In what began as a routine investigation into a brutal stabbing, a 27-year-old Black man, Leonard A. Morris, was shot and killed by police in his Southeast Roanoke home in early March of 1991. The events leading to the fatal confrontation started when a woman was found barefoot, partially clothed, and bleeding profusely from as many as 30 stab wounds in a parking lot, just two blocks from Morris's residence.
Before being taken to the hospital, the victim was able to name her attacker, leading police to Morris's door about an hour later.
Upon their arrival, officers reported that Morris was initially cordial and invited them inside. However, the situation escalated dramatically when Morris allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed one of the officers, H.P. McDaniel. According to the police account, Morris then charged at the other officers present, prompting Officer D.E. Sink and Sgt. G.C. Hurley to draw their firearms and shoot him. Morris was struck by as many as nine bullets and died at the scene. The investigation into the officer-involved shooting and the circumstances surrounding it quickly drew the attention of the community and civil rights organizations.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Morris's family, along with the Roanoke branch of the NAACP, raised questions about the use of excessive force by the police. His brother, Desmond Morris, spoke at a news conference, and the NAACP called for a federal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. Questions were raised about the number of shots fired and the presence of bullet holes in the floor of the living room where the incident occurred. The situation was further complicated by accusations that the white officers involved may have been emotionally influenced by a racially charged disorder they had responded to earlier that day. However, the case against Morris as the assailant in the stabbing was strengthened when the victim, recovering in the hospital, identified him from a photographic lineup. She was also able to provide details about the inside of his home that only someone who had been there would know, corroborating the police's reason for questioning him.
