police return fire, kill suspect (that was in custody)

[CainA]

Two Dallas-area police officers have been put on administrative leave after returning firing and killing a theft suspect who was in custody.

Read more here:

http://baytownsun.com/texas_ap/article_ ... ba31a.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This should be a real wake-up call to these officers.

[RPBrown]

My question is why was he not searched before he was put into the car? Isn't that SOP upon an arreast or detainment?

[v-rog]

NBC news station carried this story last night. One bystander that was interviewed stated that the bullets were flying (low) near her car and she had to take cover. Pretty scary situation. Imagine being the officer who for what ever reason, didn't do the pat-down, and now has to file the report

[Jumping Frog]

My question is why was he not searched before he was put into the car? Isn't that SOP upon an arreast or detainment?

Maybe they don't have as many interactions with lowlife's in Highland Park.

[texanjoker]

Two Dallas-area police officers have been put on administrative leave after returning firing and killing a theft suspect who was in custody.

Read more here:

http://baytownsun.com/texas_ap/article_ ... ba31a.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This should be a real wake-up call to these officers.

Officers are always put on administrative leave after a OIS so that is normal.... Now the article says he slipped free. Did he obtain a firearm from the patrol vehicle or have a concealed weapon they missed during the patdown? If that is the case, the lesson that unfortunately gets repeated is to SEARCH YOUR PRISONERS! Lack of a proper search results in incidents like this. You need to search in all the places that are uncomfortable to search regardless of how the crook whines. I wonder what the size weapon the crook was carrying. Glad only the suspect was injured. Good job to the officers for catching the guy on the stolen MC....

[CainA]

Here you are:
"The suspect was able to escape the handcuffs where he was able to use a small firearm he still had on his person," said Lt. Marc Rossini, Highland Park Police. "The suspect fired one shot out of the patrol car. Both officers returned fire striking the suspect."

From here:
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Highland ... 78501.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The suspect was KILLED.

[texanjoker]

Here you are:
"The suspect was able to escape the handcuffs where he was able to use a small firearm he still had on his person," said Lt. Marc Rossini, Highland Park Police. "The suspect fired one shot out of the patrol car. Both officers returned fire striking the suspect."

From here:
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Highland ... 78501.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The suspect was KILLED.

I figured that was the case, thanks... shoot at the police and you are likely to get shot in return.. Glad the officers and nearby witnesses were not hurt.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

"small firearm"?

In the news video, there is a handgun sitting on the road. It's a black semi-automatic, but I could
not determine the brand or size. "Small" doesn't seem to be the right description. Since it's outside
the vehicle, maybe it's one of the LEO's service pistols??

Jumping Frog: Highland Park PD probably isn't used to too many lowlifes.
The "Park Cities" are the twin cities of Highland Park and University Park - 2 tony enclaves that
are completely surrounded by the City of Dallas. Expensive homes populated by the shopping class.

SMU (Southern Methodist University) is there, where the Bush Library is situated.

SIA

[gthaustex]

I'm glad that things turned out the way they did....things could have ended up much differently.

[v-rog]

Fox 4 News @ 5pm just aired a follow-up story where two witnesses to the shooting stated that the (accused) man crawled out of the rear window, stumbled away from the cop car, and the officers shot the man in the back...It will be interesting to see the results of the Sheriff's investigation.

[knotquiteawake]

Fox 4 News @ 5pm just aired a follow-up story where two witnesses to the shooting stated that the (accused) man crawled out of the rear window, stumbled away from the cop car, and the officers shot the man in the back...It will be interesting to see the results of the Sheriff's investigation.

I saw that too. I wonder what the real story is. Hopefully the dash cam and interior camera (if present) will clear it all up.

[SQLGeek]

and the officers shot the man in the back...

Which of course doesn't mean it is a bad shoot.

[The Annoyed Man]

Here you are:
"The suspect was able to escape the handcuffs where he was able to use a small firearm he still had on his person," said Lt. Marc Rossini, Highland Park Police. "The suspect fired one shot out of the patrol car. Both officers returned fire striking the suspect."

From here:
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Highland ... 78501.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The suspect was KILLED.

Pictures from screen shots I took of his gun, on the ground:

It looks like a small pistol, but it also looks like it might be a double stack. Here's an enlargement of one of those snapshots:

Maybe a subcompact 9mm or .380 with a double stack magazine of some kind?

Anyway, he apparently got his cuffed hands from behind his back to in front of his torso and was able to draw that gun and shoot out the window of the squad car from the inside. There is clearly window glass blown outward on the ground next to the vehicle, so I have no reason not to believe the officers when they say that he fired inside the car. And, we don't know yet if one of the officers was inside the car in the front seat when he fired. Also, if you look at the position of the gun on the ground, it is plain to see that it wasn't dropped just outside the back door of the squad car. In other words, even though the BG was running away from the squad car (with the gun still in his hands, which he had used to blow out the window with—possibly in an attempt to shoot one of the officers), even though he was running away in handcuffs, he was still an armed and dangerous felon who they had every reason to believe might try and shoot at them again.

I don't know if their internal affairs division will rule it justifiable or not, but it is still understandable why they would have fired on him in the heat of the moment. They were not chasing an unarmed man. They were chasing a man known to be armed with a demonstrated willingness to use his weapon around cops.

If there are any issues for the officers involved, I think it will boil down to having failed to adequately searched the BG before placing him in the vehicle. But even if that results in some kind of disciplinary action for them, it doesn't change the fact that the BG was demonstrably armed and dangerous and discharged his weapon inside of the squad car before bolting.

and the officers shot the man in the back...

Which of course doesn't mean it is a bad shoot.

They shot a man in the back who had possibly just tried to shoot them. They don't come out smelling like roses, but it isn't because they shot him; it's because they placed an armed felon (the motorcycle was stolen) in their squad car.

[SQLGeek]

They shot a man in the back who had possibly just tried to shoot them. They don't come out smelling like roses, but it isn't because they shot him; it's because they placed an armed felon (the motorcycle was stolen) in their squad car.

Of course. I'm only talking about the fact they might have shot the suspect in the back.

[knotquiteawake]

There is clearly window glass blown outward on the ground next to the vehicle, so I have no reason not to believe the officers when they say that he fired inside the car.

I pointed that out to my wife lastnight too. It seems to be in line with what the police were saying. The "witnesses" claiming they shot him in the back maybe didn't hear a light caliber gun shooting out the window. All they saw was the suspect running away and getting shot in the back.