In the winter of 2017, the life of 43-year-old Charles Christopher McClure, a white male, came to a tragic end in Fulton, Kentucky. On January 16th, between 12:25 PM and 12:35 PM, the Fulton Police Department received multiple 911 calls about a disorderly man at the intersection of Commercial Avenue and East State Line Street. The man, identified as McClure, was reportedly swinging a pole at vehicles.
When officers arrived, they found McClure armed with both a pole and a knife.
The situation escalated when officers attempted to detain him. According to police reports, McClure was acting erratically and refused to obey officers' orders. During the confrontation, Fulton Police Sergeant James Buckingham, a law enforcement officer with over three decades of experience, shot McClure. McClure was transported to Jackson Purchase Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from two gunshot wounds to the torso.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Kentucky State Police launched an investigation, and Sergeant Buckingham was placed on administrative leave. The investigation included interviews with eyewitnesses and processing evidence from the scene. Subsequently, McClure's family filed a civil lawsuit in 2018 against the City of Fulton and several police officers. An attorney for the family alleged that the Fulton Police Chief perjured himself in an affidavit related to the events of the shooting. The lawsuit contended that while McClure was mentally disturbed and taking his anger out on vehicles, he did not intend to harm people. The case involved motions for summary judgment from both sides, seeking a court ruling without a full trial.
