Mississippi police kill man while serving warrant at wrong house

UPI ^ | 7/26/17 | Ray Downs

[Timpanagos1]

July 26 (UPI) -- Close to midnight on Sunday, Southaven, Miss., police arrived at the wrong house to serve an arrest warrant and shot a man dead in his own home, according to reports.

Ismael Lopez, 41, was shot dead late Sunday night after he checked to see who was at his front door. But the police were supposed to be across the street to serve an arrest warrant for Samuel Pearman, who was wanted on an assault charge, reported WREG.

"Someone didn't take the time to analyze the address," said Murray Wells, the attorney representing Lopez's family. "This is incredibly tragic and embarrassing to this police department that they can't read house numbers."

DeSoto County Prosecutor John Champion said it was "possible" that police went to the wrong house and confirmed that Lopez's name was not on the warrant.

[miss marmelstein]

I’m thinking of Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night! The character arrested anyone who crossed his path for the murder of a local businessman.

[Wissa]

I doubt that the cops will get prosecuted for this..

You're most likely right.

And a lot of the non-police citizens will lose even more respect for law enforcement. People will think that if an innocent person winds up dead as a result of being shot by somebody other than the police, they'd sure be brought up on charges. They'll be reinforced in their belief that there are two kinds of justice. One that applies to government employees, and one that applies to everyone else.

[servo1969]

Being a police officer is very tough job.

You are simply not allowed to make these sorts of mistakes.

If someone finds that too demanding they are in the wrong profession.

[Lazamataz]

When the police show up after midnight, talk to them through a window and don’t be in the window.

You better get a ballistic cloth rig set up next to that window.

They shot through the door.

[Moltke]

"Someone didn't take the time to analyze the address,"

What? It's an address. By design and nature self-explanatory. There is nothing to "analyze." If it were necessary to analyze addresses it would defeat the purpose of them being addresses.

[ratzoe]

The concept of odd numbers and even numbers may be beyond the compression skills of a small town Mississippi cop.

That was my first thought when I read that the guy's house was across the street from the perp supposedly getting served.

[xrmusn]

I have no idea what you wrote. None of it made any sense.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Ok . I will type slower

"I have observed, (I have noted)

while watching ‘Cops’ (an 'old' TV show in reruns)

that when UC (Undercover Officers)

are conducting a sting operation be it drugs or prostitute, (Setting up someone to catch them breaking the law)

there is a lack of ANY uniformed Police around (only the dudes in civvies or para military gear)

Would think that if one were ‘legally’ (or not) armed that when the ‘pro’(UC) excuses herself and someone barges through the door that ‘he’ would be in a heap of trouble as definitely will be turning around with ‘something’ in hand.. Especially if she had ‘demanded’ they go to the room of her choice."

(Guy thinking the 'pro' (UC) was setting him up to be robbed)

[xrmusn]

I have no idea what you wrote. None of it made any sense.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Ok . I will type slower

"I have observed, (I have noted)

while watching ‘Cops’ (an 'old' TV show in reruns)

that when UC (Undercover Officers)

are conducting a sting operation be it drugs or prostitute, (Setting up someone to catch them breaking the law)

there is a lack of ANY uniformed Police around (only the dudes in civvies or para military gear)

Would think that if one were ‘legally’ (or not) armed that when the ‘pro’(UC) excuses herself and someone barges through the door that ‘he’ would be in a heap of trouble as definitely will be turning around with ‘something’ in hand.. Especially if she had ‘demanded’ they go to the room of her choice."

(Guy thinking the 'pro' (UC) was setting him up to be robbed)

[Sergio]

Nothing happens ‘cause it’s we the taxpayers that end up footing the bill when the inevitable “settlement” is payed out.

My solution is that all payouts due to police actions be payed out from the police pension fund. As soon as the cops have some “skin in the game”, they will start policing (no pun intended) themselves.

[Moltke]

There’s absolutely no excuse for getting a wrong address on a warrant.

It sounds like they just went to the wrong address. Right address on the warrant, incapability to go there.

[Squeako]

Well it sounds to me like they’ve got a whole squad guilty of Capital Murder.

[zeugma]

Why do they need surprise raids to issue a warrant? Can't they just monitor the house and wait till the perp comes out and then arrest him.

Because then you don't get to dress up in cool ninja/soldier gear.

[zeugma]

Did they have their personal cameras on and running?

One of the few questions worth asking. When serving a warrant at o'dark thirty, it is criminally negligent not to have body cameras all around.

[fella]

"I would charge ALL OF THEM and go for the Death Penalty, their Supervisor included."

Do you know how the average courthouse works? They are tight knit and closed societies that party hardy together. The courthouse crowed takes care of the courthouse crowd.

[EinNYC]

OMG. Those “officers” need to spend some dozen or more years in jail. They are too incompetent to hold a job at Piggly Wiggly.

[zeugma]

Perhaps someone can explain why a law abiding citizen is NOT allowed to answer his door armed, at any time, let alone at midnight with someone banging on your door.

And maybe you could also explain why, in a nation protected by the constitution, why police are allowed to shoot anyone who is deemed to have a gun? Are our rights to be armed not guaranteed by the constitution?

We are now in a terrible time, where if a person is thought to be armed, police are allowed to shoot them on the spot. How are we to exercise our second amendment rights when police are allowed to shoot on sight anyone exercising those rights?

Worth repeating. I'm sickened by this crap. I really want to support the police, but it is pretty difficult to do these days.

[walkingdead]

Thanks for the response. I too am sickened and cannot understand how we as a society can allow this to continue and still remain free.

Police officers MUST incur risk, even ALOT of risk, in order to keep freedom for all American citizens in tact.

There were days, long ago, when police officers understood this, and were rightfully praised for their profession and professionalism.

[Mrs. Don-o]

First, it’s disputed whether the innocent homeowner ‘sicced’ the dog ,-— that’s conjecture — and whether he was holding a gun (his wife says he wasn’t.)

Second, if I open the door at midnight to men -— even uniformed men -— and my any-breed dog, reacting to the stress, gets jumpy, I don’t think the “next right thing” is to shoot me dead.

[redgolum]

They went to the wrong house, and shot an innocent man.

They are at best, criminally negligent.

[sarge83]

Where I live I would go to the door with a firearm in hand. If I saw blue lights, police cars and established they were indeed police officers I would make contact without my weapon in hand.

The officers getting the wrong address is inexcusable with E911, google, county records. I don’t know all the circumstances but from the article the city will payout big time in civil court and the officer in charge and the officer who pulled the trigger should at a minimum be charged with manslaughter.