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.
41 rounds, reloaded once? What the heck was he shooting?
That is starting to happen more and more
Shouldn’t “wrongful killing” be murder?
How come that comes up whenever a cop kills an UNARMED person?
The so-called WoD is simply a pretext for the militarization, it was going to happen anyway with our power-mad politicians
“llegal Alien Pedophile on the Run from Mexican Police Molests 6-Year Old in Florida”
I fail to see what that article has to do with this. But then again I fail to follow your points in most, OK all, of your posts. Basically, from what I understand, you feel it is OK for anyone to be killed anytime by the police for pretty much any reason. And that’s OK. We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Most of us think of the militarization of police as being SWAT, SWAT was not started over drug busts, but to deal with growing militant politics and racial politics of the 1960s when political groups started using sniper teams and booby traps and fighting to the death rather than being arrested.
And today their primary purpose is to raid houses of suspected drug dealers.
Obviously. You don't care about criminal behavior, just cops.
I'm not sure. I guess the jackboot lickers expect us to get all misty eyed over the JBT's sow and litter.
Yea I care about criminal behavior. I just don’t think cops should be judge, jury and executioner. I understand that you do. Why, I don’t know. And I don’t care. But, I would care if you got pulled over on some dark back road one night and killed by a cop because “he felt threatened” I really would.
I don’t think it would be a big loss, but I would be awful sorry.
Agreed.
I have yet to see any evidence that you do. Your ASSUMPTIONS are proof.
If reading your posts are “assumptions” then I guess you are right.
If you're that stupid, we're done.
“If you’re that stupid, we’re done.”
Well great minds do think alike.
I was gonna say the same thing to you!
I’m astounded at this. Bravo for the judge, and prosecutor!
since the other cop ducked behind his car, maybe he was also aiming that way...;O)
Looks like you’re the one who’s done, Alaska Wolf
Really? ;)
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