There is a gigantic difference between "having a gun" and "threatening a police officer with a gun" ! Everyone, especially our police need to understand that, pronto !
leVieux
If the police are checking to make sure my home is ok, I would hope they wouldn't be yelling "Police, open up!"A bit of contrarian observation: This type of reckless police behavior also endangers other officers in their future encounters.
Then consider the chilling fact that violent home-invaders now announce themselves with loud shouts of "Police, open-up!", or so I'm told.
My response to home invaders would be eight rounds of 00 in less than 3 seconds, followed by a really big amount of .556.
I pray that the REAL Police wouldn't be there at that moment.
I once provided expert court testimony to victims of a misdirected "no-knock" police raid. Our courts tend to convict the victims, no matter the actual EVIDENCE !
When one considers those two terrifying observations, what chance does a homeowner have?
leVieux
Did I read somewhere that the responding officers were told by dispatch it was something other than a welfare check?
Could be the key to the whole thingI want to know if they talked to the complainant before approaching the house
If the police are checking to make sure my home is ok, I would hope they wouldn't be yelling "Police, open up!"
Wait a minute.... didn’t the 8 year old say the she had a gun? If I had my gun and was looking out the window hearing sounds I’d have it at the ready.. what was the cop to to do with a gun pointing at him? If my facts are correct, this is not murder just a horrible accident.
First of all, I'm pretty dubious of an 8 year old making a statement as to the facts. I could probably convince an 8 year old of what he thought he saw. The facts are, she had a legal right to be there, she had the legal right to defend herself and home from perceived threats, and she shouldn't be shot by LE for those rights. Certainly it may be an accident, but accidents like that shouldn't be excused, otherwise none of us are safe from those with authority.Wait a minute.... didn’t the 8 year old say the she had a gun? If I had my gun and was looking out the window hearing sounds I’d have it at the ready.. what was the cop to to do with a gun pointing at him? If my facts are correct, this is not murder just a horrible accident.
By all indications they were treating the call as a burglary in progress and or home invasion. Tactical application entirely different from a well being check.Step 1 : When conducting well being checks, ring the doorbell and identify yourself.
(at least that was how we did it in my old dept)
Take a step sideways. Excellent concealment (and maybe cover) was literally one short hop to the left or right. Seeking concealment, then cover, is a perfectly reasonable response to a perceived threat.what was the cop to to do with a gun pointing at him?
By all indications they were treating the call as a burglary in progress and or home invasion. Tactical application entirely different from a well being check.
By all indications they were treating the call as a burglary in progress and or home invasion. Tactical application entirely different from a well being check.
Yes, calls like this one can be potentially dangerous for officers. That is why they need to follow their training, and hopefully they were trained in how to make such an approach properly. If they were so trained: Why did the officer walk up to and stand in front of a window (essentially a fatal funnel), why did he not walk up to the wall that offered at least concealment if not cover - then do a quick peek through the window from one side or the other and immediately go back to whatever cover and or concealment the outer wall provided to him? Why not - negligence may be the answer or thinking his gun was a magic shield may be the bottom line.As a LEO are you going to investigate a welfare call as if everything is safe and sound and nothing will happen? As txinvestigator pointed out calls like these can be dangerous for cops. The guy who requested the welfare check said the front door of the house appeared to be opened and something didn't look right. I sure as hell wouldn't walk into a situation like that casually drinking coffee.