Suicide or death by deputies? Lawsuit challenges how Black NC teen died in traffic stop

A federal lawsuit filed by the family of a Black teen who died during a traffic stop two years ago alleges he was shot in the head by Durham County sheriff’s deputies and did not kill himself, as the sheriff’s office reported.

The Durham County sheriff’s office issued a statement Thursday saying that no Durham County deputies “fired their weapon nor in any other way caused the death” of 18-year-old J’Mauri Bumpass on Dec. 15, 2019.

Bumpass was driving on Meriwether Drive in Durham, on his way to pick up his sister, when a sheriff’s deputy and a trainee pulled him over, the lawsuit alleges.

Preliminary autopsy results showed Bumpass died from a “close-range gunshot wound, consistent with suicide,” the sheriff’s office stated at the time, The News & Observer reported. The car then went on to hit a power pole, the sheriff’s office stated.

The deputies pulled Bumpass over because he was driving a car with fictitious tags, according to the sheriff’s office.

But the lawsuit alleges that Anthony L. Sharp Jr., a deputy at the scene, and Robert W. Osborne III, a trainee at the time, shot Bumpass. The lawsuit was filed by Hermena Miles Bumpass and Jerry Jerome Bumpass Sr.

A spokesperson with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said they typically don’t comment on pending litigation and have not been served by the court yet.

“We can state that neither Deputies Sharp, Osborne, nor any deputy with the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, fired their weapon nor in any other way caused the death of J’Mauri Bumpass,” spokesperson AnnMarie Breen wrote in an email to The N&O.

“We will reserve further comment until we have had the opportunity to review the lawsuit,” Breen wrote.

The lawsuit also names Sheriff Clarence Birkhead; Brent Crider, a deputy sheriff; Bryce D. Myers, a lieutenant; Jimmy D. Butler, a captain; and Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America.

The lawsuit alleges Sharp and Osborne “acted in concert to fatally shoot Mr. Bumpass in the head.”

The lawsuit, filed by attorney L. Allyn Sharp (no relation to the deputy), states the traffic stop violated Bumpass’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure and his 14th Amendment protection against states depriving citizens of life, liberty or property without due process.

The lawsuit also alleges obstruction of justice in Bumpass’s death.

The family is suing to recover damages for his wrongful death and for the infliction of emotional distress.

Dash camera was not working, lawsuit says

No one besides Bumpass and the two deputies were present when the shooting occurred, and the dash camera from the car was not working, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states Sharp and Osborne delayed emergency workers removing Bumpass from the car after it hit the pole and flipped over. The lawsuit said they acted as if he was an active shooter and then misrepresented that he was dead, when he was still breathing.

The lawsuit also alleges the sheriff’s office issued misleading press releases, made false statements, destroyed evidence, provided false information to state medical examiners and the State Bureau of Investigation and withheld information from the Bumpass family.

Please see newsobserver.com and heraldsun.com for updates to this story.

Database editor David Raynor contributed to this report.

This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 2:15 PM.