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“But is the author correct in his assertions?”

I doubt it

But there is no way to know from the information provided.

He recounts at best hearsay regarding the cops telling him to shoot anyone who comes in his house. Pure hearsay, if it is even at that level of reliability

Note that the article mentions only one date, the day he was killed.

It is incredibly tenuous and provides zero detail on how he was supposedly told by police to shoot anyone going in to his house.

Read it. It provides zero information on how he was told except some amorphous phrase, “ left with words of advice”.

Quote:

“Police tracked down the suspect and warned him to stay away. Westcott, those close to him said, was left with a word of advice from the investigating officers: If anyone breaks into this house, grab your gun and shoot to kill.”

And, when did this word of advice make its’ way to the dead guy?

The article does not say. Not at all. No date or even time frame given.

It could have been weeks or months, or a year earlier before the May 27 day.

And the author, in a deliberate attempt, makes it seem like it happened the same day.

This is not worth the electrons needed to read it.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/informer-not-neighbor-complaints-led-up-to-fatal-tampa-pot-raid/2187316

A stranger who had showed up with one of their friends asked to borrow Westcott's phone. He then got on Facebook and messaged two other men about stealing his hosts' gun and TVs in a few days' time and "burning" (or killing) Westcott, according to police reports on the incident.

After discovering the messages the next day, Westcott called the police, who consulted with him over several days about how to handle the incident.

The crime ultimately did not take place, and officers identified the alleged conspirators and put them on notice, the police report states. Reyes said investigators told him and Westcott not to be afraid to use their gun to defend themselves if the suspects reappeared, an account Westcott also related to his mother.

McElroy denied that the detectives who worked the case made the statements the young men described about using the gun to kill robbers if they broke in.

So - it's the JBT's word against a dead guys. Naturally, a bootlicker like you won't side with the dead guy his heroes just clipped...