Massillon Patrol Officer
Eric Taylor
Posted on 08/10/2002 6:07:37 AM PDT by ResistorSister
MASSILLON (OHIO) -- A city police officer and a man he was chasing are dead, killed in a shootout at the old Agathon ballfield Friday night.
Killed were Eric Taylor, 31, a four-year veteran of the Police Department, and a still unidentified suspect.
“This is a major tragedy for our city,” said Mayor Francis Cicchinelli, who announced Taylor’s death at Massillon Community Hospital at about 11:45 p.m.
Taylor was married, with three young children.
Investigators from the Ohio Highway Patrol, Massillon Police Department and Stark County coroner’s office remained at the scene past midnight, as did the body of the suspect, a balding, white man who was driving a four-door Ford sedan with Stark County license plates. His body was covered with one sheet, another blocked the view of the more than 100 bystanders who gathered near First Street and Cherry Road NW.
The trouble began shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Route 21 and Edwards Road in Wayne County near Doylestown, according to Lt. Herb Homan, commander of the Wooster Post of the Highway Patrol.
One of his troopers had stopped the southbound Ford on Route 21 at 8:22 p.m. for speeding. The trooper talked with the driver, there was a confrontation and five minutes later, the trooper reported the car was fleeing. He chased it south, and Massillon police got involved.
The chase ended in Massillon east of Route 21, in the ballfield just south of Cherry Road.
Lt. Gary Lewis of the Highway Patrol said the man got out of his car with a high-powered semiautomatic weapon, and that he fired first at officers. At least three Massillon officers and a trooper were involved in the gunfire. He said they don’t know which officer fired the shot that killed the suspect nor do they know which shot killed Taylor.
Scott McElfresh said he was watching television in his home on Cherry Road, northeast of the scene, when he heard shots. He looked out his window and saw flashes from gunfire.
He estimated he heard four shots and then an additional 30 to 40 shots, and that he saw flashes indicating police were returning fire.
“It’s not something you expect to happen in Massillon,” he said.
Other witnesses said they heard 10 to 12 shots.
“We didn’t know if it was fireworks or gunshots,” said Dave Hodgson, who was with friends about a block to the north.
Stark County Coroner James Pritchard said the suspect died of gunshot wounds, but he won’t know how many until he does an autopsy on the man today. He’ll also do an autopsy on Taylor.
Taylor was rushed from the scene to Massillon Community moments after the shooting.
The suspect’s body remained on the corner of a field off of First Street and Cherry Road until after midnight. Police said they had not verified the man’s identification, and they wouldn’t release his name until family was notified.
Through the early morning, Taylor’s cruiser and the suspect’s car remained in the middle of the field on which The Arena is being built.
The Highway Patrol and Massillon police are sharing the investigation.
They used 44 red cups to mark shell casings and other pieces of evidence on First Street. Bright lights illuminated the scene, showing the back window of a Massillon cruiser was shattered, and glass was scattered across the street.
A helicopter from Columbus was brought in to map the crime scene.
A handful of officers not involved in the investigation showed up at the scene, some in uniform and some in street clothes, somber and stone faced. Family of other officers showed up, patted a couple of officers on the back, shook their hands and hugged them.
A police chaplain met with the family at Massillon Community.
A red tent for officers was pitched in the yard of the Massillon Recreation Center, across the street from the crime scene.
What the heck are you talking about? Governments, and the people governed, continually evaluate the risk generated by certain actions, and enforces against them accordingly. Someone going 10mph over the speed limit gets a ticket for, say, $60. Someone going 50mph over the speed limit is gonna get spanked, because they present a much greater hazard to other drivers than the guy going 10mph over the speed limit. Likewise with a DUI - a drunk driver presents a very clear hazard to other drivers, and is spanked whether or not he caused an accident.
But what the heck does that have to do with the issue? The cop pulled the guy over for going 12mph over the speed limit. I got pulled over in Montana in January for going 15mph over the speed limit, and I got a warning. I was wrong, I was contrite and polite, and the cop let me off. I have had maybe one bullsh** ticket in my entire life, and even then it wasn't a big deal. Most of the time, the cops have given me a break.
There is no evidence at all that this was what occurred. The police will not release specific information about the cause of the officers death or the location of the wound. Thus it is certainly within the realm of possibility that he was killed by friendly fire.
We also only have the word of some Lt. that the civilian fired first. This is not sufficient to determine the facts. I want to see the video of the stop.
Correct. It doesn't. It is unlikely however since he was treated for a gunshot wound.
Right. And that blanket rationalization for any public law would also allow for video's installed in your home.
Yes there is. Please show me where in the Constitution that it prohibits state governments from regulating their own highways.
Traffic laws are adjudicated in administrative courts which are not subject to constitutional review.
There goes that 10th Amendment thingy again. The 10th cuts both ways. It both restricts the feds AND empowers the states, within the restrictions of the Bill of Rights and the 14th.
There are several states, Nevada included that have ruled at the Supreme Court level that you are not required to apply for a license in order to drive.
Parsing. Apply or possess?
Those cases just aren't publicised.
Well, then, why don't you publicize them for us. Give us a few cites, a few specific examples.
In Nevada a few years back, an 18 year old kid was able to successfuly argue all the way to the Supreme Court that the drivers license is not consitutional. It didn't overturn the drivers license because application for such a license is voluntary.
Once again, please provide a cite for this case, and clarify whether the Supreme Court in question was the Nevada Supreme Court or SCOTUS...
No, it would not. The 14th Amendment applies the 4th and 5th Amendments to the states (notwithstanding the fact that SCOTUS on many days has a hard time with those two amendments)...
It isn't lack of evidence, but a shortage of gray matter that prevents some from judging this incident.
Even if the officer was killed by "friendly fire" the fault lies with the anti-government goon--legally and morally.
From the article:
One of his troopers had stopped the southbound Ford on Route 21 at 8:22 p.m. for speeding. The trooper talked with the driver, there was a confrontation and five minutes later, the trooper reported the car was fleeing. He chased it south, and Massillon police got involved.
The chase ended in Massillon east of Route 21, in the ballfield just south of Cherry Road.
Lt. Gary Lewis of the Highway Patrol said the man got out of his car with a high-powered semiautomatic weapon, and that he fired first at officers. At least three Massillon officers and a trooper were involved in the gunfire. He said they don’t know which officer fired the shot that killed the suspect nor do they know which shot killed Taylor.
I would also like to see confirmation from the police videos. But I see no reason to doubt the police version. And, given what the guy ranted on FR, as posted elsewhere on this thread, it is entirely constistent with his viewpoints that he would have done this kind of thing. You can ask for evidence to the contrary, but the evidence so far is contrary to your view...
You wish. The officer was killed by a bullet matched to the cop killer's gun.
Maybe they switched bullets just to make the ideologues look bad.
Uh your last sentence in your reply #167 explains a lot about your mindset and your agenda, IMHO.
As if they needed help.
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