Posted on 02/03/2014 5:17:31 AM PST by marktwain
A grand jury in Tarrant County, Texas has decided not to indict the rookie police officer who shot dead a homeowner while investigating a burglary at the wrong address.
Last May, R.A. 'Alex' Hoeppner and his partner Benjamin Hanlon accidentally started searching 72-year-old Jerry Waller's property, confusing it in the dark for a house across the street.
Waller was in bed with his wife Kathy at the time, and was stirred by the police officer's flashlights. Fearing a prowler was outside, he grabbed his .35-caliber-pistol and went to investigate.
According to a search warrant affidavit released by the Star-Telegram in July, the two officers encountered an armed Waller near the corner of his home, told them they were police and to drop his gun.
Waller didn't drop his gun and instead raised it at Hoeppner who proceeded to fatally shoot the senior citizen seven times.
According to the autopsy report, Waller suffered three hits to his chest as well as single shots to his abdomen and hand. Two other bullets grazed his wrist and forearm.
Radio transmissions after the shooting record Hanlon telling dispatchers 'shots fired' and to send for an ambulance.
'I don't know who the guy is,' Hanlon says. 'The guy came out with a gun. He wouldn't put the gun down. He pointed it at Hoeppner. Hoeppner fired.'
Waller was found in his garage and pronounced dead at the scene.
The jury heard 25 hours of testimony over four days. Hoeppner testified twice and so did his partner Hanlon, who was fired last year from the department for filing a false sworn statement in an unrelated August arrest.
But in the end they decided there wasn't enough evidence to bring up criminal charges
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Your correct,garage is an extension of the house,as he was found inside.
Easy on the guy. How the hell would he know if it is a misprint. He can only deal with what was printed. I appreciate the research and learned something I did not know until now.
More to the point ar we to believe a cop hit the target 7/7 times?
I was not there, so I can only go by what is written. It said he was encountered at the corner of the house, and was found dead in the garage. I took it he was shot outside and died in the garage. Is this possible, yes.
At ‘some’ homes this would have all been recorded on audio & video...too bad it wasn’t here.
It was in Texas not NYC or Boston.
I read that it already did. The article mentions 25 hours of testimony on the case before a jury. It did not say what type of jury, but I would assume they mean a grand jury. I cannot think of any other juries besides trial and grand.
Reread, this was the grand jury.
Moot point, of course. The cops killed him anyway.
I agree with your point. Actually a cop at the wrong address hit an innocent homeowner rightfully curious about intruders on his property 7/7 and all he got was a slap on the wrist. At minimum he should have gotten what any citizen who did the same thing - manslaughter.
This and other cops involved in actions that harm innocent civilians need to be put on a permanent dumb axx list so they never work again protecting and defending us.
What make me not trust the story is the two locations .
PDF FIles of the Police report... Details as issued by the FWPD.
http://media.star-telegram.com/smedia/2014/01/31/17/57/sgO5A.So.58.pdf
Listing of evidence, etc.
*****
http://media.star-telegram.com/smedia/2014/01/31/17/57/FZFaz.So.58.pdf
p4 of this report shows photo of garage and shooting scene
*******
Waller, the crime scene officer said, was holding a .38-caliber revolver when he confronted Hoeppner.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/30/5527865/fort-worth-homeowner-reached-for.html#storylink=cpy
I can unload 7 shots in about 3 seconds.
What is the rest of the story ? Still doesn't add up ,should have gone to trail .
Benjamin Hanlon was fired from the PD for lying, not really a
good witness.
The rookie officer was out of control, two controlled double taps maybe, but seven rounds in a split second.
Never mind the taxpayers will pick up the bill.
should have gone to trail .
*************
trial
Apparently the grand jury didn’t concur and that is what counts in this case.
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