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Officials Defend Release of Police Officer Who Surrendered in Road-Rage Shooting
NY Times ^ | October 24, 2007 | AL BAKER

Posted on 10/24/2007 6:50:45 PM PDT by neverdem

The Manhattan district attorney’s office yesterday defended its decision to release an off-duty police officer who implicated himself in a fatal road-rage shooting — even though he fled the scene of the killing — saying that the officer’s claim of self-defense was enough to free him while a grand jury reviews potential charges.

The district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, was questioned about why the undercover police officer, Sean Sawyer, was not charged after he turned himself in on Monday, 19 hours after the shooting in Upper Manhattan.

“Where there is a claim of self-defense, as there is in this case, there is usually no immediate arrest,” Mr. Morgenthau said.

The shooting victim, Jayson Tirado, 25, was killed in a road-rage encounter early Sunday after a chase on First Avenue involving his purple Honda Civic and a yellow Nissan Xterra driven by Officer Sawyer, 34. When Mr. Tirado pulled in front of the Xterra and gestured as if he had a gun — though he was actually unarmed — shots were fired, according to one of Mr. Tirado’s two passengers.

Officer Sawyer turned himself in early Monday and was released by the authorities around 8:30 that night. His release angered Mr. Tirado’s friends and relatives.

“Why couldn’t he say, ‘Stop,’ and pull to the side like a normal policeman?” Mr. Tirado’s mother, Irene, 54, asked yesterday. She sat on a couch surrounded by photos of her son in the apartment they had shared at the Jacob Riis Houses in the East Village.

She said she understood that Officer Sawyer must have a “demanding and scary” job, but she questioned why he would fire a gun and then flee.

“I don’t want to know him; I don’t want to forgive him,” she said. “I don’t want him to be a policeman ever...”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: assaults; banglist; beserkcop; donutwatch; firearms; gramsci
Where's the Reverend Al Sharpton?

John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times
Police Officer Sean Sawyer, who surrendered on Monday after a shooting in East Harlem, leaving his apartment Tuesday on 102nd Street.
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
An improvised memorial to Jayson Tirado grows on Avenue D and Ninth Street as friends reflect nearby. Mr. Tirado was fatally shot early Sunday, apparently by an off-duty police officer.
1 posted on 10/24/2007 6:50:47 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

feeling safer all the time.


2 posted on 10/24/2007 6:58:49 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Keep The Heat On Hillary.)
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To: the invisib1e hand

oh, yeah, what’s that saying about “when only cops have guns...” or whatever?


3 posted on 10/24/2007 7:00:28 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Keep The Heat On Hillary.)
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To: neverdem
saying that the officer’s claim of self-defense was enough to free him while a grand jury reviews potential charges

Sure, people get released all the time on their "claims." I'm sure this has never been tried before.

Pretty much everyone in jail "claims" they're innocent.

4 posted on 10/24/2007 7:12:59 PM PDT by FoxInSocks
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To: FoxInSocks

P.S. Of course, this is an article from the NY Slimes, so I’m simply commenting on what’s written here. I don’t expect the NYT has all of a sudden started printing balanced stories that reflect reality.


5 posted on 10/24/2007 7:16:13 PM PDT by FoxInSocks
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Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

To: Travis McGee; Joe Brower; El Gato; Squantos; cyborg; Clemenza; Cacique; NYCVirago; The Mayor; ...
I thought only yahoos with concealed carry licenses did the "blood in the streets" scenario.

Spitzer responds to ABC7 gun investigation [Gun Grabbers Gone Wild]

The drive by media didn't get the message from the DNC to lay off stories about guns. Aint you quaking in your boots about .50 caliber black powder muzzleloaders?

FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.

7 posted on 10/24/2007 7:40:29 PM PDT by neverdem (Call talk radio. We need a Constitutional Amendment for Congressional term limits. Let's Roll!)
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To: neverdem

If you ain’t cop, you’re little people.


8 posted on 10/24/2007 7:47:21 PM PDT by Luke Skyfreeper
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To: neverdem

The DA, Robert M. Morgenthau, is a real heavyweight. I’d be inclined to trust his judgment on that alone.

Usually the question of granting bail is largely a matter of whether the person is likely to vanish if freed.


9 posted on 10/24/2007 7:47:55 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: neverdem

Morgenthau will not get an indictment. He’ll make sure of it; and then claim the decision was made by the grand jury. As I have said before, if a prosecutor wants an indictment, he’ll get it. If he doesn’t want one, he won’t get it.


10 posted on 10/24/2007 8:00:27 PM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: Cicero

Have you always been this naive?


11 posted on 10/24/2007 8:01:10 PM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: Luke Skyfreeper
If you ain’t cop, you’re little people.

True!

12 posted on 10/24/2007 8:06:37 PM PDT by org.whodat (What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
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To: neverdem
What if this officer happened to be White?
Where are the justice Brothers?
13 posted on 10/24/2007 8:17:32 PM PDT by MaxMax (God Bless America)
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To: neverdem; RaceBannon; RedRover; usmcobra; Girlene

Interesting. NYC Cop gets the red carpet.


14 posted on 10/24/2007 8:27:15 PM PDT by freema (Proud Marine Niece, Daughter, Wife, Friend, Sister, Aunt, Cousin, Mother, and FRiend)
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To: the invisib1e hand
"feeling safer all the time."

Me too, maybe this guy and that other donut muncher from Oklahoma who tried to shoot a snake in a birdhouse but didn't take into account that his bullet would continue traveling downrange, and ended up in the head of a 5 year old kid, who died, can partner up. They sound like a match made in heaven.

15 posted on 10/24/2007 8:29:32 PM PDT by rednesss (Fred Thompson - 2008)
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To: neverdem
“Where there is a claim of self-defense, as there is in this case, there is usually no immediate arrest,” district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau said.

You lying sack of ..!

16 posted on 10/24/2007 8:35:04 PM PDT by spunkets ("Freedom is about authority", Rudy Giuliani, gun grabber)
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To: neverdem

Thanks for the ping!


17 posted on 10/24/2007 8:39:22 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: neverdem
Similar incident happened in the Coon Rapids, MN (northern Minneapolis suburb) a few months ago, only WAY better outcome.

Concealed-carry permit holder is at a stoplight with his family. Some whacked-out numbnuts in the car next to him pulls gun and starts screaming threats. Concealed-carry permit holder, being a responsible and decent citizen who knows it's his duty to protect his wife and kids, draws and shoots whacked-out-numbnuts (unfortunately he lived). Whacked out numbnuts turns out to be either and off-duty or plainclothes cop, I can't remember which. Good Citizen exonerated, not sure what happened to the cop. He probably went and got a job in another city so he can abuse and try to kill more people.

18 posted on 10/24/2007 8:50:23 PM PDT by lesser_satan (READ MY LIPS: NO NEW RINOS | FRED THOMPSON '08)
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To: lesser_satan; neverdem
We had one here a few months ago, in Louisville.

Retired J'town cop emptied his mag in 'self defense' on a CCW holder named Pickerell [?]. Anyways, cop and his wife claimed that he shot when pickerell drew down on him after a road rage incident. Funny thing is that the shots were all fairly close range going INTO the cab of a hummer, and the CCW holder never even got off a round.

Its fairly obvious that the leo had advanced on the hummer and let er rip, even all the 'eyewitness reports' of the first day said bullets bounced off buildings etc.

After that first day the only witness has been the wife. This pr!ck had diciplinary actions for abusive behavior and it was speculated that he was 'retired' for public safety.

Questioned and released...Pickerell was in a coma for a while and has since awakened and began learning to communicate, so time will tell if justice is ever served...

19 posted on 10/24/2007 9:34:57 PM PDT by Gilbo_3 (A few Rams must look after the sheep 'til the Good Shepherd returns...)
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