'Course, the cops did come in at 6:15 am.
I *am* a cop, and if anyone, cop or not, comes to my door waving a gun at 6:15 in the morning, I'm gonna go for a gun.
can you show me where it says that the police positively identified themselves?
I want to live in a country where people do not get shot for posessing, even with the intent to sell, 2 ounces of dried plant material.
That, sir, is a "free for all"; it is a disgusting abuse of libertry.
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever." George Orwell
"the perp"
I like that. Nice way to de-humanize your "enemy". Guy was a major dealer anyway, he deserved it.
"If you want to play you will pay! The Police identified themselves and the perp grabbed a gun. Justice served!"
It's only going to be a problem if you're obediant when the home invaders shout "police" to keep you from defending yourself.
They'd *never* do that, would they?
So thats the story here? Sheesh, its like arguing with little children. Its like saying "Al Capone got sent to jail for a litte tax evasion".
Now you're talking about my territory. The entire local govenment of Sunrise is notorious for a spectrum ranging from totally incompetent for the non-uniformed desk jockies to wannabe Nazi storm troopers for the Sunrise P.D. If you're a color other than while or of an ethnic origin other than down-home deep south or NYC retired, you are considered fair game for the cross hairs of a SWAT rifle or the quick draw of a dumbass, dull normal who couldn't get a job with the county sheriff or Ft. Lauderdale P.D. If South Florida, Broward County is on your itnerary, avoid Sunrise.
"civilized behavior," that is a foreign concept to Sunrise P.D.
It's better to be in prison unjustly than get killed for making the supreme mistake of grabbing a gun when you are being arrested.
Here's the rub. The executed the SEARCH warrent with the SWAT team. So it's clear the executed as a high rish warrant. A high risk warrant can be executed during NON-DAYLIGHT hours, and occassionally without a knock at the door. It doesn't sound like there was a knock at the door in this case. Normally warrants must be executed during daylight hours, preceeded by a knock at the door etc.
Now here is where it gets tricky because it sounds to me like they decided to serve this as a high risk SEARCH warrant, because they guy had a gun legally registered in his name. So it all boils down to whether or not they identified themeselves as police officers when they entered the door and whether he understood/believed that they were. Because as many a FReeper knows when someone kicks in your door at 6 AM in the morning your likely to go for your gun.
People that deal drugs in paticular are likely to reach for the gun, because as any moderately successful drug dealer will tell you, your bigger risk factor is NOT GETTING BUSTED. IT'S GETTING ROBBED.
My conclusion is they should have detained the suspect when he came outside during daylight hours, and then preceded to search the house. They shouldn't be kicking in peoples doors at night to execute a search warrant based on the fact that they have a legally registered firearm in their name.
Where did it say he grabbed a gun?...Obvviously the cops version?
"The Police identified themselves and the perp grabbed a gun"
How you know? Because the thugs who shot him said he did?
Since when does a guy who goes to school, works two jobs, and plans a vacation to visit his grandmother go for a gun over marijuana?
But you're right in the end. Any American today who doesn't realize the today's cops will effect your death over the simplist of violations is a friggin idiot.