Posted on 12/15/2010 6:28:43 PM PST by marktwain
The 35-year-old Long Beach man killed in an officer-involved shooting Sunday was holding a pistol-grip water nozzle, not a gun, Long Beach police officials said Monday.
Two officers responded to a 911 call at 4:40 p.m. Sunday from a neighbor reporting an intoxicated man holding a "six-shooter" in the 5300 block of East Ocean Boulevard in the upscale Belmont Shore neighborhood.
"The officers had a position of cover and were observing the suspect while other officers were en route," said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.
Zapalski said Douglas Zerby had been sitting on a stoop playing with what appeared to be a weapon and pointing it at objects as if it were a gun. He extended his arms and pointed in the direction of an officer. Police said they did not have time to make their presence known or to tell Zerby to drop the weapon before opening fire because they believed he was a threat.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Another "Costco" sort of incident?
Never bring a spray nozzle to a gun fight!!!!!
Is the 911 caller in jail?
Seven day waiting period when buying water nozzles from now on.
Related thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2642227/posts
Never live in a town with trigger-happy cops.Some lawyer is gonna win the lottery on this one.
Did they kill the family dog?
Death by waternozzle.
"Cooling down period."
>> Sunday from a neighbor reporting an intoxicated man holding a “six-shooter”
Set to Mist...
Idiots.
Sometimes profanity is just too weak.
There was a time, many years ago, when police officers were familiar enough with weapons to be able to tell the difference between a handgun and something else. Hell, if I had dropped the hammer every time I had an excuse during my 23 year career, I’d have buried at least half a dozen folks that really didn’t need killing. That being said, I wouldn’t take the job today.
“Did they kill the family dog?”
No, but they trampeled the azaleas.
When I first heard this story it seemed reasonable. You just don’t point things that look like a firearm at cops.
This story puts a whole new angle on it.
It would make sense if they had small binoculars in the squad car to use in such a case. If you are observing someone for a while from a distance, it would prevent situations like this.
I would bet good money that if a canine had appeared on the scene they would have gunned him down.
Once Again the LA Times misses the point,
The porch the man was sitting on was in an “Enclosed” courtyard, it was “Private Property”, he had every legal right to be there. The porch CANNOT be seen from ANY Public Easement,Right of Way, or Public Property of ANY KIND. Even If he did have a Gun, He COULD NOT BE CHARGED WITH A CRIME, HE Was Doing Nothing Illegal. There is no law against possessing a gun on Private Property, Concealed or Not if you a Legal Right to be there. Does everyone understand this now?? The Perpetrator who called 911 was from a building behind this one and upstairs looking down (peeping Tom), should have been told that possessing a gun on private property, not threatening anyone and doing nothing but sitting there, noticeably Drunk, IS NOT A CRIME, especially since the “gun” was in question on the 911 tape. So this nitwit 911 operator dispatches a Police Unit to investigate a NON CRIME. The Police Officers Had No Reasonable Suspicion a Crime was being committed or was about to. So what did they do? They sneaked into neighbors yards and peered thru Fences and pointed their weapons at him, by now they were about 10 feet away. They never Made any attempt to Identify themselves or even let their presence be known. You mean to tell me they couldn’t tell a water nozzle from a gun at ten feet??? So they OPENED FIRE and Executed him in Cold Blood.
If he did have a Gun and they did not kill him, HE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH ANY CRIME,NOT EVEN A TICKET.
They Executed Him in Cold Blood for committing an act that was not a violation of ANY LAW, and no one has been arrested.
Yep, the city will be paying *millions* on this one...
Tax payers get beat like a drum again...
Two 911 callers.
so you think it is ok for the cops to sneak into your neighbors backyard and from behind cover and without warning of any kind , shoot and kill a man for holding a gun, not doing ANYTHING ILLEGAL OR WRONG on his own property, while you are HIDING????
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