Posted on 11/13/2013 9:01:44 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
For only the second time in 17 years, a Dallas County, Tex., grand jury has indicted a police officer for wrongly killing a suspect in the line of duty. Patrick Tuter is being held on an unusually high $100,000 bail after his indictment for manslaughter in the death of 25-year-old Michael Vincent Allen on August 31 of last year.
Prosecutors said they did not consider the fired Garland police officer a threat to flee, and were prepared to let bail go as low as $10,000. But Judge Lena Levario said that in her view, Tuter (pictured) posed a threat to public safety and needed to be locked up. Typical bail in manslaughter cases is about $25,000, the Dallas Morning News reported.
If he makes bail, Tuter is not allowed to hold any job that requires him to use a weapon.
From the facts of the case, Tuter appears not only trigger-happy, but also an inaccurate shot. He is accused of killing Allen, who was unarmed, after a half-hour chase during which speeds hit 100 miles per hour along a North Dallas freeway, ending up with Allen cornered in cul-de-sac in Mesquite.
According to one eyewitness to the shooting, Allen’s white GMC pickup was trapped between two cop cars. That’s when Tuter, according to a witness, shouted for Allen to get out of the truck but then without waiting more than a few seconds, opened fire.
He unloaded 41 rounds, pausing at least once to reload despite taking no return fire from Allen who was not in possession of a firearm. Three of those shots hit Allen, killing him. But 38 of Tuter’s shots missed their target.
The other officer at the scene fired no shots and actually took cover behind his squad car as Tuter continued to pump bullets at the immobilized pickup truck.
The chase began when Tuter noticed the pickup, which had been involved in a chase in nearby Sachse a few mights before.
Tuter crashed his vehicle into the pickup before firing. Allen, the father of one, died without getting out of the driver’s seat. Originally, police claimed that Allen rammed Tuter’s vehicle. But dashboard cam video showed that the reverse was actually the case.
“More and more, we’re learning that the account given by the police officer is not what actually occurred,” said Don Tittle, a lawyer who represents Allen’s family in a civil suit against Tuter for wrongful death. “That should be pretty alarming. It should certainly cause you to wonder in cases where there’s no video at all.”
Tuter faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the manslaughter charge.
"The other officer at the scene fired no shots and actually took cover behind his squad car as Tuter continued to pump bullets at the immobilized pickup truck."
Just. Damn.
That police force should be sued up to their shorts for hiring a psychopath. The psychopath should go on trial with the death penalty in play.
This is a result of militarizing our police force to fight the WOD.
Well there's a real surprise.
Waiting for "We don't know the whole story" (Actually we do.) AND "You want him to go home to his family at night don't you?" (Not particularly) AND "He was just following orders." ((The Nuremburg defense didn't fly 70 years ago) AND "He was following departmental procedure" Maybe he was.
For only the second time in 17 years, a Dallas County, Tex., grand jury has indicted a police officer for wrongly killing a suspect in the line of duty
And there is the crux of the problem.
He swapped out magazines to keep firing even though he was takiing no return fire? That’s an outright execution.
ping
No, it is a result of hiring idiots and lowering the bar. It has nothing to do with WOD. Libertarian crap.
You don’t think so? Then why does practically every city of any size have a SWAT team? And what do SWAT teams do if not train in the use of military tactics?
You don’t think so? Then why does practically every city of any size have a SWAT team? And what do SWAT teams do if not train in the use of military tactics to be used against drug offenders?
“For only the second time in 17 years, a Dallas County, Tex., grand jury has indicted a police officer for wrongly killing a suspect in the line of duty
And there is the crux of the problem.”
Clearly true.
Paranoia. Like any news you only read the bad stuff. SWAT teams are deployed multiple times a day and you only here about it when one goes wrong. Just like a pursuit. The average city has pursuits all day long, the only ones you here about are the one’s that end in death/gunfire/oppression.
Don’t mistake me, I agree that the trending of police powers toward the egregious and more no knock warrants is scary but I know more policeman than the average FReeper and they are not all of the same mind no matter what any ranter proclaims here.
Manslaughter? This is outright murder.........
Fixed it.
I’m a Conservative and believe the WOD is absolute crap.
It’s led to more loss of freedom than anything else, even the WOT.
I’m not a Libertarian that believes in abortion and open borders.
And, yes, the militarization of the police is caused by the WOD.
Death penalty should apply here. Police must be held to a higher standard of enforcement.
Do I think the WOD has been mismanaged? Yes, on a epic scale.
Do I think we do not need it? No.
Too bad we cannot have a dual perspective and allow people to see what places would be like without drug enforcement. Maybe you should go to a rural meth town in the Appalachians or the south where meth is rampant. You know why you don’t because it was not allow to go unchecked. Drugs are evil and the work of Satan (and yes I believe that alcohol is a drug). Look how many people in our society use drugs/alcohol for an escape. Basically weak minded losers. If people could use without it affecting me or my family then I don’t care what you do, but alas that is not the case. DWI, tax money for rehabs, rising insurance costs for dependency treatment, injury crime related to drugs, property crime related to drugs, etc... It is costing me money for losers to smoke their dope, shoot their meth, and drink their vodka. It is costing my country as well in a workforce of idiots that cannot make a coherent sentence or get to work on time because the are high. Do I want these people fixing my food in restaurants, driving cars around me in traffic, dispensing medical procedures??? Drugs are a tool of Satan.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke
Are you going to cry, Nully?
Huh? In what delusional universe do you live that you would think I have the slightest reason to cry?
Sorry if I ruined your fantasy.
The question is not, “How many raids go wrong?”
We really need to ask, “why do we have so many Swat Teams?”
These wannabee operators are a danger to society and having Uncle Sugar arm them with “excess” military hardware from warzones should concern everyone. There are valid reasons that police and military powers are distinct.
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