68 year old grandfather killed in drug raid
Not the target of the raid, of course. Collateral damage in the war on drugs. No weapons charges. Says the report: During the execution of the search warrant a firearm was discharged by a SWAT team member and a round struck a resident. Passive way of saying they shot a man.
January 7th, 2011 at 10:46 am
“It just went off.”
Anybody still doing the BradyCam thing with that .357 Magnum?
January 7th, 2011 at 11:10 am
that would be a ND. Doesn’t count under current rules
/endsnark
January 7th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Yes, the sock drawer pistol is still actively being monitored. http://montego.roughwheelers.com/gun_cam.html
The linked story validates Kellermans infamous Journal of the American Medical Association article, which found that living with criminals was highly correlated with getting shot. Validates the study not quite as Kellerman desired, of course, but still….
January 7th, 2011 at 11:35 am
I read a lot of criminal offense reports…they never read like this…
“During the commission of the robbery, a firearm was discharged by the suspect and a round struck the store clerk.”
January 7th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
You’ve got to wonder why police continue to break down doors in the wee hours of the night, putting themselves and innocents inside at risk, when there are alternatives. It’s the Wako-Ruby Ridge school of police work. See my book They Came for our Guns, They Came for our Freedom. http://www.williamlafferty.com.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:34 am
Well, you don’t want to waste that expensive SWAT team and all their high-speed, low-drag training. Our tax dollars at work.
January 8th, 2011 at 8:46 am
Sent this to the Deputy Chief of Operations: Dear Chief Ferguson,
While it is certain that grief and horror attend the shooting death of Eurie Stamps, one wonders about the official statement, which I read in the Herald: “During the execution of the search warrant a firearm was discharged by a SWAT team member and a round struck a resident.” Sometimes in my fury at this sort of thing which, because of the overlawyered thicket which, like an invasive species, surrounds us to the detriment of common sense, I imagine putting this sign on my front steps: “ATTENTION! Anyone, ANYONE!! attempting forced entry to this home will be fired upon!! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!!” I imagine this as a printed flash bang. Sometimes, in darker moments, I think about covering my window glass with Lexan, flash-bang repellant. But “Mr. H., Mr. H.”, you might say, “As you are not engaged in criminal behavior, all shall be well”. To which I reply, “Maybe so, maybe not”. For if the rationale for SWAT raids is the protection of the innocent by quickly overwhelming and apprehending the criminals, here as, per the Herald again, “In court, prosecutors said Bushfan has open cases for armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon and larceny…”, the neighbors are OK but gee, too bad about the other guys in the house. If, in my sign scenario above, I respond to the crashing door with a deer rifle, may I later , in full passive voice reply, “During the execution of a search warrant, later determined to be the correct street number, but eight blocks distant from the correct street, a ‘firearm was discharged’ by a resident and a round struck a man dressed all in black”? For if the homeowner’s choice is either to be shot dead or take one’s chances in court in a homicide indictment, it’s a no brainer.
Of course I realize that the likelihood of any of this happening in my particular neighborhood in St. Paul, MN is exceedingly low. Nevertheless…
Thank you for hearing me out. By the way, the St. Paul police seem to have a much better record in this regard, (wrong house stuff) than their nearby Minneapolis counterparts. Some many months ago injury or death was prevented in a wrong house/no knock because the defending homeowner had birdshot and not slugs or double ought in his smoothbore.