TEEN SHOT BY OFFICER WAS ON METH

Drug A 'Scourge' In Eureka, Says Coroner

A toxicology report conducted in Fresno revealed that the 16-year-old
boy shot and killed by police last week had methamphetamine in his system.

Christopher Burgess was running from probation officers when Eureka
Police Officer Terry Liles joined the pursuit and, after a brief
confrontation in a gully off Chester Street, shot the boy twice.
Police said Burgess was threatening the officer with a knife.

Humboldt County Coroner Frank Jager said Friday that the amount of
methamphetamine found in Burgess' system was 0.08 milligrams per
liter. The amount before a person feels the effect of the drug is
about 0.01 to 0.05 milligrams. A toxic amount is 0.2 milligrams.

Jager said there have been more meth overdoses this year than recent
years -- nine. "It (meth) is not only a scourge, it's a cancer that's
killing us," he said.

There was no alcohol in his system, Jager said, and the presence of
marijuana is still being investigated.

During a recent interview, Sarah Solomon, Burgess' friend who spent
time with him in Juvenile Hall, said she suspected Burgess was on
meth one of the last times she saw him.

"He was spun out a little bit and he was paranoid of being caught,"
Solomon said, adding that she didn't like seeing Burgess that way and
made him leave her at home.

As far as she knew, Burgess didn't take drugs often. "Only at the
weak parts of his life, when he was giving up on life," Solomon said.

Eureka Police Chief Dave Douglas said those who know anything about
who provided the drugs to Burgess should immediately call the
Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 444-8095.

"If you want to so something positive, do that," Douglas said.
"Methamphetamine is a scourge in our society, an absolute scourge."

There have been a total of 38 drug overdose deaths in Eureka this
year, including the nine from meth.

Douglas also said time is running out for investigators to find three
potential witnesses, Ray Nelson, Alan Chambers and Janice Chambers.
Anyone with information about them is asked to call Investigator Mike
Losey at 445-7411.