U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- On 12 October 2019, Officer Aaron Dean shot and killed Atatiana Koquice Jefferson in her home, at about 2:33 a.m., by firing through a window, into a dark room at the back of the house.
A neighbor had called the police because he noticed the doors of the house were open in the early morning hours. He believed he was calling for a welfare check. The police response was not what would commonly be reasonable for a welfare check. The call to the officers from dispatch was for an “open door” or “open structure”, which is more commonly considered a potential burglary call.
The actions of the police indicate they treated the situation as if it were a potential burglary.
There is body camera video of the event, from a body camera former Officer Aaron Dean was wearing.
Officer Aaron Dean did not announce he was a police officer. He would not announce if he were hoping to catch a burglar. He should have announced once he saw Atatiana. It is unknown if it would have made a difference at that point.
Atatiana had been armed with her legally owned handgun. We do not know if she had the handgun in her hand when she was shot. She prudently kept her eight-year-old charge away from the window, when she was investigating the noise she is reported to have heard.
The presence or absence of Atatiana’s handgun has been deemed irrelevant by Fort Worth’s Mayor and by a former judge. From wfaa.com:
As for what the former Fort Worth officer’s defense might be for shooting into Atatiana Jefferson’s house though a backyard window, attorney and former judge Rob Cañas agrees with the statement of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.
“The gun is irrelevant,” she said Monday of the weapon found inside Atatiana Jefferson’s home. “She was in her own home. Atatiana was a victim.”
“She was completely in a legal position, in the right position to be,” Cañas said.
The facts of the case available to the public have been published in numerous sources on the Internet. About four seconds elapsed from the time Aaron Dean saw a person on the other side of the window until he fired the fatal shot.
On 20 December, former officer Dean was indicted by a Fort Worth grand jury on a murder charge.
Dean was a young officer, 34 years old, with limited experience. He had been on the job for a year and a half. He resigned shortly after the shooting.
Atatiana’s death was, and is, tragic for all concerned. It is difficult to see any justification for her shooting.
Many have labeled this shooting as racist. It is hard to see it as racist when it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for the officer to know whether the person on the other side of the window was black, white, Hispanic, Asian or any other description. The room was dark. The shooting happened very quickly. Atatiana’s skin color was not very dark.
This shooting is not like the Houston killing of the Tuttles during a no-knock raid. It was not planned with false information. It appears to be much closer to the tragedy that happened on July 15, 2017. On that date, Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk, while responding to a potential sexual assault call. Noor was sentenced to 12 and 1/2 years in prison after being convicted of third-degree murder.
Both officers fired on and killed young women in circumstances which did not appear justified. It appears Mohamed Noor could see Justine Ruszczyk in Minneapolis more clearly than Aaron Dean could see Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth.
Former officer Aaron Dean has not offered a defense. Former officer Mohamed Noor claimed he was justified because Justine Ruszcyk moved her hand, where he could not see it.
My suspicion is former officer Aaron Dean did not fire the shot intentionally. It is merely a suspicion, of course. He only fired once. He has not given a defense, as far as I know. He has not claimed the shooting was justified. There have been numerous other situations where officers fired without intending to do so. This article explains some of the mechanisms where firing under stress occurs unintentionally. It is more common than most people think. If the shot was unintentional, it does not relieve Aaron Dean of responsibility, even criminal responsibility, for a crime such as negligent homicide.
It appeared that former officer Aaron Dean was primed to find a burglar, perhaps armed and dangerous. He may have rehearsed scenarios in his mind, where he confronted a burglar. He acted as if he were confronting a suspect when he saw Atatiana in a darkened room at about 2:30 in the morning.
Unintentional police shootings are rare, but far more common than any would like them to be. Police officers are people. People make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are deadly. No one and no group of people is perfect.
This situation is a terrible tragedy for all concerned.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Remember, Will, it is an opinion piece, nothing more.
the blame lies solely on officer dean. he was negligent in informing persons in the house that he was a officer. if he had spoken several words, this would not have happened. having all the lights on in the front of the house, both doors open with no signs of forced entry and two cars in the driveway should have given him a clue. why did he not enter through the front or side door? seems like he was a bit trigger happy. sad that an innocent woman was killed for no reason, her son had to see his mom… Read more »
I am not at all sure that unintentional shootings by police are as rare as the reports and statistics show. Unlike civilians, police officers involved in shootings are not normally questioned about the circumstances immediately and the focus of the entire department is always to close ranks to defend any shooting as justified. All officers are more heavily trained in report writing and giving testimony than in any other subject. The officer involved, the supervisors, and the investigators all have a vested interest in ensuring that the officer’s official statement (given only after advice of counsel) presents the shooting in… Read more »
Citizens involved in shootings are not required to answer questions without a lawyer present.
Me 67 and have known a lot of Cops over the years. In the recent past they have been teaching them to shoot quick and lots of rounds, then ask questions later. They are finally going back to what always worked in the past, and yes an Officer puts their life on the line by not shooting to quick. If they cannot handle the heat don’t take the job. The Command is just a much in the wrong as the officer like it or not. At 34 with 1.5 years experience he should know right form wrong. They say maybe… Read more »
This is a tough one Dean. What ever happened to the neighbor being good enough to either call or get off his butt and go see what was going on at the neighbor’s house? While the neighbor has no legal recourse to be forced to be a good neighbor, he will certainly have to carry part of the burden for this lady’s death and the raising of a child. This event reads like both the cop and the homeowner were checking for trouble at the same time. I can understand the homeowner getting armed to check out a noise. I… Read more »
U S A, you are correct sir. I moved out of town for exactly that reason some 30 years ago. When this mess goes sidewise it will go big time. The socialist, communist, demoncrapic left have plainly stated their goals of disarming and then subduing America. Nobody who has ever seen or lived in a socialist or communist nation wants to return to one. Venezuela is the latest one I am aware of. The brainwashing the school system does for anybody from grade 6 through their masters degree is totalitarian. Hitler once said it you tell a lie often enough… Read more »
@DB, escaping the cities is a pretty good idea for many reasons: No PD in the country, just an elected sheriff and his deputies. Cities are economical targets, as opposed to isolated farms and ranches, no matter which nation’s government is attacking. Then there is the food and water issue.
I NOTICE YOU ARE PREPARED FOR EVERYTHING EXCEPT A MURDEROUS POLICE OFFICER ….THE GOV’T JACKBOOTS DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE ..
DB….from all replies I’ve read here, yours pretty much is on target. I’m not a Leo….just a civil civilian that minds his own business. I have a ccw, and always carry, everywhere. Several months ago, I had one of our low rent section 8 citizens pull on me. There is little, maybe no time to begin to process the total picture. I instinctively drew my weapon and had him dead to rights while he shouted what he was going to do to my white ass. When I rolled down the window in my truck and he saw what I had… Read more »
Dean should sell that Blue Wall to Trump for a border wall. It sounds like it’s tall enough do the job. Cops protecting cops.
Unintentional only means he did not take steps to prevent an accidental shooting.
HE INTENDED to try to catch somebody. HE DID NOT INTEND to check on the welfare of the occupants. That should have been his first priority. His mind was occupied with ‘Where is the burglar?’ not, “Are the occupants OK?’
Gun owners and gun handlers have a duty to intentionally not fire unintentionally.
This situation sounds sort of like the saying: When all you have is a hammer everything looks like nails.
“I just want to get home to my family.” This is the battle cry of every cop who shoots. Atatiana Jefferson WAS home. WITH her family. NO ONE IS SAFE IN THEIR HOME. Decent cops respect all…. even people who are criminals. If you can’t handle that, put your d^mn gun away, If you want to get home to your family, become an accountant. I am a veteran and 2A supporter. I support the thin blue line. But I am a homeowner, a night-shift hospital worker and a human being, too. The greatest danger in my life is pissing my… Read more »
If there is fault to be laid, it would most likely be training, training, training. The officer’s work history does not indicate any military service or training. Taking all into account, mistakes started from the very second the call came in. More, information makes for better decision making.
The good neighbor who made the call now realizes that he made a mistake in calling. The mistake started when when people like the killer began to be hired as enforcement officers. There is no training that will change such mentalities.
@JackMac, You my dear fellow have displayed a massive amount of ignorance, mindlessness, and bigotry, in a very succinct manner. You and I have no clue as to who the officer really is. We do not know his specific training. your use of the term killer is accurate, but we do not know why he acted as he acted, As Mr Weingarten noted the officer has not offered up explanations in defense of his actions. You seem to be demanding that cops act flawlessly, being 100% infallible. News flash cops are human, humans make mistakes, as Mr Weingarten indicated in… Read more »
We see a LOT of police shoot unarmed Americans. I remember one where a black Navy sailor was home on leave and a local police officer shot him 19 times in the back. We KNOW it was murder because we saw the other officer’s car video.
Of all the people who know NOTHING about guns, local police take the cake, there.
The officer SHOT into a dark room through a window. THAT is insanity.
You my friend have made the same assumption based on unknowns. You say police are human, and therefor not perfect. From MY experience THEY ALL ACT LIKE THEY ARE PERFECT AND DON’T MAKE MISTAKES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY RUN UP ON YOU WITH GUNS DRAWN FOR BEING BLACK AND NOT USING A TURNING SIGNAL. JUSTICE would be if the woman’s family would get the oppyrtunity to kill some of his family. Some good ol’ EYE FOR AN EYE …FUCK THAT OFFICER.
@W11 – You had me until you suggested killing his family. Before seeking revenge dig two graves, one for Warlok and one for yourself. Do agree with your last three words though. Story about running up with guns drawn for failure to signal sounds like an interesting tale. Care to share using polite language? Had something similar happen to a good friend of mine, though he is white. By addressing the issue in a calm, collected and professional manner he turned it to point where cops were laughing with him and thanked him before leaving him alone. It’s not always… Read more »
That’s what happens when the LE these days are trained with the motto shoot them all and let God sort it out. There are WAY too many unnecessary shootings by LE today. When I was trained as LE we were trained to use deadly force ONLY if someone had a firearm IN THEIR HAND and if we were already in the position to take them down we could. I see where some guy pulling up his pants in a hall way of a motel is gunned down by the trigger happy cop. Who had “no fucks given” on the ejection… Read more »
Agreed. Culture has shifted considerably in the past 30 years. It’s not all good. There is a certain “video-game” mentality that sees life as cheap and expendable.
I SERIOUSLY doubt you were EVER in Law Enforcement. Your statements are ignorant at a level few could ever attain with any degree of seriousness. Law Enforcement is focused on LIABILITY.. of the thousands of Officers I’ve worked and trained with from around the country, never has anyone held the mentality that you claim. You are trained that you own any bullet you fire, from muzzle to the conclusion of its flight. This is the reason LE are often “outgunned” in stand offs. We are required to use frangible ammunition while everyone else uses FMJ or solid copper barrier blind… Read more »
His bigotry is apparent, and he does not bother to take into consideration the number of cops who have been murdered and ambushed by severely racist and or politically motivated individuals across the country during the last 10 years! Many people believe that cops need to be 100% infallible, during high-stress situations in which they have less than 1 second to make life-and-death decisions. Everyone understands that there are bad cops, Just as there are bad people in every profession on the planet. The Houston situation where corrupt cops intentionally murdered two innocent people after breaking into their home make… Read more »
How I love the fake police whine about being ‘outgunned’.
Go back to making fake ‘evidence’ against conservatives, democrat.
I can produce a hundred videos on You Tube where the police shot the dog the moment they saw it, Chihuahua or Belgian Malinois, local police shoot dogs as a matter of course. Also, there is NO Constitutional authority for local police.
You are just so fake. FAKE!
What I take from your statement is that you come from a proud line of killers. The officer joseph weekley murdered a 7 year old black child, and showed ZERO REMORSE. The philadelphia police BOMBED a house full of black children, NO REMORSE THERE EITHER. I HAVE NEVER SEEN REMORSE FROM THE POLICE FOR A KILLING. I HAVE SEEN THEM HIGH FIVE EACH OTHER AFTERWARDS. I HAVE HEARD THEM SAY, “FUCK YOUR BREATH” , TO A MAN THEY STRANGLED TO DEATH, I HAVE SEEN THEM TASE A RESTRAINED MAN TO DEATH ON VIDEO. AMBER GUYGER ONLY SHOWED REMORSE BECAUSE SHE… Read more »
If you feel so strongly about it Warloc11, why don’t you get your bad self out there and take care of business. Instead you come on here screaming like a bitch that done lost his mind. Shit or get off the pot; but, you can take your screaming elsewhere. Maybe you’re just a bitch because that’s all you can do.
@AnotherLEO – I agree that majority of LEO take responsibility for every shot they take and only act in manners they see as reasonable. However many of those I’ve spoken with have different definitions of reasonable than I do. Must question your statement about frangible ammo – as I’ve never met a cop who carries that expensive stuff. It is only intended for close range practice to prevent target damage and ricochets! Not leo, so likely uninformed – but whenever I look into what cops carry it is hollow point ammo, which is quite different from frangible. This is the… Read more »
With that insane Defense Department’s Defense Logistics Agency Program passed by Congress in 1997 where Police Departments get surplus military vehicles, weapons, munitions, equipment, etc to use on us civilians; it’s good Officer Dean did not have a surplus Army Tank.
@ToJ – Maybe not so good. Doubt he could have claimed “fear for his life” if he’d been inside a tank. Kind of hard to check on home from inside a tank though.
The mental state of ALL people in law enforcement should ALWAYS be questioned. I and a person from my home town had joined the Army. We were both taking training at Ft Benning and had a weekend pass so we traveled home together. During that ride we talked and he opened up about his reasons for joining. He said he wanted to shoot at targets that could shoot back! Some people join law enforcement for that same reason! Some join for the rush of power (I know our sheriff is one of them). And some join for the right reasons… Read more »
LivePD! When they clear a house, ‘Sheriff Dept. Make Yourself Known’
What’s been left out?
I’ll bet you twenty bucks that Will will NOT answer your simple question; “what’s been left out?”.
“scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet…” Rule 6 of the “25 rules of disinformation”
Yet another official USG document… 🙂
Well I hope he does, it was a genuine question as I’m not familiar with the incident at all.
Who’s going to hang around to answer questions? Some people may not be aware of the notification icon, I certainly wasn’t for a long time.
Sad thing is that so many comments here from supposed Freedom loving folks indicate that they would have no problem with a police state! This shooting was as cops call it “Bad” and if ignored tells LEOs that they can shoot indiscriminately during their duties.
Sorry but my Locals do not act like this I expect that of every LEO
Why didn’t the cop call for and wait on backup once he saw someone in the house?
He had been watching too much of Captain America.
He had just gotten done playing Call of Duty.
You’re claiming that Justine Damond was killed by the Deep State to protect the interests of Big Pharma? Really? Noor (the shooter) and his partner Harrity were responding to her 911 possible rape call. How did Noor know that Damond practiced holistic medicine? 911 callers don’t offer up their field of employment. It tends to muddy up the importance of their call, don’t you think? Obviously, Noor and the 911 call center operator must have also been employed by the Deep State. And the Deep State had Damond under surveillance just waiting for her to give them the opportunity to… Read more »
Reading these comments can give you a headache. The best (worse) ones are made by non LE or by people whose brain is in bad shape. I am not a doctor so I can not make a diagnosis but I suspect most are under 35 and we can assume they know everything through life experience. Yeah right? Until you have faced the danger of getting shot or killed by an armed enemy, whether in a jungle, desert or a house, you can not predict how you will react. When in danger your mind and body can react in many ways… Read more »
Explain how it is perfectly OK for a police officer to shoot into a dark room.
THAT was reckless endangerment.
Yes, I am a Viet Nam veteran who was wounded in Cambodia. My wife is a disabled Deputy Sheriff.
Circle8, your assumptions about the posters here shows how ignorant you are, and how off-base your post is. It is more likely that “most” are firearm owners with many years of experience with their firearms of choice; “many” are former LE and military, and likely “many” of those are well over 55 years old, and at least quite a few of those likely have had combat experience, at least that is my impression of reading their comments over the several years or more that I have been reading stories, commentary, and reader comments on this site.
It is common gun safety to keep your finger off the trigger unless you’re ready to shoot. I suspect this officer ignored that rule. It is also potentially dangerous because striker fired guns often have the safety on the front of the trigger, so resting your finger on the trigger relieves the safety. I’m more of a fan of manual safeties and hammers.
another rule is ALWAYS positively identify your TARGET and everything behind it. YOU are responsible for every projectile in your weapon, from the time it rests quietly inside the gun’s magazine until it has ceased to move. This officer did NOT positively identify the target (had he done, he would not have fired at the homeowner) thus HE did wrong. When a “hunter” mistakenly kills a human wearing an orange vest during deer season, he cannot use as his defence that “it looked like a deer”. He did NOT positively identify that “thing” as a human, which is what it… Read more »
It happens. If you are going to have police who respond to calls, most of which only contain minimum pertinent information, then you have to be ready to accept accidents. The alternative is to not have police respond, other than “in force”, or not respond at all. The price that urban residents have to consider is the cost of feeling “safe” by having police respond, versus not feeling “safe” and not trusting the police and fending for yourself. Obviously Ms. Jefferson did not feel safe enough to rely totally on the police and owned a gun, but one of her… Read more »
Enforcing Red Flag Gun Confiscation Orders are going against your oath a cop takes. They are Unconstitutional and unconscionable to disarm people that never committed a crime at all…..They murdered a man in MD over that law that never ever committed a crime at 5AM. You enforce laws that are written by tyrants, bad things will happen and they all need to be held accountable.
Maybe, if the policy enforcement officers would go back being PEACE officers, most of these shootings would go away. Protect the innocent not use them for quotas, cash registers or Target Practice.
It’s time for your medicine UncleT.
His comments and suggestions make sense….. maybeYOU need to haveYOUR meds updated, and make certain you take them as directed.
He is correct.. IF the policy enforcement officers would return to beingPEACEofficers maybe things WOULD change…… those enforcers seem to be on about some other agenda, an agenda the US nor State constitutions do NOT grant them.
As a stand alone comment I wouldn’t have a problem with UncleT’s comment. The thing is he was posting a comment about what JPM wrote and therefore was mixing apples and oranges. Show me where any of UncleT’s rantings were supported by what JPM wrote. Too bad people don’t see things more clearly before they vote or comment.
It would have been a good idea for Atatiana Jefferson to have called 911 and stayed on the line with them during this entire episode in order to give responding officers more information as things progressed. I completely agree with the writer of this article and his reasoning that, whether or not the shooting was intentional or accidental, there will be legal consequences for this officer. Even if Aaron Dean is found innocent, he will replay that experience over and over in his mind, for the rest of his life. But still, whatever information has been attained during the investigation,… Read more »
So fuck the code of ethics, its acceptable to shoot first ask questions later? You wouldn’t be defending this so much if it was your family member who bit the bullet. And if they dont respect the code of ethics that they’re sworn in on, why become a cop? Why are my tax dollars paying for them to do what they do with no accountability?
@Hung Lo Mein, congrats! You just learned what the real world looks like. A “code of ethics” and “to protect and serve” written on the badge or the car are meaningless. Law enforcement officers have no duty to protect anyone and have qualified immunity when they do something wrong. Police unions and fellow officers cover for those that should be fired or prosecuted. You can thank the people you voted for for this status quo. I am not sure who you are accusing here for “defending this”. I can only speak for myself. I want an end to qualified immunity… Read more »
@HLM, I can not tell you how much it pains me to agree with CF, but he is giving you the law and circumstances correctly.
You ask good questions. Modern high school curriculum has failed you. Had you received an old fashioned Civics class or Government class, none of this would have come as a shock to you.
It isn’t just CF. I’ve had many disagreements with him in the past, but I also support everything he says (in his one post below only…), that follows the words: “I want…”
Perhaps a charge of negligent homicide, but not murder. We keep this up and no-one will want to become a cop.
There will ALWAYS be plenty of people that want to be cops, mostly the kind we don’t need to be cops! Fact is that he should not be treated any differently than a civilian who unintentionally kills someone. Just because it was unintentional doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be held responsible and punished.
Yeah, people make mistakes. But cops aren’t just “people.” They are people who are sworn in to protect American citizen’s. And to write it off as a rookie mistake is a bunch of crap. If a “rookie” cop acts by shooting first out of fear, or adrenaline, then maybe rookie cops shouldnt be issued a duty pistol. As far as anyone is concerned, he could have murdered a kid.. Then what? “Oops. People make mistakes.” If that mistake costs an innocent person they’re life, then they need to be sentenced for taking a life, period. If police officers are shooting… Read more »
@Hung, Actually, cops have no duty to protect any American citizen. There will be an investigation, lets see what facts are revealed.
Your a funny guy. Read some shit before you speak out of turn. Code of Ethics AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice. I WILL keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others.… Read more »
@HLM, That is nice, but it is not the law. The S. Ct. has ruled many times that police have no duty to protect you. Police protect society by catching the perpetrators after a crime has been committed.
Nor is policing a profession.
@Hung Lo Mein, a voluntary “Code of Ethics” is unenforceable in any court of law. As Wild Bill mentioned, there have been multiple court decisions that law enforcement has no duty to protect! They are certainly not sworn under the law to protect anyone! Here are a few cases: Warren v. District of Columbia (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981) is a District of Columbia Court of Appeals case that held that the police do not owe a specific duty to provide police services to citizens based on the public duty doctrine. Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S.… Read more »
I’m not sure if you read the header of this page, but its in big letters and kind of hard to miss. Nowhere does it say anything about “Chauvin.”
And no, those other officers weren’t rookies. As a matter of fact, another officer there had prior abuse of force allegations against him.
@Hung Lo Mein, you don’t seem to know much about the rules of engagement of our military either.
Dont tell me about the rules of engagement. Stateside SOPs aren’t the same once you touch down in the sandbox. When your a grunt, kicking down doors, if someone makes a quick movement, they’re done. In that environment shoot first, ask questions later is different, because we’re the enemy thats in there house.
@Hung Lo Mein, thank you for making my point! Not every military action looks like an episode on CBS’s SEAL Team TV show.
@HLM, You learned this where? I’d like to read more.
I think that HLM has bugged out.
@HLM – I have neither military or LEO experience, so no direct experience with either situation. However from what I’ve read ROE have been tighter with our military in “the sandbox” than they are for cops at home. Accountability and responsibility are higher for military as well. We recognize that our military are not there to rule by force but to give the good guys a chance to take back their own country. Indiscriminate killing breeds animosity and create some terrorists willing to die if they can harm you in any way. At home there is no such restraint. Cops… Read more »
@Finnkey, If you knew the purpose of ROE, then it would all make sense to you.
Where do you get this, “Cops rape, beat and kill with zero personal accountability.” ? That statement presumes that you personally know the facts of every cop rape, cop beat, and cop kill case in the history of the United States.
This is just leftist propaganda, and the proof is that there are four ex-cops on trial for murder in Mpls at this very moment.
Let’s be using our heads out there.
Wow I read these articles but never really read the comments before. I thought they might be more intelligent. Most sound like police haters and activists who in my experience talk like their intelligent but are really just repeating tag lines and ideas that they heard somewhere and have no real knowledge of what they speak about. While I agree this is a bad shoot. The officer was arrested. I laugh at the commentary as to the reasons behind him shooting. Most people I have met who talk like this would not last a week in a police environment. They… Read more »
Bigg, when you denigrate based on your perception of intelligence, you might want to proof-read your post for grammar, spelling, paragraphing, progression of thought and ideas, etc. Not doing so makes you appear to be projecting your weaknesses and inadequacies onto those whom you are attempting to insult.
The posts are mostly about his lack of firearm safety; his negligent discharge; shooting through a window into a dark room; his poor risk assessment; not shooting until one identifies the target; and his not doing what he was called to the home to do – a welfare check.
Bingo!
So you have facts about this case and it was factually a negligent discharge?
Any time a cop shoots the homeowner and not the burglar it’s an ND.
That is an incorrect statement as are all blanket statements. Facts determine outcomes and none of us will ever have all the facts as investigations are kept close. If you sit in on the trial you will have enough facts to judge. Never totally believe anything else.
@BiggStakk
How do you explain officer Goins in Houston Texas then?
How many innocents suffered because of his actions and tampering with evidence that was presented in Court for people to judge based on?
Congratulations on creating a Blanket statement in response to a blanket statement. But I couldn’t have said it any better myself, all blanket statements are incorrect. Right? 🙂
@wjd
Hence why I presented the question, and why it exposes @BiggStakk’s reply as a blanket statement.
If you read the known fact. The call was not given to him as a welfare check. Please explain how this should have been handled in your experience handling this type of call. I should check Grammer more but I just don’t care.
BigG, that was not what you were addressing in your initial post. I refuted your initial post based on the posts to the article. You are now deflecting and attacking from another point of view, since you obviously can’t defend your initial post. Now to destroy your next weaker attack. You don’t care? Obviously you are admitting defeat on your attack on those you purportedly viewed as less mentally acute than you, proving your lack of intelligence that you started your attack with. Secondly, my experience has zero to do with how the incident should have been handled. I do… Read more »
Ok
Yeah. . . . . So what?
As to unintended discharge of a police officer’s weapon, brings to mind the female officer who killed a man. She heard the backup officer fire his taser and she shot the man whom she perceived as a threat. She was found not guilty. Unintended shooting happen quite often, remember the guy in NY who had just been to his batchelor bachelor party and had a cellphone in his hand, one officer fired his gun and all the other officers did on instinct and the man was shot about 15 times. Sad that a lady lost her life, but I could… Read more »
If that had been my family member, there would not be a safe place for ANY officer in that city …
Really?
Not to fault Ms. Jefferson, hear noises outside your home call 911.
Get to your safe room.
Oh, yea…everyone has a “safe room”. What planet do you live on?
Your advice is to dial 911 for every noise you hear outside? You must live in a really quiet neighborhood.
I live in a very nice suburb in N Ft Worth, there are ALWAYS noises. I’ve never lived anywhere that there aren’t suspicious noises.
Most people’s “safe room” would be a bedroom, which is where she was, very few people have the finances or space for an actual safe room.
NightFire: I too reside in Ft.Worth. I direct my security monitoring company to never, never notify the police without my personal request. This to avoid being injured or killed by the police. This is not the first time such things have occurred in Ft. Worth. Plus, I have had disappointing experiences form calling on our PD. I feel it is about a 50/50 chance for decent human to respond. A chance that should not be taken.
Who do you call if you need assistance, Nancy Pelosi or Adam Schiff??
Circle8, in his post he has stated he has used police services to “help” him in the past, and that they were not always reliable. Based on my limited interactions with police, I would have to concur.
I also had friends that were LEOs and a relative that is a former LEO. So I have heard many of what they term “war stories” about their interactions with “bad guys”. You might be surprised about what actually happens during arrests and the aftermath. Even the “good” ones are not “good” 100% of the time.