Posted on 07/28/2005 7:50:13 PM PDT by Pharmboy
CRATER LAKE, Ore. (AP) - A camper brandished a club and threatened to kill two park rangers, then was shot dead by one of them, a park spokesman said Thursday. The man encountered the rangers as they answered a call about a domestic disturbance at a campground at Crater Lake National Park after dark Wednesday, said park spokesman Mac Brock.
When the rangers tried to talk to the man, he became increasingly hostile and wandered around the campsite despite orders to stay still, Brock said.
"Still brandishing the club, still ignoring warnings to stop, he directly approached the rangers and threatened to kill them," Brock said.
When the man came within 10 feet of one of the rangers, the ranger used pepper spray, but the man didn't stop, and the second ranger shot him twice, Brock said.
The man, whose name was withheld pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tim Hughes and his family from San Demas, Calif., were camping nearby.
"This guy was way out of control," said Hughes, whose wife and children were inside their trailer at the time. "They did all they could to try to get the guy to cooperate, but he was just gone. I think he must have been on narcotics, because he didn't exhibit rational behavior."
The rangers remained on duty, but were not in the field. Their names were not released.
Brock said the shooting was the first he had heard of in 12 years at the park. Shootings in national parks are rare, occurring about every 10 years, said David Barna, the National Park Service's chief of public affairs in Washington, D.C.
Roy Rogers AND The Lone Ranger used to shoot the gun out of the bad guy's hand every time.
That makes sense.
Thanks, John. It just seemed strange that two rangers against one guy with a stick had no choice but to kill him. Sad story.
Hey Bob, it's your turn to take the clubbing while I try to cuff him.
Yeah, right.
Well, I come from a family of cops and maybe I expect too much of park rangers who aren't really trained for this stuff. Point taken.
I'd say you don't know anything about their level of training. Have you ever tried to handcuff someone? I doubt it.
"Rocky Mountain High!!"
When I lived in Colorado there was an organized movement of music lovers to force John Denver to change his name to John Akron and move to Ohio.
"Hey Bob, it's your turn to take the clubbing while I try to cuff him."
It does seem to me that cops, especially two on one, used to try and take guys like this down without killing them.
Yeah, they used to use nightsticks too.
Imagine if you will, a fellow camper videotaping the "brutal assault" of "a guy vacationing with his family" .
"It was horrible, they beat the hell out of him with sticks".
Old style policing included a good dose of beatings.
I'd rather be beaten than killed, generally speaking.
BTW, police don't use nightsticks any more?
{Monty Python mode}: (Clerk in office writing in log): Prefers beating over shooting..... right , next! or ...
I'm not here for a shooting, I'm here for a beating! {/Monty Python mode}
As for if cops still use nightsticks, there are several current and former LEO officers on FR that could give you an idea of what their experience is.
I've seen this before when campers forget toilet paper.
"It does seem to me that cops, especially two on one, used to try and take guys like this down without killing them."
Not a guy wielding a club who attacks two cops with guns. Obviously, his problem is not going to be stopped with persuasive words. Plus, if he gets one of their guns, he's now a kook with a gun instead of a club.
You may be 'book smart' - but you have no sense of reality.
if you want to 'shoot to wound to maintain a human factor' then more power to you, and Good luck with that one.
Just had the local chief of police come in to talk about safety. Although he recommened mace (as an alternative for those scared of guns) he made the point that mace doesn't work on everyone, himself an example. He also made a similar point about tasers.
If your life is in danger, political solutions are not the best solution if you want to live.
"...bear jockeys and camper wranglers haven't been trained to deal with this sort of thing"
"The way I see it, LEOs shoot too many people they shouldn't, and not nearly enough of the ones they should."
So who is trained to your standard?
The use of tasers by scared cops needs slamming. Especially in Gwinnett county Ga. where the sheriffs dept there as killed two inmates (WHILE IN CUSTODY) with these deadly tasers. And of course the police and their conspirators in crimes against humanity will disagree that the taser caused the deaths.
http://www.policeone.com/police-products/less-lethal/taser/articles/91690/
You're shooting wild.
I can't get into anything with you if you're going to put words in mouth. Taking my words out of context, out of order, then putting quotes around them, doesn't make them my words.
And the book smart remark is just gratuitous.
You're welcome. And as far as I can see, you and I are in complete agreement...with only ourselves.
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