National Guardsman shoots armed man; rifle turns out to be BB gun (New Orleans)

wwltv.com ^ | 03/08/07 | wwl

[Ellesu]

A Louisiana National Guardsman shot and killed a New Orleans man who pointed what was thought to be a rifle at a group of police and other guardsmen early Thursday morning.

According to Sgt. Joe Narcisse, an NOPD spokesman, the incident happened shortly before 1 a.m. in the 2100 block of Benton Street. The guardsmen were patrolling the area of Benton and North Miro streets when they saw a man riding a bicycle holding a hacksaw and behaving suspiciously.

Guardsmen got out of their vehicles and pursued the man, Narcisse said. The man pulled out a knife and then threw a piece of broken glass as them, cutting a sergeant’s arm. The man ran into a nearby home as the guardsmen called New Orleans Police for assistance.

Police officers arrived on the scene and accompanied the guardsmen in the house. As they approached the man, he pulled out a BB gun that looked like a rifle and pointed it at them, Narcisse said. One of the guardsmen drew his weapon and shot the man several times in the chest. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Narcisse said the man had no identification on him.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Nobody posted the obligatory Peter Billingsley pic? I'm shocked.

[Mila]

Here you go.

[Charles Martel]

Somehow, I doubt that the hacksaw-toting perp looked anything like Ralphie. Just a hunch...

[macmedic892]

"He was asking/begging for death."

I'm afraid you're right. I feel sorry for the guardsman, who will forever have to live knowing he killed a man holding a BB gun, even though completely justified. And for the family of the deceased, too.

From The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune:

Burton was killed in a home long owned by his family at 2141 Benton Street, the same place where he rode out Hurricane Katrina flooding, according to relatives. His mother, who died recently, had worried incessantly about the sometimes-homeless Burton and asked family members to look out for him, according to Burton's uncle, Henry Faggen, 71.

Burton's history of mental illness led to repeated stays in mental health facilities and at one point he was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in Orleans parish on minor drug charges, according to relatives. He was "deathly afraid of police," his uncle said.

[Ramius]

The National Guard is ~still~ in New Orleans?

Wassupwitdat?

[Reagan80]

...you'll put your eye out with that...

[Reagan80]

what's up that????

...shoot; seems like it's time for a troop surge...

Reagan80

[WasDougsLamb]

****The man pulled out a knife and then threw a piece of broken glass as them, cutting a sergeant’s arm. Sounds to me like he needed to respect the law and stop thinking he was above it and the rules didn't apply to him.