Police Brutality / Individual record
James Allen
James Howard Allen, an elderly Army veteran, was shot by Gastonia police during a welfare check at his home on February 7, 2015. His family's obituary records his death on February 8.
- Record ID
- PB-102
- Incident date
- February 7, 2015
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Gastonia, NC
- Agency
- Gastonia Police Department
- Category
- Fatal on-duty police shooting
- Age (reported)
- 74
What happened
Relatives became worried about James Howard Allen, 74, who was recovering at home after medical treatment, and requested a welfare check. Gastonia officers arrived at his Mary Avenue house on February 7, 2015. After an initial unanswered knock, firefighters forced the door open so an officer could enter. Police said Allen appeared carrying a gun and pointed it toward Officer Josh Lefevers, who fired a fatal round into Allen's chest. Family members and a friend questioned whether the elderly veteran, awakened by a forced entry, believed intruders were entering his home. His sister and other relatives publicly challenged the circumstances, describing a man killed in the very residence where he should have been safe. The fatal incident illustrates the danger when routine welfare checks escalate into forceful entries without sufficient regard for a resident's confusion or vulnerability.
Investigation & findings
Gaston County's district attorney cleared Officer Josh Lefevers in May 2015, according to WBTV. Separate death-date records conflict in the sources: news reports describe the February 7 shooting as fatal that night, while the family's funeral-home obituary gives February 8 as the date of death.
Washington Post Fatal Force v2; 2015–2024
Source record details
- Source incident ID
- 554
- Race code in source
- B
- Race source method
- not_available
- Gender (source)
- male
- Armed status (source)
- gun
- Flee status (source)
- not
- Agency IDs (source)
- 317
Last reviewed: October 25, 2026
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Additional source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology
- Fatal Force v2 — fatal on-duty police shootings, 2015–2024The Washington Post · Dataset
- Fatal Force methodology and data limitationsThe Washington Post · Methodology