Posted on 11/29/2009 2:05:23 PM PST by llevrok
PARKLAND, Wash. - Four Lakewood Police officers were shot and killed Sunday morning in what authorities called a targeted ambush at a coffee shop.
Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says the officers - four male and one female - were in full uniform and wearing bulletproof vests, sitting in Forza coffee shop near 116th Street and Steele Street on the east side of the Air Force base at about 8:30 a.m.
Troyer says the officers were preparing for their shift when a suspect or suspects "walked in with a handgun, opened fire multiple times and then fled the scene," said Troyer.
Troyer called it an "ambush."
"They had marked police cars, marked uniforms, there were other people inside the facility, they weren't shot, wounded or hurt or even aimed at, just the police officers were," said Troyer.
It wasn't clear whether the officers even had time to draw their weapons to return fire, Troyer said.
"This was more of an execution. Walk in with the specific mindset to shoot police officers," Troyer said.
With no known suspects, there was no indication of any connection with the Halloween night shooting of a Seattle police officer. The suspect in that shooting remains hospitalized.
"We won't know if it's a copycat effect or what it was until we get the case solved," Troyer said. "We don't even have a suspect ID right now."
Troyer would not release the names of the victims in Sunday's shooting. He said Lakewood has a small police force and the deaths represent a loss of 10 percent to 15 percent of the department.
Troyer estimates a couple hundred officers from the Washington State Patrol and multiple surrounding police agencies in the area are at the scene, with some coming on their own time.
"We have no motive at all," Troyer said. "I don't think when we find out what it is, it will be anything that makes any sense or be worth it."
Two employees and a few other customers were in the shop during the attack. All are being interviewed by the Pierce County Sheriff's investigators.
"Some are in shock. They are very upset," Troyer said. "They are the ones who are going to put together for us how this happened."
The Forza Coffee Shop, part of a popular local chain, is on a side street near McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma. The shop is in a small retail center alongside two restaurants, a cigar store and a nail salon.
Brad Carpenter, founder and owner of Forza Coffee, said his staff was OK and being interviewed by police, and that his main concern was with the families of the police officers.
"I'm a retired police officer, so this really hits close to home for me," he said.
Roads are blocked around the scene. Dave Gabrielson, a clerk at Foot Mart about a block away from the coffee shop, told the News Tribune that all was quiet when he opened the store at 8 a.m.
About 30 minutes later, "All of a sudden a million cops were zooming up and down the road," he said.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said "this is an example of the danger that police officers and deputy sheriffs and state troopers face every day."
"The person or people who did this not only harmed us they harmed the good that we can do in the community. They harmed the good that we work to do every day in the community," he said.
"This is an example of the cost that is sometimes paid by people who believe in duty and obligation and sacrifice and people who do that on behalf of the community."
"We've lost people that we care about, we've lost people I'm sure the good people in the community care about as well," said Pastor.
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said she was "shocked and horrified" by the killings.
"Our police put their lives on the line every day, and tragedies like this remind us of the risks they continually take to keep our communities safe," she said in a written statement. "My heart goes out to the family, friends and co-workers of these officers, as well as the entire law enforcement community."
Troyer said there were several active scenes that officers were working. A white pick-up truck was impounded from a parking lot at one scene and a person was taken into custody at another.
He said they are looking to see if there is any surveillance cameras that may have caught the suspect on video.
Troyer said the suspect is a black male, 5-foot-7 to 6 feet tall, 20s to 30s, scruffy appearance, wearing a black coat with a gray sweatshirt underneath, and blue jeans.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information. Tips can be called in to (253) 591-5959 or 866-977-2362.
Prayer vigil
A prayer vigil for the officers and their families will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at Tacoma Champions Centre at 1819 E. 72nd St. in Tacoma. Directions to the Tacoma Campus.
As I said in the other thread, not impressive at all. A poor attempt at CYA.
“How much you wanna bet this guy was a paroled felon?”
We have a winner!
The man sought for questioning in the execution of four Lakewood police officers was granted clemency in 2000 by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and released on bail just six days ago on a child rape charge in Washington state.
Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.
Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/index.html
Hopefully he still remembers and is haunted by Ashley Stevens, Dumond's rape victim as he ponders his role in today's events:
... said she tried to persuade Huckabee not to shorten the sentence for Dumond.
“I told [Huckabee]: If you ever let him out, he’s going to do it again,” she said in an interview.
She was able to get a meeting with the governor - who, she said, had not spoken to her before announcing his intention to commute Dumond’s sentence - but realized Huckabee had “made up his mind.” So Stevens stood up, she said, walked over to Huckabee, who was seated on a sofa, squatted down and thrust her face inches from his.
“I said, ‘This is how close I was to Dumond’s face for an hour,’ “ Stevens recalled. “ ‘I’ll never forget his face, and you’ll never forget mine.’ “
The parole board - following a closed meeting with Huckabee - decided to let Dumond go. The following year, Dumond committed the Missouri slaying. He died in prison in 2005. "
St. Josephs’?
Exactly THREE BLOCKS from where I currently live.
Oh, crap.
That’s what I was thinking too. On the radio they said the officers were all wearing bulletproof vests. That sounds like the perp went for head shots, which does bespeak training.
Boy, if this is true, Huckabee might as well as pulled the trigger himself on those four police officers.
Lets not follow the media path on this one, by calling him a well trained marksmen, because as usual they are wrong again. Two of the officers are thought to have lived long enough to fight back, and maybe even shoot back. One officer according to the 10:00 PM News followed the suspect to another part of the shop where he collapsed and died from his injuries.
A bullet proof vest is not perfect. head shot or not, there are areas in the torso not protected by the vest. And if these were cop killer bullets,the vest would not of done much good anyway.
Seattle SWAT has a house surrounded in Leschi....
E Superior Street and Erie Avenue
Where did you hear/read that?
Seattle Times...
King County SWAT there also..... this is a block from where the SPD officers were ambushed last month.
They are about to switch to Attack frequency, so you may not be able to hear SWAT for long.
Just over the Police Scanner. “There are 5 rifles and shotguns in the trailer they have surrounded.”
if there is a Hail of Gunfire you’ll hear something....all the frequencies will light up
Police surround Seattle home where person of interest in police shooting may be hiding
PING. Komo saying Seattle SWAT is clearing a neighborhood
and has a house surrounded.
Yesler Way and 30th, I think they said.
Thanks!
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