Gofundme Page Setup for Family of man killed in Police Shooting in Franklin

Franklin, NC -- April 30, 2018 Macon County Sheriff's officers arrived at a home on Pheasant Drive in Franklin, NC. in a call about a from a resident, claiming his neighbor had placed nails in their driveway.

By the end of this response to the call, the neighbor, 47-year-old Scott Knibbs was dead. 

Sheriff Robert Holland said the following shortly after the incident “Upon my arrival and after checking on my officers and reviewing the scene, I contacted and requested the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to conduct a full investigation into the incident. Because this is an SBI investigation, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office is not in the position to disclose any additional information until the conclusion of the SBI investigation and subsequent review by the District Attorney’s Office.”

Multi media reports the following statement :

Mark R. Melrose and Adam R. Melrose of Melrose Law have been retained to represent the family of Scott Knibbs who was killed by a Macon County Sheriff’s Deputy.

Scott was home with his wife, his 13 year old son, his 22 year old daughter, and his 5 month old grandson in a home they purchased 5 years ago. Earlier that evening, Scott told a man who had pulled into the Knibbs’ driveway looking for a house party next door to leave and not return. Around midnight, a man’s voice was heard yelling from the front of their home.

There was no patrol car parked outside the Knibbs home, no blue lights, and no advance warning that a rookie police officer was approaching their home. Scott was concerned for the safety of his family. Scott retrieved the shotgun he kept in the bedroom for self-defense. Scott then walked towards the front door to see who was yelling at his family’s front door.

The man yelled demands from outside on the porch. Seconds later the Deputy fired multiple shots from outside the Knibbs house, through a front window, striking Scott. Scott never had a chance to open the front door, or speak to the officer. Scott bled to death just a few steps away from the front door in his own dining room. The Deputy did not administer first-aid while he awaited backup from other officers and EMS.

Scott worked in construction, and was married to his wife, Missy, for 25 years. He had no criminal record. He had nothing but respect for law enforcement. In fact, Scott had graduated from Basic Law Enforcement Training at Southwestern Community College in the 1990’s. Scott and his family attended the Cullasaja Assembly of God for the past 25 years.

This was apparently a complaint made by the neighbors who were renting a house next door. There was a high volume of traffic going up to the neighbor’s house at all hours. Contrary to initial reports of spiked boards in the roadway, the boards were actually speed bumps placed in the common roadway to slow visitors down as they passed the Knibbs home due to the children who frequently played in the front yard.

At this time we are actively investigating the circumstances of Scott’s death. We want to understand why an unverified middle-of-the-night complaint by a neighbor resulted in a rookie officer demanding entry into the Knibbs home unannounced. We want to understand why the officer had his weapon out. We want to learn what urgency existed for a solo Deputy to “investigate” a neighbor’s complaint in the middle of the night. We want to learn why this happened when the Deputy did not have a search warrant, arrest warrant, or probable cause to enter the home or arrest anyone within the home.

We have promised the Knibbs family to learn the truth of why Scott was killed in his own home from shots fired from outside his residence by a rookie officer."

A Gofundme Page has been setup for Scott Knibbs family