Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Santa Rosa police release more information about shooting death of 13-year-old boy by deputies
Mercury News ^ | October 31, 2013 | Bay City News

Posted on 10/31/2013 11:20:32 AM PDT by Uncle Chip

Edited on 10/31/2013 11:22:17 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

SANTA ROSA - Santa Rosa police released more details today in response to persistent questions about the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy in southwest Santa Rosa last week....

Henry said Gelhaus said he knows he yelled at least once to Lopez to drop the rifle, but Gelhaus said he is unsure whether he identified himself as a sheriff's deputy.


(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: donutwatch; lopez; moronwithbadge; nohesitation; santarosa; stupidcoptricks; warriorcops
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 last
To: sport

I’m not good at cowering...


81 posted on 10/31/2013 1:43:46 PM PDT by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

Welcome - stay safe!


82 posted on 10/31/2013 1:46:25 PM PDT by LadyBuck (Magenta has just released the dogs....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: Dead Corpse

Judging by the responses on these threads in favor of killing the kid, I think that we are in the minority.


83 posted on 10/31/2013 1:47:08 PM PDT by sport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: sport

We’re surrounded. That simplifies the problem...


84 posted on 10/31/2013 1:48:39 PM PDT by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: eartrumpet

It wasn’t a legal shoot in my opinion.


85 posted on 10/31/2013 1:50:16 PM PDT by B4Ranch (AGENDA: Grinding America Down ----- <<http://vimeo.com/63749370)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: B4Ranch

Nor mine, but it was in the shooter’s opinion. Now all he has to do is follow the plan for shooting a kid with a BB gun that he came up with 8 years ago and he is home free.


86 posted on 10/31/2013 1:55:20 PM PDT by eartrumpet
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: sport

Here — I was told off:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3085017/posts?page=172#172


87 posted on 10/31/2013 2:07:25 PM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip
And was the fact that this car had no dashcam a contributing factor to this incident as the deputy knew there would be no video of the shooting.

Good point. Thanks.

88 posted on 10/31/2013 3:42:58 PM PDT by zeugma (Is it evil of me to teach my bird to say "here kitty, kitty"?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: sport; Dead Corpse
Judging by the responses on these threads in favor of killing the kid, I think that we are in the minority.

No. I don't think so. Don't know if DC will agree, but ten years ago you would have been absolutely correct. Today, not so much. Many freepers have woken up to the danger of the police state.

89 posted on 10/31/2013 3:56:33 PM PDT by zeugma (Is it evil of me to teach my bird to say "here kitty, kitty"?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: zeugma

Even if it was a real gun, and the kid didn’t shoot at the cop, the kid broke no law.

The cop should get the death penalty for murder.


90 posted on 10/31/2013 4:47:08 PM PDT by bicyclerepair (The zombies here elected alcee hastings (FL-20))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

To reiterate what I previously posted, the evidence will show that there are those on this forum that will defend the acts of the Einsatzgruppen groups in Eastern Europe during1940-41 just because they had the word “police” attached to them. In truth, the only thing more repugnant than what this cop did are those who defend him.


91 posted on 10/31/2013 4:57:48 PM PDT by sport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: rey; Uncle Chip

Despite being hit, kicked and almost bitten by the person, he [Gelhaus] used restraint and calm good judgment.

* * *

I saw that letter in today’s PD too. I don’t question Gelhaus’s bravery or his ability to persevere in the face of disheartening odds. I DO QUESTION his judgment. The bullets in the boy’s body were all in the right side except for the one in the left bicep. That plus the timeline (ten seconds from stopping the car to shooting the “suspect”) says to me that Andy Lopez didn’t remotely point his weapon AT the deputies; he simply started to turn around to see what was going on. I don’t even think the tip of his weapon “started to rise,” as Gelhaus claimed. I think, honestly, that was BS to support the deputy’s “I felt threatened” meme. I think he got trigger-happy out of fear or anxiety, and came up with “reasons” why he felt he “had” to shoot, after the fact.


92 posted on 10/31/2013 11:37:11 PM PDT by Hetty_Fauxvert (FUBO, and the useful idiots you rode in on!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: Hetty_Fauxvert
I DO QUESTION his judgment.

As everyone should.

Everything he did put people at risk that day -- even his partner and the public.

He started firing while the car was still in motion and before his partner could prepare himself and take cover. I'm sure his partner with 11 years experience in LE was shocked by this.

Was he trying to show off his shooting skills to the new guy that he could hit a stationary target from a moving car??

And some of his rounds were recovered from within neighboring houses meaning that people in those houses were in the line of fire.

And regarding the gun pointing at him, all anyone needs to do to see which direction the rifle was pointing is take a stick or broom handle, put it in your left hand and then turn sideways to the right -- what's in your hand is the last thing to turn.

What was in Andy Lopez's hand was the last thing to turn as well and it was in no way threatening to the deputy.

93 posted on 11/01/2013 7:51:42 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 92 | View Replies]

To: SoldierDad

Well, it was just a thought I had, which you clarified with your reply. . .that if the police vehicle doors were made bulletproof, could the boy have had more of a chance to live? This would of course depend on the mindset of the individual officer and perhaps the training in the future could be affected.

Would anyone with police experience be able to comment on the concept of vehicle door reinforcement?


94 posted on 11/01/2013 11:08:34 PM PDT by deks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip
He started firing while the car was still in motion and before his partner could prepare himself and take cover.

I didn't know that, but I trust that you have been following this. I haven't kept up with subsequent articles, except one that said that the whole incident may have happened in less than 10 seconds including the 8 shots fired by the officer.

95 posted on 11/01/2013 11:16:05 PM PDT by deks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 93 | View Replies]

To: thefactor

I don’t know if you’ve followed this incident in Santa Rosa, but as a New York City police officer could you comment on this idea about police taking cover behind their vehicle doors...

Would it make sense to reinforce inside the doors to make them bulletproof (steel or ceramic plates)? And then there is bulletproof glass...I guess it might be too expensive to be practical.


96 posted on 11/02/2013 3:53:24 AM PDT by deks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: deks

You’re not really taking cover behind the doors. They wont stop much of anything. What we’re taught to do is take cover behind the engine block, which usually means being behind a door. But the engine block is the key. If all you have is a door between you and an AK you’re in a bad spot.


97 posted on 11/02/2013 4:02:05 AM PDT by thefactor (yes, as a matter of fact, i DID only read the excerpt)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 96 | View Replies]

To: deks

Yep — his partner who has 11 years of LE experience said that by the time he stopped the vehicle and got out behind the door the target had been neutralized.


98 posted on 11/02/2013 4:16:42 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 95 | View Replies]

To: deks

Here it is from the police spokesman from the article here:

By the time the deputy who was driving was able to pull across the intersection at West Robles Avenue and into the oncoming lane of Moorland Avenue, Gelhaus had already begun shooting at Lopez, Henry said.

“By the time the second deputy got out of the car, the subject was engaged and the threat was neutralized,” Henry said.

It’s possible Gelhaus got out of the patrol car before it completely stopped, Henry said today.


99 posted on 11/02/2013 4:32:26 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 95 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson