Posted on 07/26/2013 9:30:35 PM PDT by redreno
Police in Fort Worth, Texas, are blaming “poor lighting” after two officers went to the wrong home in search of a possible burglar and ended up shooting a 72-year-old man dead in his garage. The officers, who are both in their first year with Fort Worth PD, were responding to a burglary alarm on May 28 when the tragic mistake occurred.
“Due to poor lighting conditions, and officers attempting to arrive on the scene undetected,” the cops approached the home of Jerry Waller by mistake, according to an affidavit. The house they were actually supposed to go to was across the street.
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
I was raised to trust the police as well.
This is a real conflict for me.
was he already dead? Seems like a waste of time.....
“Weekend at Grandpa’s”?
This is inexcusable...the cops need to be held personably liable when they screw up like this...they need to have it front and center in their little minds that if make any kind of ‘error’; they will lose everything they own...car, house, everything. You can’t just kill an innocent man (or dog, for that matter) and just walk away. Punish them financially...they’d get the message, and damn fast. Enough of this.
I was home one night when several police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck pulled up out front. I went out to see what was going on, and they started screaming at me; looking for a particular address. Seems there was a choking baby somewhere, and the mother had called 911. They had NO IDEA which house on the street was the right one. Their panicked shouting didn't help much, as I tried to figure out which house they were looking for...after much confusion, we figured it out, and the baby received the assistance it needed. Keystone-level stupidity.
It is always a reasonable criticism.
The cops are paid to do a job. Part of that job is knowing the neighborhood or beat that they’re patrolling. If they don’t, then maybe they should quit hanging out at the local coffee and donut shack and start doing their job.
In this case, yet again, the cops instigated the entire incident. There was no report of anything that needed their “assistance” at the address where they responded, so the homeowner was on firm legal ground for investigating what was going on. The cops were there without a call or warrant, so they are no better than common trespassers.
The long term solution to this is to simply dispense with more and more cops. They’re not necessary. Crime has been falling for more than 15 years nation-wide, and in better neighborhoods especially. We could eliminate all SWAT teams for starters, because they’re almost never used for what they claimed they would do. Then we can start on the rest of these parasites on the taxpayers’ wallets.
When dispatched, was the address given odd or even?
I’m sure they’ll get far less punishment then they deserve. I’m not standing up for them, nor am I on their side. I was stating that 1st degree is a bogus charge.
What is really disturbing about most of these incidents is that police act like thugs and burglars, then shoot anyone who opposes them.
This “I have to go home at the end of the shift”, is also a disturbing meme.
It translates to: I can shoot anyone that I think might be a threat, and you cannot shoot back or prosecute me.
Fortunately, I think that these incidents are rare.
Instills a whole lot of confidence in these public servants, doesn’t it?
If cops aren't allowed to shoot innocents the criminals will win. /s
Couldn't agree more, think we all knew we were headed into the dirt, but this fast, I didn't see coming.
So they admit they could not see properly but fired anyway?
Odd numbers on one side of the street, even numbers on the other side of the street. Ain’t rocket science.
Is it common practice to have to rookie cops on patrol together?
If it hadn’t been for this trigger-happy cops the man would still be resting in peace.
Oh, yeah...loads. There is an official in our town that believes we should give up our guns because the 'police are our protectors'.
#### Fortunately, I think that these incidents are rare. #####
They seem to be reported more and more frequently.
I’m in complete agreement with you.
One would think that’s a bad idea.
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.