From the Las Vegas Sun: "Police Capt. Patrick Neville said Costco security personnel called police at 12:47 p.m. after the man began destroying merchandise in the store. After the call, store security noticed the man had a gun and began to evacuate the business, Neville said.
The store is at 801 S. Pavilion Center Drive, which is near the Charleston Boulevard and Las Vegas Beltway interchange. The business was mostly evacuated when officers arrived.
Police approached the man just outside Costco's front doors near a display of tires.
Neville said an officer tapped the man on the shoulder. The man turned around and the officer saw a gun in the man's waistband, police said.
The officer ordered the man to the ground, but the gunman refused, police said. Neville said the gunman then pulled out the gun in his waistband, prompting three officers to fire multiple shots."
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jul/10/police-investigate-shooting/
We have had numerous police shootings in the past few months. In Henderson, we have had two fatal police shootings- one was a car thief with a gun that tried to run a police blockade and a father in a stand off situation who came out of his house and the police shot him down in some questionable circumstances.
In the past years, we had a elderly Henderson woman who barely spoke English shot down after she was angry and displayed a knife in anger. There have also been several fatal shootings involving Metro officers as well. I don't there have been any fatal police shootings in North Las Vegas or Highway Patrol.
Metro also has had a couple fatal shootings. A few weeks ago, during a drug raid, cops shot a man who made a "furtive" movement and again today. There have been other police shootings as well, some with injuries, some fatal and some where the Metro officer missed the target.
Race doesn't seem to be an issue as blacks, whites and Hispanics have been killed.
First, I don't think there is any where else in the country that has had this many shootings in such a short period of time.
It also clear that none of the shootings have a common theme. With the exception of today, none had an issue with CCW. Two involved stand offs but completely different circumstances. One was during a raid.
So, what is going on? Is lack of training, just poor luck, bad decision making or a combination of everything above?
I don't think the cops are gun happy and want to shoot at everything that moves. They have to live with shooting someone and there is no joy in that. But the killing of the father in Henderson and the killing in the drug raid makes me wonder if mistakes were not made, innocently- not maliciously.
So, what is going on? I honestly don't know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Vegas really does seem to be reverting the wild west recently. I have several friends on Metro and they are all great guys and I hate to label any large group of people anything based on the actions of the few. However, I find myself raising my eyebrows in amazement more than I used to at the actions of Las Vegas' Finest. I hope that these police-involved shooting taper off soon.
ReplyDeleteI am completely disgusted by the numerous shootings that have taken place by police officers where fatalities have occured. It seems like every time I turn on the news, or pick up a newspaper, I end up reading of a police shooting where the person being investigated is shot multiple times or shot mortally(head shot, chest shot)and then the investigation yields that a weapon was not anywhere near the person killed or several officers fired mortal shots at the person in question. I knew the person that was shot at Costco today but, I don't know the details of the shooting. I find it hard to believe that this individual would present himself in a manner that would lead to police officers firing multiple shots at him. He may have had a concealed weapon on his person but, he also had the permit to carry it. I don't know all the facts but I am tired of LVPD going to an overkill mode when any threat is perceived. These officers need to be investigated and it needs to be determined how many shots were fired, where the shots were aimed at, and if the solution to this predicament was justified by this level of action
ReplyDeleteI agree with the "anonymous" commenter. Both the media and law enforcement will fabricate and "make up" their side of the story to cover themselves, to make them not look bad, again. I know law enforcement and know the ideas of "fabrication" as being a very common thing to make the suspect be in the "wrong" when they aren't. This young man possibly has a permit to carry and would disclose that information. But for the "employee" to jump to conclusions and probably just said, "There is a man with a gun in the store!!", was probably all she/he said without stating that "oh, yah, by the way, he has a permit to carry". If he would have said, I am an "off duty officer", there would not be any second guessing, but because he did not, they assumed the worse and this person (Costco employee) cost this person his life. They will have to live with that for the rest of their life.
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me is that the police were called because the guy was destroying merchandise in the store. If that was the case, why weren't witnesses to that? Nothing was ever said he threatened the store security with a gun, if I am not mistaken.
ReplyDeleteI hope this was not a case of shoot first, ask questions later.