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 ...
The criticism as to “wrong number” by so many posters isn’t always as reasonable as it sounds. Back when streets were laid out on a grid, it would have been, but that just isn’t true today. Streets wind around, and odd/even numbering, and for that matter what street you are on changes unpredictably. This neighborhood is one of that type.
However, in this case I looked the house up on Street View. The mailbox has a number, and the curb is numbered at both the sidewalk and the driveway. It’s actually an unusually well-marked nehghborhood. It shouldn’t have been terribly difficult for them to figure out which house was which.
There are no streetlights in the area, and the garage in question is entered from the back of the home. IOW, the driveway wraps around the house, so the cops were in his backyard when they shot him.
Have badge will murder.
If they practiced on a “Grandfather” target, they were thinking about it beforehand.
Any idiot can pull a trigger or say “10-4”. A policeman MUST have discipline and good sense. If you put this police department in a dark warehouse, told them there was a “perp” inside, then shouted “BOO!” they’d probably gun each other down before it was all over.
Fire their entire chain of command. That’s what they do to the military, during war, with known, armed enemy shooting at the troops day & night and one of the soldiers shoots a civilian in error.
What a tragedy!
I think the best takeaway from this is the old saw about never pointing a gun at anything you don’t intend to kill. An extension would be not to unnecessarily insert yourself into a situation where an armed confrontation might result.
IOW, even if you have a gun it’s not always a good idea to go looking for trouble. In some circumstances, such as this one, especially if you have a gun.
I find the notion that “they identified themselves as police” problematic as a justification. It’s dark, uniforms can’t be seen, and armed men are yelling at you. Possibly you don’t have your hearing aid in. In all likelihood they pointed their flashlights at him and blinded him. It is not at all unreasonable for you to react by pointing your gun at the shouters.
Unfortunately, once you do point your gun at them (if that’s what really happened) it’s entirely reasonable for the cops to shoot first.
The absolute need to shoot first in a confrontation at close range means the chance of tragedy goes WAY up when both sides are armed.
I think the cops in this case should be charged with whatever the homeowner would have been charged with had he shot one or both of them.
If grandfather was dead, why did they shoot him?
Yes. It DOES “happen all the time”.
Which brings the question:
Has the “Mission” of the Police CHANGED?
This is murder. And there will be no trial.
Horse-Crap! The police were in this man’s home illegally. They crept in, in the dark. The fact that they have badges does not give them an absolute need, or right, to shoot first.
Welcome to May 28th.
Funny how the "lighting was too poor" to find the correct address (all they had to do was shine their little flashlights on the curb to get the correct address), but good enough to ascertain that Mr. Waller was pointing a handgun at them. And, of course, pairing two rookie cops for the initial call to the burglary was sheer stupidity.
The FWPD must think that FW residents are idiots by coming up with this excuse.
Been there, done that. If the property is wooded at all your house will be blinking on and off like a marquee all night if there’s the slightest breeze. Same with any wildlife crossing the yard, and they do.
No trees or large bushes, and fence the entire property. Then it might work. Otherwise, it’s impossibly annoying, for both you and your neighbors.
The Blaze has become useless and so has Glenn Beck and his TV 'network', I'm out of there. I didn't sign up there for Religious Classes nor to hear non-stop about Jews and Israel.
Wrong address? Maybe that was intended for the thread across the way.
“Has the “Mission” of the Police CHANGED?”
Yes. IMHO, they no longer keep the peace but 1) politick for advancement and safe, personal cushiness, 2) dress to the nine millimeters and full auto black, 3) assume and target people and dogs as enemies 1st, and 4) forencify the after effects (if they’re smart enough).
They make me mad. I was raised to believe in them and to approach them easily. I don’t think they want anyone to talk to them anymore. Except their cronies.
“isn’t always as reasonable as it sounds.”
Their jobs are to be exact. For reasons of life and death. I don’t care if streets wind or not. It’s their job - and others’ lives - for them to know.
“This happened in May.”
Probably took ‘em this long to get their lies straight.
Amen...STILL trying to get them to post the story about the Kelly Hunnewell murder that occurred in South Carolina recently...the one that left FOUR YOUNG CHILDREN orphaned. She was shot down by three hoodie-wearing Trayvons in their late teens...nothing but 'crickets' from the Blaze.
A fund has been set up for the children:
Kelly Hunnewell Survivor Trust
c/o First Citizens Bank
P. O. Box 520
Hull, Georgia. 30646
Who were his instructors in college? His editor probably as ignorant as he is.
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