North Catolina SWAT In Hot Water After Shooting Disabled Man With His Hands Up

Surveillance footage from inside the home of a Murphy, North Carolina, man provides an inside look at a December raid that left the homeowner shot multiple times.

On December 13, 2022, Jason Harley Kloepfer, 41, was reportedly shot several times by members of the Cherokee Indian Police SWAT Team. The incident was first reported by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office in a press release posted to social media later that day. In the post, authorities said on Monday, Dec. 12, a 911 call had alerted authorities to a disturbance with several gunshots at a residence on Upper Bear Paw Road.

According to the press release, “Recognizing there was an armed suspect present and the potential for a hostage situation, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant and requested assistance from the Cherokee Indian Police Department SWAT Team.”

The press release says the “suspected shooter engaged in a verbal altercation with officers and emerged from a camper trailer and confronted officers. Members of the Cherokee Indian Police SWAT Team fired upon the suspect and wounded him.”

The surveillance footage released by Kloepfer appears to show a conflicting account of the event.

The video shows footage, from inside the camper, of authorities placing a robotic camera inside the camper. The footage then shows Kloepfer and his wife awake to find the camera, pick it up and go to open the door.

Seconds later, officers fired several rounds at Kloepfer, who fell to the ground.

The video shows Kloepfer’s wife obeying orders to come out of the camper before SWAT Team members rush inside with guns drawn while Kloepfer is on the ground with his hands up.

In the surveillance footage, Kloepfer makes the claim that he is a “disabled man who was unarmed and complying with the commands of law enforcement officers when he was shot.”

Kloepfer was taken to the hospital to be treated for his wounds before being charged with communicating threats and resisting, obstruction and delay.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, Kloepfer says,

I am physically doing better, mentally me an Ali ain't so good on this one. We are out of state for fear of our lives since I got out the hospital. I can't talk to much about details right now as this is major major case still evolving. But like I said 5 weeks ago, trust me the news is completely wrong and so are my charges. I will be reaching out to everyone over next week or so. This has been and still is a horrible nightmare we are trying to get thru. We will make it thru!