Posted on 10/05/2010 6:01:36 AM PDT by Kaslin
The "Long Gray Line" is bringing pressure on the Vegas department following Erik Scott's death in a hail of bullets.
It was a foregone conclusion that a coroner’s inquest in Las Vegas would find three Metro police officers justified in gunning down Erik Scott in a hail of bullets outside of a crowded Costco on July 10, even though five of the seven bullets hit him from behind, and at least one appeared to have been fired while Scott lay prone, dead or dying on the ground.
Police were called to the store after an employee described Scott as both armed and acting as if he were under the influence of narcotics. As Scott and his girlfriend emerged from the store along with dozens of other shoppers, he was confronted by a trio of officers with weapons already drawn. Scott was identified by a Costco employee, and seconds later, Scott lay dead on the ground. These are the facts of the case that are not in dispute.
What is very much in dispute is whether or not Costco employees unnecessarily escalated the threat, whether the store chain’s unclear policies on customers carrying weapons and their employee training contributed to the events that led to Scott’s death, and whether or not police officers violated Erik Scott’s civil rights when they killed him in a confrontation that some argue was little more than an ambush or assassination.
Erik Scott’s family is expected to file a civil case against Costco, the Metro police, and the individual officers over his death, but that isn’t the only action being called for because of this incident. Metro has raised the ire of the the Long Gray Line — Erik Scott’s fellow graduates of the United States Military Academy.
Sources have provided PJM with copies of communications between members of the group. Alumni in the threaded discussion seem almost universally suspect of the coroner’s inquest process used in Las Vegas, where prosecutors and law enforcement control the witnesses called and the questions asked, and disallow cross-examination. Since 1976, law enforcement officers have been in front of the coroner’s inquest more than 200 times, and none has resulted in criminal charges being filed against an officer for even the most controversial shootings.
One alum wrote to the president of one of the larger West Point Society chapters:
I don’t know if you are aware of the tragic shooting of Eric Scott ‘94 in Las Vegas not long ago. It looks more and more like a police screw up and cover up on top of that. We are trying to bring as much political pressure to bear, as possible, to make sure the “truth” comes out.
Another suggested that members bring the Scott case to the attention of West Point and Naval Academy graduates in Congress: Rep. John Shimkus, Rep. Joe Sestak, Rep. Geoff Davis, Rep. Brett Guthrie, Senator Jack Reed, Senator John McCain, and Senator Jim Webb, and well as Nevada’s Congressional delegation, plus Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and Chairman of the House Judicial Committee John Conyers. (Interestingly enough, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s name was never mentioned.)
One of the strongest comments openly suggested that the Metropolitan Police Department should be considered as an adversary:
I think that we, as a society, need to take a more active stance. This needs to go to the AOG. Remember the words of “The Corps.” We all took the same oath the Erik Scott did many years ago, on the Plain “to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic.” The abuse of due process, not only for Erik, but all of the others who didn’t have a voice is an attack on the Constitution.
There were at least three of us at the vigil last night. I think that we need to have a much more visible presence to show our support of a member of The Long Gray Line.
Another graduate called Metro PD an “out of control police force,” a characterization that seems to match up with the analysis of the shooting conducted by Mike McDaniel, a former police officer and SWAT operator (also my co-blogger at Confederate Yankee) who recently analyzed the audio of the 911 call and the police radio transcripts. Troubling bursts of static in the Metro radio traffic at key points indicate that these communications need to be examined, and the lack of in-car camera footage from the multiple police cars is also odd — to put it mildly. This is on top of the fact that Costco’s cameras seemingly malfunctioned in the days before the shooting, meaning that none of the four cameras pointed at the scene of the shooting recorded the event according to Metro and Costco — the two entities that have the most to lose from disclosure of such evidence.
A letter composed by one of the officers has been submitted to Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice, outlining “an on-going pattern of police misconduct” by authorities in Las Vegas and citing 63 officer-involved shootings since 2005.
Eric Scott’s death may have been ruled justifiable during the coroner’s inquest, but the pending civil trial to be filed by his family, and the specter of a federal civil rights case being filed against the department, means that the spotlight on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and its leadership will only get brighter.
I caught that the day it happened. It is why I knew they were lying from day one about the Security cameras not working.
I'm in no way defending either Costco or the police. That being said, monitors inside the store may very well have been working while recorders were not. Think VCR - you could watch something without recording it (pass-through).
A DVR is set up to record with a slight delay and pass that video to your set - meaning if the recording device is out, the video likely won't pass through to the tv. If they do have off-sight recording backup (as has been mentioned by the Scott family), then the lack of in-store recording may be a non-issue, unless the off-site system requires the on-site system to be properly working. Who really knows.
“———————————————but the way some cops act these days is uncomforting.”
The key word in the above phrase is “some”.
Most are doing a good job.
As a wise poster on another site said: "The idea that one should have to be calmer, more thoughtful, and more disciplined than the police in order to survive a confrontation is silly."
Mosher panicked. This read is absolutely damning, and we haven't even got to the federal trial yet:
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/306409.php
It was written by a veteran of nearly two decades of civilian police service, Mike McDaniel (http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/305948.php)
The main problem with the police is their refusal to hold the bad apples to acountablity. If they do not weed out the bad apples then they are also part of the problem.
It reminds me of the problems with the ROP, they say it is only a small percentage but they do nothing to remove the small percentage.
The information that the police officers had at the time gave them the perception that Scott was armed, threatening, and under the influence of drugs. If Scott followed commands he would have changed that perception. Scott didn't need to be "calmer, more thoughtful, and more disciplined than the police."
the stories seem to shift with new evidence/discovery...
the body digests/absorbs roughly 1 oz an hour [individuals vary of course, but thats avg]...so if you drink 2 beers/hr you slowly ramp up the BAC to a toxic [for the individual] level that usually causes a 'pass out' or a physical 'puke out' before the death level...
for an alcoholic drinker, the input of 24 oz/day will obviously create a physical level that will become tolerated over time, and quiet possibly result in a 'waking' BAC well over a 'legal' limit to drive for example...
now take yer wife, ['please' /sarc] if after a few hrs of beer, and a prolonged stewing/tolerance, she slams a fifth of vodka...if it doesnt kill her [quite possible], it will no doubt show her level to be VERY lethal to the 'avg'/non drinker...
perhaps he was having a bad pain day and took lots of extras, or perhaps he was abusing the meds for a buzz, or perhaps even, the numbers were cooked [tinfoil] or were a result of the EMTs work [???]...
none of that matters, because he was harrassed and ambushed by an army of plenty, for the 'crime' of walkin out of a store while exercising his God Given Rights...and as you pointed out, shot in the back while going face down...
as a society, weve passed the point of no return, in allowing a usurpation of powers delegated to become a master of us, while expecting to be provided for from cradle to bullet riddled grave...
If such was present in his records or corpse the metro pd would have displayed that on a billboard IMO .......nothing was found.
Silence from the coroners autopsy regarding what you suggest.
Anyone know the names of the metro shooters ? Would be interested as I know a few of their wife beaters on that force that were fired from department I worked for.
So which command should Scott have followed?
During the inquest, Officer Mosher, omitted the "drop it" from his testimony. Don't know if it was intentional or not, but it points to the fact that even if Scott wasn't under the influence of anything, he was a dead man walking.
Too many conflicting orders and no way to comply.
Mosher testified that he didn't recall saying "drop it."
“Put your hands where I can see them now. Drop it! Get on the ground! Get on the ground!”
Shots were immediately fired after the above commands and were on the recording of the 911 call. The sequence of events according to testimony correlated with the 911 call recording would indicate that the gun and holster were likely in Scott's hand when Mosher said "drop it." Scott was not commanded to reach for the gun or to hand it over.
Then I have made an improper post to GSC above on the autopsy. Moonman ....Can you steer me to the reference / link on that “””if you have time”””. First I have heard of such, no doubt my own fault missing it in the text or if you have good source / link.
Thanks for your time......
Just hours after Erik B. Scott was killed by 3 Las Vegas Metro Police Department Officers, the Public Administrator’s Office broke in to Erik’s Apartment to obtain his “weapons” and “valuables”. These items were obtained without a warrant and a Metro PD Officer accompanied this Public Administrator during the break-in per the audio in the message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRNPPA-XgEA
Certainly military personnel and veterans have good reasonto fear for their lives from the Las Vegas death squads now at work, and I'd sure hate to see innocent cops get shot should they make furtive moves toward their weapons or other threatening gestures. Maybe the best thing to do would be to disarm them until the guilty ones in their midst can be sorted out and those found guilty can be given the sleepy needle, like a previously good and faithful family dog that's unfortunately become rabid.
Mr Rogers explains the smear on Erik - which Moonman62 doesn't want you to know about.
They were desperate. Tells me that the "missing" video or the report from Mosher was pretty bad.
The shooting was on July 10. Mosher testified on September 23.
I'm sure the subject might have come up once or twice in the 10 weeks between the execution and the inquest.
No sale, Moonman.
BLOODY KNUCKLES??
Just hours after Erik B. Scott was killed by 3 Las Vegas Metro Police Department Officers, the Public Administrator’s Office broke in to Erik’s Apartment to obtain his “weapons” and “valuables”. These items were obtained without a warrant and a Metro PD Officer accompanied this Public Administrator during the break-in per the audio in the message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRNPPA-XgEA
WTF?!!?
See post #117 for a great big WTF...
The family’s attorney has nothing to say about cops illegally entering the apartment? These guys really are a law unto themselves. They even mentioned that most of his girlfriends belongings were at his place but it was only in his name. The inference being she had no right to keep them out of the apartment.
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