Angela Perkins

Manslaughter Charges Filed in Officer-Involved Shooting

Nine months after the death of Angela Perkins in Mountain View, charges have been filed
Israel Guidry has been charged in connection with the September 2019 death of Angela Perkins
Angela Perkins, 38, of Cotter, Ark., died in an officer-involved shooting in Mountain View on Monday, September 29. According to a probable cause statement submitted by Corporal Paul R. Wells of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the shooting occurred just before midnight on County Road 3080, west of the Mountain View city limits.
The incident took place after a Mountain View Police Officer, Israel Guidry, initiated a traffic stop while Perkins was driving inside city limits. Perkins fled the traffic stop, and Guidry pursued her outside the city limits into Howell County. The officer eventually lost sight of Perkins’ vehicle.  
On his way back into the City of Mountain View, Guidry spotted the vehicle in a ditch where it had apparently crashed in the chase.
In a formal interview with MSHP investigators, Guidry said he was concerned the driver had been injured in the crash. He exited his patrol car and approached the driver’s side door of Perkins’ truck. Guidry had his duty pistol drawn in the low ready position because he was “unsure of the driver’s intentions.”
Perkins was trying to free the truck from where it was stuck in the ditch while Guidry stood approximately five feet from the driver's side door giving commands to Perkins to cut the engine, which she ignored.
The probable cause statement recounts a verbal exchange in which Guidry says Perkins asked, “You going to shoot me?”
“I will if I have to,” Guidry said he replied. 
Perkins shifted into reverse and drove backwards out of the ditch and into a residential driveway. Guidry positioned himself in the roadway and continued to give commands to shut off the vehicle. 
The driver ignored these commands and instead drove forward. Guidry said he heard tires spin and recalls seeing the truck come towards him. He said he believed it was Perkins’ intent to kill him. 
Guidry fired five rounds into the hood, windshield, passenger’s side A pillar, passenger’s side front window, and passenger’s side extended cab window. Guidry reported seeing Perkins duck under the dash at the sound of the shots. Perkins’ vehicle drove on a short distance before it crashed on County Road 3080. Guidry arrived at the scene of the crash where he began to administer first aid to the wounded and bleeding woman. Officer Charles Brown arrived soon after to assist. An autopsy of Angela Perkins determined her cause of death to be a penetrating gunshot wound to the torso that entered from the lower right back that traveled up through her liver, lungs, and aorta. 
Guidry deactivated the emergency lights on his patrol car after losing sight of Perkins. As such, the camera in the vehicle was not activated when he approached her and fired his weapon. Though he was wearing his body camera, it was not activated. No video of the interaction was captured. 
Because of the nature of the incident, the MSHP proceeded to investigate Perkins' death and Guidry's involvement. In response to a request for information filed by Howell County News on January 4, 2020, MSHP declined to provide further information because their investigation was ongoing. On April 1, another records request revealed the law enforcement inquiry was complete, and information had been forwarded to the Howell County Prosecuting Attorney. Captain Paul Kennedy of the MSHP told Howell County News he expected the prosecuting attorney’s office to convene a grand jury. The prosecuting attorney's office did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails throughout the year requesting information on the progress of this case, and on June 17, made a statement over the phone that no prosecutors from the county will be making a statement. 
 On June 16, almost nine months after Perkins’ death, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Weatherman filed one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of armed criminal action against Guidry. The accused is scheduled to appear before the Honorable R. David Ray on July 20.
Guidry has remained in the employ of the City of Mountain View since the incident, although not in a police capacity.

Howell County News

110 W. Main St.,
Willow Springs, MO 65793
417-252-2123

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