He Shot a Police Officer During Late-Night Raid at His Home

When the San Antonio Police Department’s Tactical Response Unit busted through his front door, 52-year-old Adrian Perryman says he opened fire because he believed a home invasion was underway. He wounded a police officer, but claims he tossed his firearm once he saw they were cops and not criminals.

It took a jury in San Antonio, Texas, nine hours of deliberation to find Perryman not guilty on four counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer earlier this week. The raid occurred at Perryman’s home back in October 26, 2010.

Police officers testified that they shouted, “Police! Police!” as they broke down the door and then again when they were inside the home, KSAT-TV reports.

That was the big disagreement in the trial as Perryman’s attorney, Tony Jimenez, told the jury his client did not hear the police identify themselves or make it known that they had a search warrant. Perryman reportedly fired four rounds at police.

“The door goes down – he shoots,” Jimenez said, according to KSAT-TV. “Was it in the direction of police? Did he know they were police?”

The defense attorney also told jurors that Perryman was protecting his house, girlfriend and family. His 3-year-old granddaughter, Savannah, was reportedly in the house on the night of the raid.

“He was protecting his house, he was protecting Ms. Flores and he was protecting Savannah,” Jimenez said.

Prosecutor Steve Spier argued it’s implausible that trained police officers would risk their lives and “have no regard for themselves” by failing to loudly proclaim who they are.

“Though jurors never heard about the reasons for or results of the search warrant, police at the time reported finding methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and firearms in the home,” MySanAntonio.com reports.

Ummm. No. He did NOT shoot a police officer.

He tried. He came close. But he missed.

The backstory from 2010....

Man opens fire on officers, police sayPolice said Adrian Perryman, 48, fired several shots at the officersat a house in 1200 block of Magnolia around 2:30 a.m.

Police officers serving a warrant at a near North Side home dodged a bullet Tuesday morning - several, actually.

Police said Adrian Remedios Perryman, 48, fired multiple shots at officers after they entered his residence in the 1200 block of Magnolia around 2:30 a.m. with a narcotics search warrant in hand.

Officers in full uniform and detectives wearing raid gear with the word “police” on it yelled, “Police, search warrant!” as they entered the home, leaving no doubt about their identity, police said.

Nobody was injured. One bullet narrowly missed a detective’s left leg, piercing a pocket on his shorts, according to a police incident report. Perryman was apprehended seconds later, and has been charged with attempted capital murder of a police officer and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, the report states.

Police found methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and firearms - and two surveillance cameras outside the residence that had given warning of officers’ arrival in real time, the report states.

Perryman was in Bexar County Jail on bonds totaling $280,000, authorities said.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Man-opens-fire-on-officers-police-say-724478.php

The local story..........

Man who shot at cops acquitted

SAN ANTONIO — Jurors who deliberated for 10 hours Tuesday determined that Adrian Perryman was not guilty of aggravated assault of a public servant for a 2010 shooting that took place inside his home as police were serving a search warrant.

They also found Perryman, 52, not guilty of a lesser charge of deadly conduct for firing four rounds at the group of officers he believed to be intruders.

Defense attorney Tony Jimenez told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday that his client, whose home had twice before been broken into, had been awakened by his frantic girlfriend, Rebecca Flores, and was acting on adrenaline when he shot.

“He was protecting his house, he was protecting Ms. Flores and he was protecting Savannah,” he said, referencing the 3-year-old granddaughter of Flores who also was at the home the night of the October 2010 raid.

Though jurors never heard about the reasons for or results of the search warrant, police at the time reported finding methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and firearms in the home.

Prosecutors Steven Speir and Julie Wright argued that Perryman’s in-home surveillance system would have given him ample warning of the police presence even if he hadn’t heard the shouts of the nine officers yelling “Police! Search warrant!” as they broke down the door and entered the house.

“He was shooting straight at them,” Wright said during closing arguments. “He certainly wasn’t firing into the ceiling.”

Perryman’s former girlfriend, Flores, testified that she looked at the monitor the night of the raid as she came out of the shower and could only see two dark, shadowy figures crouched down outside the house before she ran to wake Perryman and handed him a gun, telling him burglars had returned to the home.

“I put my body over Savannah’s,” she said, recalling for jurors what she did in the moments after handing Perryman the gun and before he opened fire. “He said ‘I’ve got a gun and I’m going to shoot — stay out!’”

Flores said it wasn’t until after he fired four shots that she heard anyone yelling “Police!”

“I remember telling him the police were here; I thought they were there to protect us. I said ‘Oh, thank God,’” she said.

Perryman took the stand in his defense last week and told jurors how he had shouted a warning before he heard the front door go down and “unloaded” his gun.

“When I knew they were policemen, I lay down, face down,” he said, adding he dropped the gun and began apologizing. “I kept saying ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was y’all. I’ve been broken into before.’”

mcasady@express-news.net

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Man-who-shot-at-cops-acquitted-5608077.php

i’ve considered automated barrier systems that would stop any intruder if they got passed the doors.

of course, ‘they’ wouldn’t like it as it would serve as protection for the occupants

it also wouldn’t be overly attractive, depending on the layout. one design was a 2-3 floor home with the bottom level being circular and mainly serve as the garage and basement. once the home is ‘secured’, an inner wall would move into place. kind of like a can inside a can... whose openings match until you rotate the inner can.

might be a bit nutty, but it would definitely be more secure

He Shot a Police Officer During Late-Night Raid at His Home — Why a Jury Just Found Him Not Guilty

Sounds like they think that's surprising. Why would it be? People unknown to him entered his home without permission by force in the middle night. Why on earth would the legal burden be upon him to guess correctly whether they're cops or [non legally sanctioned] home invaders?

“The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail, its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter, the rain may enter -- but the King of England cannot enter; all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!” -- William Pitt

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.