A man who was shot by police on Wednesday night outside the Good Vibes Bar & Grill had reportedly called a law enforcement non-emergency number before the incident, expressing that he wanted the police to kill him.
The man, identified as Stephen Kwembe, 28, called a Garland Police non-emergency line on May 6, telling the operator that he was going to go to the Good Vibes Bar on Buckingham Road to kill two people who had done him wrong.
“And when you call the cops, and they come, right, tell them they must kill me, because if they don’t, I’m going to kill as many people as I can. So make sure they come in, bulletproof, and light me up,” Kwembe said.
“When they come, let them know it is going to be bloody,” he added. “My name is Stephen Kwembe.”
Earlier that day, Kwembe had appeared at the municipal court in Richardson in connection with a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Following his court appearance, he went to the Richardson Police Department to retrieve a firearm that had been confiscated during his arrest for the drug paraphernalia charge, but the gun was not released to him, Richardson Police Chief Gary Tittle said in a video release.
Hours later, around 10 p.m., Kwembe made the phone call to the Garland police, just before entering the bar and stabbing multiple people. Some of the victims were stabbed as they tried to intervene when Kwembe attacked the first victim. Multiple patrons in the bar made 911 calls as the stabbing incident unfolded.
Responding officers from the Richardson Police Department found Kwembe outside the bar, blocking the entrance door and preventing the officers from rendering assistance to the victims.
Police bodycam video shows how the officer-involved shooting unfolded. Officers gave multiple loud verbal commands for Kwembe to drop the knife that he was holding and get on the ground, but Kwembe refused.
Kwembe can be heard on the video telling officers, “Do what you need to do. Do it! Kill me.”
As the standoff continues, Kwembe states, “I give up on life. Do it!”
The officers say they don’t want to hurt him or kill him, but Kwembe responds, “I want to die.”
He then starts walking toward the officers, still holding the knife, prompting police to fire their weapons. Kwembe falls to the ground, and officers order him to place his arms to the side so that they can retrieve the knife. The officers then access the bar and begin assisting the victims.
One adult female and three adult male victims were found in the bar with stab wounds. All four victims and Kwembe were transported to the hospital, where Kwembe died.
The victims remain in the ICU, according to Chief Tittle.
Jay Smith, the owner of Good Vibes, was out of town at the time of the stabbing, but has since returned home and has posted about the incident on social media.
Referring to Kwembe, Smith said, “He picked my bar to stage his exhibition. I never saw the guy before and although I’ve heard that he was kicked out of our bar and came back for revenge, it’s pretty clear now that none of us knew him or his intentions. And if we did kick him out at one time, good job spotting a bad person! We are taking measures to make sure these incidents don’t happen again!”
Although police have not identified the stabbing victims, Smith has posted GoFundMe information for the four individuals. A woman identified as Fefe was a bartender at Good Vibes. The other three victims — Reuben Blackwell, Harold Stemper, and Garrett Ledger — were patrons at the bar who were injured while trying to stop the attack on the bartender.
