Sister: Lynn Police denied private detail

LYNN – The sister of a man fatally shot by police last year said the local department wanted “nothing to do with” providing a private security detail for a proposed event to raise money for the dead man’s gravestone.”We didn’t want any chaos, anything to go wrong, didn’t want any trouble, so we thought we’d have a police detail,” Latisha Payne, the sister of Brandon Payne, said Tuesday. “For (police) to say (they) didn’t want anything to do with it, was just really disrespectful.”But Lynn Police said they never received a request for the detail nor had any knowledge of the proposed event. Nevertheless, a spokesperson said the department tries to honor any detail request.”We attempt to fill any private detail,” Lynn Police Lt. Christopher Kelly said Tuesday. “We’re not going to discriminate in any type of area – we don’t do it on a case-by-case basis.”Three Lynn police officers and a state trooper fired when Brandon Payne, 23, allegedly slammed the car he was driving into an unmarked police cruiser during an attempted motor vehicle stop last July 22. Police recovered loaded weapons from both Payne’s vehicle and another vehicle police tried to stop in the incident. Two Lynn men and a New Jersey man have been indicted on federal charges stemming from the incident.Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett issued a report in November saying the officers were justified in using deadly force. The report said a wiretap revealed Payne was about to commit an armed home invasion at the time of the attempted stop and officers were “in imminent danger of being run down” by Payne when they fired at the vehicle.Latisha Payne said the family was planning an event on July 21 to raise money for Brandon Payne’s tombstone and to celebrate her brother’s life.She said a cousin approached a Lynn Police officer – she did not know whom – and the officer said Lynn Police wanted nothing to do with the event. Latisha Payne said the family was willing to pay for the detail.But Kelly said all requests for a private detail are handled the same way; a person is connected to the detail officer who handles all requests, that person will post the opportunity, and any available officer can sign up.Kelly said the police department has not received any request for such a fundraiser, however, nor had the detail officer been approached about any possible event around that date.Payne said she did not believe that. But she said the family had now decided against holding any event.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].