Family expresses frustration over speed of investigation into officer-involved incident
Mickey Ray Rice
Tallulah – More than a week after a man was killed by a Graham County Sheriff’s deputy at the end of a high-speed chase, his identity has been confirmed.
Graham County Sheriff Jerry Crisp confirmed Monday afternoon to The Graham Star that the victim was 31-year-old Mickey Ray Rice of Dickson, Tenn. Rice was killed by Deputy Courtney Heaton at the end of Anderson Creek Road, after reportedly brandishing a BB gun at deputies involved in the chase.
Courtney is the wife of Graham County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Capt. J.J. Wooten. She was placed on administrative leave following the incident.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 20, Graham County Deputy Matthew Cox initiated a traffic stop on a Tennessee-registered, 2005 Nissan Altima driven by Rice.
Rice’s grandmother, Jean Johnson of Lebanon, Tenn., told the Star on Monday that the car belonged to Rice’s girlfriend, a fact Crisp confirmed to the Star on Tuesday morning.
Rice was pulled over for a pair of minor traffic infractions – Cox witnessed Rice turn into the wrong lane while making a left-hand turn onto Main Street at the Five Points Road intersection, then noted a broken taillight – but while Cox was calling in Rice’s information inside his patrol car, Rice took off, making a U-turn and heading south on U.S. 129.
Cox was soon joined in pursuit by three other officers – including Heaton – and after the chase reached speeds of 100 mph, Rice inexplicably turned onto Anderson Creek Road, which has no outlet.
Once Rice reached the dead end, he attempted to slide the Altima around to resume the chase, but Heaton – manning the lead car in the pursuit – was able to pin the Nissan in. At this point, Heaton exited and began to approach the Altima, when Rice attempted to get out of the car while holding a weapon.
According to Crisp, Rice ignored “multiple” commands to drop the weapon, at which point Heaton fired a single shot that struck Rice in the head. The weapon in Rice’s hand was later determined to be a BB gun.
Graham County EMS personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene and officers began life-saving efforts moments after the shooting occurred, but Rice quickly succumbed to his injuries. It was later discovered that Rice had warrants out for his arrest in Tennessee.
Johnson said Rice had spent a few days in the area hiking the Appalachian Trail, and had borrowed a cell phone to call his mother and tell her he was about to return home to Dickson, Tenn. – located approximately 42 miles west of Nashville – just before the events that ultimately led to his death began.
Both Jean and her husband Harold Johnson expressed frustration at the pace of the investigation, and the lack of information being shared by the investigating agencies.
The investigation is ongoing, and is led by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation. Special Agent Shannon Ashe is the lead investigator.
“I personally believe that they murdered him,” Jean said. “They said it was a routine traffic stop (that led to the chase), but in a routine traffic stop, you don’t end up dead 10 minutes later.”
According to Rice’s obituary, A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church in Dickson, Tenn. on Friday.