Eastern New Orleans family is badly shaken after home invasion, shootout(LA)

nola.com ^ | 14 November, 2012 | Naomi Martin

[marktwain]

A shootout with military-style guns just feet from her sleeping 8-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son was the last thing a New Orleans dentist expected when she woke from a restless sleep Wednesday about 3:30 a.m. in her eastern New Orleans home. As the 34-year-old woman checked on her husband, who was up late working on his computer, the couple was startled to hear their home alarm system suddenly beep: A window in their garage gym had been opened.

Her husband, also a dentist, pulled up his computer surveillance footage from the family's security cameras surrounding their property in the 5600 block of St. Helena Place. The couple watched in horror as three masked men dressed in black worked to pry open their window. One of the men held a 3-foot-long assault rifle. A fourth man stood guard behind the house, outside the back door.

[marktwain]

The anti freedom socialists say you do not need semi-automatic rifles to defend yourself.

[ArrogantBustard]

NOPD spokeswoman officer Hilal Williams, however, said the department's response time was "acceptable" -- officers were dispatched to the scene at 4:09 a.m. and the first units arrived at 4:18 a.m. Williams acknowledged that "10 minutes can feel like forever when you're in that type of situation," but still, she said, the reality is "we just can't possibly have cars outside every house."

When seconds count, the police are only minutes away. And that's "acceptable".

Fine.

Be armed. Be prepared. Be aware.

[SJSAMPLE]

His alarm goes off and he goes to his PC first?

What a dumbass.

[SJSAMPLE]

To be fair, “A cop on every corner” is the very definition of a police state. In England, it’s cameras watching your every move.

Like you said;
Be armed. Be prepared. Be aware.

It’s been like this since the dawn of man and it’s never going to change.

[Psalm 144]

Not really news in New Orleans.

[ArrogantBustard]

Wrong.

According to the article, he was working on the computer when the alarm sounded. He didn't "go to his PC"; he was already there.

[driftdiver]

“The victims said they were “very disappointed” with the NOPD’s response time. “

The cops had to wait until the shooting had stopped.

[George from New England]

With the media publicizing and flouting the addresses of the break-ins, good luck finding any buyers when you go to sell.

[MCF]

This is where a 12 gauge is the weapon to have.

[stuartcr]

Odd that a dentist would have surveillance cameras and no alarms on his windows that would have called as soon as the window opened or broke.

[drbuzzard]

It’s not a bad idea to know if:
A) it’s just a false alarm
B) where they are entering and how many

Personally I think he did pretty well given the circumstances.

[Pollster1]

Weapons employed by the criminals included a 3-foot-long assault rifle, an “automatic weapon”, and another gun. A total of 15 shots were fired in 15 minutes - impressive restraint for organized criminals with an automatic weapon. Somehow, the journalists failed to identify any of the weapons used by the criminals, the homeowners, or local wildlife as an AK-47.

[ArrogantBustard]

To be fair, “A cop on every corner” is the very definition of a police state.

True ... and where I live, response time may be more like 20 minutes. Part of "prepared" would seem to be knowing your local police response time, and being able to repel attackers for at least that long. I like this guy's computerized security system; helps to know what you're dealing with.

[Red in Blue PA]

Google Brittany Zimmerman.

48 minutes after 911.

Dead.

[SJSAMPLE]

Agreed.
I thought he went to the PC to check it out, but apparently he was already there. My alarm gives two short beeps every time a monitored door is opened, wether it’s armed or not.

[drbuzzard]

Personally I have a doberman instead of an alarm.

However my current doby is a complete creampuff, so maybe I need an alarm.

[coloradan]

I’m impressed by the ability of the reporter to be able to identify an automatic weapon just by looking at a grainy photograph. That means she’s able to see submillimeter details of one piece of metal, inside other thick pieces of metal, just from the photograph.

[Mamzelle]

Yep--wonder why not? That's how most home systems work.

Any names published? I'm smelling drug deal all over the place.

[SJSAMPLE]

Everybody says that, but then they try to maneuver through a house, gather up kids, open doors, hold the phone, etc.

The pattern of 00 or 000 is not that large within confined distances. You only get 5 or 7 shots.

My Glock 22 is immediately available, with a light and 15rnds and can be handled with one hand, if need be. Sure, if you have the time, two hands, etc. then a large shotgun might have its advantages.

[SJSAMPLE]

It took the Indianapolis police department FIFTY MINUTES when I called in to report a stolen gun. Even if it’s a gun, it’s just property crime, I guess.

[SJSAMPLE]

One of the commentors took it to the author of the article and she responded with nonsense. Journalism is such a varied profession, you get rank amateurs to absolute greatness.

[ArrogantBustard]

Odd that a dentist would have surveillance cameras and no alarms on his windows that would have called as soon as the window opened or broke.

Many security systems can be programmed to sound a local alarm when the residents are home and awake; the remote alarm is triggered only when the system is completely armed. The system would usually be completely armed only when the residents are gone or have retired for the night.

[Noamie]

“Eastern New Orleans family is badly shaken after home invasion, shootout(LA)”

Dunno why, but what if the headline had read:

“”Eastern New Orleans family is Announces Open Season on Looters After Successful Team Death Match.”

[ArrogantBustard]

Even if it’s a gun, it’s just property crime, I guess.

Very likely.

I observe on another thread that some bunch of gungrabbing loons in San Fransicko has awarded your home state a grade of "F" for its gun laws. Congratulations!

[ArrogantBustard]

Right ... you can’t be sure they’ll EVER show up.

[SJSAMPLE]

Thank you.
Although Indiana requires a permit for CC, it’s a LIFETIME permit that only cost $115 and SEVEN DAYS to process. I feel lucky compared to people in other states.

Class III auto and suppressed is no big deal here and the cops are relatively gun-friendly. We’ve got good range protection laws as well.

[grumpygresh]

A preview of coming attractions in the city after the financial collapse. Night vision scope and night vision binos for a spotter. The robbers probably knew the dentists had a safe. Beware of housekeepers.

[corbe]

This could have turned out very differently had the hubby not been up at 3 AM looking at p0rn.

[RedMDer]

[Charles Martel]

Odd that a dentist would have surveillance cameras and no alarms on his windows that would have called as soon as the window opened or broke.

Many people don't arm the alarm system until they're ready to go to bed; this guy probably hadn't done so yet. And if I lived there (I know this area, it's waaay the hell out on the fringe of suburbia next to a marshy wildlife refuge), I'd have surveillance cameras *and* several outdoor motion sensors.

This is a modest '90s neighborhood, but a number of the houses there have iron fences right up to the sidewalk with rolling driveway gates. Prior to Katrina, it was a rough area due to the usual New Orleans blight, plus the added attraction of Vietnamese gang activity. Don't know what it has become since then.

[stuartcr]

Novacaine cartel...or maybe raising a crop of dental floss.

[stuartcr]

Who knows?

[Dr. Sivana]

Novacaine cartel...or maybe raising a crop of dental floss.

Nitrous, man ... nitrous.

[Bogey78O]

I know this area very very well. It was primarily Vietnamese with a small but sizable black population. Its so Vietnamese that most of the streets named in the past 20 years have VN styled names. I’m not surprised they had cameras as many of the VN in the area are very vigilant when it comes to security. I’m surprised that the guys family didn’t get there before police since the area is so tightly knit.

I think one of the last times I was out there on that street I talked to a black gentleman whose house had an attempted burglary by thieves who cut the power but didn’t think about power backups.

If you pull up google street view the houses around the corner have a unique Asian flair to them. Iron fences, gardens out front along with statues.

What’s interesting to me is that if there were any cars in Michoud it’d take literally less than 2 minutes to get there. I know driving safe I can get from one side of Michoud to the other in 5 minutes.

[Tainan]

The Asian gang home invasion scenario was mentioned by one of the commenters. It sound like this is what happened.
Very professional attack on the dentists home. It was noted that one of the invaders finished off a cigarette prior to the break-in and pinched it off with is fingers and put it in his jacket pocket (caught on the CCTV security cam).
So, it does look like this might well have been an organized Asian gang home invasion. My guess, and its only a guess, is that the dentist is also Asian.

[Bogey78O]

Ehhh... it can go either way on if it was an asian gang or another type. The asian gangs in that area seem to be into the drug trade though and not the burglary route. Hell, most of the Vietnamese are either extended family or they know each other from church as the two places of worship pull in probably 90% of the population (Buddhist Temple and Queen Mary)