Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-03-08
CRAzED VETERAN
KILLED BY POLICE
Barricaded Self and Set
Fire to House, Placing
Six in Danger.
pictures on Page Az

veteran was shot to death by police
today after he ran aimlessly about the
street with a knife and then barri-
caded himself in his home at 2470
Ontario road NV, where he answered
commands to surrender by throwing
practically the entire contents of a
tool chest, piece by piece, through
Q window.
Gunfire was resorted to when the
beserk man, Leroy Keys, 80, former
mechanic and chauffeur, threatened
to "cut the head OF" the first odicer
to enter the house and then nullified
the use Of tear gas by breaking out
the front windows
To add to the wild disorder, Keys
set fire to an overstuffed chair and
was running about with paper torch
Had the fire spread, the lives Of six
other persons upstairs would have
been endangered.
Police Rush to Scene.
Third Precinct Policemen r. w
Henry and j. w. Lewis were cruising
in the neighborhood in a scout car
when they saw Keys in front of the
Ontario road address.
AS they arrived on the scene. the
officers said Keys, a kitchen knife in
his hand, ran inside the house and
locked the door. Calling to him to
come out, Officer Henry gave chase
but halted on the porch when Keys
displayed three knives and said he
would kill himself If any attempt was
made to take him.
An Emergency Hospital attendant,
summoned to the scene in an ambu-
lance. tried to reason" with Keys,
urging him to come out.
A barrage of tools followed, one
OF them denting the top of a tenth
precinct cruiser that drew up q few
minutes later. Nearly a score of other
policemen responded shortly after.
ward when a second police call went
out that an of11cer was in distress.
The tool-throwing was interspersed
with flying books. including two
Bibles, while Officer Henry tried to
open the front door. Inside, Keys
called: "1ll cut your head OF If you
come in that door"
About that time, Keys set fire to the
chair and continued to hurl things.
Stepping from the vestibule back onto
the porch, Of1cer Henry was greeted
with a heavy wrench that smashed
through another closed window.
Omcer Henry said he fired twice at
the man at that point, and Onicer
j. M. Nally, former Catholic Univer-
sity athlete. who was one of the occu-
pants of the tenth precinct cruiser,
said he also fired twice from the street,
A subsequent examination revealed
that at least three of the bullets took
effect, one Of them piercing KEYS left
chest, another his groin and a third
his arm.
Breaking open the door, the officers
threw the flaming chair cushion out
the window before firemen arrived.
Chased Sister Out.
Keys sister, Lottie Mitchell, who
was one of those upstairs, was chased
from the house last night by her
brother, police said they were told.
The sister said Keys served in the
Navy during the war and then trans
ferred to the Army, participating in
several battles.
He had been unruly on several occa-
sions, she said, but had refused to
enter q hospital only last Friday, when
. veterans administration representa-
tive suggested 1t.
The sister said her mother, who had
always been able to calm" her
brother when he became disorderly,
was away.
After an investigation, Coroner A.
Magruder Macdonald said the officers
who figured in the shooting were tech
nically under arrest and that an in
quest would be held.
Commissioners Hazen and Sultan
also evidenced an interest in the case
intimating they would request . re-
port on the facts to determine whether
the shooting was entirely justifiable.