Mother of William Noah Jenkins disputes information given to News 11

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - The mother of William Noah Jenkins, who died Saturday night after being involved in a police chase, disputes information given to News 11 about her son.

Karrie King, Jenkins’ mother, contacted News 11, stating that her son did not run from the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department on Friday night.

According to King, Jenkins was driving her vehicle in Philadelphia, Miss., Friday night until he picked up his brother in Meridian, Miss., around 9 p.m., then went home and worked on a truck with his stepfather the rest of the night. King said her son’s bike never left their driveway.

King wants people to know that she believes her son was in the wrong for not stopping when a Meridian Police Department officer attempted a traffic stop Saturday night. However, King told News 11 that Jenkins is not the criminal people are making him out to be on social media.

King said her son was a good kid who made a stupid decision Saturday night. But King also believes the officer is at fault as well.

“The bottom line is, if that cop had not ran my child down like a dog, he would still be alive,” said King.

Jenkins died after he crashed into the back of another vehicle while allegedly attempting to evade an officer.

In September, the Police Executive Research Forum, a national think tank on policing standards, released a report hoping to decrease the hundreds of deaths caused by police chases in the U.S. each year. The report calls for police not to start a pursuit unless a violent crime has been committed and the suspect poses an imminent threat. However, it is legal for a police officer to engage in a pursuit with a vehicle inside city limits. It is up to individual departments and jurisdictions if they set a policy on pursuits inside city limits.

King told News 11 that Jenkins was a former Marine who received a medical discharge in January due to a PTSD diagnosis, in addition to physical injuries sustained while in service.

According to an article on marines.mil, PTSD can be described as a type of avoidance disorder. The person may strive to avoid situations or experiences that cause them to relive the traumatic event. It can also be compounded by additional factors such as anxiety, depression, or an addiction disorder.

King said she believes driving fast was her son’s way of dealing with his trauma.

“He was just trying to, you know, find some peace somewhere,” said King. “People become alcoholics because alcohol gives them the peace and the rest that they need. They become crackheads because that’s the only time they can find any comfort. That child didn’t do drugs. He didn’t drink. He drove fast.”

King said she feels for the people in the vehicle Jenkins crashed into and their mother.

“I would love to just hug her and tell her I’m sorry,” said King, “but I’m pretty sure that she’s angry. And she has every right to be angry. I mean, I would be, too.”

“Noah was a wonderful person. He would help anybody,” said Jennifer Boswell, Noah’s aunt. “He would do anything anybody asked, and I don’t want him to be remembered for the comments they’re saying. He was a very respectful young man.”