Posted on 10/16/2018 10:35:27 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
Lakeland police have released surveillance video showing a city commissioner shoot a man who was trying to steal a hatchet from his military surplus store. The video has been edited for this story and does not show the fatal shot being fired.
Police are investigating the deadly shooting.
The shooting happened Oct. 3 at the Vets Army Navy Surplus which is owned by Dunn.
The video shows the city commissioner trying to detain Lopez with his left hand and then shoots him with a semi-automatic Glock handgun in his right hand as Lopez tried to make a break.
Lopez has the stolen hatchet in his right hand and is not threatening Dunn with the hatchet at the moment of the shooting, but seems intent on getting away.
The fatal shooting has attracted a great deal of attention due to Dunn’s prominence as a local politician and the Stand Your Ground law. Dunn's lawyer says he has not decided whether that will be a defense in this case.
8 On your Side interviewed Dunn last year about gun store security after series of gun store break-ins.
Police initially said the shooting occurred after a fight broke out between Dunn and Lopez. There is no fighting shown in the surveillance video released by police Monday, beyond Lopez's attempt to flee.
Michael Dunn is a Lakeland City Commissioner who took office in January of 2018. He skipped Monday's city commission meeting involving important land use questions. Dunn's lawyer later said he didn't want to be a distraction.
State Attorney Brian Haas said the investigation continues and he anticipates the investigation will be completed at the end of the week.
I guess its a case of, “You don’t steal from the Commissioner.”
Lopez has the stolen hatchet in his right hand and is not threatening Dunn with the hatchet at the moment of the shooting,>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
He looks threatening enough to me!
“Don’t steal, the government hates competition”
Had a high school auto shop teacher who had this sign on his desk
Weapon in hand. I think that works for me.
Easy for people to watch a video and say “he wasn’t threatening!” They arent wrestling with a guy holding a hatchet in his hand though. If they were, they might feel differently.
WHY NO FIRST NAME FOR THIEF.... JUST LOPEZ..
Demonstrations and Looting in 5, 4,3,2,1......
Reading the first sentence.
Yep. TV Gerbalism.
Now onto the rest of this “article”.
The whole video needs review, looks like potential self-defense as that appears to be the hatchet in the thief’s raised left hand. What happened off-camera? Is there audio? Any doubt should go to the store owner and victim. The thief is dead, won’t steal again.
“...edited for this story and does not show the fatal shot being fired...”
WORTHLESS.
Cut the shooting from the video? Typical of the same media who will follow the news with hours of shoot-em up shows.
Come on show the public, good people and criminals alike what happens when you threaten somebody.
Same with abortions. Lets see you vile democrats sucking a baby out. Maybe some hearts and minds might be changed but the lying left’s propaganda machine can’t have any of that.
If someone is stuggling with me trying to escape with a hatchet in one hand I am not going to take the risk he’s going to use it in an attempt to escape.
I hate the media for their bias, but I also hate them for their ridiculous speculation and conclusions. Every story sounds as if it were written by a 16 year old.
They don’t act threatening until they do.
Dont TRY to steal MY stuff and we wont have these kinds of problems.
We would all wait until he throws the hatchet at us and THEN we would shoot.
I don't think so.
They should have buried the hatchet.
Cristobol Lopez, more than 25 arrests in the last few years. Good riddance.
He was foolish to chase him and grab his shirt.
If the man was already threatening him with the hatchet that would be different. Once the guy was heading out the door he should have let it go.
In principle I am fine with the thief getting shot, but the law isn’t going to see it that way. Dunn screwed the pooch here unless there is a very significant detail we don’t know about.
If this was a Police Officer involved shooting, the story would be the Perp had a Weapon in his hand and wouldn’t drop it.
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.