WATCH: Police Kill Man In Drug Raid Gone Wrong

worldnewsmania ^

[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...

[isthisnickcool]

This is a murder on video. Does everybody understand?

I know numerous SWAT team members. None of them would have done a breach like that. None of them, especially the FBI guys I know would have shot that fellow. The guys in the video have been badly trained and apparently do not have the psych profile to be on SWAT. The whole idea of SWAT is to avoid killing anybody. They are not ninja assassins.

I'd bet that the team on the video has all sorts of toys, including bean bag rounds. The man should not have been killed. Or even hurt.

[MrEdd]

If your .223 caliber weapon is not fully automatic, it is in no way an "Assault" weapon. It is inadequate for an assault against a prepared fortification. Neither lawyers, legislators, nor LEO are entitled to twist and redefine military terminology.

To bring home this point, I have taken to referring to every document signed by a judge as "An Execution Order". I am no more out of line than they are. When the subject comes up (as it will helping out at a rescue mission on Tuesdays) I explain my reasoning and stick by it.

[Onelifetogive]

That is great advice, on the level of the individual, for living one’s life. But it’s a non-sequitur in regard to Constitutional principles and what we feel is appropriate behavior from government authorities.

Well put. I completely agree.

[OneWingedShark]

>They are not ninja assassins.

Well, yes, breaking down the door goes against the ‘stealth’ mindset that a ninja has.
...but an argument may be made that these are assassins.

[redgolum]

By settled law, police are not there to protect or serve the public.

[GlockThe Vote]

I really don’t see the function of most police in surburbuan or rural areas anymore but to write speeding and parking tickets and ake reports after someone is already assaulted raped or killed.