Man Shot By Easton Police is Fugitive

Nelson Mayers, who was shot in the leg by Easton police in August, is now a wanted a man.

Two weeks ago, Mayers missed his preliminary hearing on the drug possession charge stemming from the night of the shooting.

Last week, a Northampton County judge signed a warrant for Mayers arrest, the Express-Times reports.

Mayers was shot Aug. 21 during a police investigation into gunfire on the South Side of Easton.

According to an account given by District Attorney John Morganelli last month, Mayers ran from a police officer who encountered him and a group of men near Wirebach Street.

At one point, Mayers turned from the officer -- Patrolman Eric Campbell -- and pulled a black object from the waistband of his pants. Campbell fired two shots, one of them hitting Mayers in the leg. The black object turned out to be a cellphone.

Morganelli said Campbell had numerous reasons to believe he was in danger -- bad lighting, other gunfire in the area -- and has ruled the shooting justified.

At the hospital after the shooting, paramedics found that Mayers had hidden heroin in his buttocks. 

He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, but missed his hearing before District Judge Daniel Corpora Sept. 26.