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.
wow - first I have heard of this drug stuff
can you point to a source? Not that you word isn’t golden, mind you, I just want to see why this took so long to come out....
It is obvious, they have something to hide
Before you two get locked into a heated debate over Costco’s Security Cameras, let me ask you both this.
Do you not find it the least bit odd that with all the customers being asked to leave the store, with cop cars outside, firetrucks and ambulances in the parking lot, AND IT’S LAS VEGAS, that there is not one, single, person that caught ANY of this incident on their cell phone camera?????
What kind of odds would they give on that in Vegas?
Why bother.
suing Costco is Barbara Streisand
Not really as it was a Costco employee that triggered a swat like response from the police and the majority of witnesses disagree with Costco and LVPD's version of events.
And,lastly,I'd be curious to see if any toxicology tests were done in the autopsy (I'll wager there were)
There were and Scott was under the care of a pain management specialist for old injuries from military training and a car accident. The Coroner claims that he was on enough meds to outright kill someone. That is also in dispute.
Remember that the hearing only tells one side of the story.
In NYC and LA, police are found to have acted improperly in nearly half of all shootings. In Las Vegas, they are perfect - 0% error!
It is a pity LA & NYC don’t have the high standards of Las Vegas! < / sarcasm >
Will do - thanks!
Sorry Mr. S, but the target here is not all police.
It is three officers of the LVPD that are in question for their part in covering up what seems to be the result of an ‘improper kill’. Add to that the final bullet after he was down.
The LVPD is known for this type of response (covering up) and for always getting their man, even if it’s the wrong man.
Those are the issues that I am reading in the posts.
The drugs were for an injury while in the Army (he had been taking them for most of his adult life) and a recent car crash. People who have taken painkillers for 15 years don't respond to them the way you or I would - a point not made at the inquest. Think Rush Limbaugh.
In any case, I don't see how that justifies the cops shooting a man whose gun was still in its holster, nor the tactic of confronting him in a crowd as opposed to asking him if they can talk...
And... since the missing video might be proof of Costco's and the LVPD's guilt, it will nevermore exist. Had it provided proof they were not, it would have been on that night's news.
12 of 40 witnesses loosely agreed with the LVPD explanation that Scott reached for his waistband.
What did the other 28 say? Where is there 'statement'?
Is it in the same vault with the videocam footage, the zippered holster, and the Costco customer's cell/cam phones?
I caught that the day it happened. It is why I knew they were lying from day one about the Security cameras not working.
INDEED.
May the evil doers fall in their own pit . . . and pull all the dung in DC in on top of them.
Yeah, I know that too. I just gave a scoffer a good, legitimate reason for such a suit. On the other hand, communities need to be savvy enough to appoint honest and intelligent Judges who don’t tolerate “sue everybody”.
While I still fault the LVPD and COSTCO, for their actions and the coverup on this incident, I don't think that Scott is the total innocent in this case, nor his immediate family.
WHY would his girlfriend take him to COSTCO when he was almost unable to walk, talk, and think ? And why was she not sticking to him like glue, if he was having such difficulties.
Did he drive? (no one has bothered to ask that question yet)
I’ll be honest - I am very surprised that none of the ‘bystanders’ were hit and killed.
Of course, shooting a man in the back, multiple times, while he is on the ground does tend to reduce strays. But then I know a lot of cops whose motto is “Keep stroking the trigger till the slide locks back”
The civil trial is going to be a circus - at the least.
Thanks for the additional information.
“WHY would his girlfriend take him to COSTCO when he was almost unable to walk, talk, and think ?”
The family said they received multiple text messages from Scott while he was in the store, which would indicate he WASN’T “almost unable to walk, talk, and think”. If true, we’ll find that out in court, when both sides get a chance.
LVPD hasn’t built a 100% record of perfection in shooting by allowing both sides an airing...
I agree with you except for this. Mr. Scott was not asked to 'leave' the store, until they started asking everyone to leave. They weren't 'illegal' demands because any store can ask you to leave, and I don't think they have to give reason.
His girlfriend says that he was on his way to the car to put his guns away, because of the controversy.
IF TRUE, then it explains why she wasn't with him when he got shot.
The LV Metro PD needed a bunch of extra time to put together a nice smear package, so they postponed the inquest numerous times so they could dig up stuff like the back injury pain medications and the next door neighbor with the dog who bit Erik Scott.
During the kangarooinquest, the Metro smear artists showed charts which proved that Erik had multiple toxic doses of these drugs in his body.
When Moonman62 posted Metro's drug smear above, you'll notice that I asked him "So, can you explain why these two drugs didn’t kill Erik Scott on the spot?" nearly an hour ago. While he had time to reply to you (you posted AFTER I did), he strangely didn't have to reply to me. Either he missed my post, or he's got an agenda.
Fortunately, Mr Rogers has shown a spotlight on the Metro "drug addict" smear tactic:
Scott was on prescription painkillers. If the prescription drugs affect your judgment, then it is illegal to carry. If they do not, it is legal to carry. At the inquest, Scott was accused of shopping for prescriptions, but there was no rebuttal allowed nor was it proven.
The drugs were for an injury while in the Army (he had been taking them for most of his adult life) and a recent car crash. People who have taken painkillers for 15 years don't respond to them the way you or I would - a point not made at the inquest. Think Rush Limbaugh.
You'll notice in the Metro smear that the "judgment" part about carrying falls out (because the casual dupe is taken in by the "drug-crazed addict" gambit - ala Rush Limbaugh), and that the part about increasing tolerance over time fell out, because then the "drug-crazed addict" case is easier to make.
What was laughable about Metro's experts was that they told the inquest that he had many times the toxic dose of both of those drugs in him - but they forgot to explain why.
Just as Moonman62 did...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.