Police: NC officer fired, investigated for trying force way into wrong home searching for missing girl

A North Carolina police officer has reportedly been fired and now faces an investigation after gathering a group of armed men and attempting to force entry into a home where he said he suspected a missing girl was being held.

ABC News reported Monday that Jordan Kita, a former deputy with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, has been charged with “forcible trespass, misdemeanor breaking and entering, and willful failure to discharge duties” after the May 3 incident.

Monica Shepard told ABC that her teenage son answered loud knocking at the door of their family’s home only to be confronted by a group of armed men who demanded entry and information about an unidentified missing girl. Kita, who was off duty at the time, is alleged to have forcibly held the door open with his foot while demanding entry to the residence.

Shepard and her family are black; Kita and the group of men are white.

Kita and the other armed men reportedly left the residence without entering after realizing they had the wrong address, and the unidentified girl was found safe in a different location. None of Kita’s other accomplices are members of law enforcement.

A district attorney would not give specific motive for Kita’s involvement in the confrontation, but told ABC News that there was a “familial relation” between the girl in question and the fired deputy.

“One thing we absolutely make certain of is that anyone who’s violating the law is treated the same,” district attorney Ben David said.