Pagans MC member is shot dead

James M. Hicks Jr.

Man shot dead refused to drop gun, police say
By Mark Bowes
October 7, 2009


A Pagans Motorcycle Club member was fatally shot by police trying to serve a search warrant at his home after he refused an order to drop a shotgun he held as state and federal officers entered, state police said today.

After announcing their presence, the officers were confronted by James M. Hicks Jr., 45, who was armed with a shotgun, state police Sgt. Thomas Molnar said this afternoon.

He was then shot multiple times after being ordered to drop the weapon and he refused to do so, Molnar said. He died of a gunshot wound to his torso, according to the state medical examiner’s office.

Molnar said the officer who fired the shot was a member of the Virginia State Police tactical team. The officers had to forcibly enter the home about 6 a.m. after no one answered the door, Molnar said.

The police account of yesterday’s events conflicts with a statement issued earlier today by Hicks’ attorney, who said Hicks was armed but he did not brandish, point or fire his gun as the officers entered. A family member who refused to be identified said today that Hicks was armed because he believed someone was trying to break into his house.

Defense attorney John Rockecharlie, who was representing James M. Hicks Jr. on a felony drug charge in Chesterfield County, also said federal agents didn’t find any contraband during a search of his home in the 10000 block of Halifax Road in northern Dinwiddie County.

Rockecharlie said he was advised of that information by a “reliable source” he declined to identify. Since yesterday’s shooting, Rockecharlie said he’s been in contact with Hicks’ family, including his wife, who was inside the house when her husband was shot.

“His family and friends are devastated by the events of yesterday morning,“ Rockecharlie said in a prepared statement after being contacted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “They are at a loss to understand why the police handled the situation in such a manner. James did not fire, point or brandish a firearm at any officer.

“In the chaos that was created by the police smashing down the door to his home, James was taken from his loved ones,“ the attorney added. “We hope the authorities look closely at the actions of the police officers involved.“

The attorney said he didn’t know whether yesterday’s raid by state police and agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had anything to do with Hicks’ arrest in July on drug and gun charges in Chesterfield.

A felony charge of possession of methamphetamine was certified against Hicks last month to a Chesterfield Circuit Court grand jury.

According to court documents and information provided by Rockecharlie, Hicks was arrested July 11 after a state trooper stopped him on northbound Interstate 95 near the state Route 10 exit in Chesterfield.

Hicks was riding his 1999 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was wearing Pagans paraphernalia at the time, including a jacket with the club’s emblem on the back. He was stopped for wearing a non-approved helmet while riding his bike.

“He looked like he was right out of the Sons of Anarchy,“ said Rockecharlie, referring to a popular cable television series that chronicles the lives of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

According to court records, Hicks cooperated with the trooper who stopped him and told the officer “everything he had on him.“ That included a .357-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol in his motorcycle saddle bag, along with 0.068 grams of powdered methamphetamine, 3.8 grams of marijuana and four tabs of a pharmaceutical drug that Rockecharlie said he had a prescription for. Those pills contained hydrocodone and dihydrocodeine, according to a state laboratory report included in court records.

At a court hearing Sept. 18, Hicks was convicted of a reduced count of possession of drug paraphernalia for the marijuana offense and a concealed weapon charge was withdrawn by prosecutors. Hicks waived his preliminary hearing on the felony drug charge and it was certified by a judge to circuit court. A grand jury was to have considered an indictment on that charge in November.

Citing the search warrant that had been sealed by a federal court, state police and ATF officials have declined to provide details about their case, the nature of the search warrant they were serving or the circumstances that preceded the shooting. Authorities today said they may release additional information.

Court records list Hicks’ occupation as a mechanic/welder. On a financial disclosure form filed with his arrest papers, Hicks wrote that he had been employed eight years with Truck Service of Virginia in Disputanta. A company spokeswoman today confirmed Hicks’ employment and described him as a reliable, hard-working employee.



Tag Cloud
[keywords: white gangster disciples, 211 crew, hells angels prison, gangland pagans, aryan alliance, saxon knight, insane gangster disciples, gipsy jokers, gypsy joker motorcycle club, gypsy jokers, white prison gangs, saxon knights, insane gangster disciple, pagan motorcycle club, deadman inc, pagans mc, tom silverstein, insane gangsta disciples, pagans motorcycle club, pagan mc club, the pagans mc, dead man inc prison gang, pagans mc chapters, dead man inc, pagans motorcycle clubs, white prison gangs, white gangster disciples, aryan brotherhood tattoos, aryan brotherhood gang, aryan brotherhood texas, michael thompson aryan brotherhood, aryan brotherhood trial, aryan brotherhood leaders, aryan brotherhood history, aryan brotherhood symbols, aryan brotherhood members, white gangs in america, chicago white gangs, white gangs in california, white gangs in los angeles, list of white gangs, white gangs in prison, white gangs in la, orange county white gangs, white gangs in texas, vago motorcycle club, black pistons, gypsy joker mc, brother speed motorcycle club, pagan motorcycle gang, pagan biker gang, pagans biker gang, gypsy jokers mc, gypsy jokers motorcycle club, vagos motorcycle club, white gangs in prison, nazi low riders prison gang, vagos motorcycle clubs, gangster disciples stacking, pagans mc patch, vagos motorcycle gang, white aryan resistance, hells angels biker gang, kkk gangs, insane gangster disciple nation, insane gangsta disciple, outlaw biker gangs, pagan mc, hells angels patches, black piston mc, gangland devils fire, dead man inc prison gang, dead man incorporated, white racist gangs, dead man incorporated gang, pagans motorcycle gang, the breed motorcycle club, breed motorcycle club, vagos mc club, diablos mc, white gangs in america, white prison gangs, aryan circle, thomas silverstein, vago s, 1 percent motorcycle clubs, vagos mc, dead man incorporated gang, the breed motorcycle club, gangster disciples literature, gangster disciple literature, arian circle, gipsy joker, breed motorcycle club, pagans motorcycle, dead men inc, hells angels motorcycle club, pagans mc club, vago mc, vagos motorcycle club website, thomas silverstein prison, prison skinhead, gypsy joker, prison skinheads, gangland mc, pagan mc, brothers speed mc, dead men incorporated, brother speed mc, the outlaws mc, hells angels bikie gang, one percenter motorcycle clubs, the breed motorcycle gang, white gangs in prison, one percent motorcycle clubs, gangster disciple stacking, jokers mc, breed motorcycle, vagos biker gang, almighty gaylords, prison gang tattoo, gang tattoo identification, gang tattoo meanings, gang tattoo designs, gang tattoo symbols, gang tattoo database, gang tattoo art]