Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 01/18/2011 2:17:18 PM PST by darkside321
Utah police shot and killed a man within seconds of storming his parents' home, video of the raid shows. The police had a warrant to search for drugs, but found only a small amount of pot and an empty vial that had apparently contained meth.
Local media report that Todd Blair, 45, was a drug addict rather than a dealer, according to friends and family.
In the video, Blair can be seen holding a golf club above his head as police smash through his door. Within seconds, without demanding Blair drop the iron or lay down, Weber-Morgan Strike Force Sgt. Troy Burnett fires three shots into him. The local prosecutor has deemed the killing justified, but his family is planning a federal lawsuit, arguing that police had plenty of alternatives.
Blair's death raises the question of why multiple heavily-armed officers were sent to raid a drug addict -- and why Weber and Morgan counties in Utah would even need a "Narcotics Strike Force." Local police forces are able to keep to property they seize in drug raids, often without the necessity of a conviction, creating a perverse incentive to reinvest in military equipment and carry out additional raids.
The killer, Sgt. Burnett, had previously told a law-enforcement magazine that he and fellow officers were trained to shoot quickly and at close range. Burnett had previously put the training to use by shooting and killing an armed suspect in 2008.
"Maybe a month before this [2008 shooting], we did our qualification and this kind of scenario was played out in live fire training where we had to quickly draw and fire at close range," Burnett said at the time. "It wasn't quite identical, but it was close...
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnewsmania.com ...
Most cops have greatly earned their disgust by the public.
But given the situation it seems perverse that with a no-ID no-knock raid (usually in a bad neighborhood) they would immediately fire upon and kill anyone brandishing a weapon (even a golf club).
What is the resident supposed to think when the door comes flying down - “better get into the prone position ASAP?” is the thinking of the slave.
A free man takes up arms when an unidentified intruder comes through the door!
And apparently, in our Republic, a free man gets killed by the jack booted thugs for so doing.
Galling!
mistakes were made...
The best part is that the cops scream about people not respecting them anymore. Yeah whatever.
This is precisely the reason for my discomfort at the roadside License / Insurance / Registration checkpoints that seem to be in vogue today.
By design, that technique assumes GUILT by the drivers randomly on that route and exclusively allows passage once credentials are examined.
Call me crazy, yet an assembly of unsmiling, confrontational, steroid-enhanced, buzzcut guys (some with dogs) isn't setting the stage for a friendly exchange.
This pumped-up approach to law enforcement is disconcerting and is not the neighborly "peace officer" of years past.
It is also how one can go from just minding their own business in their car to being dragged out through the window at gunpoint in virtually an instant.
When we were kids, all of us knew the local cops by name (e.g. "Officer Bob") and he or she would occasionally give us a stick of gum or piece of candy. I don't have any kids, yet I know it ain't happening like that these days.
They were trying to setup Henry Bowman.
Great Book by the way I think it should be required reading.
These cops did nothing but kill this man and for nothing more than a little bit of dope. This is disgusting. Someday the tide will turn and people will tire of fearing our government.
OLTG’s Rules for a Happy (and Longer) Life: “Don’t be a drug addict!”
Years ago there was a case in Indy where the homeowner of a raid gone wrong (wrong address) killed the first officer that entered his house with a shotgun.
He survived multiple gunshot wounds from the following officers, was charged with manslaughter and as many other charges as they could muster and tried.
The homeowner was aquitted by the Jury.
I think police today are 1) too militarized and 2) watch too many episodes of "Cops"!
i don’t care if the guy had 2 poundsof coke, thistype of summary execution is nt warranted period.
Is the death penalty a possible sentence for drug possession?
The point being, it appears so ridiculous when a serial rapist murderer has the State pour millions into trying him multiple times before multiple juries and then having the bum sit on Death Row for a score of years just so on his execution date dozens of candle bearing liberals can protest his execution while the State chemically induces death so painlessly that the Supreme Court can sleep at night.
In contrast, we have thugs smash apart private property and gun someone down in the middle of the night on a petty offense.
We are one messed up nation.
Cop says he is “Pleased his training, gun and ammo allowed him to make such short work...” Paraphrase, sort of but, pretty accurate if one reads the article.
I don't like these either. But at least there is some plausible justification based upon the notion that driving is a licensed activity. Occupying ones own home is in no way similar.
ML/NJ
I'm not the idiot in this conversation. I posted this:
I will agree that the police were TOTALLY in the wrong. He is STILL dead.
I was suggesting a way for people to GREATLY decrease the chance that a cop (or criminal) would come bursting thru their doors in the middle of the night.
What LEO is taught to shoot less then 2 seconds after the command "Freeze" is given ?
Absolutely, every simple one of these JBT should be fired and the supervisor fired and every single one of them dragged into court and drained of all their earthly possessions
Justified shooting my ass.
Sure. The COPS were WRONG!
But if you never buy drugs, you'll never end up buying from an undercover cop and getting your name on the list of people's houses that need to be raided. If you never buy drugs, you'll be MUCH less likely to have some dealer give up your name to get a lesser sentence. If you never buy drugs, no dealers will be aware of the fact that you have drugs and cash in your house. Seriously, there are MANY benefits to NEVER buying illegal drugs!
I was suggesting a way for people to GREATLY decrease the chance that a cop (or criminal) would come bursting thru their doors in the middle of the night.
Yeah. The cops NEVER get the wrong house.
Oh, wait! Yes they do!
Google “police swat wrong house” and get 164,000 hits.
I have no use for authoritarian thugs or their apologists. NONE.
APf
This country needs Henry Bowman
Ok, don't make me read the book, short and sweet, what happened?
I used to pretty much always side with LE, no matter what.
I guess the 20+ years in Las Vegas has changed that a bit, these guys will shoot your ass for lookin' at 'em wrong.
That video was sick.
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