Posted on 03/23/2009 5:40:48 AM PDT by IbJensen
Murderous Trend Similar To Killings In Philadelphia
Saturday’s killing of three police officers — leaving the fourth brain dead — in Oakland, Calif., shares a disturbing thread with the murderous trend that has been occurring in Philadelphia over the past several years: The murderer was a parolee with an extensive criminal history, including violent felonies.
The three officers were killed by the parolee in two separate, but related, shootouts Saturday afternoon. The alleged murderer, Lovelle Mixon, who was killed in the second shootout, was wanted on a no-bail warrant for violating his parole on a conviction for an assault with a deadly weapon.
Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and Officer John Hege, 41, stopped Mixson’s car at about 1 p.m on a “routine traffic” stop. Mixson opened fire on the officers and ran. Dunakin was killed Saturday. Officer Hege was seriously wounded, and originally reported yesterday to be pronounced dead. But later yesterday afternoon, an Oakland police spokesperson said Officer Hege was being kept alive on life support while a final decision was being made on his organs.
Mixon was found two hours later in an apartment after police received an anonymous tip. He had barricaded himself in the building. The SWAT team was called and went in after him.
Sgts. Ervin Romans, 43, and Daniel Sakai, 35, were shot and killed in the firefight that ensued, while they were attempting to apprehend Mixon, who police believe was acting alone. Mixon was killed by police gunfire.
An unidentified fifth officer was grazed by a bullet and was treated and released.
The Associated Press reported late Saturday, Hege’s father, Dr. John S. Hege, was reached by telephone and said his son had a severe brain injury, which he later succumbed to yesterday.
“It’s in these moments that words are extraordinarily inadequate,” said Mayor Ron Dellums at a news conference announcing the slayings.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also issued a statement.
“All four officers dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost, the Oakland Police Department and law enforcement officers throughout California during this difficult time.”
The governor’s office said Schwarzenegger would fly to Oakland on Sunday from Washington, D.C., to meet with police and Mayor Dellums to “get a firsthand account of what’s happening.” Both state Attorney General Jerry Brown and Dellums were at Saturday’s news conference.
Police said Mixon wielded two different weapons. One gun was used at the first scene and an assault rifle was used at the apartment building where he was hiding.
“[Mixon] was on parole and he had a warrant out for his arrest for violating that parole. And he was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon,” said Oakland police Deputy Chief Jeffery Israel.
Earlier this year, racially tinged riots erupted in Oakland as a result of a shooting by another police agency. An on-duty transit police officer was seen on video shooting an unarmed man in the back at the Fruitvale BART station. The officer, Johannes Mehserle, who is white, was charged with murder in the death of Oscar J. Grant III, who was black.
The last time an Oakland police officer was killed in the line of duty was January 1999.
There have been 27 police officers killed on duty so far this year — including Philadelphia Officer John Pawlowski and Middletown Township Police Officer Chris Jones in Pennsylvania.
Lat year there were 140 police officers killed in the line of duty, seven were from Pennsylvania, including four Philadelphia police officers.
It sounds like there was a training or experience issue with those policemen, especially the second two. Prudence would seem to dictate proactivity and good body armor when looking for a known “cop killer” in a close environment. It is a shame that these men died, and I have to believe that, this happening in Commiefornia, their system bears a lot of the blame.
I doubt the “assault rifle” designation.
I want to know the make and model to refute this assertion by the press.
Just one more symptom of a society that does not believe in duty, order, responsibility, or justice. They only understand ‘niceness’ and ‘tolerance’.
I noticed that too.
This will be used to fan the flames of more restrictions on law abiding citizens.
Nevermind that he was a FELON and obviously did not obtain the weapons legally.
The California Sportsman Association should be using the incident to repeal the AWB in California
“This is a strange one,” said Oakland police Capt. Steve Tull, who is overseeing the investigation. “We don’t know what his motivation is.” If authorities found he had violated the conditions of his parole, Mixon would have faced at most six months in prison, Tull said.”
Reporters this AM also said that the police “didn’t know where Mixon got his guns”.
What a joke- Gangs and Gang members and Criminals always manage to find guns.
It is the law-abiding citizen that has a problem.
Well we don’t know how Mixon ended up with not one but two guns and one an assault rifle yet. We all know that paroled felons are not supposed to have guns. What’s the matter with Mixon? Didn’t he know he wasn’t supposed to have weapons? Another great job done by our criminal justice system which lets these killers out.
Glad i wasn’t the only one to notice. The guy was a felon! It was immaterial that he had used an eeevil “assault rifle”. The felon probably drove an SUV too!
Yeah but - nobody needs that kind of weapons and the only reason the law abiding purchase them is to give them to criminals and, of course, the Mexican drug cartels - and not coincidentally but entirely because of racism, in record numbers since about Nov. 4.</sarc>
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