“I couldn't agree with you more....My wife and I were 7 or 8 feet away from the shooting as were the police. We were to the suspects immediate right. We heard and saw the 3 police officers shouting to the man in question to ‘get on your knees’ several times. At that point the man appeared somewhat stunned by the commotion and shouting of the police. His Right arm went up in a defenseless position and it appeared his left arm appeared to be going up but there was NO gun in his hand. He was taserd and shot at the same time. At no time did the man in question ever raise his voice, shout an obscenity or become confrontational with the police. We saw the disabled man stooping to his right facing us with what appeared to be a bullet wound in his upper chest with blood coming from the wound and immediately his eyes became glossy as he began to convulse. At this point he was no threat to anyone, both hands were in full view of us and there was no gun. As he was down, the police continued to shout ‘put the gun down’ several times...but there was no gun in his hand as we had full vantage point view. The injured man was having agonal respirations, he was down when the second volly of bullets rang out. There was no doubt in question that following the second barrage of bullets the man was dead. His girlfriend was to the back side of us and began to scream.....why did you kill him, he is a military man with a license to carry a concealed weapon. You didn't need to kill him....you didn't need to kill him.
An officer then came up to the injured man who in my opinion was a ‘dead’ man’, was cuffed with his hands behind his back and no attempt by the officer to determine if the man was alive or dead. No apparent life saving aid was given to the ‘downed’ man. The man was totally lifeless when the Paramedics arrived on scene. I was absolutely surprised to see that no attempt at aggressive ACLS was engaged. They simply just picked up the body like a ‘sack of potatoes’ and hurled him onto the gurney and into the ambulance This was a crime scene.... the crime scene was violated. One of the paramedics who attended to an injured elderly lady said the man was dead. There was a dead man in front of Costco. What nobody is talking about is that there were many many spectators, many like ourselves within just a few feet of the victim when the shots rang out. It seems to me that the greater danger was posed not by the victim but by the police who fired many shots in the vicinity of the innocent public. I agree with you, I hope the media and your friends family can get their hands of Costco's Camera's which will indeed tell the rest of the story. Also it must be confirmed whether the second gun supposedly found by the victims side was indeed also registered to him as a licensed conceal and carry.
This whole incident was a monumental tragedy; a tragedy for the family and friend and also a tragedy for the involved officers who were pushed into a needless confrontation that reached hysterical proportions due to the overreaction of certain employees and bystanders. This was a needless death.
In summary it is our opinion that the victim did not pose an immediate threat to the public.....and in the final analysis was a case of excessive force
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DOJ study found that when force is used by cops it is most often used inappropriately.
...something very wrong here
If this account is accurate, these officers are guilty of murder in the first degree, and should be subjected to the death penalty.There is no mitigating circumstance in this account.His death seems premeditated, although there is no evidence of it, their conduct indicates it.
Wow. Just wow.
Rings true to me!
There is one element of the story which appears to be grossly underreported.
The newspaper account alleges the Costco store made a public announcement over the loudspeakers for all shoppers to exit the store in the front. Verified by one such shopper who had been in the rear of the store near the Meat Counter, who ended up very close to the shooting and had dived on his grandbaby to protect him/her. Said grandparent was upset they had been redirected out of the store, when they would have been safer deep in the store than everybody adjacent the alleged gunholder as they exited the store.
In my mind, whatever transpired to give the Costco staff cause to close the store and direct people out of the store has bearing on the situation, especially with LEOs waiting for a suspect who appears of good report.
All should be charged with murder, first degree, and the Costco lying employee needs to be charged with accesory at least.
A cold blooded assasination, plain and simple.
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