Posted on 05/19/2004 7:42:45 AM PDT by sauropod
Shooting victim stable, expected to recover
May 8, 2004
By Times staff writer (unidentified)
The St. Petersburg Times
P.O. Box 1121
St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1121
Fax: 727-893-8675
http://www.sptimes.com
To submit a Letter to the Editor: letters@sptimes.com
The 22-year-old who was accidentally shot in the chest during a training exercise at the law enforcement firing range/training area near the central landfill in Lecanto on Thursday is expected to recover, authorities said.
Eric C. Verhille was flown by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition and underwent surgery Thursday.
Verhille, a Marine from Maine who is stationed in North Carolina, was in Citrus County doing freelance work as an instructor for a North Carolina-based private training company. The company had been contracted by Withlacoochee Technical Institute, which runs the range off State Road 44. http://www.wtionline.cc/
A dozen Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers in the Special Operations Group had been training at the range Thursday.
Verhille had been photographing a training session involving live ammunition when the incident occurred.
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/08/Citrus/Shooting_victim_stabl.shtml
Another article, same topic:
Marine recovering from gunshot wound at training exercise
May 7, 2004
The Associated Press
http://cbs4.com/floridanews/
Lecanto, Florida - A 22-year-old Marine was recovering Friday from a gunshot wound suffered during a training exercise at a law enforcement firing range. Eric C. Verhille of North Carolina was taken to Tampa General Hospital following Thursday's incident, but hospital officials Friday said they could not confirm he was being treated there, citing federal medical privacy guidelines.
Citrus County Sheriff's officials were investigating the incident as an accident.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Gail Tierney said a dozen officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Special Operations Group were training on Thursday at the range, which the Withlacoochee Technical Institute operates.
She said the officers were participating in a "building clearance'' exercise. In an open-air "house,'' a group of four officers with long guns and handguns entered and cleared the first room, then entered a second room. Weapons were drawn and a shot was fired.
The Marine, whose rank was unavailable, was working as an instructor. He was standing on a stack of tires between the two rooms, photographing the session for training purposes, Tierney said.
"We're not really sure at this point if it was a direct hit or a ricochet,'' she said. Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators were also investigating.
The Fish and Wildlife officer who is believed to have fired the shot was put on administrative leave. A sheriff's spokeswoman said Friday that officer is not being publicly identified until investigators determine he actually fired the shot.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press.
http://cbs4.com/floridanews/FL--MarineShot-dn/resources_news_html
Please?
Perhaps one of you can explain this to me.
Maybe they will start shooting people who fish without a fishing license.
We're turning FWS flourist rangers into SWAT thugs, greens with guns. Of course you'll get imbeciles that will tell us this is needed for their precious "safety".
The FWS already has the power to shut your local marine industry down with no checks and balances whatsoever. They've done it here in SW Florida by not allowing any more docks to be built and implementing unrealistic and unscientific speed zones which inhibit access to the Gulf.
They used the Manatee as an excuse for that one.
No congressman, legislator or any other representative of the people can or will do anything about it. They're a complete entity unto themselves and rule by simple decree. Now we're giving them SWAT teams. Isn't that special?
We're creating a bizarro America/anti-America.
It's just symptomatic of the ever-increasing police state. When I was a kid, our county sheriff (a cousin) did not carry a sidearm (just like Andy Griffith).
He always reasoned with the people he arrested -- sometimes with words, sometimes with a fist up side of their head -- but they always came to see his side of things eventually.
Now you have people in law enforcement who are not there to serve the public like our sheriff, but to subdue the public. They need guns.
Someone could be armed with an illegal eagle feather.
More JBTs brought to you by your friendly federal government.
You can be sure they will be used for more than just fish and game violations.
Is this part of the "standing army" our forefathers feared?
Every fricking dipwad with a badge is now a ninja wannabe. A few years ago the clintoon signed an EO where practically every federal agent could carry a gun.
It is evidence that our LEOs are being trained to take up arms against us.
The fricking poultry inspectors will be taking this course next.
Meanwhile, ex-military men and women who are now civilian airline pilots have to wait for MONTHS to get into ONE tiny class in an obscure, not easily accessable location, in order to be trained to shoot terrorists.
Probably because they are involved in enforcing state laws concerning the illegal trade in protected Florida species.
This might require them to break into buidlings where suspected contraband and its owners are sequestered.
I haven't ever heard of any violent confrontations in those situations however, most of these people, or all of them, are White Collar Criminal types.
This shows that a gun in the hands of a cop is more dangerous than in the hands of a law-abiding citizen.
Its a skill needed just in case an honest to God property owner tries to attend one of their meetings where they decide how they are going to manage the land.
Even the USDA chicken inspectors carry guns now. Every dingle-berry Sheriff's department in the U.S. has a SWAT team. They love this stuff. Even the small town cops where I live are wearing BDU's and sidewall haircuts. It looks like they're going to jump into Normandy to fight the Hun.
You are right! There are many here that would say you are being an alarmist. Some people will ignore the warning signs of tyranny because they're afraid they might actually have to do something about it. It'll all come to a head sooner or later and many of the Ninja Warriors will be called upon to put up or shut up. So sad.
Hell in a handcart... now boarding...
All it will take is for a few dozen of the poultry inspectors and F&W ninjas to die during a dynamic raid to make the rest of them realize that they love their families very much.
huh?...OK, I can see a Game Warden or Park Ranger being armed. Thats all weel and good. But a 'SOG' group? WTF?
Sonds to me like a bunch of shaved head, steroid pumped. black BDU wearin' gomers.
Dang...Yogi and BooBoo must be gettin' too many pic-a-nic baskets.
Is you're fishing license paid up ?
What do you call Barney Fife on a mission from God ?
ans: a game warden..
Boarding what? ;-)
Are they chartered to do this?
They can do this by Florida Statute. I thought my state was bad!
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