The sheep was ordered to put down the rope, but instead he made a "threatening gesture."
The officer had no choice except to fire in self defense.
Posted on 07/09/2003 5:52:58 AM PDT by Vigilant1
DAYTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) ? Fire burned the rural home of a man who barricaded himself inside during a deadly police standoff, but authorities were unable to find him when they searched the rubble, Michigan State Police said.
Two hours after the Tuesday afternoon fire, officials found a backpack filled with food and ammunition about three-quarters of a mile away, said Tracy Pardo, a state police communications officer.
The wife of the barricaded man, Scott Allen Woodring, 40, identified the backpack as her husband's, Pardo told the Detroit Free Press for a Wednesday story.
State police said Woodring was believed to be inside when they fired a concussion grenade into the house, which went up in flames a short time later. They were uncertain whether the explosive device, intended to stun Woodring, started the fire or if he set it.
State police scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning.
Trooper Kevin Marshall, a 33-year-old married father of two and a native of Sterling Heights, was shot Monday afternoon during the standoff. He died later during surgery at a Grand Rapids hospital.
State police were called in after the confrontation erupted Sunday night.
Woodring barricaded himself when officers from the Hesperia Police Department and the Newaygo County Sheriff's Department tried to serve him at his Dayton Township home with a felony arrest warrant. The township is adjacent to Fremont, about 30 miles northeast of Muskegon.
The warrant accuses Woodring of soliciting a minor for sex on July 1 at a gas station, The Grand Rapids Press reported.
Several hours into the standoff, police helped Woodring's wife escape the home, leaving him alone inside.
After Woodring allegedly fired two shots from the house on Monday afternoon, the State Police Emergency Support Team stormed inside and then withdrew. Marshall, an eight-year state police veteran who served on the team, was shot at that time.
When asked whether Marshall could have been hit by a bullet shot by another officer, state police Inspector Barry Getzen said the matter remained under investigation and authorities would examine evidence to "determine what rounds the officer was hit with."
Tom Wayne, former chief of staff and executive officer of the Michigan Militia Corps Wolverines, told The Detroit News that Woodring was active in the group until the mid-1990s. They parted ways over ideological differences.
"He started getting more and more into the Christian Identity movement," said Wayne, who said the militia is largely inactive now.
The movement espouses racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and homophobic beliefs.
Woodring's sister, Debbie DeVisser, of Mount Pleasant, described her brother as a deeply religious man who would help anyone and not ask for anything in return.
Asked if she thought he would shoot at someone, DeVisser said, "Scott would not shoot anybody to harm anybody. The only reason he would have shot (at police) was because he felt threatened and to protect himself."
DeVisser said she wished police had allowed family members to talk to Woodring on Tuesday and speculated that family may have been able to talk him out. Relatives were allowed to converse with him on Monday, the same day police said they last spoke with him during the standoff.
Suzie Burdick, of Everett Township in Newaygo County, said she and Woodring have been close friends for five years. She said they have attended the same church for about a year and often spoke several times a day, mostly about the Bible.
Burdick noted that while Woodring holds strong anti-government views, he was a nonviolent person.
"He's the most loving person I've ever known, just about. He's kind, considerate, loving, caring and loved his wife dearly," Burdick said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff until sundown of the day of Marshall's funeral. Funeral arrangements have not yet been completed, according to her office.
Marshall is the 49th Michigan State Police trooper to die in the line of duty. His death is the department's first in three years.
I'll take a shot a this one. In terms of time: seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, how valuable is a human life to you? Is a human life worth a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a month a year, several years? Think it terms it's mom or dad or son or daughter at risk.
Many cities have stopped high speed chases in order to save innocent lives and the lives of their officers. Folks figure the risks involved in the high speed chases just aren't worth the human price such chases may extract.
Seems to me it's time we re evaluate how such standoffs are handled. How would I handle it? First, I would measure it in terms of human life. The life of the officers and the lives of the innocent that could be affected...how much time might be needed to save the life of an LEO before this guy gives up? Me? Well I am in whatever it takes mode to save a human life. There's no need to rush to kill nor rush to be killed. Wait it out for as long as it takes. It's a no brainer to me. But oh the manpower hours and the money? Well now we're right back to the price of human life aren't we? What's it worth in manpower hours?
Were you there? Is there a report from the wife regarding their approach somewhere? How would you know "The police went to his house and treated him like a man?"
Someone somewhere indeed did cause the situation. However, all we know is that Woodring was at home with his wife minding his own business when they came for him. Why they really came for him is still unknown. The charge as offered could be trumped up on anyone anywhere at anytime. We cannot ignore he has been identified as michigan militia(who claims no connection now), and as a member of christian identity. He went to some convention that wanted to over throw the govt. He has been known to be a trouble maker in town for the powers that be. He ran for a public office and got 10 percent of the vote. (just quoting all the press here so far)
Course if he ran again he might get more. If he ran again and again he might get even more. Hell, if he ran enough times for enough offices he might eventually be elected to some office. The horror.
Who's really responsible for this situation may never be disclosed. I just wouldn't rush to judgment that Woodring was responsible. He could actually be a victim of someone in power avenging his being a mere nuisance or an actual threat.
Regardless, I figure it will be a cold day in hell before the real truth gets out. Who's really responsible? I'd like to know.
Or mind control beams.
The neighbors can go live at hotels.
Surely not the pedophile, "Christian Identity", Wolverine Militia, Y2Ker who shot at police officers and murdered one?
The sheep was ordered to put down the rope, but instead he made a "threatening gesture."
The officer had no choice except to fire in self defense.
In some cases, weeks or months.
Police departments quickly run out of budget for overtime. To protect the innocent, you're going to have to evacuate the neighborhood for the duration of the standoff. That means even more money spent on housing the neighbors. So now my taxes--which are too damn high already--are going to have to go up.
Me? Well I am in whatever it takes mode to save a human life. There's no need to rush to kill nor rush to be killed. Wait it out for as long as it takes. It's a no brainer to me. But oh the manpower hours and the money? Well now we're right back to the price of human life aren't we? What's it worth in manpower hours?
Excuse me, but that's MY money you're talking about spending so freely. Also, you're denying the rights of every other person in the neighborhood to the quiet enjoyment of their property, solely to cater to the whims of felons.
Congratulations, you've just argued for (a) unlimited taxation and (b) revocation of property rights, all in the name of protecting the criminals. In other words, you're a liberal Democrat.
So he managed to shoot a state trooper during the entry when he wasn't even present on the property? That's a pretty good trick! And although a pedophile is someone who goes after kids, not post-pubescent teens, you know he's a ped because.... well, you just know.
You don't like his politics (neither do I), so he must be guilty of everything and then some. Yeah, m'kay. I can see facts simply don't enter into your thought process here. Perhaps you might try to avoid substituting emotion-based assumptions for logic, hmmm?
His apologists are already inventing false accounts?
Have you established with absolute certainty where he was at the time of the entry on Monday? If you have information that he was not in the house, I'm sure the Michigan State Police would love to talk to you.
I didn't get a chance to review the video to find out if the guy had mentioned a time. I just went back to the website and I can't find the video. I'll check back later to see if it's posted again.
They won't. Property damage caused during the commission of a felony is the responsibility of the felon.
not to mention the benefits paid to the deceased officers family...all over a "solicitation" charge that seems to have been forgotten....
The benefits don't amount to much.
And simply waiting the SOB out encourages more SOBs to engage in standoffs. Where you had maybe one or two, now you've got ten or twenty.
oh yes since when does allegedly soliciting (propositioning)for sex make one a predator? People can't even ask anymore?"
It was solicitation of a minor. Do you have teenage daughters? I will have one in about eight years. If anyone propositions my daughter, he'd better pray that the police catch up with him first, because they will be far more merciful.
"I find the charge inconcistent with his background, and IMO suspect."
People said that about Jimmy Swaggart until he announced, "AH HAVE SINNED!"
"The authorities know this guy, know he is stubborn, militia member, why go to his house and arrest him when they could have called him to the station or waited for him to go to work or his business or get into a vehicle away from his home." Because he was propositioning minors. That's predatory.
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