Charles Vaughn

Charles Vaughn Sr. was a highly respected member of his community and a well-loved teacher who was gunned down by police one year ago in Seaside, a town just outside Monterey, California.

After completing his military service, Charles Vaughn, Sr. obtained a Bachelor's Degree from UC Santa Cruz and a Master's Degree from the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies where he later became a doctoral candidate. Mr. Vaughn taught school for over 20 years in Seaside. Throughout his life of dedication to education and his community, he successfully battled mental illness.

But on May 19, 1998, police responding to the dubious concerns of a mental health worker who wanted Mr. Vaughn taken in for a mental health evaluation, chased Charles Vaughn Sr., 60-years old and retired, onto the roof of his Seaside home. Frightened and covered with pepper spray, Mr. Vaughn got into a prone position on the roof and asked to be left alone. Police officers on an adjacent structure beneath the roof drew their weapons and ordered Mr. Vaughn off the roof. Mr. Vaughn repeated his request to be left alone. One of the officers, stating that he was going to climb up and remove Mr. Vaughn from the roof, climbed onto the roof and shot off more pepper spray at Mr. Vaughn.

Responding to the repeated pepper-spray attack, Mr. Vaughn began to stand up. The advancing officer retreated to the adjacent structure. Another officer, claiming that Mr. Vaughn lunged toward an officer with a corkscrew in his hand, opened fire striking Mr. Vaughn four times killing him.

source:officerjellynutz.com