they were in hot pursuit??? please...
Posted on 07/17/2012 7:30:13 PM PDT by marktwain
Imagine it’s 1:30 a.m. and you’re in your apartment. You hear a knock on the door.
If you own a weapon, you would probably grab it, just in case.
For 26-year-old Andrew Lee Scott of Lake County, Fla., that decision would lead to his death.
On Sunday, Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies were pursuing an attempted murder suspect when they mistakenly knocked on Scott’s apartment door. Scott answered the door with his gun drawn at the deputies, who then shot and killed him.
Unfortunately, Scott was not the suspect deputies were chasing. Deputies knocked on Scott’s door because the suspect’s motorcycle was parked across from his front door.
Scott likely approached his front door with a gun because the deputies did not identify themselves, according to Lake County Officials, for safety reasons.
This was a tragedy that could have easily been avoided. When the deputies chased a suspect into the complex, they should have known that they could be knocking on anyone’s door. It seems like knocking on a random door unannounced is less safe than yelling, “Police!”
Lt. John Herrell told WESH Orlando, “The bottom line is, you point a gun at a deputy sheriff or police officer, you’re going to get shot.”
While that might be the case under normal circumstances, this should not be used as an excuse to justify the deputies’ actions. Scott was likely startled by the unannounced knock, and it’s not a crime to be cautious in your own home (or at least it shouldn’t be one).
Scott was not suspected of any crime and police did not have probable cause to enter his apartment unannounced. Central Florida News 13’s coverage of the story makes Scott appear more worthy of his untimely demise — its story leads with “A Lake County man with a criminal history is dead after a confrontation with deputies.”
While it’s true that Scott had a criminal history and that drugs were found in Scott’s apartment, those facts have little to do with his death.
The deputies who killed Scott are currently on administrative leave, and if the events transpired as stated, the deputies should be fired and charged with his death.
While police are there to enforce the law, their badges do not make them above the law. If police wrongly kill someone, they should face the same consequences as anyone else.
Nothing will happen to these morons - bet on it.
The minimum they should be charged with is manslaughter - but they won’t.
The police are NOT our friends.
In neighboring areas, there had been recent reports of people driving fake police cars and pulling over women and raping them, as well as, gangs conducting robberies disguised as no knock warrants.
Even though I lived in a very rural area (my house sat 1/8 back from a dirt road and was surrounded by woods on three sides), someone had already attempted to break in once before while I was home. My Mossberg 500 answered the door. The sheriff's office responded to the call and THREATENED TO ARREST ME for "brandishing" because I had pointed a shotgun at someone trying to breakdown my door at 3am, with my doberman trying to eat through the other side and my wife and kids in the house.
So, the sheriff's office had already been to my house, including one other time (we were having a get together/shooting competition), with both incidents involving firearms. They KNOW I am heavily armed. I have Purple Heart license plates; they know I have combat experience.
Still - at around 2am, they decided to roll up my driveway lights out for "tactical advantage" while responding AT THE WRONG HOUSE to a report that woman that had fallen and couldn't get up.
My 115lb Doberman alerted me to their presence. They did not announce themselves as law enforcement. They did however, hit the glass on my front door. I drew my weapon (I could only see their faces at this point; no uniforms) and popped around the corner.
Both of their eyes went wide. The first deputy screamed "Sheriff's office. Put the gun down."
The second deputy displayed his empty hands. I held my gun on them and approached until I could identify them as law enforcement. I then lowered my weapon, called off the dog, and answered the door.
Both deputies were obviously shaken. They informed me someone had made a 911 call of a woman that had fallen and was yelling for help she couldn't get up.
I will say the deputies were polite and friendly and apologized for startling me. I reminded them I had a previous attempted break in and that, honest advice, for their safety blue lights and announcing their presence might save their life the next time they find themselves at the "wrong house".....especially when responding to a 'fallen and can't get up call.
I get they have a difficult job, but many don't seem capable of putting themselves in the shoes of the public.
Oh, good grief. If I was a cop and someone opened the door with a gun pointed at my head, I`m not going to stand there and ask questions.
they were in hot pursuit??? please...
The victim is the wrong race for anyone in power or the media to care. Yes, that’s how far we have fallen...
The guy was an idiot for opening the door with a weapon at the ready. The cops were idiots for not identifying themselves. IMHO, they are both at fault.
There is just no good to be found here. The lesson I get is don’t open the door and don’t let the cops in once they ID themselves unless they have a warrant.
The mentality of the no knock warrant is going to lead to more of this sort of thing as overstretched cops try to deal with the ruthless gangbangers Obama lets in this country to garner as many votes, legal or illegal, as possible. They are just the unwanted dross that comes with the more well behaved new Socialist voting bloc.
More citizens will arm themselves and treat every unannounced contact as a potential deadly threat. Cops will stretch the rules as much as possible to get “tactical advantage” to try and live through another shift, and in the end, the government will demand that we disarm to keep this sort of thing from happening.
I don’t see a way out of the spiral.
It appears that law abiding Joe Sixpack is getting it from all sides. Can’t protect himself from violent criminals and trigger happy cops will blow you away if your dog is unavailable.
Cops acting ‘tactically’ have to expect to be treated as a tactical threat. Someone knocking on my door at 2 AM will need to do something other than knock and bluster to get in. No cop car, no trust on my part. And I mean a MARKED cop car, not some POS with grill lights!
What you said. Well done IMHO.
Would you be so kind as to explain to me what, exactly, is the “tactical advantage” of responding to a call of a woman that had fallen and couldn’t get up, silently, and with lights off? Because I’m just not seeing it.
I don’t see a way out of the spiral.
Here's a way out. When told to disarm, don't disarm. Treat anyone trying to disarm you as a mortal threat. What do you think?
From the article:
While it’s true that Scott had a criminal history and that drugs were found in Scott’s apartment, those facts have little to do with his death.
I beg to differ. Drugs lead to paranoia.
Sounds to me like: Darwin knocked....and he answered.
“The police are NOT our friends.”
Boy, it that the truth!
I’ve answered my door many tines off-duty with a gun in one hand, hidden behind the door and pointed at the ground.
Never once have I answered my door with a gun immediately pointed at someone. I might only do that if I know it’s a person who has a grudge against me.
If I’m out doing knock & talks, canvassing a neighborhood for whatever reason, and someone answers the door with a gun pointed at me I’m going to draw down and defend myself.
If they are all moron police then explain to me exactly how the police should’ve known (in a split second) that the guy aiming the gun at them wasn’t going I shot them?
The idiot could’ve easily had the gun in hand concealed by the door and he’d still be alive. It was his responsibility to assess the threat before he aimed in.
If I hear a noise in my front yard in the middle if the night I don’t just run outside and immediately start shooting randomly.
Wow. Your cogent post changed my mind on this one. Still think the cops were being too agressive, but your points are VERY well stated and taken!
Fire prosecute and jail all officers involved. They always talk about being so much better trained, well then hold them to that when they f*ck up majorly.
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