BENSON POLICE DEPARTMENT
303 EAST CHURCH STREET
BENSON, NC 27504
TELEPHONE 919-894-3616 FAX 919-207-1993
- - -PRESS RELEASE- - -
May 28, 2007
On May 25, 2007, at approximately 2:30 PM, a report of a Suicidal Person was called in to the Police Department. The caller stated that a subject, identified as "Sweet Pea," or Larry Raymond Spencer, had walked out of Pat's Grocery, on South Wall Street in Benson, armed with a handgun, and had stated he was going to shoot himself.
Chief Kenneth Edwards, Lt. Greg Percy, and Officer Sheila Massengill responded to the scene, and located Spencer at a building just South of Pat's Grocery. He was in fact armed with a handgun, so Edwards, Percy, and Massengill took positions of concealment around Spencer, and repeatedly tried to convince him to put the handgun down. He refused to drop the weapon though, and put the gun to his head several times, while walking, kneeling, and laying down behind the building.
After a 30 minute stand-off, Spencer walked across the lot back towards Pat's Grocery, where a crowd had gathered, and where Edwards and Massengill had concealed themselves, and he was instructed by Chief Edwards to drop the weapon. Spencer raised the handgun though, and pointed it towards the Chief, so Edwards utilized his TASER to incapacitate Spencer, and he was subsequently taken into custody, with minor injuries.
One loaded Indian Sales 25 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene.
Larry Spencer (B/M DOB 2-28-1948) was transported to Johnston Memorial Hospital by Benson EMS, and was later ordered held under an Involuntary Commitment paper at Johnston County Mental Health. No charges are planned in this incident.
For additional information, contact Chief Kenneth Edwards at 919-894-2091.