Deputies shoot and kill man after knocking on wrong door

View · by **Akston** on Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:40 pm

http://www.wesh.com/news/central-florid ... index.html

They always get their man...

View · by **Snakeman721** on Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:51 pm

Um, so why exactly did the police NOT identify themselves??? I'm sorry, but if someone is beating on my door at 1:30AM (and from EVERY video I've ever seen, they do NOT knock lightly), I'd be inclined to answer with a loaded gun in hand too!

View · by **xd ED** on Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:23 pm

Admittedly hindsight is a wonderful thing. But if you think you need a gun in hand to answer the door, maybe you shouldn't answer it at all; call the police, and secure the occupants in a defensive position.

View · by **Thunder71** on Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:21 pm

Call the police? They were already there...

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View · by **Spike** on Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:26 pm

"It's just a bizarre set of circumstances. The bottom line is, you point a gun at a deputy sheriff or police office, you're going to get shot," Herrell said.

You bang on someones door in the early morning in a bad neighborhood and think it's odd they answer with a gun in their hand? This is murder and should be treated as such. Did they shoot his dog too? Special rules for special people though; "*shrug* He shouldn't have pointed a gun at us. oh well... Back to business as usual..."

It's time to get rid of "no knock" warrants and take the military toys away from the police. They just can't handle it. When you can't even find the right house, it's time to go back to basics and worry about gathering intelligence, stakeouts, and maybe waiting to make sure the person you are after is home.

It seems like very day there is another story like this.

- Jon

View · by **Lunchbox** on Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:03 pm

Spike wrote:
"It's just a bizarre set of circumstances. The bottom line is, you point a gun at a deputy sheriff or police office, you're going to get shot," Herrell said.

You bang on someones door in the early morning in a bad neighborhood and think it's odd they answer with a gun in their hand? This is murder and should be treated as such. Did they shoot his dog too? Special rules for special people though; "*shrug* He shouldn't have pointed a gun at us. oh well... Back to business as usual..."

It's time to get rid of "no knock" warrants and take the military toys away from the police. They just can't handle it. When you can't even find the right house, it's time to go back to basics and worry about gathering intelligence, stakeouts, and maybe waiting to make sure the person you are after is home.

It seems like very day there is another story like this.

- Jon

I agree. How many innocent people have been shot because of no knock warrants gone wrong? Heck even regular warrants gone wrong?

View · by **cobb** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 6:38 am

Spike wrote:It's time to get rid of "no knock" warrants and take the military toys away from the police. They just can't handle it. When you can't even find the right house, it's time to go back to basics and worry about gathering intelligence, stakeouts, and maybe waiting to make sure the person you are after is home.

As many times in the last few years that we have read about an innocent life being loss because of these types of screw ups, I totally agree. Take the "no knock" warrant out of the police department's options, or at least until a bullet proof procedure can be put in place so it can't be screwed up. I know their argument has been that a no knock in many cases is safer for the responding officers. Well history is proving that it may not be safer for the innocent, they need to stop the practice, period.

I love this quote.

He was pointing the gun at the deputy and if you put yourselves in the deputy's shoes. They were there to pick up someone who was wanted for an attempted homicide."

Officials said the deputies did not identify themselves because of safety reasons.

Why don't the officials put themselves in the victim's shoes? Apparently the victim had broken no law, so had no reason to expect any LEO's to bang on his door in the middle of the night. People are banging on his door in the middle of the night and do not identify themselves when doing so. This is in a neighborhood that may not be the safest, so this victim took steps to protect himself when he went to the door.

"No knock" warrants should be outlawed now because they have proven over the past few years to cost innocent lives. They need to go back to basics of gathering correct information and making sure of what they are trying to do is correct instead of breaking down a door in the middle of the night with an adrenaline rush.

View · by **weck** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:13 am

Thunder71 wrote:Call the police? They were already there...

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I agree with this...and I hope they are held accountable..

View · by **xd ED** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:46 am

The cops appear to have screwed up big time by the account given.

That said, if you are so concerned about what's on the other side of the door that you have a drawn weapon- why do you open it?

View · by **GunGoogler** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:56 am

xd ED wrote:The cops appear to have screwed up big time by the account given.

That said, if you are so concerned about what's on the other side of the door that you have a drawn weapon- why do you open it?

This was a good question the first time you asked it and it remains a good question. I just though someone shoudl acknowledge that.

After an experience I had not too long ago with something that went bump in the night...I don't intend to go looking for the trouble until I am sure its safe or have no other choice.

That said, if you don't answer, won't they just kick in your door and then ultimately get to your hiding place? After that kind of noise and fear, I'd be pretty reluctant to assume the person on the other side of my "whatever room" door was being honest when they yelled that it was the police. Hopefully the 911 dispatcher would be able to confirm that for me before they kicked in the door while pissed off that I hadn't responded, only to find that I am armed. Somehow, I don't see that ending well for me.

Meanwhile, my neighbor or whoever s house they were "supposed" to be at is likely watching the commotion amused and fleeing or destroying evidence.

View · by **xd ED** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:13 am

I agree with your scenario. The possibility of this ending well diminished when they picked the wrong house. With luck and enough time a 911 dispatcher perhaps could have interceded and avoided the tragic outcome.
I have to assume the police were uniformed/ ID'd. Seeing them come at me from my defensive position might give me enough time to raise my hands.

View · by **Exjay** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:28 pm

All im gonna say is that guy shoulda never opened the door & whatever happened to peep holes on doors?

View · by **Thunder71** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:37 pm

There are things the guy could have done differently, I'm sure all Internet quarterbacks will do things perfectly each and every time, no doubt about it.

That said, the guy was within is rights to do what he did - and died.

In this case I believe the real issue needs to be addressed even more so than how a homeowner is supposed to answer a knock in the middle of the night.

View · by **GunGoogler** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 3:40 pm

Exjay wrote:All im gonna say is that guy shoulda never opened the door & whatever happened to peep holes on doors?

I don't have a peephole on my door. I do, however, have a big window on it. :mrgreen:

View · by **GARAGE DWELLER** on Tue Jul 17, 2012 5:15 pm

All we can do is speculate, dead men tell no tells. Maybe you here a bang on the door, you jump up grab the gun and take position behind something keeping watch on the door. You don't open the door or go near it, can't shoot anybody outside anyway. The police let them self's in while you draw a bead on the intruders. You think "oh it's the cops" and that's the last thing you think because they don't hesitate.