Gunman in cop shooting faced sex charges

11-1-2012 California:

Philip Martin Hernandez was supposed to be in Riverside County Monday being arraigned on charges of having sex with a minor. Instead, he set off on a violent rampage across San Diego County that came to a deadly end Wednesday night when he was killed in a shootout with police.

By all indications, the crime spree was the final act of a desperate man whose life had unraveled over the past year. The 40-year-old divorced former firefighter had lured a teenage girl into a sexual relationship, filed for bankruptcy, lost his National City condo to foreclosure, quit his job at Cal Fire, and recently moved into an Escondido apartment with his mother and sister.

During a 17-hour span Monday, police say Hernandez shot a man in Hillcrest and an off-duty San Diego police officer at an ATM in Escondido, set three vehicles on fire in San Diego and Chula Vista, and robbed pedestrians.

“It’s difficult to address at this point what set him off,” said San Diego police Capt. Terry McManus. “We don’t know definitively what was going on in his mind.”

A multiagency task force of officers, arson investigators and forensic technicians quickly assembled and worked around the clock to pinpoint the gunman.

San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne praised their tireless efforts and collaboration that solved the case within 72 hours.

“None of this could have happened by itself. ... It was each person in each agency who all put a piece of this together,” Lansdowne said at a news conference Thursday, while flanked by brass from Escondido and Chula Vista police and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

An 18-year-old woman, Cindy Altamirano Garcia, was taken into custody during Wednesday night’s shootout between police and Hernandez. She faces one count of carjacking in connection with the crime spree and is expected to be arraigned Monday.

In a jailhouse interview with 10News Thursday, Garcia said her relationship with Hernandez began when she was 16, and that she was the victim in his sex abuse case.

Court records show Hernandez had filed for divorce from his wife in 2010, although they’d been separated since 2001. His ex-wife and their 17-year-old daughter have been living in Greece.

According to Riverside County prosecutors, Hernandez befriended an unnamed teenage girl at a National City park, then manipulated her into a sexual relationship. Hernandez paid her $600 a month.

He made it clear to the girl that he would not give her money or help her “poor” family unless she complied, said John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

She agreed to move to an apartment in Blythe with him in April. A month later, she reported the relationship to Blythe police, saying Hernandez had become overly possessive of her, and she didn’t want to live there any longer, Hall said.

Then, in July, he ended his 10-year career at Cal Fire in Blythe. No details were released about his resignation.

Riverside County prosecutors filed a complaint against him Aug. 14 on four felony counts of sex with a minor. A $10,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.

Jail records show Hernandez was arrested Oct. 19 in Mission Valley by San Diego police on the sex charges. He posted bail and was ordered to appear in Blythe for his arraignment Monday, but he failed to show.

A Riverside County judge issued a $20,000 warrant for his arrest.

Instead of going to court, police said, Hernandez set his pickup on fire about 2 a.m. in Mission Bay. The windshield was riddled with bullet holes.

About 45 minutes later, he shot a man on Upas Street on the edge of Balboa Park in Hillcrest, leaving the victim critically wounded.

Then at 9 a.m., Hernandez robbed a man at gunpoint in a Mission Valley parking lot. He was wearing a jacket labeled “police.”

About 12:15 p.m., he held up off-duty San Diego police Officer Les Stewart, who was using an ATM in Escondido. After the thief took the officer’s wallet and saw his police identification, he shot Stewart in the back of the head.

The round grazed the officer’s head. Stewart, 57, has been released from the hospital and is in good condition. He is a 27-year veteran of the San Diego force.

About an hour after the shooting, Hernandez and a female accomplice, both wearing vests labeled “police,” are suspected of then carjacking a man at the College Grove Center in Oak Park, a neighborhood in east San Diego. The getaway car used earlier in the day — a Ford Crown Victoria — was found burned there.

The Suzuki Aerio hatchback he carjacked was found burned up in Chula Vista later Monday night.

Investigators quickly linked all the crimes together, and by Tuesday had zeroed in on Hernandez as their prime suspect.

On Tuesday afternoon, police raided his mother’s Escondido apartment on Broadway near El Norte Parkway, where he had been living, but the officers didn’t stay long, neighbors said.

Investigators conducted surveillance on numerous possible locations where Hernandez may be hiding and learned he may be driving a white van. The description was given to patrol officers everywhere to be on the lookout.

The van had been posted for sale on Craigslist on Oct. 27. The Spring Valley owner was asking $2,700 for the cargo vehicle with no rear seats and a three-section roof rack.

About 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, a patrol officer spotted the van on National Avenue, Capt. McManus said.

The officer began to follow the van south to Cesar E. Chavez Parkway, then they turned left onto Harbor Drive. Several other officers also began to follow, and the van driver pulled over on his own, McManus said.

“Immediately when that van stopped, he exited with what is believed to be a high-powered rifle, directed the rifle at officers and began firing upon them,” McManus said.

As the three officers fired back, Garcia got out of the van. She was ordered to walk backward toward the officers, and she was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Hernandez started walking forward slowly, out of the officers’ line of sight. He collapsed about 20 feet in front of the van.

Officers yelled at him, but got no response. A police dog was brought in but also failed to get a response from the driver, and finally tactical officers approached him and found that he was dead, McManus said.

Both Hernandez and Garcia were wearing police-type vests.

“No officers were injured — that’s great news for us,” McManus said.

Police recovered a small arsenal in the van, including handguns, rifles and ammunition.

Investigators remained at the scene Thursday morning, directly across the street from the Harbor Drive trolley station, collecting evidence and measuring the trajectory of the bullets, which had riddled the van.

A patrol car was also hit by gunfire. One bullet struck the car’s windshield in the top center, and both tires on the driver’s side were flattened.

“In the end, it came to three police officers who were assaulted and attacked by the suspect who had larger weapons than they did,” Chief Lansdowne said. “They didn’t run from danger. They stood tall, and they ran to danger because their purpose was to bring these people to justice.” ..Source.. by Debbi Baker, Kristina Davis, Pauline Repard

Kidnapping suspect dies after chase

11-6-2012 Michigan:

A suspect in a kidnapping and sexual assault died after crashing during a police chase Tuesday, according to Michigan State Police at the Mt. Pleasant Post.

The dead man is identified as Robert Lee Mongar of Cadillac.

According to a statement from troopers, Mongar reportedly physically and sexually assaulted a female acquaintance in Wexford County, then tied her up, put her in her vehicle and drove south.

She managed to escape and run into a gas station near Stanwood when Mongar stopped for fuel. The victim was still restrained, but store employees helped her.

Mongar sped off, but a state trooper spotted the vehicle, which did not stop. Instead, he fled into deeply forested Newaygo County.

The chase led down a dirt road, and troopers said Mongar drove the car off the road where the road curved, and hit a large stand of mature trees. There was no indication the driver tried to brake or make the turn, troopers said.

Mongar was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no immediate word on the condition of the victim. ..Source.. by Morning Sun

Police confirm identify of SWAT officer who shot Alexander

9-20-2012 Ohio:

The Lorain County SWAT team member who shot and killed Billy Alexander early Sept. 15 has been identified as Wayne Ramsey, a LaGrange police officer, according to Lorain police Lt. Mark Carpentiere. Lorain police are investigating the incident triggered by a 911 call.

Ramsey was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, said LaGrange Mayor Kim Strauss. Such leave is common for officers who have been involved in a shooting, according to Dennis Cavanaugh, Chief Deputy of the Lorain County Sheriff Department.

“This is Ramsey’s first time being involved in a shooting,” Cavanaugh said. “He will take as long as he sees fit to recover.”

Police are not releasing any other details. “The investigation is still ongoing,” Carpentiere said.

Alexander, 41, of Lorain was shot at least twice — in the chest and torso — with a .223-caliber rifle, said Dr. Stephen Evans, the Lorain County coroner.

Alexander was a registered sex offender, according to the Lorain County Sheriff’s website. He pleaded guilty to the rape of a 4-year-old girl in 1991 and served 15 years in Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton. He was released in 2008. He was also convicted of escape in 1992.

Early Saturday morning, the Lorain County SWAT team went to a house at 704 DeWitt St. in Sheffield Township. They were responding to a 911 call from a woman who was crying hysterically that Alexander had molested a 5-year-old child and was threatening to kill himself and them.

She said he was “throwing a gun around,” according to the 911 recording. Later she shouted, “He just shot off the gun!”

A child can be heard saying, “Daddy, please don’t shoot us!” and the woman can be heard comforting the child by saying, “It’s OK baby.”

When officers arrived at about 1:45 a.m., Alexander fired one shot at them and then went into the house with the woman and two children. Police ordered the woman and children to leave while they pursued Alexander into the back yard. Alexander was pronounced dead at 3:30 a.m. Evans said. ..Source.. by Morning Journal Staff

Citrus County Deputy, Gregory Entrekin, shoots sex offender in his home

Something isn't right here, see last story?

9-27-2012 Florida:

An investigation is under way after an off-duty Citrus County deputy allegedly shot a sex offender who broke into his home.

Investigators say 28-year-old Derrick Vaccianna broke into the home of Deputy Gregory Entrekin, 24, at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, when he was confronted by Entrekin and his girlfriend.

Vaccianna was shot during the confrontation and taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Vaccianna was a registered sex offender on probation at the time of his death.

Since Entrekin was off-duty at the time, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was called in, and both the FDLE and the Citrus County Sheriff's Office are investigating.

As is customary in cases such as these, Deputy Entrekin has been placed on paid administrative leave pending further notice. ..Source.. by Melissa Ramsey

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Off-duty Citrus County deputy shoots, kills intruder

9-27-2012:

An off-duty Citrus County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a 28-year-old man who broke into his girlfriend's home late Tuesday, officials said.

Citrus County Sheriff's officials did not immediately identify the deputy other than to say he was familiar with the intruder, Derrick Vaccianna, 28, who broke into the house on Eden Drive about 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Vaccianna, who lived in the town of Hernando, was a registered sex offender and on probation at the time of his death.

According to the Sheriff's office, the deputy was inside the residence with his girlfriend when Vaccianna broke in.

Soon after, the deputy and Vaccianna became embroiled in an argument, which quickly escalated to a physical fight, officials said.

Then the deputy got his gun.

He shot the intruder once in the chest, according to Sheriff's Office reports.

Vaccianna was taken to Citrus Memorial Health System, where he was pronounced dead.

It was not immediately clear whether the victim was armed at the time of the shooting.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney's Office are investigating the incident. No further information was available early Thursday morning. ..Source.. by Marissa Lang, Times Staff Writer

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Off-Duty Sheriff's Deputy Shoots Man in Alleged Break-in

10-2-2012 Florida:

We love stories of self-defense because they prove just how important guns are, but every once in a while you get a story that's a real puzzler.

Florida Citrus County Sheriff's Deputy Gregory Entrekin, who was actually deputized last month, was spending some off-duty time with his girlfriend, Amanda Vance, when 28-year-old Derrick Vaccianna broke into Vance’s home. Now, before we get too far with this, we should point out that this wasn’t just some random robbery. Neighbors claim that Vaccianna and Vance had been in a relationship as recently as two weeks ago, and Entrekin personally knew Vaccianna. We're using the term "break in" because people involved in the case are calling it a break in, but it's not entirely clear if that's an accurate description.

First off, Vaccianna had a key to Vance's home, and it appears that Vance had invited Vaccianna into her home in order to talk. Chuck Hobbs, the attorney for Vaccianna’s family, stated, “I have strong confirmation that [Vance] had been trying to reach out to Derrick all that day, saying she wanted him to come over to the house because she was trying to reconcile their relationship.”

So, did Vaccianna "break in" or did he simply walk in? We suppose that depends on who's telling the story.

To complicate matters, Vaccianna is a registered sex offender who was convicted of lewd and lascivious conduct involving a 12-year-old girl. But these are all complicated details -- let's get to the facts.

According to reports, Vaccianna entered Vance’s home at about 10:45 p.m last Tuesday. Vaccianna and Entrekin became embroiled in an argument, which escalated into physical violence. The deputy got his gun and shot at Vaccianna, striking him once in the chest. Vaccianna was taken to the hospital but was later pronounced dead. Entrekin has since been placed on paid administrative leave.

We’ve come across some fuzzy, morally ambiguous self-defense shootings before, but this one might take cake. With so many complicated factors at play, how can we determine whether Entrekin was justified in pulling the trigger?

Did Vaccianna have a right to be in the home or was it a real break-in? Did the physical confrontation warrant violence? Were jealousy and relationship issues factors in this shooting?

We’d hate to be in Entrekin’s shoes right now. By the looks of things, Vaccianna’s family might be able to make a persuasive argument that Vaccianna had just as much right to be in Vance’s home as Entrekin did, and at that point it all boils down to the question of whether or not the physical confrontation warranted pulling the trigger.

We’re not saying that physical threat isn’t a sufficient reason to use a gun to defend yourself -- we’re just saying that in this case it really isn’t clear that it was the best course of action. After all, what if Vaccianna had shot Entrekin instead of the other way around? Would he also be able to claim self-defense?

This case might hinge on Vance, whose testimony could condemn or support Entrekin.

What do our readers think? When you invite somebody into your home, how (if at all) does that change your rights self-defense? Or even better yet – if you are invited to somebody else’s home and you get into a fight with another guest, who gets to claim self-defense -- whoever is left standing? ..Source.. by dabneybailey

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Citrus County Deputy involved in fatal shooting made news before

9-28-2012:

Inverness, FL - A Citrus County sheriff's deputy who authorities said fatally shot a man inside his girlfriend's house, has made headlines before.

10 News did a story on Gregory Entrekin back in 2008, when he saw his newborn daughter for the first time over a computer screen. The then-Marine reservist was serving in Iraq at the time. According to court documents, Entrekin and his wife divorced in 2010.

Officials with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said Entrekin, now 24 years old, was with his current girlfriend when he shot a man inside her house along Eden Drive Wednesday.

Authorities said 28-year-old Derrick Vaccianna broke into the home and confronted the off-duty deputy and his girlfriend, Amanda Vance. According to detectives, a fight broke out and Deputy Entrekin shot Vaccianna once in the chest. He later died at an area hospital.

Vaccianna was a sex offender on probation. In 2005, when he was 19, Vaccianna was convicted of Lewd and Lascivious Conduct involving a 12-year-old girl.

Neighbors, however, said Vaccianna and Vance were a couple, and saw them together as recently as last week. They add, from what they could tell, Vaccianna did live at the house at some point.

"I've never had any issues with him. Upstanding guy. Always waving 'hi'. We have our little conversations here and there. But that was very shocking," said a neighbor, who didn't want to be identified.

Deputy Greg Entrekin is new to the Sheriff's Office. He joined the agency in August after serving overseas with the Marines. He has now been placed on paid administrative leave. ..Source.. by Althea Paul

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Deputy cleared in off-duty shooting

1-17-2013:

Report paints picture of love triangle gone wrong

An off-duty deputy involved in the shooting of a Hernando man early last fall has been cleared of any wrongdoing, according to a report from the State Attorney’s Office.

Trainee deputy Greg Entrekin shot and killed Derrick Vaccianna, 28, the night of Sept. 26 after a struggle in the bedroom of an Inverness woman.

According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Entrekin and his girlfriend at the time, Amanda Vance, were confronted by Vaccianna after he entered the residence on Eden Drive in Inverness through a bedroom window. Entrekin shot Vaccianna when he reportedly charged at him. Vaccianna died at the scene. The case was handed to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct an independent investigation.

“This was a tragic event in which there were no winners,” said Sheriff Jeff Dawsy. “We knew right away it was best to have an independent review of the case and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted a very comprehensive and detailed investigation. We are very confident in their findings.”

That investigation and just-released report points to a love-triangle rife with alleged threats and declarations of love.

Vaccianna’s family was stunned by news of the state attorney’s decision.

“That’s just wrong. Wow, I can’t believe this. How is it that they couldn’t find anything wrong with what he (Entrekin) did?” Derrick Vaccianna’s sister Verron Vaccianna said.

Ms. Vaccianna said the family is now pondering possible legal options.

Entrekin, who had been with the sheriff’s office barely a month before the incident, was initially placed on administrative leave, and then returned to the sheriff’s office in an administrative capacity. Recently, Entrekin was permitted to begin his field training officer program, which is required before he goes on the road as a patrol deputy, according to CCSO.

“I’m sure Deputy Entrekin is anxious to officially begin his career as a law enforcement officer,” Dawsy said. “We are looking forward to the contributions he will make here as a member of this team.”

According to the report released by the State Attorney’s Office, before the fateful September day, Vance was dating Entrekin, but was carrying on a relationship with Vaccianna.

The report state Entrekin knew Vance and Vaccianna had previously been romantically involved, but did not know the entire story.

Vance reportedly altered the entry for Vaccianna in her phone to read “Janice” and would delete text messages to and from Vaccianna from her phone immediately so Entrekin would not see them.

Vaccianna, conversely, also knew Vance was seeing Entrekin and on Sept. 24 called Entrekin and, according to Entrekin, threatened him if he continued to see Vance.

The report stated the phone call was followed by a series of text messages to Entrekin from Vaccianna that said, among other things, that Entrekin would “catch a bullet” if he continued to see Vance. “If I catch you you’re a dead man,” one text reported said.

FDLE was reportedly able to piece together a sequence through text records and by tracking Vaccianna’s movement on the night of the shooting. Vaccianna was on sex-offender probation and had a GPS ankle bracelet on.

Vaccianna reportedly exchanged a series of texts with Vance the day of the shooting, with Vance saying she loved Vaccianna, but she later said it was a ruse to pacify him because he was mad that she was with Entrekin.

The report stated Vaccianna eventually entered Vance’s residence through a bedroom window and confronted the couple, who were in bed.
Vaccianna reportedly grabbed Vance and started screaming at Vance and Entrekin, who had the gun by the bed and grabbed it. Vaccianna called 911 to report that Entrekin was holding a gun to his head.

Vaccianna reportedly “lunged” at Entrekin after more shouting, and Entrekin pulled the trigger. ..Source.. by

Tyler County deputy fatally shoots man

9-25-2012 Texas:

One man is dead after deputies say he lead them on a high-speed chase and pointed a gun at police and sheriff's deputies.

The incident happened around 10:30 p.m.

A news release issued by the Sheriff's Office says a deputy was sent to a home on U.S. 69 just north of Warren after dispatchers received a call from a person reporting a sexual assault.

While interviewing the victim, the suspect in the sexual assault, identified by deputies as Dennis Ray Murray Jr., of Woodville, drove into the driveway. The victim told the deputy Murray would be armed.

The deputy told Murray to show his hands. The deputy said Murray then sped out of the driveway and a high-speed chase began. The chase went into Woodville. More deputies, a Woodville Police Officer and a Department of Public Safety Trooper joined in on the chase.

Muyrray's vehicle was slowed down with road spikes, but he continued to drive to his home in the 500 block of Lyndale in Woodville.

Deputies ordered Murray out of his vehicle. Deputies say this is when he pointed a long-barreled weapon at them.

Two deputies fired at Murray.

Officers approached Murray who had fallen back in his vehicle. A Woodville Police Officer tried to pull the rifle from Murray, but Murry then "became conscious" and grabbed the officer. Deputies say he also fired a shot at the officer.

Murray then grabbed for a second rifle and a struggle began.

A third Tyler County Sheriff's Office Deputy fired two shots at Murray disabling him.

Murray was taken to the Tyler County Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m.

All three deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

The incident is under investigation by the Texas Rangers. ..Source.. by KIII TV.com

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Woodville man dies after shootout with deputies

WOODVILLE, TX (KTRE) -

A man accused of sexually assaulting someone died after becoming involved in a shooting with several law enforcement officers Tuesday night. No officers were hurt.

The shooting started following a high-speed chase from the Warren area and ended in the residence of the suspect, Dennis Ray Murray Jr., 40, of Woodville, according to a press release from the Tyler County Sheriff's Office.

Murray stopped at his residence on the 500 block of Lyndale Street after deputies used road spikes to flatten his tires. Once Murray stopped at his residence, deputies ordered him out of his vehicle.

Instead, Murray pointed a long-barreled gun at them, prompting two deputies to shoot at him. It appears at least one of the bullets hit Murray, knocking him unconscious. A Woodville Police officer assisting in the case then approached Murray to disarm him and Murray then woke up and fired a shot at the officer and missed him.

The officer then removed the gun from Murray and Murray grabbed a second rifle out of the vehicle. The officer struggled with Murray and a third deputy then fired two shots at Murray.

Officers on the scene and an EMS crew worked to revive Murray but were not successful. He was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m. at a Woodville hospital.

The case began at 10:10 p.m. when a deputy was dispatched to a caller at a residence on US 69, just north of Warren, who said she was sexually assaulted. The deputy arrived at 10:25 p.m. and while interviewing the victim, Murray drove into the driveway. The victim said Murray was the one who assaulted her and told the deputy he had two rifles and had threatened to kill her.

The deputy ordered Murray to show his hands, but instead Murray sped out of the driveway, which began the pursuit into Woodville.

Deputies, Woodville PD and state troopers assisted in the chase.

Per standard procedure, the three deputies who fired their guns have been placed on paid leave until an investigation is complete.

Sheriff David Hennigan said he has asked the Texas Rangers to handle the investigation.

Murray had numerous previous convictions on his record. In addition to numerous possession charges, he convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in August 1994 and sentenced to an eight-year prison term with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Murray was tried and sentenced in Angelina County's 159th District Court. ..Source.. by KTRE.com

Coroner: Man who died after Taser incident had health issues

3-23-2011 Nevada:

A 44-year-old man who died after Las Vegas police shocked him with a Taser "several" times in December had cocaine and alcohol in his system, the Clark County coroner's office said Wednesday.

Las Vegan Anthony Jones died from cocaine and ethanol intoxication, the coroner's office said. But other factors contributed to his death, including "police restraining procedures" and an enlarged heart from obesity and mild hypertension, the coroner found.

Assistant Coroner John Fudenberg said that although science has not determined whether Taser guns kill, the use of the less-lethal weapon could have been a factor in Jones' death.

"It's safe to say that it could have possibly contributed to his death," Fudenberg said.

The coroner ruled Jones' death a homicide, meaning only that Jones died as the result of actions of others.

ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP

Jones died in the early morning hours of Dec. 11. His confrontation with police began with a routine traffic stop less than a mile from his home and ended with a struggle with officers who used a Taser to subdue him.

The incident began when Jones' 1993 Lexus was stopped at about 1 a.m. in the 1000 block of West Lake Mead Boulevard, near Martin Luther King Boulevard. Police have not said what prompted the stop.

Police said Jones ran north across Lake Mead and jumped a wall into the backyard of an abandoned house in the 1000 block of Hart Avenue, about two-tenths of a mile from his car. When police caught up to him, he aggressively resisted them, and officers used a Taser "several times," according to police. The department has not said how many times Jones was shocked.

Jones was pronounced dead at Valley Hospital Medical Center.

The officers involved were Mark Hatten, who has been with the agency since January 2007, and Timothy English, who was hired in June 2008.

Hatten and English were placed on routine paid administrative leave after their encounter with Jones, but police spokesman Jacinto Rivera said they are back at work in positions in which they do not have "citizen contact." Their return to regular duty depends on the outcome of a coroner's inquest that has yet to be scheduled, he said.

CRIMINAL RECORD

Jones spent most of his adult life in prison, starting with a sexual assault conviction in 1982 when he was 16. He had several other offenses since then, prison records indicate.

On Aug. 25, Henderson resident Eduardo Hernandez-Lopez, 21, died after he was shot with a Taser by the Nevada Highway Patrol.

According to the Nevada Department of Public Safety, troopers were alerted to an accident on U.S. Highway 95 involving an individual fighting others there.

When officers arrived, they had an altercation with Hernandez-Lopez, whom they described as an "irate individual." During the altercation the man was shot with a Taser, and troopers later noticed he was not breathing. The coroner's office listed his death as "cardiopulmonary arrest during varied restraining procedures" and a homicide. The inquest is pending.

A Taser delivers 50,000 volts of electricity, which incapacitates the body.

A 2008 study by Amnesty International concluded that Las Vegas led U.S. cities in deaths involving law enforcement use of Tasers. The study found that between June 2001 and August 2008, seven people died after Tasers were used on them.

Six of the deaths involved Las Vegas officers, who began using Tasers in 2004. ..Source.. by Antonio Planas

Police: We had to shoot

12-7-2010 Nebraska:

Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes said Tuesday that a police officer and U.S. marshal had no choice but to shoot a man in the parking lot of a busy southwest Omaha strip mall.

The lawmen who fired at Joe M. Weible narrowly avoided being run over by Weible's vehicle, Hayes said.

“We don't get to pick the location where these (shootings) happen,” Hayes said. “When you're thrust into a situation where you have to use deadly force, it happens where it happens.”

Hayes said officers “try to minimize what the backdrop is when those shots are fired” and try to control where they point their weapons.

Hayes said Weible, 35, did not have a gun but did have knives in his possession. He said Weible accelerated and drove his pickup truck at a high rate of speed toward Officer Jeff Gassaway and the marshal.

Hayes said the threat was from the charging vehicle.

“It's a deadly weapon,” Hayes said of the pickup, a 1998 Chevy S-10. “It will kill you if you don't get out of the way or try to stop it.”

Four to five shots were fired. One struck Weible. Police have not said if the other bullets struck the pickup.

The shooting happened about 2 p.m. Monday at the strip mall near 120th Street and West Center Road. Weible died later at Creighton University Medical Center.

Hayes said it was not clear who fired the fatal shot.

Gassaway, 44, is a 13-year police veteran. In 2008, he shot an escapee from a state prison after he swerved his vehicle at Gassaway.

Gassaway was honored by the U.S. Attorney's Office for investigating street gangs and shared the 2004 CrimeStoppers Officer of the Year Award with another officer.

The U.S. Marshals Service refused to identify the marshal involved in the shooting.

Both Gassaway and the marshal are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Metro Area Fugitive Task Force is led by U.S. marshals. It has 12 full-time members — six marshals, six Omaha police officers, one Douglas County sheriff's deputy and one Council Bluffs police officer. There are also nine part-time members.

The task force operates in both Iowa and Nebraska and works to take fugitives off the streets.
U.S. marshals also are responsible for protecting federal courts, transporting prisoners and other duties.

Hayes said the task force had been working with the woman who alleged she was assaulted by Weible. She called 911 on Nov. 29.

An arrest warrant was issued, charging Weible with first-degree sexual assault and attempted strangulation of his former girlfriend.

Weible called the ex-girlfriend, 26, on Monday and asked her to meet him at the shopping center.

That place was a familiar meeting spot for the couple, Hayes said.

The woman notified police of the phone call.

Task force members arrived before the meeting time. Weible already was there, sitting in his truck. Law officers, some of them in vehicles, surrounded him and ordered him out of the pickup.

Gassaway and a marshal approached on foot.

Weible started the truck, tried to back up but was blocked in by police vehicles.

He accelerated in the direction of Gassaway and the marshal, who were about 6 feet away, Hayes said.

Both fired their weapons as they got out of the way of the truck.

After he was shot, Weible's vehicle continued forward and crashed into two parked cars near the entrance to a Baker's Supermarket, Hayes said.

He was then Tasered, Hayes said.

The Police Department's policy on use of deadly force apparently covers situations such as the Weible shooting:

“Shot(s) will not be fired at or from a moving vehicle except as the ultimate measure of self-defense, or defense of another. Firing of weapons at a moving vehicle will only be done in extreme, close-range circumstances when all other means of stopping the vehicle containing a dangerous felon have been attempted and have failed.”

The Weible shooting was the fifth officer-involved shooting in Omaha this year that resulted in a death. Omaha hadn't had a police-involved fatal shooting since 2007.

The total number of police-involved shootings for 2010 is nine when accounting for people who were injured but not killed.

Hayes said the task force had tried to find Weible before Monday's shooting.

“We had to get him off the street before he tried to hurt this woman again,” he said.

Last week, members of the task force searched Weible's father's home in Cozad, Neb.

“They looked under the beds and everything, even the building out back,” Jack Weible, 81, said. “I asked them what the deal was but they wouldn't say. They didn't believe he wasn't here.”

Weible's father said his son had an off-and-on relationship with the woman he was accused of assaulting.

The couple met at Nebraska By-Products in Lexington, Neb., where Joe Weible drove a truck. They lived together in an apartment there.

The couple split up for several years, Jack Weible said, but had gotten back together in the last few months.

“I thought he was happy,” Jack Weible said. “They went to get her stuff about three or four months ago, and I thought they were getting along good.”

The ex-girlfriend declined to comment on Tuesday.

Joe Weible moved to Omaha about six months ago and worked for a lumber company, his father said. He graduated from Cozad High School and had previously lived in Kearney. ..Source.. by Jason Kuiper and Juan Perez Jr.

Tempe suspect killed by deputy was wanted sex offender

Witness testimony is NOT relevant to the police, only what police say? Why bother investigating crimes if police assumptions are the only thing that counts; thankfully courts see this differently.

9-14-2012 Arizona:

A man shot to death Thursday in Tempe by a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy was a convicted sex offender who had a warrant out for his arrest, according to court records.

Joel Edward Smith III, 19, had violated his probation on a reduced charge of failure to register as a sex offender. Superior Court Judge Warren Granville signed a warrant for Smith's arrest on Aug. 7.

Smith was shot and killed Thursday morning by a deputy who was helping Tempe police search for burglary suspects.

The shooting took place on a canal bank that separates Tempe from Guadalupe, a town patrolled by the Sheriff's Office.

Although two Guadalupe residents who witnessed the shooting said Smith appeared to be unarmed and attempting to surrender, a sheriff's official said that the shooting was justified and that Smith threatened the deputy with a knife.

"The facts are that not only did the deputy sheriff have to encounter this individual, but so did two other Tempe officers who witnessed this from a very close distance," said Dave Trombi, a sheriff's deputy chief.

"People's assumptions on what he could have or would have done are irrelevant given that he did pull a knife, he did threaten the Tempe officers and the deputy sheriff, and the deputy sheriff did feel threatened," Trombi said.

The shooting remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office.

Although the incident started in Tempe, city police deferred because the Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction throughout the county.

The court records show that Smith was indicted in June 2009 on a charge of sexual conduct with a minor, among the most serious of sex crimes, and the victim was a girl younger than 15. The molestation took place in April 2008, when Smith was 15. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and was placed on lifetime probation, which he violated at least once before, court records show.

He last reported to a probation officer May 4 and failed to report three times, the report said. ..Source.. by Jim Walsh, and JJ Hensley

Hallandale Beach identifies all involved in police shooting

9-7-2012 Florida:

HALLANDALE BEACH — Hallandale Beach police Friday identified three officers and the shoplifting suspect who was shot dead the previous night.

Hallandale Beach Police Capt. Sonia Quinones said Eduardo Prieto, 32, of Hialeah, was shot by the "highly trained" officers who have all served on the department's SWAT team.

They are: Supervising officers Sgt. Timothy Church, 40, who has served with the agency since 1996, and Sgt. Brian Hubbert, 42, who joined the agency a year later; and Officer Raymond Buckley, 43, with the department since 2000.

They were placed on administrative leave, with pay, until the investigation is completed, Quinones said.

According to Quinones, the incident began when officers received a call at 5:59 p.m. Thursday from a police dispatcher about an armed robbery in progress at a Walmart store at 2551 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd.

"We get a call that the suspect was armed with a knife, then it was updated by the dispatcher that he was armed with a knife and a gun," Quinones said Friday.

After being confronted by a Walmart security guard who suspected the theft of DVDs and clothing, Prieto showed a knife before fleeing the business in a silver Lexus SUV, Quinones said.

"Our officers locate the vehicle and follow it to where it came into 124 S. Federal Highway, at Acquo 124 Restaurant," Quinones said. "At that point is where our officers perceived a threat and were forced to fire on the suspect."

Prieto had driven about three miles west and south from the store to the restaurant before he was fatally wounded.

Comedian Pat Cooper, 83, said he was enjoying a plate of veal parmigiana at Acquo 124 when he witnessed the police shooting through the restaurant window.

"I was scared as hell," Cooper said. "I wanted to cry to see something like that happening. When you hear firing from a gun, it terrifies you. It's no joke. I'm still nervous about it."

"Five cops were telling this guy to get out of the car, repeatedly," said Cooper. "He put his hands out and he had something in his hand. And there were four shots."

Cooper called the incident "a sad thing to see."

"They killed him," he said. "But you can't blame the cops."

He called the officers "heroes."

"They put their lives on the line and walked right up to that car," Cooper said. "These police officers have families. They can't be playing games. These cops should be kissed and hugged."

Afterward, he said the shooting affected the officers as well as the civilians who witnessed it.

"The cops all felt bad," said Cooper, who still performs comedy and has ties to Fort Lauderdale and New York.

An autopsy was performed by the Broward Medical Examiner's office Friday morning, Quinones said, and fingerprints were taken to help detectives identify him. Prieto's identity was made public at 6 p.m. Friday, after his family was notified.

Court records show Prieto was a registered sex offender with convictions for fondling children, lewd and lascivious assault, drug possession and failing to notify police when he changed addresses as required of all registered sex offenders. His arrest record dates back to 1998.

The police captain said detectives were "still trying to get statements from all three officers" about exactly what happened during the shooting.

"Our officers notified radio dispatch of shots fired," she said, but investigators did not know if the suspect possessed a firearm because his vehicle was sealed and taken away for processing by Broward Sheriff's crime scene investigators.

"Our detectives have not been able to comb the vehicle to see if a gun was inside," Quinones said.

The incident tied up southbound traffic on Federal Highway for several hours between East Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Southeast 3rd Street. ..Source.. by Linda Trischitta and Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel

Sheriff: Suspect killed after false sex assault report

9-7-2012 South Carolina:

A man who was killed in an altercation with deputies was the subject of a false police report that led to the confrontation, according to a release from the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.

A woman, later identified as 21-year-old Sabrina Michelle Smith, reported on Aug. 13 that she had been sexually assaulted by Anthony Lee Lamboy. When deputies arrived at the Red Roof Inn on Laurens Road, Smith gave them a description of Lamboy, and three deputies confronted him in the parking lot.

Deputies said a background check found that Lamboy had outstanding warrants from Greenwood County for resisting arrest with a deadly weapon and two charges of malicious injury to property.

The release said after deputies told Lamboy he was being placed under arrest, he began to struggle with them.

Sheriff Steve Loftis said, "One deputy had the Taser out. The suspect was so violently resisting that he knocked the Taser out of the deputy's hand. About that time, the suspect grabbed the deputy's gun that was still in his holster."

The release said that Master Deputy Brandon Lackey and Lamboy fell to the ground during the struggle, and Lamboy was able to pull the trigger of Lackey's weapon that was still in its holster, the release said. The round hit Lackey in the upper thigh and exited through the back of his leg.

The other two deputies then fired at Lamboy, killing him. The release said one deputy fired five shots and the other fired one.

One of the deputies had a tourniquet in his pocket and was able to help stop Lackey's blood loss.

Loftis said, "According to the surgeon, (the tourniquet) saved the deputy's life because there was an extreme loss of blood."

The release said that investigators determined that Lamboy had not sexually assaulted Smith. She was arrested on Aug. 16 and charged with filing a false police report. She has since been released on a $5,000 bond. ..Source.. by WISTV.com

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SC woman charged with false report in shooting

A Greenville County woman has been charged with filing a false report about a sexual assault in an incident involving two sheriff’s deputies who shot and killed a man at a motel last month.

Sheriff Steve Loftis says two deputies shot and killed 26-year-old Anthony Lee Lamboy of Greenville during a scuffle over a deputy’s gun on Aug. 13. Lamboy died at the scene.

Twenty-one-year-old Sabrina Michelle Smith of Taylors has been charged with filing a false report.

Deputies responding to the complaint scuffled with Lamboy, who was able to fire an officer’s gun in the holster, wounding him in the leg. Two other officers then shot Lamboy, killing him.

Loftis says the officers followed proper procedure and have been returned to regular duty. ..Source.. by Post and Courier

Suspect in child-sex case killed by deputies in Treasure Island motel

9-2-2012 Florida:

On Monday night, an 11-year-old girl from Safety Harbor told her mother she felt dizzy. Her stomach hurt. She had a headache.

The mother and her live-in boyfriend, Gregory J. Johns, took the girl to the hospital. The pair waited in a lobby as a doctor examined her. After a few minutes, the doctor came back with news: The girl was pregnant.

Her mother was distraught, and so was Johns. He asked for the car keys. He needed a smoke.

Johns never came back.

Allegations of rape soon followed, and investigators began their pursuit. For five days, Johns — a criminal for more than half of his 42 years — returned to the life he knew. He robbed strangers, authorities say, and bought booze with the money he stole. He swore that he'd rather die than go back to prison.

Just after 5 Saturday morning, Johns got what he wanted. Cornered in a second-floor room at a cheap motel on Treasure Island, he rushed Pinellas sheriff's deputies with a knife, investigators say.

Ten bullets later, he was dead.

• • •

Johns was first arrested at 17. He first went to prison at 18.

Between then and Saturday, he was arrested at least 12 times. For selling cocaine. For carrying a concealed firearm. For robbery and burglary, and battering a law enforcement officer.

He served six stints in prison.

He was last released by the Florida Department of Corrections in July 2009, which, authorities say, was around the time he met and moved in with the woman in Safety Harbor.

Johns, records show, had never before been accused of a sex crime. But after that hospital visit Monday night, authorities say, the 11-year-old told her mother what had happened:

She was home alone with Johns one day in June. He came into the girl's room and asked her to join him in the master bedroom. She refused, so Johns, at 5-foot-9 and 280 pounds, pinned her to the bed and raped her. In the days that followed, deputies say, he assaulted her twice more.

On Tuesday of last week, with a warrant out for his arrest, police said Johns broke into the St. Petersburg home of a 78-year-old woman. He robbed her and left her bound and gagged for 12 hours.

The next day, reports say, he approached a couple in Vinoy Park, drew a knife and demanded money.

He called his girlfriend that night. He said he was sorry for ruining her daughter's life but insisted he would never return to prison.

The police, he told her, would have to kill him.

On Wednesday, investigators found a note at Vinoy Park that had fallen out of Johns' pocket.

It was an apology to the girl.

• • •

Brian Britton and Misty Roberson met Johns outside their motel room Friday evening.

Johns, they say, was staying upstairs with a blond woman they believed was his girlfriend.

The young couple, on vacation from Ruskin, also met two of Johns' other friends, who introduced themselves as "Brett" and "Leslie."

Johns invited Britton, 24, and Roberson, 26, up to his second-floor room for a shot of Grey Goose vodka. The room, they said, was trashed. Clothes, empty cups and McDonald's bags were strewn across the floor. Johns told them he planned to stay for a week.

Next to the pool downstairs, the group played cards, mostly rummy, for hours. Johns, wearing a white T-shirt and black swim trunks, blared rap music from Plies and Lil Wayne on one of his two phones. He chugged bottles of Bud Light Platinum. He mixed his vodka with orange Fanta.

"He seemed nice," Britton said. "He was in a real good mood."

The conversation, they said, was random. He told them he had a pacemaker and pulled up his shirt to show a scar across his chest. Johns said he would have played college basketball if not for arrests he declined to explain. He pulled out a stack of $20 bills and bet his friend Brett that he could beat him in a game.

Around midnight, when Brett and Leslie got into an argument, Britton said Johns turned to him: "I've got no respect for that guy. He's a woman beater."

Roberson went to bed around 2 a.m. Saturday. Britton stayed up for a swim.

Leslie, he said, told him to be careful. Johns had noticed the cash in his girlfriend's pocket.

Britton soon went to his room and locked the door behind him.

Earlier, investigators were told that Johns was in a hotel on Madeira Beach or Treasure Island. More than a dozen deputies had searched through the night before they found him in his room.

Johns refused to answer the door, authorities said, then locked himself in the bathroom. When deputies broke in, they say, he came out with a knife. Deputies Claudio Dimundo and Eric Turner fired at him.

"I heard the cop kick the door in and then yelling," Britton said. "Then — pop, pop, pop."

Shot multiple times, Johns died on the floor of Room 224 at a motel named the Trails End. ..Source.. by John Woodrow Cox

Man killed by deputies was 26-year-old Greenville man

8-14-2012 South Carolina:

The Greenville County Coroner's Office has identified the man shot and killed by sheriff's deputies at the Red Roof Inn as 26-year-old Anthony Lee Lamboy of Greenville.

Kent Dill, a Greenville County deputy coroner, said Lamboy was pronounced dead at 1:05 p.m. Monday. Authorities said he was shot during a struggle with deputies trying to arrest him at the inn on Laurens Road.

An autopsy was being performed this morning, Dill said.

After receiving a report of a sexual assault Monday, three deputies responded to the inn shortly before 1 p.m., authorities said.

They said a woman gave officers a suspect’s description. The suspect was spotted shortly afterward, authorities said.

In talking to the suspect, the officers conducted a background check and discovered an outstanding warrant, Sheriff Steve Loftis told reporters.

A struggled ensued as deputies tried to make an arrest and the suspect grabbed one deputy’s gun, still in the holster, Loftis said. The gun discharged, striking the deputy, and the two other deputies drew their weapons and shot the suspect, Loftis said. ..Source.. by Staff report

City police ID man shot by officer in Medfield

8-1-2012 Maryland:

Police have identified the man fatally shot by police after officers responded to a domestic disturbance in Medfield on Tuesday afternoon.

Jonathan Blankenship, 40, was shot at least once and pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. Anthony Guglielmi, the police department's chief spokesman, said an officer responding to a domestic call in the 1400 block of N. Weldon Pl. got into a struggle with Blankenship, and officers who came to his aid fired at least once.

Blankenship has a prior record including a second-degree assault conviction in Harford County for shoving his then-wife's sister, and he initially received 10 years in prison with five years suspended in District Court. Prosecutors said he appealed the case to Circuit Court, where the victim declined to testify, resulting in a sentence of 99 days.

In 1990, Blankenship was convicted of second-degree rape in Anne Arundel County and received 10 years in prison, records show. He was not required to register as a sex offender, however, because the conviction pre-dated the state's sex offender registry.

City police have shot eight people this year, seven fatally. That's two more than were killed in police shootings all of last year.

The officer involved in the shooting is expected to be identified Thursday, per the department's policy of allowing two days to pass before identifying officers involved in shootings. ..Source.. by Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun

Man killed by FBI was registered sex offender

7-16-2012 Ohio:

Dilton Myers changed name after 1995 Kansas conviction

DAYTON — The man shot to death by an FBI agent June 28 had been a registered sexual offender when he moved to Ohio in 2003, the Dayton Daily News has learned.

Fallacy Myers, 43, lived at 105 Samuel St., where he was shot to death while agents were executing a search warrant. That warrant remains under seal.

The FBI has declined comment on the shooting, but Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said June 28 that the investigation dealt with child exploitation and money laundering.

Since the day of the shooting Dayton police have declined comment on the shooting.

Myers was known by his birth name, Dilton Richard Myers, when he was convicted of indecent solicitation of a child in 1995. That conviction was in Barton County, Kan., and the offense involved a 15-year-old girl, according to records obtained by the Dayton Daily News.

He was placed on probation, but that was revoked in 1997 after he was convicted of burglary. He was paroled in September 2000, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records.

Myers had been in prison on prior occasions and had burglary and theft convictions in the late 1980s. In 2000, Myers changed his name to Fallacy Mac Runes Myers, according to a court order filed in Leavenworth County, Kansas.

The order states that “the petitioner is a Pagan and a priest within the religion known commonly as Wicca.”

It also states that Myers was convinced “that he must rid himself of the burden of a Judeo-Christian name.”

Myers lived briefly in West Monroe, La., where he registered with authorities in June and July 2003.

He registered with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office from 2003 through February 2007, when his 10-year registration requirement expired, according to records.

Fred Alverson, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, said last month that when agents arrived, Myers indicated that he wanted to cooperate with the investigation.

The agents had been there several hours when Myers grabbed a knife and started stabbing himself, Alverson said.

When the agents tried to use a Taser on Myers, he lunged at one of the them and was shot, Alverson said.

While they were present, Myers lunged at one of them with a knife and the agent shot him, Biehl said.

Biehl said that the agent fired three shots, and that investigators believe all three hit Myers.

Myers’ wife, Bonnie, could not be reached for comment.

In November 2010, Myers started Foresakenclans.com, LLC, according to the Ohio secretary of state. The website says that it is a “free online vampire vs. werewolf multiplayer game.”

A vendor license for Foresakenclans.com, LLC was issued July 19, 2011, according to the Montgomery County Vendor License database. The office was located at 2105 Needmore Road, Suite B, in Harrison Twp., according to records.

But the sign at the property was for Curvy Massage, which appeared to be closed after the shooting. Myers had a Curvy Massage sign on his car, which was parked near his house the day of his shooting. ..Source.. by Lou Grieco

Sheriff says 19-year-old shot by Redding police had criminal past

6-26-2012 California:

Officers remain on paid leave as details emerge

The 19-year-old man who was shot and killed by Redding police last week had an extensive criminal background, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said Monday.

Scott Joseph Deen's record included resisting arrest, burglary, drug charges and a sexual assault warrant in Montana.

But Deen was not on parole or probation when he was shot, Bosenko said at an afternoon news conference called to release the man's identity.

Preliminary autopsy results show Deen died from a gunshot wound to the chest after a "life-and-death" struggle with four police officers in the area of Canyon and Valley View roads in south Redding early Friday, Bosenko said.

Bosenko also revealed that two shots were fired during the struggle, and only one hit Deen.

"According to witnesses, Deen's struggle with the officers was extremely violent, placing the officers' lives in harm's way," Bosenko said.

Investigators believe Deen and two other men were siphoning gasoline from cars parked in the neighborhood off Highway 273 near Win-River Casino.

Officers used a stun gun at least twice on Deen after he came at them with a knife, Bosenko said.

Not fazed by the stun gun, Deen tried to stab an officer with a knife that was attached to his hand with an elastic bandage before a police supervisor fired two rounds, striking Deen once, Bosenko said.

Deen then ran away. Officers found him about 700 feet from where he was shot. He collapsed when he was caught and died after CPR was unsuccessful, Bosenko said.

Although the sheriff's office on Friday reported three Redding officers were at the shooting scene, Bosenko said Monday there actually were four.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said he will wait until next week after the investigation and interviews are expected to be completed to release the names of the officers involved. He did say they had a combined 35 years of experience on the force.

"So we are talking about very tenured officers that were involved in a very difficult situation," Paoletti said.

The officers are doing well and are handling "the gravity of the situation like true professionals," Paoletti said.

All the officers are on routine paid administrative leave during the investigation.

Bosenko declined to release the names of the other two suspects because of the ongoing investigation. Both men live in Shasta County and one had a warrant for failure to complete a sheriff's work program, authorities said.

Deen had moved to Montana from Shasta County but recently had returned to the area for unknown reasons, Bosenko said. He also alleged Deen was a member of a local gang, but would not identify the gang.

Bosenko also would not elaborate on Deen's criminal background, including the Montana arrest warrant, saying he didn't want to compromise the investigation.

Police were called at 3:16 a.m. Friday to the area of Canyon and Valley View after a newspaper delivery driver called emergency dispatchers to report suspicious men in the neighborhood.

When officers arrived, they found a man who had a warrant for his arrest. Officers, however, believed that the man may not have been the one they had received the call about, Bosenko said.

They then located two other men in the area who police said were trying to siphon gas. One of the men cooperated with police and was handcuffed, but Deen did not obey police commands, Bosenko said.

"The officers also suspected the two suspects may have been under the influence of unknown drugs," Bosenko said.

Officers found a methamphetamine pipe on Deen after he was shot, Bosenko said.

The sheriff's office is investigating the shooting under a local agreement that outside law enforcement agencies will investigate each other's fatal encounters. Had a deputy pulled the trigger, for example, Redding police would investigate the shooting.

This is the seventh officer-involved shooting in Shasta County since 2011. The first six were ruled justified or accidental.

Only the cases involving James Thomas Jobe, Kenneth Ray Wilson and Jose Venavides were fatal.

Jobe was shot in late October on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Redding after grappling with a sheriff's deputy.

Wilson was shot at least 16 times on South Market Street in early August after firing at officers who were chasing him.

Venavides was shot in the head in March 2011 by Redding police after he shot an officer during a traffic stop on South Market Street. ..Source.. by David Benda

Wanted Sex Offender Shot and Killed by Detectives

11-5-2010 California:

Nathaniel Henry has been sought by authorities since he removed his tracking device on Sept. 9.

SAN BERNARDINO ( KTLA) -- A registered sex offender who removed his tracking device has been shot and killed by detectives.

41-year-old Nathaniel William Henry of Lucerne Valley had been sought by authorities since he removed his tracking device on Sept. 9.

Authorities say they finally caught up with the parolee in the 7600 block of Camp Rock Road Thursday.

Henry is said to have threatened officials with a handgun before detectives from San Bernardino's Specialized Enforcement Division opened fire.

Medical personnel were called to the home but Henry was pronounced dead at the scene.

In 2003, court records show Henry was charged with 10 sex crimes including two counts of oral copulation of a person under the age of 16, two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object of a person under the age of 16 and four counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child age 14 or 15.

It's unclear if there were multiple victims involved.

Henry eventually pleaded guilty to rape. He was sentenced to six years in prison.

Henry was also wanted for grand theft auto. ..Source.. by KTLA News

Virginia Police Shoot, Kill Child Porn Suspect

5-20-2012 Virginia:

Man refused to surrender, threatened police with a sword

Fairfax County Police are investigating an incident that ended in officers shooting and killing a man wanted on child porn charges Saturday night.

Investigators say the shooting occurred inside an apartment on Backlick Road in Springfield. Police were informed that the suspect, who has not been identified, was hiding in a bedroom.

Police say the man was wanted on three felony counts of producing child pornography, three felony counts of possessing or reproducing child pornography with intent to distribute, and one misdemeanor count of consensual sexual intercourse with a minor. Police had encountered the suspect the previous night, but he allegedly escaped on foot after giving the officers false identification.

With felony counts of resisting arrest and identity theft added to his rap sheet, the suspect refused to surrender when encountered by police Saturday night. Instead, officers say he threatened them with a sword.

After making repeated demands for the man to surrender, officers fired both live ammunition and bean-bag rounds, fatally wounding the suspect, who was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The investigation into the case is ongoing. ..Source.. by 4NBC.com

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Child porn suspect killed by police in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - A child pornography suspect was shot and killed by police Saturday night after evading officers and then threatening them with a sword.

Fairfax County police say the man had eluded them Friday night by using false identification, and then escaped after a brief foot chase.

Officers re-encountered the suspect Saturday night while searching an apartment in the 5700 block of Backlick Road because of a report of a wanted person in a bedroom.

Police say the suspect refused to comply and threatened officers with a sword. Police fired both less-lethal bean bag rounds and real bullets at the suspect. He was transported to a hospital where he died a short time later.

Police say the man, whose name is not being released, had seven outstanding warrants for child pornography, and sex with a minor as well as resisting arrest and identity theft.

The officer involved is on routine administrative leave while the case is investigated. ..Source.. by Hank Silverberg, wtop.com

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FXCO police shoot child porn suspect

5-20-2012:

A Fairfax County police officer shot and killed a suspect involved in child pornography May 19 at the Chelsea Square apartment complex on Backlick Road in North Springfield.

The following information is from the Fairfax County Police Department: The suspect had seven outstanding warrants: Three felony counts of producing child pornography, three felony counts of possessing or reproducing child pornography with the intent to distribute, and a misdemeanor warrant for consensual sexual intercourse with a minor.

Police officers from the Franconia police station encountered the suspect Friday night, but he ran away after giving false identification. As a result, two additional warrants were issued for resisting arrest and identity theft.

Patrol officers and a K9 team were called to the apartment at around 11:08 p.m. Saturday night after receiving a report that a wanted person was hiding in a bedroom. When the suspect failed to comply with their commands and threatened them with a sword, the officers fired at him using both bean bag rounds and lethal rounds. The suspect fell to the ground, and officers provided medical aid and performed CPR. The suspect was transported to the hospital and died a short time later.

One officer has been placed on administrative leave while the case is being investigated.

Update: The police identified the deceased man May 21 as Gray Alan Combs Jr., age 22, of no fixed address. ..Source.. by Annandaleva VA

Mississippi investigator killed serving warrant on pedophile

Posted in Related Deaths

5-1-2012 Mississippi:

PEARL, Miss. — A police investigator was killed Tuesday in a shootout with a suspect, officials said.

Senior Investigator Mike Walters was shot in the head as he and other detectives tried to serve warrants on a suspect wanted for sexual battery.

Upon entering an apartment in Pearl, police located a man hiding in a bathtub who began to resist arrest, according to The Officer Down Memorial Page.

Officers used a TASER against the subject, who opened fire on the officers and struck Walters in the face. Another officer returned fire and killed the man.

A helicopter airlifted Walters and two other injured officers to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, but Walters was declared dead, The Clarion Ledger reports.

Paying tribute to the fallen officer, Mayor Brad Rogers told a news conference,"It's a job most of us probably wouldn't do."

The two officers injured in the incident are reportedly in stable condition. ..Source.. by PoliceOne Staff

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Slain officer may be 1st in Pearl killed in line of duty

A slain officer is the first from Pearl Police Department to die in the line of duty since the town’s incorporation in 1973, said Chief Ben Schuler.

Investigator Mike Walter, 32, was killed by a gunman who holed up in a bathroom while police served a search warrant for sexual assault and molestation.

The suspect, Carnell Gaines, 30, did not answer the door when police knocked, so they had an apartment complex manager open his door. As they searched the apartment, they came across him in the bathroom.

When Gaines would not show his hands, an officer went for his taser, and Gaines opened fire, killing Walter, a father, husband, and former professional baseball player.

Walter is from San Diego, Calif., according to a release put out by Pearl spokesman Lt. Butch Townsend. He played professional baseball for the Houston Astros from 1993-2000.

Friends of the family said he met his wife, Jeanne, while he was playing baseball, and moved back to Mississippi so she could be closer to home.

The Walters have an 11-year old daughter, Bailey.

He was hired by Pearl in February 2009 as a patrol officer, and moved up quickly to the position of investigator, Townsend said.

“Mike was a beacon of sunshine,” said Townsend in the release. “No words can express our feelings of loss at this time.”

The other officers injured in the shooting were Investigator Dave McCarley, who was shot in the hand and the leg, and Shaun Terwilliger, who received injuries to his forearm that were not gun-related.

McCarley’s injuries are serious, but Townsend said he should make a full recovery with surgery.

“One of the bad parts about our business is the fact that it must go on,” Townsend wrote. “The thin blue line cannot be allowed to be broken. Now we face that task without our brother Mike by our side. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. A good man was lost today.” ..Source.. by The Clarion-Ledger

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2 Officers shot in Pearl; Officer, Suspect Killed

A Pearl police officer was shot and killed today at the Colony Park Apartments in Pearl. Another officer was also shot and a 3rd injured. The suspect, 30-year-old Carnell Gaines Jr., was also shot and killed.

Rankin County District Attorney Michael Guest identified the slain officer as Investigator Mike Walter. He was shot in the head.

University of Mississippi Medical Center spokesman Jack Mazurak said the slain officer died at 11:56 a.m.

Mazurak said the two other officers were in good condition.

Michael Guest confirms that Officer Dave McCarley was shot in the leg and hand and transported by ambulance to UMC. His injuries do not appear to be life threatening. Officer Shawn Terwilliger was injured at the scene but not from gunfire. He also is being treated at UMC.

According to officials, just after 11 a.m. several officers attempted to serve a search warrant and an arrest warrant on 30-year-old Carnell Gaines Jr., who lived in Building 24 at the apartment complex.

When no one answered the door, police got the apartment manager to open the unit. While searching, officers discovered Gaines hiding in the bathtub of a rear bedroom and bath.

Officers reported that Gaines was uncooperative and was about to be tazed when Gaines drew a weapon and began firing. The officers returned fire.

Two officers were shot and another injured during the shootout. Gaines was shot and killed. One of the shot officers later died at University Medical Center in Jackson. The two other officers are listed in good and fair condition.

A neighbor told Fox 40 News that Gaines lived in the apartment with his girlfriend who was pregnant.

According to police, the arrest warrant was for sexual battery and the search warrant was for child pornography. Gaines also has a drug conviction from 2002.



Lieutenant Butch Townsend released this statement for Pearl Police Department:

Today the Pearl Police Department lost an officer in the line of duty. This is a sad first for our town that was incorporated in 1973.

Our beloved friend and comrade, Investigator Michael J. Walter, known to us simply as Mike, was thirty seven years old. He is survived by his loving wife Jeanne and the absolute light of his life, his daughter Bailey age eleven.

Mike also leaves behind his parents John and Judy Walter in their native San Diego, California.

Besides his family, Mike had three passions: the San Diego Chargers, professional baseball and law enforcement.

Mike played professional baseball for the Houston Astros from 1993 – 2000. Mike was hired by the Pearl Police Department in February of 09 as a patrol officer. His knowledge, intellect and inquiring mind enabled him to move to the position of investigator in rapid time, assuming that position in October of 2010.

Also injured in the same incident today was Investigator Dave McCarley. McCarley was shot in the hand and leg. His wounds are serious with surgery and extensive rehab most likely to be needed. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Investigator Shaun Terwilliger received injuries to his forearm, not fire arm related, and was treated and released.

No words can express our feeling of loss at this time. Mike was a beacon of sunshine. Nothing but kind words for all. Seldom did a smile leave his face and his smiles were never bigger than when he would speak of his wife and daughter. We loved him as much he loved them.

One of the bad parts about our business is the fact that it must go on. The thin blue line cannot be allowed to be broken. Now we face that task without our brother Mike by our side. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. A good man was lost today. We’ll keep you posted on the arrangements, which are incomplete as of this time. Mike’s picture is attached. Note the Chargers logo. Thank you for thinking about us. ..Source.. by Fox40.com

Man Shot, Killed By State Trooper During Struggle

4-23-2012 Arkansas:

A Washington County man was shot by a state trooper near Alma Saturday night during a struggle between the trooper and the suspect, authorities said.

Christopher Wayne Snyder, 28, of Winslow was shot and killed by trooper Michael Bowman of the Arkansas State Police after Snyder attempted to overpower Bowman during a struggle, according to a news release issued by Bill Sadler, public information officer for Arkansas State Police.

Bowman, Sadler stated, was on patrol near Alma when he pulled over a speeding vehicle at around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The speeder, later identified as Snyder, stopped in a driveway along the 7500 block of U.S. 71, according to the news release.

“The violator … exited the vehicle and fled from trooper Bowman,” Sadler stated. “A foot chase covering nearly one-quarter mile ensued before ending in the backyard of an abandoned mobile home.”

Snyder refused to comply with Bowman’s orders, and as Bowman attempted to place handcuffs on Snyder, a fight began and Snyder started to choke Bowman, the news release states.

“As Snyder moved on top of trooper Bowman, the trooper was able to reach his handgun and fire the weapon, striking Snyder, who was pronounced dead at the scene,” Sadler stated.

Bowman was examined and released from a nearby hospital. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation, which will be reviewed by Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney Marc McCune, according to the news release.

Sadler said at this time he had no further information to release. ..Source.. by Hicham Raache

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Slain Sex Offender History Shows Failure To Register

4-23-2012 Arkansas:

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ark. -- Christopher Wayne Snyder was shot by Arkansas State Police Trooper Michael Bowman Sunday, April 22. But Snyder's history with law enforcement reaches back to 2007.

Snyder is listed as a level 3 sex offender on Arkansas's Sex Offender online registry.

According to arrest reports from Washington County Sheriff's office, Snyder was arrested in 2007 for driving on a suspended or revoked license.

In 2008, Snyder was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender. Court documents state Snyder was convicted in Oregon for sexual assault with a minor.

Then in June 2010, he was arrested for possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Snyder's family told 40/29 News he was staying with his girlfriend in Crawford County, but the Crawford County Sheriff said they had no record of Snyder registering with his department.

Trooper Michael Bowman is on administrative leave as the investigation into Snyder's death continues. ..Source.. by 4029TV.com

Police: Man fatally shot by police was in possession of drugs, had more than 30 previous arrests

4-12-2012 Texas:

A man fatally shot by an Austin police officer one week ago today had more than 30 prior arrests and was in possession of cocaine the night of the shooting, Austin police officials said Thursday.

Ahmede Jabbar Bradley, 35, had been arrested on charges including driver’s license offenses, evading, robbery, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping, assistant chief Sean Mannix said.

Police have said Bradley fought with officer Eric Copeland for about 2 minutes after a brief foot chase about 7 p.m. near Manor Road and 51st Street.

During the fight, Bradley tried to choke Copeland with the cord of his radio, police have said. Evidence shows Bradley was reaching for Copeland’s weapon as well, Mannix said.

“Mr. Bradley was attempting to disarm him of his weapon,” Mannix said.

Copeland eventually gained control of his weapon and fired at Bradley three times, striking him in the chest area, Mannix said. All three shots were consistent with being fired in a face-to-face confrontation, he added.

Police released two 911 calls today in which witnesses said they could see the suspect struggling with the officer and were concerned the officer needed help.

Listen to the 911 calls here and here.

“Should I go help him?” a man asked a 911 dispatcher as he watched the struggle.

Mannix said the calls alone demonstrate that the officer was in a bad situation.

“It’s very unusual for someone to call 911 when a police officer is on the scene,” Mannix said. “Both callers believe the officer was being disarmed.”

Bradley was found in possession of more than 1 ounce of cocaine and $1,700 in cash, Mannix said.

Mannix said the officer pulled Bradley over about 6:40 p.m. for playing loud music. Copeland smelled marijuana, and as he tried to search the vehicle Bradley fled on foot, he said.

Austin police chief Art Acevedo has said the officer tried to use his Taser stun gun during the chase, but that “one of the prongs did not take.”

Following the shooting, officers attempted CPR, but Bradley died at the scene about 7 p.m., officials have said.

Copeland, who has been with the Police Department since September 2009 , was placed on administrative leave with pay, pending a review of the incident and a chemical and psychological evaluation, officials have said. ..Source.. by Claudia Grisales

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APD officer shoots, kills suspect

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin police officer Thursday night shot and killed a man officials said ran from a traffic stop and then began fighting with the officer in the 5200 block of Overbrook , near Manor Road in East Austin.

According to Assistant Chief David Carter, a patrol officer was trying to stop a vehicle in the 6000 block of 51st Street around 6:40 p.m. for a routine traffic stop.

When the officer approached the vehicle, the driver took off and headed north on to Overbrook Drive where he dumped his vehicle and took off on foot.

Police said the suspect, identified as Ahmede Jabbar Bradley, 37, tried to jump a fence but the officer caught up with him and a scuffle ensued. The suspect managed to get away from the officer but the officer caught up to him, attempted to use his stun gun, but it didn't work.

During a news briefing at Police Headquarters on Friday afternoon, Police Chief Art Acevedo said Police Officer Eric Copland and the suspect engaged in "a violent struggle for the officer's firearm." He said that Copland grabbed the officer's microphone cord and wrapped it around his neck. Acevedo said they have photos of the marks on Copeland's neck. He also said the officer broke a finger in the struggle.

Finally, the officer managed to fire "several shots were fired" by the officer.

Bradley died at the scene. When back-up officers arrived at the scene, they tried to do CPR but to no avail.

The officer was transported to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. He has been with the department for 1 1/2 years.

Police said the patrol vehicle's dashboard camera was on and recording.

"We've captured the entire incident in terms of the audio, in terms of the video. You can see the stop, you can see all those things and we'll look at that tape carefully to find out what's going on," said Carter.

Acevedo said that nearly all of the events were captured either on patrol car video or described in recorded phone calls to police. He also said several civilian well-position witnesses have also provided accounts to police.

No other individuals were involved.

Copland was placed on paid leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure.

While authorities were at the scene gathering information, a large crowd of residents and onlookers started forming. While the crowd has remained relatively calm, extra officers were called in to maintain crowd control.

A witness to the events spoke out on Friday. Greg Anderson said he owns the home and yard where the suspect was shot and died.

" I was sitting up watching TV, me and my little girl," said Anderson, "and next thing I know we heard three gunshots -- come outside and look through the window, and there was cops surrounding this -- well, one cop [was] chasing this one guy. Next thing I know he was in my yard. I heard gunshots and came outside. They were trying to give him CPR and that's when he passed away."

Friday, the family of the suspect placed flowers in the yard where he died. ..Source.. by Calily Bien, Shannon Wolfson, Josh Hinkle