There is a disputed shooting in Culpeper, Virginia where Patricia Cook, 54, was killed by an officer who said that she tried to drive away from a church parking lot while his arm was caught in the window. However, an eye witness has come forward to dispute that account and neighbors have questioned the need for lethal force against the unarmed woman.
Cook was parked in her Jeep Wrangler parked outside a church last Thursday morning when the officer appeared in response to a call about a suspicious woman. While she looked for her ID, the officer said that she closed the window on the officer’s arm and began to drive away. The officer fired through the window and the Jeep crashed. The officer was not injured.
A witness has come forward to say that he clearly saw the encounter and that the officer was not caught in the window when he fired. The statements of the carpenter offer the only independent account of the incident located thus far.
The dragging of an officer would generally be viewed as a threat to his life — justifying potentially lethal force. We have seen, however, controversies over accounts of such endangerment in past cases. Conversely, officers have been accused on dragging suspects in a reversal of such claims.
To Protect and Serve… the 1%, by keeping the rest of us in line. It’s all like Orwell predicted.
Sounds like three weeks of paid administrative leave is in order…
Mike Spindell
1, February 14, 2012 at 11:20 am
““I hope we don’t see a campaign of witness villification where the cops drag up every jaywalking charge this guy ever comitted to discredit his story.”
In New York case in point:
http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-02-08/news/frisky-business-NYPD-jazz-hayden/
Blouise,
The presumably last bullet being fired at point blank range into the temple.
The back-up having witnessed the ending gave appropriate clean-up time to their fellow officer
Maybe..
A California shooting a few days ago, with some parallels:
“Orange County sheriff’s official says Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. failed to respond to officers’ commands in the early morning incident at San Clemente High School.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0211-marine-killed-20120211,0,1767100.story
mespo,
I guess ya’ll have to return to the days of sheriff Taylor only giving Fife one bullet for them thar firearms….
If the eye witness is correct … the cop shot her through the window but she continued to drive turning left out of the parking lot and proceeding down the street .. The officer followed her into the street and fired 5 more shots at her vehicle. She then pulled her vehicle to the side of the road, put it in park, and set the brake which was how the car was found when back-up arrived… then she was dead.
Following her into the street and firing 5 more times doesn’t sound like second degree murder to me … sounds like premeditated first degree with motive being to cover up the first shot he had fired through her driver’s side window in the parking lot. Can’t have a live witness after doing something like that.
The carpenter should be in protective custody … he’s another live witness.
I smell a Blue rat.
“I hope we don’t see a campaign of witness villification where the cops drag up every jaywalking charge this guy ever comitted to discredit his story.”
As Mespo points out and TD iterates, this witness might have something to fear.
Given the behavior of police in the last few years, I would be inclined to give weight to the eye witness account.
Ten years ago I would have given more weight to the cop’s account.
I wonder what course of action the District Atty will pursue …
It’s an awful version of events that,if true (and there’s little reason to believe otherwise with an independent observer), should result in second degree murder charges against that officer. Most officers can be believed but the bad ones know that and change their story for their own purposes. I would like to see that officer’s personnel jacket. It is rarely the case that this type of arrogant conduct is a one-time thing. There is most always a stair-stepping of conduct that culminates in an outrage. I hope we don’t see a campaign of witness villification where the cops drag up every jaywalking charge this guy ever comitted to discredit his story. As we always ask, Cui Bono?
Anonymously Yours 1, February 14, 2012 at 10:41 am
Let’s determine first if his right arm or left arm was in the window …
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Mike Spindell 1, February 14, 2012 at 10:50 am
… Why was the officer even reaching into the window? …
===============================================
I would also note that windows come up slowly enough for anyone to retract their arm in plenty of time … unless they are choking the person inside.
The killer cop’s story does not pass the smell test IMO.
Murder One. Protect the witness.
I707,
As you’ve pointed out there are some bigger issues that need to be dealt with…. why don’t you post this on every thread…..
FAS, who pays the freight, is the Federation of American Scientists.
I haven’t checked. Maybe it’s an old Trotsky front.
PLEASE allow a off-thread post on an info site which seems worthwhile:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
This issue of the blog seems especially worthwhile on a number of issues.
This one on “suspicionsless drug testing for welfare recipients (federal) interested me. It is a Congressional Research Service report for members and staff of Congress. And by us thanks to this blog as public requests are reportedly denied.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42326.pdf
But check it out, it’s all from DoD IG new program on follow up of classification review, to Mil drones in our airspace and the ambition to have access to all the domestic, to almost you-name-it.
I mean secrecy follows everything today.
There’s even a full-length book on it for federal guidance, including views on Wikileaks, and how to counter these and counseling of the media, etc.
Have fun.
Hope some read it already.
From the posting:
Being suspicious seems a poor excuse for deadly force to be employed. Why was the officer even reaching into the window? That is like no safe policing procedure I know of and makes this all very suspicious. Loitering, in and of itself is merely at best an innocuous misdemeanor.
Let’s determine first if his right arm or left arm was in the window… If it was his left arm then….. he is a damn good shot while being dragged as he claims… if it was his right arm then he is probably a damn liar….but then again most of them are…
Years ago in Minneapolis there was a case of a motorists stopped by cops one night. He ended up being beaten severely by a couple of officers. Their story was he attacked them. Problem was one cop had a civilian ride-along that night. Being the days before video everywhere it was still a he-said/she-said but its sad how often this happens.