Trepierre Hummons, 21, hinted that he was planning a “suicide by cop” just before he got involved in a fight with police officers that fatally wounded one officer and left Hummons dead.
Hummons called police twice to report a man with a gun, Chief Jeffrey Blackwell reported. The first officer who responded to the call, veteran cop Sonny Kim, quickly discovered that Hummons himself was the gunman when Hummons opened fire and Kim shot back.
Now wounded, Kim struggled with Hummons, and Hummons snatched Kim’s weapon. Other officers arrived, and in the gunfight that followed, Hummons was killed.
The 48-year-old Kim was killed in the incident, and his death left many officers in tears. He had served the city for 27 years.
“We lost one of our best today,” Blackwell told reporters at an emotional news conference. “Our hearts are broken.”
Shortly before the shooting incident, Hummons posted a goodbye to Facebook, hinting at his suicidal intention. “I love every last one of y’all to whoever has been in my life…You’re the real mvp,” Hummons wrote.
According to Blackwell, Hummons also sent out text messages that indicated he wanted to die and that said he wanted to go out by “suicide by cop.”
