The Killing of Mark Barmore

On August 24th, 2009, Mark Barmore was a 23 year old member of the Rockford community. He was a father, son, and enjoyed making music.

The two officers involved were Oda Poole and Stan North of the Rockford Police Department. Poole joined RPD in May 2004 as part of an 11 officer class, four of whom, including Poole, were later involved in fatal shootings. Before joining RPD, Poole unsuccessfully applied in 1998, briefly worked for the Rockford Park District Police Department, and later joined the Metropolitan Police Department, where he was involved in three shootings, including one involving a dog. He reapplied to RPD in 2003 and was accepted.

From 2005 to 2009, Poole allegedly pointed his gun at citizens at least nine times and fired it on four occasions. On January 27th, 2007, he shot a man accused of car theft, and in April 2007 he shot and killed 76 year old Lewis Henderson in a case ruled “suicide by cop.” All of Poole’s prior shootings were ruled justified. North also had a prior on duty shooting and had accumulated six excessive force complaints by 2009.

On the night of the shooting, Mark Barmore was asleep on a couch when a woman he was seeing called 911 alleging he had threatened her by saying something similar to “I’ll cut your throat.” When officers arrived, Mark fled through the back door. Dispatch alerted officers to look for a Black man known as “Skippy.”

Poole and North, patrolling the west side in an RPD transport van, received a more detailed description and saw Mark speaking with people outside House of Grace Church. Mark was discussing the police call and personal troubles. Members of the group encouraged him to join a boxing program connected to the church.

When Poole approached, Mark ran into the church. Poole followed but found the doors locked. North drove around back to block another exit. A church member eventually let the officers inside and informed them Mark had gone into the basement. The basement contained a daycare area with children, a teacher, and an attached boiler room.

Witness Sheila Brown followed the officers downstairs after seeing them enter with guns drawn and repeatedly warned them there were children present. Inside the daycare, the teacher gathered the children into a corner while the officers asked where Mark was. Someone pointed toward the steel boiler room door.

Two conflicting accounts emerged. Poole claimed that after officers ordered Mark out, he lunged for Poole’s gun, causing a struggle. Poole fired once and North fired three times from less than three feet away.

A young female witness standing by the door gave a different account. She said officers forced open the door and ordered Mark out. According to her, Mark exited with his hands raised near his chest before Poole shot him. As Mark fell, North allegedly shot him in the back. Of the nearly 20 people present, only Poole and North claimed there was a struggle; all other witnesses reportedly said Mark exited with his hands raised.

After the shooting, the young witness, who was a minor, was ordered upstairs, detained outside, denied access to her parents, and interrogated by police. The children from the daycare, some as young as five, were also detained and questioned before being reunited with parents who had arrived at the church. Sheila Brown was taken to the police station and allegedly denied a lawyer despite repeated requests. Pastor Brown was placed in a squad car and interrogated inside the church.

It was alleged that officers conducting the interrogations repeated and promoted a version of events involving a struggle. Several outside agencies later found that Poole and North violated multiple RPD policies leading up to the shooting. Despite this, the shooting was ruled justified and no charges were filed.

The Barmore family sued the City of Rockford after a grand jury cleared the officers. The city settled the lawsuit for $1 million without admitting liability. Separate lawsuits filed by church staff and children over the aftermath of the shooting were also settled.

Stan North retired soon after the shooting, citing mental distress and receiving a disability pension. Oda Poole was briefly fired, but union arbitration reinstated him, ruling he had been wrongfully terminated. After spending four years on administrative leave, Poole later received a settlement approved under Tom McNamara worth nearly $1 million, including $700,000 paid over four years plus extended benefits, funded by taxpayers.

This was the third shooting, fourth person shot, and second person killed by Oda Poole as an RPD officer. He had also been involved in two shootings while serving in Washington, D.C.

The shooting of Mark Barmore was the second police shooting in 2009 and the 20th deadly force incident in Winnebago County during the 2000s.