Posted on 11/22/2006 8:16:37 PM PST by AdamSelene235
ATLANTA -- Three Atlanta police officers were shot and wounded and an elderly woman killed at a house in northwest Atlanta Tuesday night.
The woman, identified by relatives as 92-year old Kathryn Johnston, opened fire on the officers from the narcotics division at a house at 933 Neal Street, according to officials.
Atlanta Police Asst. Chief Alan Dreher said at a news conference Wednesday that an undercover officer made a drug purchase at Johnston’s address late Tuesday afternoon from a male suspect. Officers were able to obtain a search warrant after that.
Asst. Chief Dreher said as they were executing the search warrant, the officers announced themselves and then forced open the door. Officials say the warrant was a “No Knock” warrant – meaning that the officers did not knock before forcing open the door, but they did announce themselves.
Dreher said as soon as the officers forced open the door, Johnston shot at the officers and the officers returned fire to protect themselves. One officer was shot 3 times – once in the leg, on the side of the face and once in his bulletproof vest. One officer was hit in the leg and another hit in their arm. All officers are on paid administrative leave pending an investigation – as is common.
Officials say they have not made any arrests in the case and they have not located the male suspect. Dreher said suspected narcotics were recovered from the home but they are awaiting lab results to confirm the items are drugs.
Dreher said a marked patrol vehicle was parked in front of the residence and the word “Police” was written across the front and back of the narcotics team’s vests. He also said only a matter of minutes passed between when officers arrived on the scene and when they forced open the door.
Asst. Chief Dreher referred to the incident as a, “tragic and unfortunate incident.”
The woman's niece, Sarah Dozier, says that she bought her aunt a gun to protect herself. Relatives believe Johnston was frightened by the officers and opened fire.
Her relatives say Johnston had lived in the house for about 17 years.
"They kicked her door down talking about drugs, there's no drugs in that house. And they realize now, they've got the wrong house," Dozier said. "I'm mad as hell." Officials say they had the correct house and that the warrant they had was legal.
She says the officers "shot her down like a dog."
Police say the investigation is continuing.
In a no-knock raid on a private residence the police let a 92 year old woman get the drop on them and three officers are shot. Then they proceed to shoot her dead. If I were their superior I would roast these "officers" over a slow fire. There is just no excuse for this kind of incompetence. None.
You are one shameless disgusting individual making a statement like that. Beyond pathetic.
Criminals intent on harm.
Boy shoots home invaderThere are thousands of more such stories. Pleny enough to make an elderly woamn in a crime-ridden neighborhood assume anyone crashing through her door in civilan clothes were criminals intent on harm.CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, A teenager in Corpus Christi, Texas, saved his mother and himself by killing a knife-wielding intruder in their home, police said. Rose Ann Kozlowski had just returned from buying groceries when the man appeared early Monday afternoon. Her son, 14, had come home from school because of illness
A man who kicked in the door of an elderly East Moline woman's home and held her at gunpoint as he ransacked her apartment remained at large Thursday.
Suspect sought in Chanhassen home invasion and kidnapping
The search continues for a suspect who held a Chanhassen family hostage in their own home. Thursday night, authorities say the man forced his way into a home in the 10,000 block of Trails End Road, where he held a man, woman and three young children hostage until Friday morning.
Authorities seek Blount home invader
Blount County authorities today are looking for a man in his late teens or early 20s who is accused of invading the home of an elderly woman, knocking her to the floor and attempting to rob her.
Too bad she wasn't a better shot.
I'm not old and I don't understand kicking through grannie's door. Good shooting, Grannie.
Either we are equal or we are not. Good people ought to be armed where they will, with wits and guns. NRA KMA
I am pretty sure that substances claimed to have been found will turn out to be "drugs." The department must ensure that now to justify the raid. They have plenty of resources to ensure that any sort of substance that is deemed appropriate will have been found.
If her hearing was bad, and that seems likely given her age, she heard a big commotion and picked up her gun off the dresser. When her door crashed in she knew someone was coming to kill her and she started shooting. Unfortunately it was probably a small caliber piece and she just shot in the invaders' direction. But if she had known to aim at the head, then it would be that she knew to expect cops in vests.
No excitement. No glory.
Hope the same thing happens to one of your parents someday....I'm sure you'd feel exactly the same and have the same omniscient, divine knowledge and would tell the news crew:
"Hell yeah, Mom knew who she was shooting at. She deserved it..... No, she's never done or sold drugs...but she deserved it anyway. Mom always wanted to shoot a few cops and get away with it. Damn shame she didn't actually get to kill one...that would have made her happy."
Another small-minded, racist pig speaks on FR.....
You know what a Libertarian is, don't you? It's a Republican who smokes pot.
(Sorry, old joke;)
My, what bravado you have for the thugs with guns and badges. The only problem I see here, she didn't use a 12 guage! Come into my house unannounced, that's what you'll see coming at ya! Blackbird.
Actually, that's not a Libertarian position at all. I'd go along with the concept though, if the "anyone that uses" clause includes all government employees, including all politicians at all levels and all LEO at all levels and all CEO's and Board members. In short, everyone must participate. Line all these people up to pee in a bottle everyday, and I'll get in line with them. Let's see just how entrenched the drugs are in our society. From my own experience, many would be surprised at WHO does drugs! Blackbird.
For the most part I agree with you. I wouldn't mind marijuana being legalized because it's not anywhere near as 'harmful' as the government makes it out to be. The rest of the stuff should remain illegal though.
I despise the No Knock policy because it seems to me as if it gives the police unlimited powers to break into your home. Just the property damage and the mess they leave behind is bad enough because then you're left to clean it up yourself. Oh sure, they may compensate you for any property damage later but that's after they've determined there are no drugs and the compensation request has gone through all of the proper channels.
Too many times we read about the police getting the address wrong or no drugs are found, etc. Innocent people get killed, injured, have their pets shot and/or have to deal with property damage and a damned oops, sorry.
Why can't they arrest the person they see dealing or buy drugs from and then get a warrant to search the house? Is there such a thing as a probable cause warrant? I really don't know if there's such an animal but it would seem that if they find someone selling drugs at a particular house they already have probable cause to search the house. If the person is dealing out of the front yard then what's wrong with knocking on the door and if entry can't be gained because they won't answer the door, then get a warrant to break in.
What the heck is wrong with staking out a suspected place to see who actually is living there and what kind of activity is taking place. If they'd done their homework they'd have known an elderly woman lived there and just maybe they could have gotten her out of the harm's way before they broke in.
In this stupid War on Drugs people are being presumed guilty without benefit of a trial.
And before anyone accuses me of being a druggy who wants nothing more than to smoke pot, I'm 54 years old and haven't smoked any pot since I was 22. Even back then I rarely smoked it because the only real enjoyment I got out of it was Baskin Robbins Pralines'N'Cream Ice Cream tasted like heaven.
Oh, and I've never been subjected to any kind of a warrant or search either. I just get ticked off when stuff like this happens.
No, there is no age restriction on shooting home invaders. Welcome to FR! Blackbird.
The cops majorly screwed up. Sadly, they will probably squirm out of it, and it's going to disgust me to see the machinations they'll go through to legitimize their tragic mistake.
I'm all for mandatory government testing, esp in Congress :')
I share your outrage. Anyone who thinks this woman got her just desserts, is beyond pathetic. Blackbird.
You're right. No Knock Warrants carry too heavy a cost with little gain.
Personally, I believe the Law Enforcement types love the Rambo style....ever since Waco I've opened my eyes.
Unfortunate indeed.
I'm for the 92 year old woman who was murdered with the full force and approval of the government, carried out by its armed branch, the police.
A person has a right and an obligation to preserve his/her life and that of family. Someone broke into her house. She used her right to self-protection, and was murdered.
The police and the government are saying this is too xxxxxxxing bad, but it was justified, legal, we did what we had to do, bla bla bla.
Wrong. This is legalized murder. The police involved need to be prosecuted for murder.
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