The wife of a man shot to death by Hemet police this week is calling the incident a “murder” and has confirmed she has retained lawyers “to ensure justice will be served.”
Hemet resident Shameka Drye, 27, has retained the services of two law firms while the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Force Investigation Detail investigates the shooting death Tuesday morning of her husband, Christian Drye, 30.
Hemet police released a report Wednesday about the event that happened a day earlier just after 10 a.m.
The report said police were investigating a recent theft when they moved into the residential area of South Harvard Street. Police claim they were searching the backyard of one house when they found an armed male in a neighboring yard.
Drye, the armed neighbor, was shot and mortally wounded by an officer. Drye was administered “lifesaving measures,” according to Hemet police, and transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The officer who killed Drye was placed on administrative leave, according to the report. No officers were injured during the incident.
Hemet police did not identify Drye in the report.
Shameka Drye confirmed the death on Wednesday in her GoFundMe account, which was established to raise money for the “funeral cost and lawyer fees to ensure justice will be served.”
“Christian Drye was murdered by Hemet PD,” she said on the account’s page. “My husband worked 2 jobs to ensure his kids [were] taken care of.”
Shameka Drye referred all calls to her lawyers at Riverside-based Grech & Packer Law and at Woodland Hills-based Dale K. Galipo Law. They did not respond immediately to an email for comment.
Christian Drye’s sister, Kara Connor, also established a GoFundMe account in which she said her brother “worked tirelessly to provide for his family.” She also said Christian Drye enjoyed motorcycle rides, “spending time with his [five] children [and] taking care of his mother.”
Connor provided an account of Tuesday’s shooting that differed from that given by police.
She wrote that officers had informed Christian Drye on Tuesday morning that a possible suspect may have been hiding in his backyard. Drye then told officers that he was the owner of a legally registered firearm and would head outside to check, according to Connor.
Connor alleges that once Drye stepped out of his home into the backyard, “police officers kicked down his gate and shot him.”
Connor disputes the police’s claim that Drye was still alive, saying that the shot killed him “instantly.”
She added that Drye was shot while his wife and two kids were present.
“The thought of them having to witness this horrific event is unimaginable,” Connor wrote.
Shameka Drye provided an account of events similar to those given by Connor to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, adding that three shots were fired.
Andrew J. Campa
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