False alarm around midnight leads to LEO shooting homeowner defending his home.

[DivCurlGrad72]

A 911 call by an alarm company around midnight eventually leads to a LEO shooting the homeowner.

Very disturbing, to say the least.

Saw the link to this video on the OFF FB website and thought it was worth sharing here.

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[WoodsPlinker]

Did you know if you yell louder the authority makes it seem like it was a justified reason for shooting a home owner protecting himself from burglers?

It is interesting that even though it was midnight, you know the time when all gods creatures hunker down and make bubble noises, the home owner is blamed for not expecting cops.

If someone comes around at the witching hour they are expected to be evil and dealt with accordingly.

Even if you talk real loud and firm and come with some collectivist authority of morally superior attitude.

I hate seeing crap like this, my friend is a cop on disability, even a rabid dog needs to be understood but.

Everyone has a bed time and a norm for police interactions..... They need to be respected

 

[CRBMoA]

Disturbing. One would be hard pressed to find a better example of everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

 

[titsonritz]

I really hate to hear these kind of stories. Just a great big sh*t sandwich and everyone's taking a bite.

 

[Camelfilter]

Oh man, bad news all around on that one.

HUGE credit to the officer for not losing his schnitzel & providing immediate care/comfort!

 

[Eric in Oregon]

HUGE credit to the officer for not losing his schnitzel & providing immediate care/comfort!

Ehhh... not sure if "huge" credit is due since the cop panic-shot the homeowner he was supposed to be checking on, and then lied to try to cover it up.

 

[Alexx1401]

Very sad indeed. I can't see anything done wrong by the LEO. He has a call about an alarm, which they claim in this video was sent out by a cell phone of a member of the home. They could not get anyone there to answer. Guy when he sees light outside points a gun at it. I would hope the home owner would either change out that clear glass in the door or put in curtains.If the home owner is worried about someone coming to his home to do him harm? Again be a good idea to not have his home set up where they can see him like that. Also another good case where some simple, cheap, camera's showing the outside could have saved a lot of trouble.

 

[Alexx1401]

Ehhh... not sure if "huge" credit is due since the cop panic-shot the homeowner he was supposed to be checking on, and then lied to try to cover it up.

I did not hear that call, where did you? I heard panic alarm, no one would respond, then someone points a gun at LEO? So you would ask him to have a beer with you when he points a gun at you?

 

[Eric in Oregon]

I did not hear that call, where did you? I heard panic alarm, no one would respond, then someone points a gun at LEO?

The cop's report said the homeowner threw the door open with the gun pointed at him, and he and the department stuck to that story until they eventually admitted that the badge cam showed otherwise.

 

[CRBMoA]

Gonna have to change my thought RE: The LEO.

We cannot hear the audio (because badge cam collects audio 30 seconds after it starts capturing video) until after bullets are flying, but I am sure if he had announced himself as a LEO he would have mentioned it when the distraught homeowner screamed, "Why did you F'ing shoot me you MF'er?".

He tried to help the citizen AFTER he tried to kill him.

 

[N2-Rob]

The whole thing sucks but, I think it's odd that the homeowner appeared to be looking outside into a lit up front porch. Looks like he should have seen the officer in uniform. Clearly he saw him coming up the steps so why retreat back inside then turn around and illuminate the officer again?

From the perspective of the officer, he probably expected that he was recognized as an officer with a "badge prominently displayed" and when the homeowner turned and menaced him with a firearm, he believed it was a threat (from a burglar) and he responded. Homeowners generally don't Point guns at cops, criminals do... at least that's the expectation. Odd situation for sure.

 

[CRBMoA]

If the officer was pointing a beam of light at the frosted glass between the homeowner and the LEO, all the homeowner would have seen was a washout of white light until the LEO began 'protecting' him.

 

[bbbass]

"Never point your firearm at anything you do not wish to destroy"... good advice for homeowners when somebody is at your door.

Lot of open questions for me on this one. And I agree about the frosted glass being a bad deal... not only can you not see clearly who is there, you are exposing at least 50% of your body.... we train not to do that!!! Get rid of the side lite door panel!!

 

[RVTECH]

The cop's report said the homeowner threw the door open with the gun pointed at him, and he and the department stuck to that story until they eventually admitted that the badge cam showed otherwise.

This is the part that bothers me.
Why did the LEO lie if he believed he did the right thing?
Also so after he shoots he backs off to make contact with the homeowner? He could have done this initially when he saw the gun, taken up a position of cover and called for backup - considering the homeowner was INSIDE the LEO had the advantage.
I'll go with panic shoot without a clear field of fire.

 

[N2-Rob]

This is the part that bothers me.
Why did the LEO lie if he believed he did the right thing?
Also so after he shoots he backs off to make contact with the homeowner? He could have done this initially when he saw the gun, taken up a position of cover and called for backup - considering the homeowner was INSIDE the LEO had the advantage.
I'll go with panic shoot without a clear field of fire.

Nobody can say if he intended to lie or not but from personal experience, the events as officers remember them can be different than what actually happened. The brain does weird things when under stress. Parts of entire events will completely be forgotten and not until you see a body cam do you remember the events. Until you look down the barrel of a gun in the hands of some lunatic, it's hard to judge. I am a believer in not writing reports until the body cam has been viewed.

On that note, in a OIS, officers don't generally write reports. They are interviewed by responding detectives who write the involved officers statement. These statements are generally not taken until after a few days and after the officer has had opportunity to view his body cam.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

At times the mind sees , responds and remembers , just what it wants to see , remember or expect see .

This trait or quirk of the mind , I have personally seen and experienced when giving a After Action Review or Debrief of a combat action ....
Or
Even when participating in the action or event itself...

We are briefed or advised on the situation , then we act on what we have been advised or briefed on...
Which can set the mind up to think , observe and respond a certain way...
A way that may or may not be appropriate to what is actually going on.
Andy

 

[revjen45]

1) "They need to be respected" (above)
Obedience can be demanded.
Fear can be sown.
Trust and respect must be earned.

The cops have earned fear, but I guess that's just as good as respect. Maybe better.
Anybody who trusts them will likely regret it.

2) The Police are always right, just ask Mas.
The purpose of the "investigation" is to create the narrative the exonerates the cop.
Take a position, then fashion a rationale to fit the conclusion.

3) Anything that calls the cops automatically is a bad idea.

4) If I screw up and shoot somebody, is it OK if I try to assist afterwards?

5) The unnamed peon is lucky they didn't charge him with assaulting a cop to cover it.

 

[Geardo]

Ehhh... not sure if "huge" credit is due since the cop panic-shot the homeowner he was supposed to be checking on, and then lied to try to cover it up.

Yeah. Honestly everything up to the lie was a sad but understable screw up. Homeowner wasn't expecting cops and cop wasn't expecting home owner.

 

[Cavedweller]

We are briefed or advised on the situation , then we act on what we have been advised or briefed on...
Which can set the mind up to think , observe and respond a certain way...
A way that may or may not be appropriate to what is actually going on.
Andy

Seems like a failure to communicate. The county says it was a medical alert from a cell phone app. Why were police dispatched instead of an ambulance? 911 operator error?

Was the officer too jumpy? Maybe. He was sent to a 10-33 Bravo - which in Greenville County means EMS requesting police assistance, something to do with senior citizens. This was not a break-in alarm. Clearly a medical situation.

Do 10 codes convey enough information?

 

[Eric in Oregon]

The county says it was a medical alert from a cell phone app. Why were police dispatched instead of an ambulance? 911 operator error?

Maybe, but I believe cops are generally dispatched in addition to fire or EMS, since God only knows what situation they'll actually find on arrival.