San Bernardino deputy to face charge in airman shooting

AP ^ | 3/7/6 | GREG RISLING

[SmithL]

San Bernardino -- A sheriff's deputy videotaped shooting an unarmed Iraq war veteran after a high-speed chase will be charged with attempted voluntary manslaughter, authorities said Tuesday.

The case against Deputy Ivory J. Webb, 45, includes the special allegations of infliction of great bodily injury and use of a firearm, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos told a news conference. It was the first time the county's prosecutors filed charges against a lawman for an on-duty shooting.

Sheriff Gary Penrod said Webb, a 10-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, will remain on paid administrative leave as the investigation of the shooting of Air Force Senior Airman Elio Carrion, 21, continues.

"I respect the decision of the district attorney's office," Penrod said.

Webb's arraignment was set for Wednesday. If convicted, he could face up to 18 1/2 years in prison.

On Jan. 29, Carrion, an Air Force security officer just back from Iraq, was a passenger in a Corvette that was involved in a high-speed nighttime chase before crashing into a wall in Chino, about 45 miles east of Los Angeles.

A grainy videotape shot by a resident shows Carrion on the ground just outside the car's passenger door and Webb standing nearby, pointing at gun at him. A voice appears to order Carrion to rise. When the airman appears to begin to comply, the deputy shoots him three times.

[PAR35]

The soldier shouldn't have run

You need to watch the tape. You can't run when you are lying on the ground.

[mugs99]

it sure looked to me like the cop wanted to shoot somebody

Roid rage.
.

[freepatriot32]

http://www.two--four.net/weblog.php?id=P2116the video

[SandfleaCSC]

IBTBL

[passionfruit]

"Exactly. One round equals manslaughter but three equals attempted murder in my book..."

I was in law enforcement for many years. I had to qualify at the range with my weapon every quarter. When we shot, it was one round to the head, and two to the center of mass. They said that if we ever got into a shooting situation, we would revert back to that training. One to the head, two to the center of mass.

I'm not sure how that sherriff was trained, but I believe that for the actual act of shooting, he was probably reverting to his training. I also think that he got hyped up during the pursuit and had too much adrenaline coursing through his veins. It clouded his judgment. The shooting should never have happened.

[Wolfie]

Of all the "dirtbags" to shoot, the poor deputy had to find himself an Iraq War veteran.

[Chena]

He was a collaborator

Being a passenger in a car whose driver is involved in a high speed chase, does not necessarily make that passenger a "collaborator". For all we know, the airman could have been screaming at the driver to pull over.

[VeniVidiVici]

I think he was scared to death. He was no more than 6ft away from the airman and shot once in the shoulder, chest and thigh.

Either that or his gun got away from him.

[snuffy smiff]

Did you read the entire article? I case you did not:
The Sheriff's Department conducted its own probe and forwarded the results to the district attorney's office Feb. 10 without a recommendation on whether charges should be filed.

WITHOUT a recommendation? On whose orders? Have you watched the video?

At the time, the sheriff said the videotape "arouses a lot of suspicion" about what occurred, but he added that the tape is fuzzy and contains gaps, making it difficult to put the entire chain of events in clear perspective.

A lot of suspicion? I saw nothing suspicious-just a bad cop shooting an unarmed man lying on the ground three times! Fuzzy? Maybe. Gaps? What gaps?

"In any type of investigation it is the responsibility of the Sheriff's Department to put together all the facts. ... The district attorney's role is to take those facts and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to issue a criminal complaint. Obviously that was their choice in this investigation," Penrod said Tuesday.

Are you aware the videographer was stopped by cops 3 times in twelve hours after the incident and had his vehicle thoroughly searched each time? What was the reasoning behind that? If this sheriff was any kind of decent human being the cop would have been fired WITHOUT any pay and charges brought or at least recommended. Look, my father worked 27 years with a large police force,and I was raised to have the utmost respect for good cops who put their lives on the lines for all the rest of us. But there are indeed bad cops and I have NO respect for these scumbags OR the ones who protect them and alow them to continue preying on the rest of those around them just because they have a badge and a gun.

[Supernatural]

I don't agree that people under investigation for committing a felony should be paid while on suspension.

Either let them work if they are innocent until proven guilty or suspend them without pay. One or the other.

[passionfruit]

If the San Bernardino Sherriff wants to investigate, I guess that's their right, but I feel much better about the shooting being investigated by the FBI.

Since the shooting I have seen reports that the vidiographer and the driver have been harassed. That is outrageous nd unacceptable. First, the videographer is responsible for this whole thing coming to light. We would never have known about it otherwise. It would have been the airmans word against the cop, and the cop would say anything to justify his actions. For the driver to be harassed is also outrageous and irresponsible. Why isn't his sorry butt in jail? He led police on a high speed chase, that ended in a crash for crying out loud! He could have killed the airman or some other innocent person. The airman lived through the crash only to get shot, but it all started with the actions of the driver. The cop was wrong to shoot. This was a bad shooting, period. Harassing the videographer was wrong under any circumstances, but what in the heck is the driver doing breathing the air of freedom?

[CodeToad]

I hope this violent cop gets the max. In fact, I wish he could get the death penalty.

[yarddog]

I am surprised. It did appear there was no way to avoid him being charged with something serious but they always seem to find some way not to.

It will be interesting if they agree to some plea deal where he doesn't serve time.

[Bear_Slayer]

For all we know, the airman could have been screaming at the driver to pull over.

Exactly.

I've actually been there and done that.

[Bear_Slayer]

Are you aware the videographer was stopped by cops 3 times in twelve hours after the incident and had his vehicle thoroughly searched each time?

Are you aware that he was subsequently extradited to Florida for his own traffic violations?

Sounds like LEO was trying to destroy evidence and obstruct justice.

[OKIEDOC]

Need to send a message to all those RAMBO and Barney Fife wannabes.

[Travis McGee]

I want to know what kind of gun it was.

The technical detaisl are going to be critical in this case, and interesting to shooters.

[HairOfTheDog]

Exactly. One round equals manslaughter but three equals attempted murder in my book...

The number of rounds fired isn't the deciding factor on whether the shoot was justified. Many [most?] who are involved in good defense shootings empty the gun and remember only the first shot. Reflex and instinct, as well as training, is to fire until the threat stops or you run out of bullets.

It's the decision to fire that's flawed, not the number of rounds. I argue this only because the number of rounds sometimes gets questioned even in good shootings.

[hawkiye]

It should be murder! I saw the video the cop ordered the guy to get up and the guy repeated the command back to him in a question; Get up? As he attempted to obey the deputy pumped three rounds into him. The deputy's life was not in immediate danger It was cold blooded murder. Not to mention the expletives the deputy as yelling through out.

[planekT]

I don't think the details of the gun are going to be that critical after having seen and heard the video, but, I could be wrong.

Likely a glock or a berreta though, wouldn't you think?