Marcus Golden

Case Summary

On January 14 , 2015, at 2:20 a.m., Marcus Ryan Cullars-Golden was shot and killed by St. Paul police officers Jeremy Doverspike and Dan Peck. Doverspike and Peck self-responded to a service call for harassment from an unnamed 911 caller who reported Marcus was texting death threats to him. SPPD has failed to provide any evidence of these alleged text messages.

When a 911 call comes in, dispatch’s job is to accurately compile all the information, relay it to the police and send squad cars. The police officer’s job in a harassment call is to assess and investigate both sides of the situation. That is the reason that dispatch sent two training squad cars, Squad 221T and Squad 223T, to the call about Marcus. One squad car would talk to the 911 caller and the other squad car would talk to Marcus. Doverspike and Peck chose to escalate the situation by arriving without first notifying dispatch. By rushing in and not waiting on the dispatched squad cars, 221T and 223T, Doverspike and Peck placed themselves and Marcus in a dangerous but avoidable situation. Doverspike and Peck only had the narrative that was told to dispatch by the 911 caller and announced on the radio. The threats had not been investigated and no one had actually viewed the phone for any alleged threats at the time of contact with Marcus. Notably, the 911 caller was safely locked in the apartment building throughout the 911 phone call and the officer’s arrival. Therefore, Marcus Golden did not pose an immediate threat to the 911 caller, Ofc. Jeremy Doverspike, or Ofc. Dan Peck.

Doverspike and Peck could have prevented the death of Marcus Golden by following SPPD policies and basic training and firearm rules. Instead, they chose to violate them. First, they did not follow SPPD policies on notifying dispatch that they were going to the call. Secondly, they did not signal their arrival with lights or sirens. Third, the officers did not wait for backup and the assigned squads to arrive. Fourth, they did not follow basic investigation procedures for determining if a crime was even committed or preserving evidence of a crime. Fifth, they could’ve let Marcus simply drive away. Instead, they pursued him on foot. Lastly, the officers also fired at a moving vehicle from approximately 80 feet away. In doing so, they fired toward an apartment building and towards their fellow officers who were entering the parking lot from the east.

Marcus was parked in the far west corner of a narrow and steep apartment parking lot. The driveway to the lot has only one way in and out and is very long and curved. Jeremy Doverspike and Dan Peck arrived in a squad car without lights or a siren on, knowing that in-car cameras would not be activated unless their overhead lights were switched on. According to the surveillance camera from the apartment building lobby, the officers pulled into the lot at 2:19:24am. Forty-six seconds later, the surveillance camera captures Marcus’s car, a green GMC Jimmy, driving in the opposite direction, towards the parking lot exit. It is this Reinvestigation Team’s belief that it is at approximately this moment that Officers Doverspike and Peck shot Marcus from approximately 80 feet away. We are unable to confirm this statement because SPPD failed to conduct ballistics testing. Another twelve seconds later, the officers aired over the radio that shots were fired.

The crime scene photos will show how the snow helped preserve the facts of this case. You will see how the officer’s narrative describes how Marcus drove straight at them but this was not the reality. You will see how the officers’ own footprints tell the truth about their actions in Marcus’s death. You will hear in the SPPD press conference that the male 911 caller is suddenly portrayed as a female. This is to paint the situation as a domestic call and twist the facts to make the case more reasonable that the officers killed Marcus as he was driving away. Shooting him once in the left arm as he tried to steer and once in the back of the head. From these tracks it is obvious Marcus tried to avoid the officers, placing his own life in danger by driving near a steep ditch. Marcus even hit a fire hydrant trying to get as far away as possible from Officer Doverspike. Officer Doverspike’s footprints show he was in the way of the only escape route Marcus had to leave safely . The Officers had no proof of the alleged threats. The 911 caller had not shown anyone his text messages this was all hearsay at this point. Officer Doverspike and Officer Peck were also aware that there was one way into the apartment parking lot and there were other officers on the way. Officer Doverspike had already called in the license plate.
We have to ask;

What threat, at that moment, did Marcus pose?
What was the reason to fire any shots at a leaving Marcus toward an apartment building full of people?

No charges were brought against the officers in the aftermath of this incident. Marcus Golden’s family, loved ones, and community deserve a complete explanation of this incident and the mistakes made by authorities throughout.

This report provides a thorough review of this incident, showing that this police killing should not have occurred and demonstrating the need for an official independent review of the case. The report includes conclusions and recommendations to prevent further needless deaths at the hands of SPPD officers.

Timeline

Issues with the Investigation

The events that unfolded after Doverspike and Peck arrived at the scene are described thoroughly in the RWG report. Our investigation shows that Marcus Golden died due to:

• The failure of SPPD Officers Doverspike and Peck to follow SPPD policy on: notifying dispatch of call response; activation of squad lights, sirens, and camera when making a stop; determining whether a crime has been committed.
• The failure of Officers Doverspike and Peck to follow SPPD policy and proper law enforcement training at shooting at a moving vehicle.
• The violation of the rules of justifiable use of deadly force by Officers Doverspike and Peck for shooting at a subject who was not an immediate threat to themselves or others at the time of the shooting.
• A failure of SPPD and all investigators for releasing inaccurate information to the media, therefore compromising the integrity of the investigation and Marcus’ fourth amendment rights.

Additionally, we assert that several actors, including the Washington County Attorney, the Ramsey County Attorney, and the SPPD failed to demonstrate appropriate accountability and investigate the incident thoroughly to get the truth of what happened.