copley then called police again after shooting Thomas, telling them to send help because "there's friggin' black males outside my friggin' house with firearms."

If convicted, Copley could get the death penalty. He's been denied bail and will be back in court on Aug. 29.

The dispatcher asked: “You’re going to do what?” “I’m going to secure my neighborhood,” Copley said.

Posted by Washington Post on Tuesday, August 9, 2016

This video includes images from GoFundMeRaleigh Police Department and clips from WNCNTime Warner CableWTVD and audio from Raleigh Police Department