Posted on 02/27/2015 2:20:25 PM PST by rey
The family of a Santa Rosa man who killed himself during an armed standoff last year with Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies sued the county Friday in federal court, alleging an unwarranted, militarized assault on his home forced him to take his own life Dozens of deputies, including a SWAT team with an armored vehicle, descended on Swindell’s home and remained for hours after he released the kids and refused to come out. He committed suicide sometime the next morning when deputies filled the attic he was hiding in with tear gas and other chemical irritants, causing him extreme suffering, the lawsuit says. Essick said deputies were acting on a report from the wife that Swindell attacked her before barricading himself inside. The wife said this week the dispute was only verbal. “He just wanted them to go away,” his mother said. His mother said deputies created a situation where he was forced to shoot himself.
“It was a gas chamber up there,” Belka said. “He was suffering from all the chemicals.”
(Excerpt) Read more at pressdemocrat.com ...
I am no fan of the militarization of our police, but I ain't buying this one. "Just wanted them to go away"? I feel the same way at check points and traffic stops but I don't kill myself, much to the chagrin of those on this site.
This one’s a coin flip on which way it will break with FReepers. I’m guessing pro-dead guy this time.
I’m not either. If it was just verbal, the wife could have easily helped ot diffuse the situation.
Personally, I think it’s money grubbing time for the survivors and a shady lawyer.
I don’t know what the guy did in the first place. But I don’t think anyone can be forced into suicide if all he had to do is surrender.
It’s hard to tell whether the wife communicated poorly by accident, or she did it intentionally because she was mad at her husband, or the police reacted disproportionately after she accurately communicated the events of a dispute that “was only verbal”. In any case, I think that tear gas on a guy who was alone and had not committed a violent crime was unnecessary.
One thing’s for sure, once the police arrive the situation will only end the way they want it to. Something to consider before picking up the phone.
Militarized police SWAT teams should never have been utilized in place of marriage counseling.
Well, it’s not breaking pro-dead guy with me. Having known somebody who made verbal threats to his wife and children and then killed himself only after he arrived at the house and found they had fled, I’m not sympathetic.
This guy would probably have killed himself anyway, and the reason the tear gas was fired into the attic was to force him out (where he would not have been shot, btw) so that they could get him out of there without having to enter the house and risk other deaths, including his own.
The mother is just dialing for dollars.
“But I don’t think anyone can be forced into suicide if all he had to do is surrender.”
Surrender,and get what. Possibly shot, definitely get beat
half to death by the fuzz and if he survives that, a thirty
year sentence on trumped up charges. The ol ball and chain
most likely blew everything out of proportion when she called
the fuzz. The Sonoma County fuzz department seems to have a
shoot on site policy, may be that is why he didn’t surrender.
Personally, I think the cops look like idiots when they come on the way they do, armored vehicles, 50-100 armed black uniformed officers in masks, or when they do a traffic stop, three or four or more patrol cars appear, helicopters overhead, all for speeding?
Despite this, the guy barricades himself in the bathroom with his kids and makes threatening statements. He has a weapon. His wife is concerned enough to call the guys with the guns, the police. He just wanted them to go away? And if he harmed his wife and kids after that the police would be at fault. I think the family wants $
By the way, this department has been pretty patient with perps. I’ve seen them patiently wait for hours for some fool to exit his vehicle. Two days ago they stopped a car with four armed assailants wanted in a home invasion shooting and they got them all without shooting more than a tear gas grenade in the car. Yes, they shot a kid with an airsoft AK, but it would have fooled me too. But overall, they have been pretty good.
I don’t know what started this, domestic fight?
when the cop says come on out........come on out!!!!!
when the cop says come on out........come on out!!!!!
Congratulations....I think that you have posted the most asinine comment that I have ever read on the internet.....and that takes some doing!!
A good way to have your spouse bumped off. Then, sue the cops for doing just that.
He barricaded himself in the house. Had not fired on anyone. It is HIS house. All you need is a couple cops to wait him out. No need for an assault on his house. Not an enemy combatant.
Too much over reaction and “can’t wait” attitude.
Eventually he will run out of food or just plain tire of the whole thing and give himself up.
Too much expectation of instant results and too much “do as I say or you will get it big time” attitudes.
If he had actually fired at them, killed someone or taken over someone else’s domicile, then yes, go get him.
There should be a law regarding proportionate response.
Rant off.
I don’t think so. Normally I would agree, but they did wait 12 hours. This same department waited two or three days on an assailant believed to be in an apartment a few years ago. Upon finally entering they found it empty. They also worked for 2 hours to get some guy out of a car a couple of years ago, and two days ago removed three of four known armed suspects from a vehicle without firing a shot (the fourth didn’t come out because he’d been shot earlier (not by police) and was dead, the same reason this guy didn’t come out).
I’m not sure about proportionate response, though I know where you are coming from. Are you saying if an assailant has a bat the officer should have no more than a bat? Should they confront those armed with knives with a knife of their own? I’d pay to see that!
It is odd that our troops in hostile areas of the world have ROE that are far more restrictive than anything ANY police force must deal with. I’d agree to the police abide by the same ROE.
“Congratulations....I think that you have posted the most asinine comment that I have ever read on the internet.....and that takes some doing!!”
Sorry you feel that way. Why do you think this is “the most”
asinine comment you have ever seen? You’ve been a Freeper
sense 98’, surely you’ve seen worse than this. Mind telling
me why? Or is it for some other reason entirely?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.