Grace Louise Denk, a 21-year-old white female, tragically passed away on January 28, 2014, in Wilmington, North Carolina. Grace, a former U.S. Marine and student at Cape Fear Community College, was involved in a confrontation with police on Tabor Lane. The incident began when her boyfriend called the police after Grace sent text messages threatening to harm herself.
Wilmington Police Officer Ian Lovell fired four rounds at Grace as she sat with a gun in her hand in the cab of her Toyota Highlander. The autopsy report indicates that Grace sustained a total of five bullet wounds. The first wound, compatible with a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest, injured her heart and right lung, causing significant bleeding. The other four shots, attributed to Lovell's .45-caliber duty weapon, included a superficial shot to the chest and three gunshots to her left arm. Additionally, the autopsy revealed that Grace's blood-alcohol content was 0.22 percent, nearly three times the legal limit for driving.
The family of Grace Louise Denk disputes the autopsy findings, which suggest that she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to the family attorney, Katy Parker, all reports, including police reports, indicate that Grace did not shoot and kill herself but was shot and killed by an officer with the Wilmington Police Department. The autopsy findings appear to disagree with the final assessment of New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David, who cleared Officer Lovell of wrongdoing at the conclusion of the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation probe. David stated during a press conference in March that Grace fired once, and the gun jammed thereafter. The one shot exited through the roof of the vehicle, as seen in dash cam video. Moments after Lovell's last shot, a smaller caliber gunshot was heard, and smoke was seen rising from the roof of the SUV.
There were discrepancies in the report itself. On one page, a narrative states that when detectives arrived, they heard a gunshot and, in the dark, could not see if it was being fired at them, so they opened fire. On another page, a narrative states that when law enforcement arrived, they heard gunshots and four rounds were fired, and they were not sure what was happening in the dark. Despite these inconsistencies, District Attorney Ben David announced that he would not pursue charges against Officers Ian Lovell and Brendan McInerney, the two Wilmington police officers involved in the shooting death of Grace Louise Denk.
