Opinion
U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- In late December, members of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Indian Police Department SWAT team claim in a press release posted on Facebook that an “armed suspect” present the potential for a hostage situation” combined with “unsuccessful attempts to make contact with the alleged shooter” resulted in the “suspected shooter” being shot after he “engaged in a verbal altercation with officers and emerged from a camper trailer and confronted officers.”
“Jason Harley Kloepfer, age 41, of 1790 Upper Bear Paw Road, Murphy, NC has been charged with Communicating Threats and Resist, Obstruct, and Delay,” the release continues. “The matter remains under investigation and more charges may follow.”
“Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office limited who can comment on this post,” a Facebook notice adds.
An unquestioning media dutifully parrots the department’s story.
“SWAT team members shoot man who confronted officers in Murphy, NC, sheriff says. A man from Murphy, North Carolina is now recovering in a Chattanooga hospital after SWAT team members were forced to shoot him after he confronted officers, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office,” ABC 13 News “reported.”
“The sheriff’s office says Kloepfer eventually came outside and confronted officers, forcing them to shoot the suspect,” Local 3 News mirrors.
‘Fetch Your News’ skipped with the rewrite and just posted the sheriff’s press release.
“If anyone has any information about this incident please contact the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Investigation’s Division at 828 837-2589,” the Sheriff’s Office Facebook post ends.
Here’s some information:
A video from a camera inside Kloepfer’s trailer recorded the entire incident.
Starting with him and his female companion being roused from slumber by a remote control camera robot placed inside by police trying to scope out what was happening inside. He doesn’t grab a gun, he lights a cigarette. He turns on the inside lights before opening the door to see who is outside in the dark, making himself a target for whoever is out there, hardly the actions of an armed suspect preparing for a confrontation. Holding the police robot that he picked up from his floor, and with hands raised, he calls out to find out who is there and is immediately cut down in a hail of bullets.
Watch it for yourself. Do you see attempts to communicate being rebuffed by anyone but the police? Do you see a hostage? Do you see a gun held by anyone but the police? Do you see a confrontation? Do you see Kloepfer “forcing” anyone to shoot him like the “news” is telling people?
Or do you see a firing squad with qualified immunity getting away with what you or I would be charged with attempted murder for? I’ll stipulate that I know nothing about Kloepfer and the charges leading up to the warrant. For all I know, he could be a very bad hombre, a citizen victim, or something in between. That’s not the point.
If they can do this to him, they can do it to you, maybe over a pistol brace or a false “red flag” report. And how do you think it would be “reported”?
Is this the way we want the police to act? Does this make you less likely to “back the blue” and more likely to consider law enforcement the violence arm of those who would rule?
Who will you believe, the sheriff and a watchdog media that functions as lapdogs or your lying eyes?
Video credit: DRenegade
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
WTF??? this whole thing is a class in how not to do a raid. why did they wait 6 hours to conduct such raid if there was hostage situation with firearms involved? if it was a “hostage situation” were they there from 11 pm until the raid was initiated? where are the firearms involved? was there not enough light inside and outside with their tactical flashlights to see clearly that there was not a threat from the “suspect” carrying their robot instead of a firearm? weren’t they watching the video on their robot? when will they release the swat members… Read more »
Oh, yeah, I ALWAYS feel safe when the trigger happy cops are talking to me.
THAT is one thing that I can safely say that out here on the west Texas border, these LEO’s from city, county, state and even federal are NOT trigger happy. Of course when they see a “gringo” driving around in a full size Ford Van, (The common “bus” for the tomato harvesters) they tend to look at things differently, BUT, they are NOT trigger happy!
“Qualified Immunity” should never have been a law. Never. If politicians had any integrity and actually represented the people there would be a law AGAINST ‘qualified immunity’ and the cops and prosecutors being allowed to LIE.
This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I’ll quadruple yours and then double that!
Qualified Immunity is yet another moral interpretation by the supreme court. Go to Cornell Law and search it.
Shameful! Hopefully all charges are dropped against the citizen and those involved in the unprovoked attempted murder and cover-up get lengthy prison sentences.
More who do not deserve to wear the badge earning the hate.
That too!
That’s okay, Musicman! I understood your meaning.
Don’t you mean county? “Our” country has been bankrupt since the 1930’s.
Lower area of your post. Hover over area with cursor. Little gear appears. Says manage content. Click Edit. After editing your mistake is gone.
DANGER WILL ROBINSON!
I think once someone replies maybe even thumbs it up or down you cannot edit anymore. That’s the way I would protect the integrity of the post. Even if it had errors. Chain of custody and all. Lol
They need to stop going after tax-payer money and start going after those in leadership and decision making positions. Sure, the county gets sued and pays up, but unless there’s REAL financial and/or criminal accountability from those who are elected, appointed, or employed…nothing will change. Qualified immunity needs to be erased from the supervisor on site up through the LE leadership, to the DA and judges who approve such shoot-first warrants.
GMTA!!!
For the only real and permanent solution to the problem of government overreach, see my post above.
UH? There isn’t one above?
Damn right I have no hard feelings about a judge becoming homeless due to their actions or lack of. They lose no sleep over stealing someones home thru taxation (theft)
Just seize the money from the Governemt insider “traitors” (pun intended) and then take all the money from Soros accounts and soros backed politicians bank accounts and take all the Cartels money and our debt is clear.
Oh yeah and stop our worthless fukin welfare system. That way our Veterans and elderly have their promised income.
What the Hell do you, (not you), expect when you lower the employment standards? You get crap like this. People should be able to file torts all the way back to the moron who made the lowering standards policy.
EXACTLY! And I love it! We can call it, “Grandfathered Stupidity!”
Good point, Bigfootbob!
It will end up in federal court, so you had it right the first time as well as the county.
“Oh f*. Cameras.” Music to my ears.
I had a relative SWATted on a bogus charge when he wasn’t home. First thing the cops did was to gratuitously rake down all his outdoor cameras, bust in, then pull down all his indoor cameras. Joke was on them, since they were all still recording on battery and streaming to the Internet. Not many of them remained pointed so as to see much interesting but they all HEARD everything.
Your post made me consider…perhaps each and everyone of us should have a concealed CCTV system separate from your Ring Doorbell or other home protection systems encrypted and broadcasting to multiple secret locations just to be safe.
They’ll shoot even your little Chihuahua, if it’s barking at them from behind a steel wire fence!
I live in a similarly wooded neighborhood as this poor guy, but in NE Georgia. A renter in a house down the way called the Sheriff’s Department because he heard gunshots. The Deputy’s response was simply, “So why are you calling?”
I love Georgia. Atlanta is located within Georgia, but, “It ain’t Georgia.”
We hear random gunfire here on a regular basis. Sometims the odd single POP and sometimes wha sounds like full auto centre fire AR type rifle fire. Nobody cares. Well, when it’s just popping off a mag at oh two thirty it does bother a bit. But at least we know its friendly fire. The best rounds were the ones that were never fired: next door chap had had a series of breakins to his garage, tools lifted, etc. One noght about two his little dog quietly alerted. Looked out window, garage lights were on. He KNEW he had turned… Read more »
I do not know what or why the police would be there that early in the morning. However, I see an expensive lawsuit against the county and EACH person that fired their gun.
I can see QUALIFIED IMMUNITY used — on a case by case situation. In this case — NO IMMUNITY!
Just as in the 117 CONgress Qualified Immunity MUST BE REMOVED for EVERY “representative” who ABDECATES and ABRIDGES their OATH-OF-OFFICE. IE; Schift, Shmucker, Piglousy, ray, Brennnnen!!!
Qualified immunity is just another way for government officials to stomp all over the rights of the pleebs.
And they wonder why Americans don’t trust ’em anymore…
Gestapo Tactics at its best
HOLY CRAP!!! LAWSUITS…BIG ONES TO FOLLOW. And the “law enforcement” need to be ARRESTED and charged with attempted murder. This is a major problem. LOUSY, totally LOUSY training. The motto shoot them all and let God sort them out seems to be the latest way to do things in the “free” United States. I watched videos of cops executing people with knives in “our” country and yet a guy with a machete in England is over powered by the police without any shots being fired. And of COURSE the media will help with cover ups. I’m glad the guy had… Read more »
Another thought…….How many rounds were fired and how many hit the victim? I didn’t count the rounds fired, but I saw only one hit that passed through. That swat team would never had a chance if the victim had been armed with a SBR. It looked to me like a movie from the early forties depicting Nazi hit squads. The cops looked like little kids and obviously not trained enough to hit the broad side of a barn. Pathetic!
Looked like he took at least two hits to the torso, maybe more. I am guessing he was shot with their go-to for everything, either 5.56 or .223. If so, it is a miracle that he lived. I read an article years ago by Massad Ayoob where he had talked with a medical examiner who said a 55 grain Federal soft point in .223 left a permanent stretch cavity the size of a soccer ball.
I see a firing squad.
Warm up the checkbook Cherokee county, yer gonna be stroking a BIG one.
Terrible, the officers should be charged with attempted murder.
Very poor training and trigger Happy police.
I say this because I am a retired peace officer and I would NEVER done that.
It seems that the “Law Enforcement Officers” didn’t count on a camera in a camper! If they did, they would have destroyed it! Our Police never were perfect, but things started really getting bad when they changed from “Peace Officers” to “Law Enforcement Officers”. At about that time, I drove thru a construction site, with a cop at each end. One was older, relaxed and in the traditional uniform. The other was younger, in the new, almost SWAT uniform and at what was, at least, Parade Rest! Representative of the militarization of our Police!
This seems to be a False/Hoax Red Flag Call. I do hope he bankrupts the county for the next Fifty Years.
And who was the judge that issued the warrant ? I wonder what they got to say after seeing the video footage ? Someone in the press should hound the SOB just to see what their feelings are now. Can this judge be removed ? Because there’s where it needs to start with the firings. I bet it’s a judge that signs all kinds of BS. Just to keep the revolving door $$$$$ of justice moving. They need to pass a bill to where a person can hold these judges liable. Maybe they won’t be so keen on signing just… Read more »
Please read my posting above, and then share it with others.
I absolutely agree. As I understand it, judges are immune to civil liability for stupidity they engage in from the bench. So many have been brainwashed into believing that “if they have a warrant, you best let them do what they want to”, but warrants are a joke anymore. The idea of an impartial judge is long gone. They all know they work for the same govco entity (Federal, state, county, city) and that the interests of one branch of these political divisions and sub-divisions, is the interest of all of them. In so many cases, the judges practically rubber… Read more »
a LOT hangs on what lies and fairy tales the ones seeking the warrant fed to the judge. THAT needs to be determinedm and those feeding the lies to the judge need to be dealt with. Judges are not supposed to have to go verity what their sworn officers tell them. Once caught lying like thism those sworn officers need to be unsworn and maybe go join the “unhoused persons” at the local food bank.
Maybe the judges need to verify. They get paid really well. And are supposed to be able to sift threw the BS.
Police, Judges, Prosecutors, and other government Deep State know what is going on. They are happy with it. That is why they keep doing it.
HLB
“It’s a crime scene now.”
Yeah, it was the dirty PIG cops that committed the crime of Attempted Murder!
And than those Low IQ cucks try to cover it up by lying, on official documents, nonetheless.
Typical cops. This is why I refuse to call these drunk, doughnut eating, wife beaters “law enforcement.” They don’t enforce laws. they break them!
Can I put that on a tshirt.
“I refuse to call these drunk, doughnut eating, wife beaters “law enforcement.” They don’t enforce laws. they break them!”
Every man has the right to defend himself from attack. This was an attack. When you open your door and people shoot you that is an attack. It does not matter who they are or why they are there. The way to defend yourself is to erect a line of defenses around your person. This can include dogs, robots, droids, aerial surveillance, cameras, fences, moats, weapons of all types, infrared vision, flash bangs, flares, neighborhood watches, communication devices, and every thing the other side has.
HLB
Law Enforcement is SUPPOSED to be held to a higher standard than common ordinary citizens, even professionally trained military personnel. So, in this manner they should be prosecuted to a much higher level!
MURDER. So much for surrendering to the police. Whoever shot and anyone else that is covering up for them is a murderer, badge or no badge. Cops, especially swat IS SUPPOSED TO BE HIGHLY TRAINED NOT TO DO WHAT WE SEE ON THE VEDIO and they are likewise to be held to a higher standard of law because of that. So much for surrendering to the cops, you are dead (probably) anyway, you might as well make them earn it.
Arm up and carry on
Thank God he wasn’t murdered.
Andrew Finch wasn’t as lucky.
R.I.P Andrew
Here’s how we totally dismantle the 100% corrupted and criminal legal system; we use its own rules and regulations against it!! This is what EVERY man and woman who gets involved with the bogus legal system should do, just demand to see it in writing, where we are guaranteed that we will actually GET a fair trial, regardless if it’s a speedy one or not! ALL of the fake judges and their prosecuting attorneys get paid out of the same till, meaning that they work for the same boss, and they work together to get convictions, thus, no fair trial… Read more »
Back the Blue until they shoot at you.
Every cop in that video had nigh vision on their helmets. They opened the door to put the robot in, so it was not locked or barricaded and they knew it. The cops who put the robot in also saw that no one was in the front room. They could have walked in there and woke these people up and scared the shit out of them without all the theatrics.
Night vision doesn’t help anyone who has bad vision. Every cop should be forced to have a monthly eye exam so they can’t say “I didn’t see it”. Plus, as stated before, someone should have noticed on the video feed of the robot that it had been moved and was mobile at the time they pulled the trigger. After all, they all knew what the robot looked like, didn’t they?
Fishy. At best. No word on a weapon in Kloepfer’s possession. Nothing apparent besides the Swatters being up a little early to justify shooting anyone.
Wrong & illegal for so many reasons. Where to begin.
I don’t see anywhere that anyone has posted the update to this fustercluck… County sheriff has passed the buck. “They weren’t my guys.” Since the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office does not have a tactical team to handle a hostage event, I requested assistance from the Cherokee Indian Police Department SWAT Team. Subsequently, members of CIPD SWAT fired shots at an individual who emerged from the home, injuring him…When I campaigned for the office of Sheriff, I had several conversations with fellow law enforcement officials and the public about the need for Cherokee County to have its own tactical team…I will… Read more »
That would be nothing new, would it ? LOL
Government thugs murdering innocent people. Too bad he didn’t shoot back.
So that is a very interesting question. If someone IS shooting at you, would you shoot back? If so, why? If not, why? If not for yourself, what about for others around you?
I mean this for the general readership, not just Stag.
HLB
Never walk out to the cops with anything in your hand, there not going to wait until you fire it to determine that it is a gun. However if he was black the cops all would have been arrested for murder.
Sir, the socialist cops being so scared that they can’t verify a threat and shoot first is how you older folks have been so dangerous to our Liberty. Officer safety is not worth trading our Liberty for false security, like bad folks like you believe in. A person like you has made it to where the most dangerous threat we armed Citizens will face during or after a defense gun use is a socialist cop, near the scene. Because bad people like you have made it to where that adrenaline dumping socialist can roll up on scene and kill anyone… Read more »
That kid has so many false presumptions as the basis of his argument that it is impossible for him to come to a valid conclusion.
Can the non socialist cops verify a threat?
The law that would allow socialist cops to shoot first is not made by older folks, age has little to do with it. Statutes and rules are made by legislators, judges, and high level bureaucrats. Hey OV have you ever been one of those? Me neither.
The rest is ignorant blather that need not be addressed.
Oh, oh. I better watch myself. Good intel. Thanks.
That’s the beauty of the whole thing. You don’t have to anymore they’re watching for us!
Every cop on site deserves jail time!
Scary and it shouldn’t have happened. That being said, he went out the door WITH SOMETHING IN HIS HAND. Cops probably thought the robot was a weapon of some kind.
Really bad tactics by the cops.
Sir, you are the real threat to those of us who value Liberty. If you are not a boomer or older, who was severely social engineered to elevate socialist government employees over us Citizens, then you should be ashamed for your subservience to socialist enforcers and your disdain for Liberty. I wish I could have met you overseas, it would have been an honor to be the last thing you never saw. You are the kind of person that has made it to where we armed Citizens have the talk that black parents give their kids about cops. That is… Read more »
We live amongst the enemy…
HLB
Geofencing. https://adcellerant.com/what-is-geofencing-and-how-can-i-use-it-to-my-advantage/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAt66eBhCnARIsAKf3ZNERfEfPdBStCZzUvYBBdtB8v5mp5aP5xQvath6V-c9fMmzHTwVQXagaAjhzEALw_wcB
I have one “waiting for approval” right now. No rhyme or reason for it either. Seems like an explanation of moderation is appropriate.
You, me and the others who have spoken out about this do not slander or produce libelous posts ever. There must be a super secret list of offending words, I have no idea of what they may be…
Not yet…
Same here.
A comment delayed is a comment denied!
Still waiting…
The post was to John Crump about his article concerning the NFA YouTube guy getting censored. I was advocating moving to alternative free speech sites, and I listed them. Perhaps that is why not only is the post “waiting for moderation” from about 6 AM Pacific still waiting, it has disappeared from my personal posts with the little orange warnings. Crazy.
The post I made Saturday morning was finally released this morning. Unbelievable. It’s over at the article, YouTube Censorship Of Suppressor Content & Wholesale Deletion of Creators, by John Crump.
There’s not a derogatory phrase, word or letter in the post. Unless the moderators thought my declaration that YouTube is indeed a utility and one that is a monopoly was bombastic enough to need moderation. SMH!!!
Hmmmm I think if I woke up one dark night and noticed some little gizmo moving about inside my house I think I’d pick up the ash shovel and give it a good whack or three, then pick it up with said shovel and drop it into the top of the woodstove.
Sounds like early breakfast!!
You could re-engineer the thing and use it as a home protection tool. After all, they gave it to him.
HLB
Could be why they threw it in there ? They like mind F@cking with people. And now they got a excuse. Gee we thought it was a gun. .
“He was choking on robot!”
Remember not to assume that the feed the robot was sending was even a tenth as comprehensible as what we see from the homeowner’s stationary feed. Being carried as it was, I’m sure the video at that point looked like nothing short of roller coaster nausea.
I’m disappointed. I expected more from Mr. Codrea based on his prior articles. We have no idea what the man was wanted for – it had to be something substantial for a nighttime warrant service to be authorized. The highly inflammatory language throughout the article does nothing to teach or illuminate the reader of what or why this occurred other than the SWAT team “firing squad” “attempted to murder” the suspect. While there are seemingly many holes based on the reported statements by the agencies that are a cause of concern, the language throughout is simply incendiary, worthy of the… Read more »
It may not be this guy they were after…I’ve had the cops show up on my doorstep 4 times in 10 years for some less than honorable next door neighbors. Just happened again 2 days ago. Our addresses read similar, and the trouble is outsiders using the neighbors land, but their gate is right next to ours, about 250yds from the house associated with the problem. I figure it’s just a matter of time before we get a midnight SWAT.
Mr. Codrea, I wish to congratulate you on a very super-standard article. Keep up the good work ! ! !
HLB
The bottom line is it doesn’t matter what the hell they wanted him for if they infect wanted this particular guy. The whole point is the cops shot another man, then they lied to cover it up and then they even made official documents and lied under color of law. THAT is the meat and potatoes here and you’re playing around in the gravy. It’s got something to do with all of that “innocent until proven guilty” stuff.
NC Statute: § 15A-401. Arrest by law-enforcement officer. Qualified Immunity: In Saucier v. Katz, the Supreme Court held that a ruling on a qualified immunity defense must be made early in the trial court’s proceeding, because qualified immunity is a defense to stand trial, not merely a defense from liability. When there is a summary judgement motion for qualified immunity, the court should rule on the motion, even if a material issue of fact remains on the underlying claim. Based on the audio of the SWAT members seen in the camper from the owner’s video it could be argued that 15A-401… Read more »