KANSAN
KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOFKEA, KS 66612
VOL. 101, No. 137
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
TUESDAY,APRIL 23,1991
(USPS 650-640)
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
NEWS:864-4810
Police wait for shooting death inquest results
Findings may reveal whether officers acted appropriately
By Patricia Rojas
Kansan staff writer
The investigators in Sunday's shooting of a 22-year-old man by Lawrence police officers will wait for the coroner inquest scheduled for April 30 before releasing details about the death.
Gregory Allen Sevier was shot
Sunday morning at his home, 1627
E. 18th Street Terrace, by police
officials who were called to the
scene at 2:28 a.m. by relatives of
the victim.
The relatives asked police for assistance in dealing with Sevier, who was armed with a knife and pistol and had been taken from law enforcement. Police exported
Officers Ted Bordman and James Philips arrived at Sevier's residence at the request of the family said don Flory, Douglas Hewlett, Sgt. yesterday Lawrence police sgt George Wheeler was with them.
Floy: said the family members informed police officers about Sevira's behavior upon their arrival. He would not comment on the information the family gave police at scene.
Flory did not have any information indicating that Sevier was threatening to take his own life or that of a family member.
Present at Sevier's residence at the time of the shooting were Wheeler, Bordman, Phillips and three family members whose names were not disclosed by police.
Flory gave the two officers came in contact with Sevier after speaking with his relatives.
"At that point the officers determined that Sevier was armed with a large knife." Flory said. "They made repeated requests for Mr. Sevier to drop the knife, disarm himself, and at that point he initiated attack and attacked Officer Bordman.
"Both officers Bordman and Phillips fired their service weapons. Mr. Sevier was struck."
I only said Sevier was hit by more than one shot, but he declined to give the number of shots he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Flory would not comment on whether the officers had been justified in shooting Sevier instead of resorting to other, less drastic measures of disarming him.
"I don't think it would be appropriate for me to speculate on why they did what they did," he said. "The purpose of the coroner's inquest is to explore all of those questions, and attempt to find answers."
Flory said officials would not release any details about the investigation before the inquest, scheduled for 9 a.m. April 30. The location of the inquest has not been confirmed.
'At this point I would like to say that we welcome the public's review of this particular incident and are looking toward the coroner's inquest as the vehicle for that review.'
Ron Olin Lawrence police chief
Lawrence Police Chief Ron Olin did the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and KU police were helping law enforcement in the investigation of the case.
Bordman and Phillips were placed on administrative leave with pay.
He said breathalyzer tests were performed on both officers, who tested negative Drug tests also and not been completed yesterday.
He said he did not believe the shooting of Sevier, an American Indian, was not racially motivated.
"At this point I would like to say that we welcome the public's review of this particular incident and are looking toward the coroner's inquest as the vehicle for that review." Olin said.
Flory said the Douglas County Coroner, Carol Moddrell, had performed an autopsy yesterday morning. Kris Sperry, a forensic pathologist from Atlanta, assisted Moddrell in the autopsy
No official results were available yesterday.
The Sewier family has declined to comment. The Lawrence university Center is organizing a program to address the issue Sunday.
Funeral services for Sevier will be at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Warren McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 138th Street, Robert Pinedzadebly officiating.
Sevier was born July 23, 1986 in Tailequh, Okla., the son of Willie and Orene Watson Sevier. He attended grade school and junior high school in Okla. He was deuated in 1988 from Sequoyah High School in Tailequh.
Survivors include his parents, Willie and Orene Sevier, and two sisters, Judy Sevier Hoffman and Juliet Sevier Gudenkan, all of whom are ill.
Sevier was self-employed.
Burial will be at 2 p.m. Thursday on Sevier family land in Hitchita, Okla.
Contributions may be sent to the Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th St., Lawrence, Kan.
Committee to create contingency plan for graduation in case of bad weather
By Jonathan Plummer
The commencement committee will meet today to create a contingency plan for the graduation ceremony it bad weather should occur.
In a news release, Deil Shankler, interim executive vice chancellor, stated that the committee would look for alternative sites for a series of ceremonies if one complete event at Memorial Stadium was impossible.
The committee ruled earlier that the ceremony would be canceled rather than conducted in Allen Field House, as it was in 1981, it rain prohibited it from being in Memorial Stadium.
Susan Elkins, a member of the committee, said she thought the special meeting was called because of negative student, faculty and staff
Previously, the committee had considered moving the ceremony to another day in case of bad weather, an idea that caused William Bayne. Lawrence senior, to help organize a protest.
response to the announcement that the ceremony could be canceled.
Bayne said the rally would occur as planned at noon tomorrow in front of Strong Hall, whether the University planned to conduct commencement
stand if the committee proposed moving the ceremony to another day but that a better plan should be adopted for the future.
"Either it will be a protest, or it will be a fun meeting," he said.
"I'd like to have all of us sit down and work something out because graduation is the point of why we are here." Mr. Alvey said. "We are all going to do eventually."
Bayne said that at the rally tomor row those who opposed the new policy should stand in front of Strong and he laughed that they favored it in front of Wescoda Hall.
Mendez said she would attend tomorrow's rally unless the University administration as well as the commencement committee confirmed a contingency policy
Liz Mendez, Kansas City, Kan. senior, said that she would under
"My feeling is that graduation is not only for me but it is primarily for my family and friends," she said. There are a lot of other people that wear masks to the blood, sweat and tears of the college experience, not just that individual."
ore than one year after the unexplained death of 19-year-old Chris Bread, police still have no answers. if anything, more questions linger. See story, page 8
Problems with furnaces and ventilation at the glass-blowing barn on West Campus have prompted a shutdown of the building.
Glass-blowing barn closes
Safety concerns result in temporary shutdown of arts facility
Kansan staff writer
By Nedra Beth Randolph
Safety concerns at KU's glass-blowing barn have prompted a partial shutdown of the facility, the dean of fine arts said yesterday.
"Certain operations of the glass-blowing program will be stopped until further notice." Peter Thompson says. "I don't have any students getting hurt."
Thompson said the shutdown would include turning down the hot-glass equipment.
pistol; the three officers fired in self-defense. The shooting occurred after police questioned Picotte about an armed robbery the week before at Site Service Station, 946 E. 23rd St.
Shooting of civilian unusual, police say
The other shooting incident happened about one-and-a-half years ago when officers shot a man at the Willey Pontiase Cadillac. 284low victims. The victim was holding a security guard at gimpoint.
He said the barn, which is situated on West Campus, would be unavailable for student use until electricians and University safety officials could insult it. He said inspections should begin today.
He said that one occurred four or five years ago when a detective shot a man suspected of robbery. The man survived.
The last time officers killed a civilian was in March 1977, when three officers shot and killed Laurence Picotte, Haskell Indian Junior College sophomore, at 1009 Massachusetts St., what was then the Long Branch Bar and is now Louise's Bar.
"Hey, safety comes first. My students are first," he said. "If somebody's afraid of something, it should be looked at."
Between Sunday's incident and the 1977 shooting death, only two other cases were reported of people shooting civilians, Harmon said.
said. "We are aware of some problems, and we are addressing them."
Vernon Brejeg, associate professor of design in charge of the glass program, said he had no problem with the partial shutdown of the barn.
This is not a new problem." he
Brejcha said he had been working to solve some of the safety problems since November 1989. This summer he built a barn and barn is slated for partial renovation.
Jonathan Cohen, Mission Hills senior, said he distributed a packet about glass-blowing safety throughout the University this month that addressed problems with furnaces, electrical wiring, natural gas lines
At the time, police reported that Picotte threatened police with a
After the incident, police reported that Picotte's gun had not been loaded.
and ventilation.
He said problems included unground wires, dangerously situated gas lines and unsafe ventilation.
"The equipment at the barn is designed dangerously, and people are not told how to use it," he said.
Cases of Lawrence police officers shooting and killing civilians are infrequent, said Sgt. Kevin Johnson. The police representative, yesterday.
His comments came after a Sunday morning incident in which Lawrence police officers shot and killed an armed man at his residence.
The furnace, which is kept on at all times, is unsafe as well, he said. The handles become too hot to touch and flames are exposed when the furnace
He said he had been trying to direct attention toward the safety concerns for two years but had been ignored by a police officer. He said the only instructor in the program.
He said much of the equipment probably would be repaired or replaced this summer if enough money was available.
"I've been working on it for several years," Zeller said. "And we've brought it to the attention of the administration."
Joe Zeller, design chairperson,
said Cohen's packet about safety
in the face of a bully.
more aware of the problems.
"It's not very often at all that we use our weapons," Harmon said.
Susan Holland, Leavenworth senior, said that although she would be inconvenienced by the shutdown, safety issues were being addressed.
About 25 students are using the barn this semester.
Kansan staff report
“It’s protecting people's lives. It should have been done before,” she said. “I’m hoping that the issues can be solved so we can keep on with the program.”
Earthquake rattles Central America, damages Costa Rica, Western Panama
The Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Stricken areas remained cut off today and the Carribean city of Puerto Limon was devastated after a major earthquake killed at least 19 people and injuring more than 100.
Scores of people were feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings after the quake, which hit Mexico early in 2016 and thousands were left homeless.
In Puerto Limon, home to 130,000 people, the three-story International Hotel, an office building and dozens of houses collapsed Firefighters struggled with major fires well into night, and water and power were out.
When the quake hit, the sea receded 100 feet and people fleed for higher ground.
San Jose, the capital, suffered extensive damage and, throughout the city, many of its buildings were destroyed.
'This place looks like one of these Hollywood apocalyptic movies. It felt like the world was coming to an end as everything moved and heaved.'
— Rigoberto Perez Puerto Limon resident
roads blocked by landslides and power lines severed.
"This place looks like one of these Hollywood apocalyptic movies. It felt like the world was coming to an end as everything moved and heaved." Rigoberto Pererez, a resident of Puerto Limon, said by telephone.
Authorities said eight people died and 15 were injured in the Panamanian provinces of Bocas del Toro and
At least 11 people died in the collapse of the two big buildings in Puerto Limon. Red Cross officials said
Chiriqui, near the Costa Rican border.
The quake was centered 70 miles southeast of San Jose, said Willis Jacobs of the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. The first jolt, which was followed by more than 20 aftershocks, five of them serious, struck at 3:58 p.m. Monday (5:58 p.m. EDT).
He said a first planeload of U.S. aid was arriving today.
Nicaragua was also sending helicopters to evacuate some of the injured, and Mexico and Venezuela also promised help.
President Rafael Angel Calderon appealed to President Bush and Latin American governments for medicine and other humanitarian
"Let us all embrace (each other) and may God help us so that we can help our brothers in Limon." He told in a nationwide radio broadcast.
He said he planned to tour stricken areas today.
In Puerto Limon, dozens of houses fell apart with the first jolt, since virtually all the city's homes are old and wooden.
Alberto Leo, a Red Cross official,
said at a news conference that a preliminary survey showed that 11 people died and 24 were injured in the collapse of the International Hotel and the office building.
The Customs House was also destroyed.
At a government-owned refinery on the outskirts of the port, a gasoline tank exploded, sending up a huge fireball, and an electrical short-circuit set a factory ablaze, the fire department said.
The local hospital was so badly damaged that all 28 patients had to be moved out, including 12 newborn babies who were flown to San Jose.