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.

[crazy scenario]

" Police lie like rugs."

The good cops I've been around, I can count on one hand. The bad cops are the norm!

I was several blocks from home, after getting off work at midnight. There was a local cop behind me. I saw him in my rear view mirror, move from directly behind me to a left turn lane as I approach an intersection. I moved slightly (within my lane) to avoid a dip caused by a manhole. The cop immediately and I mean immediately swerved back into position behind me. He followed the remaining three blocks to my home, within inches of my rear bumper. I turned on to my street with his lights flashing behind me.....proceeded to my driveway and parked in same. Long story short, he claimed I was weaving.....I angrily told him, "it's after midnight Sat morning and you're looking for drunks and I wasn't weaving"...this was his use of "probable cause" to do a stop on me....he continued insisting I was weaving and then said that I crossed into the right turn lane beside me. He checked/called in my ID......came back and ask way I was so angry......I told him, "if you're done, get off my property".....as a parting shot I told him to get out there and catch some more weavers!!

" Police lie like rugs."

In another instance in Kansas (spit) a state cop (spit,spit,spit) was coming down a ramp to merge onto I70.....he had no lights flashing....my mental calculations told me he was going to be right beside me while he was in the entrance ramp acceleration lane. Well, to correctly merge onto I70, he has to either accelerate ahead of me or decrease his speed and get behind me. He does neither.....result: we're side by side as his lane is quickly disappearing.....he clearly expected/intimidated this civilian to move to the inside land. He finally had to brake and pulled in directly behind me..... can you say intimidation (I could count the bugs on his grill). I kept my cool while watching him in my rearview mirror, without turning my head. He did some radio work.....probly calling in my out of state tags.....and prceeded to continue his intimidatingly close following for 5 miles or more. I knew what he was up to (do somth`n stupid sucka)....had my cruise control set to the speed limit and gave him no reason to light me up (not that he couldn't invent one)......Stupid cop who doesn't know the proceedure to merge onto a highway and thiks he's the boss! " Police lie like rugs and are arogant SOBs."

Don't mistake me for a cop hater.....I just hate stupid arrogant public servants who think they are the good guys an the rest of us are the enemy!!!!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Not at night.

Then they are just a bunch of men in dark clothing.

[T. P. Pole]

Would this shooting have been OK if it was at the right address?

Nice way of restating it. Indeed, I don't think it would have been ok even if it was the right house. What in the world has happened where society thinks this kind of thing is ok?

[Timpanagos1]

The cops need to be in prison.

That dumb ass DA may be qualified to bag groceries at the Pig.

[sport]

I feel the same way. At one time, I never feared being stopped by the police. Now I do.

[deadrock]

Something startled them.

[Blue Jays]

My biggest concern at roadside is a fearful, paranoid, and steroid-pumping power-tripper who knows all he or she has to say is:

"...Driver reached quickly for glovebox. I was in fear for my life and only wished to go home at the end of my shift. I was forced to shoot..."

[cynwoody]

Here is what happened. Had the man obeyed the police and dropped the gun he would be alive. Siccing a pit bull on the police was not a wise move either.

From the article:

Speaking on behalf of the Lopez family, Jordan Castillo, 23, told the Commercial Appeal that Lopez's wife disputed the police version of events. He said police began firing through a closed door and that Lopez never picked up his firearm, which she said was found by police in the usual spot he always keeps it in the living room.

I believe the widow.

Moreover, her story appears to be backed up by physical evidence: bullet holes shot through the door. Also, a neighbor disputes that there was shouting or an order to drop a gun. The police are lying.

As for the dog, what dog, pitbull or other, does not raise a ruckus when there's someone at the door in the middle of the night?

[sport]

You got that right.

[Blue Jays]

"...ping..."

---

Thanks for the ping, MeganC.

This militarized, us v. them, tactical/tacticool, buzzcut, steroid-pumping, and don't-talk-to-me-civilian arrangement must halt. Quickly.
Police will ultimately lose the support of their base: decent, law-abiding, engaging, and friendly taxpayers.

I am at the point now where if I saw someone beating the snot out of a police officer at roadside...I would opt to NOT GET INVOLVED and would keep driving.

I have a fantastic life, great family, good job, and excellent health. None of those can be enhanced via involvement with police. It's all downside with absolutely no upside potential. It saddens me to type those words...because things were WAY different 30-40 years ago.

[MeganC]

Growing up I looked at police with a kind of reverence and awe. I always felt safe around them.

Things changed and after a while getting stopped and searched (not once with a warrant) became a normal fact of life like going shopping. That graduated to late night knocks on the door by law enforcement coupled with the even more arbitrary acts of wholly unaccountable CPS officers.

It culminated with the late night knocks becoming late night ‘dynamic entries’ where the door was kicked in without warning.

Now when I hear about a police officer shooting someone or being shot by someone I acknowledge that whatever story is being told by the police about the incident is going to be false either by construction or by omission.

And in the cases when some police officers get shot I feel ashamed because I will stop and wonder if they did something to deserve it.

And it tears me up because then there’s things like when the absolutely good cops in Dallas were killed in the course of protecting people. I made a donation to the police organization that takes care of the families of these officers...

https://atodallas.org/

...and just recently I got a belated but most heartfelt thank you for my pitiful donation from their director.

It made me feel better to know that at least some people in uniform still get it.

There’s hope.

And that’s a big reason why it’s important to stand up to the cops who think they have a right to act like feudal lords. They ruin it for the good cops.

And there are still good cops out there and it’s good to remember that even as we rightly condemn the actions of the thugs who pretend to enforce the law and uphold the Constitution.

- Megan

[dirtymac]

BLM lies?

how did the Bureau of Land Management get involved? Is this part of the Bundy case?

[dirtymac]

I get a knock on the door at midnight, I sure as hell going to be caring a gun. I guess that is enough for some cops to use deadly force

[NELSON111]

>>>Police said he was holding a gun and did not drop it when ordered to do so.

I can hold a gun in my own home. That's the Constitution. They were at the wrong address. They had ZERO legal right to be there and ZERO legal right to tell him what to do. NONE. Stop defending their mistake.

One of my fears...and yes...it is a fear...is getting shot by the police because they make a mistake like this...at 2 am. They no-knock my house...and they are met with my drawn weapon (which is my 2nd amendment right). They give me...oh...let's say...about .2 seconds to drop it before they drop me. I don't drop it...because it's 2 am...and I'm still half asleep. All I know is my alarm is screaming and the dogs are barking...if they are still alive.

Good thing you will never have to face such an issue...since you are apparently perfect and would drop your weapon INSTANTLY!

Give me a break. You are expecting this man to be as alert and awake and know what they know (which was apparently WRONG!). They've had their pots of coffee...they've had their tactical briefing. And he just got woken out of a dead sleep.

AND THEY WERE AT THE WRONG HOUSE.

It is amazing that you can't even bring yourself to say: "You know...why they just didn't surround the place and say 'Hey dude...come out...we know you are there.' or wait until daylight."

Because you and I BOTH know why. These guys want that thrill. They're Barney Fife and there's no Andy around to keep their guns unloaded. My best friend is a career LEO of a medium sized city...and another good friend is also a LEO. They talk about it all the time. Most of these guys either 1) want to be BACK in the military kicking in doors again...or 2) wish they WERE in the military so they COULD kick in doors.

And any chance they get...they are out at midnight doing this crap. And when it goes wrong...innocent people die doing what they have a constitutional right to do.

And at midnight...out of a dead sleep...it could have easily been you.

[eyeamok]

Just the same as you shouldn’t if you acted reasonably and defended yourself.

Did you just get off the truck in this country?? In the Real World Innocent people are put on trial every single day for exercising reasonable judgement, it is only if you have a magic blue costume are you spared the trial.

So why exactly do you believe in special rights for special people??

Sig Heil

[NELSON111]

>>>I get a knock on the door at midnight, I sure as hell going to be caring a gun. I guess that is enough for some cops to use deadly force

I don't fear much...but a no-knock warrant at a wrong address (mine) is one of them. I would have no idea it's the cops...and wouldn't hear "police" over the screaming alarm and the barking dogs.

They'd probably give me 1/4 second before they'd shoot me dead as I emerged from my bedroom with the "judge." I'd have no idea they were cops. I would think I was being robbed.

[NorthMountain]

Bureau of Land Management

Wrong "BLM" ... I'm referring to the idiots that rioted in Ferguson, MO.

[NorthMountain]

And there are still good cops out there

They better start policing their own ranks ... or they aren't really "good cops".

[Bogey78O]

Sorry, I thought I was speaking to someone who had a cursory knowledge in the subject matter. I had no clue you haven’t the foggiest bit of understanding of the law and how it works.

If you’d like me to explain it to you, I can. First, you’ll have to drop this childish understanding about “costumes” as that’s something only a cud eating moron would say.

I’m rather shocked at the “conservatives” who adopted a fraudulent and Marxist view of civil and criminal law.

[Timpanagos1]

It is reckless that the cops involved never did bother to learn the difference between and even numbers and odd numbers.

On a North/South Street:

Standing facing North, all houses on the Right, or East side of the street, are ODD Numbers. Those on the Left, or West side of the street, are EVEN Numbers.

On a East/West Street:

Standing facing East, all houses on the Right, or South side of the street, are ODD Numbers. Those on the Left, or North side of the street, are EVEN Numbers.

It all seems rather simple.