America is not Safe for Elders for Anyone? Patriot Erik Scott is Publicly Executed
It is alarming that police are moving from tasering citizens to outright public executions, it's bad enough that based on un confirmed information elders can lose their civil rights be isolated, medicated and their property sold off and distributed in an act of IRA, Involuntary Redistribution of Assets.
What is more alarming is when based on un confirmed report by a 21 year old un experienced security guard gives police the right to be judge , jury and executioner.
One Hollow point 45 ACP at close range has enough stopping power to stop anyone, 7 such shots when this patriot and accomplished American was gunned down in cold blood needlessly shot 5 times through the back in what can only be described as a blood lust execution and if this doesn't make you cringe then nothing will.
Read the story below the fold and be afraid, very afraid:
Erik Scott was a West Point graduate,he ran with the bulls in Pamplona and jumped out of airplanes while training to be a paratrooper.A West Point graduate who commanded battle tanks Army veteran, MBA graduate of Duke University, and a medical sales rep for Boston Scientific. He was gunned down by three Las Vegas police officers after they responded to a 911 call by Costco store employees reporting a man with a gun, possibly on narcotics, behaving erratically.
Scott was 38 years old, shopping with his girlfriend for items they needed as they moved in together. Unfortunately, those are the only details of the story on which anyone agrees.
To hear the side of the story presented by Scott’s family, friends, and some eyewitnesses, Erik Scott’s death was the result of ignorance and embellishment on the part of the Costco staff, and a combative, deterministic mindset from responding officers.
Other witnesses and the police claim that Eric Scott was armed and acting irrationally, and that his own actions led to his shooting.
What we know for certain is that Scott was in the camping section of the store taking bottles out of their packaging, attempting to determine how many of the bottles would fit in a cooler he was thinking of purchasing. At some point he bent over and his shirt rode up, exposing the pistol he had concealed at the small of his back.
A Costco employee saw the holstered sidearm and told Scott he was not allowed to have the weapon in the store. Scott replied that he had a permit and the right to carry his weapon. He then went back to shopping. The employee called over a manager, who informed a 20-something security guard, who made a 911 call to police.
We do not know precisely what was said in that important call, because the police have refused to release it. We do, however, know from police radio traffic picked up by a scanner that the guard had told police that Erik Scott was armed with a gun, was acting aggressively and erratically, and that he may have been under the influence of drugs.
It must have been a frightening tale: over a dozen police officers responded, along with a helicopter, ambulance, and competing incident command teams.
As the police began to form a massive perimeter outside, Costco managers began evacuating the entire store without apparently explaining why to anyone. As Scott and his girlfriend exited the store he was identified to police officers, who were waiting with guns drawn outside the front door.
A blog from Erik’s family described what happened next:
Erik turned to find three officers facing him, guns drawn, and all three shouting different commands: “Get on the ground!” “Drop your weapon!” “Keep your hands up!” Erik held his hands up, spoke calmly, told them he DID have a concealed firearm and a legal CCW and was an ex-Army officer. His girlfriend was screaming about Erik being a West Point grad, former Army officer, etc. Erik leaned to his left, hands still up, to expose the pistol, and repeated, “I am disarming; I am disarming.” Witnesses say he started to lower his right hand, palm OUT, perhaps intending to remove holster and gun together — but never got the hand below his shoulder, when one of the cops (believed to be William Mosher, who had committed a fatal shooting in 2006) shot Erik in the chest with a .45-caliber semi-automatic weapon. Erik dropped to his knees, clearly in shock, his face a picture of disbelief. He was shot a second time and collapsed. The rest is ugly. The three officers unloaded again, firing a total of seven hollow-point rounds. At least four, possibly five, hit Erik in the back, after he was on the ground and dying.
Two experts hired by Scott’s family examined his body. They claim that of the seven .45 ACP hollowpoint bullets fired into Scott’s body, one was fired through his armpit, suggesting his arm was raised at the time. Four remaining shots were fired into his back. There were no exit wounds, making it all but impossible for police to claim that investigators misread through-and-through wounds.
Witness statements: Robert Garcia directly was close enough to see this guy’s face, and to see his hands, and to see his body go down.Walking just ten feet in front of Erik Scott, Garcia exited the Costco to see officers with guns drawn. He heard an officer yell: “Put it down! Get down!”Then he claims four shots were fired, and he instantly turned towards the victim:After hearing the shots I see the guy going down. I looked at — I saw his hands. His hands had no gun in it. I looked on the ground because — just, I just did that. I looked down and I didn’t see a gun. I saw what I thought were maybe sunglasses. And a pen.This matches up with several other eyewitness claims that officers William Mosher, Joshua Stark, and Thomas Mendiola fired nearly immediately after shouting conflicting commands at Scott, giving him little or no time to respond. Four other witnesses within 20 feet of the store’s entrance all agree that Scott never brandished a weapon or made a move that could be interpreted as brandishing a weapon.
In an ongoing search for the truth, Erik’s family and friends have banded together. They have created a few Facebook Pages as well as a website where people can go to find and share information ErikBScott.com contains links to the Facebook account, photos, and discussion forums along with a way to make donations and contact the family. To further spread the word, there are currently 7 billboards in the Las Vegas area and 16 more going up within the next week or so. A plane towing a banner which read “Vegas Police cover up? R. I. P. Erik B Scott.com” was flown over Huntington Beach, CA during the U.S. Open of Surfing on Sunday
August 8th, 2010.
I believe the majority of people in America do not think what happened to Erik Scott should have ever happened. Furthermore, a lot of us feel that if it happened to Erik, it can happen to anyone.
Read and cringe=>>Source
What is more alarming is when based on un confirmed report by a 21 year old un experienced security guard gives police the right to be judge , jury and executioner.
One Hollow point 45 ACP at close range has enough stopping power to stop anyone, 7 such shots when this patriot and accomplished American was gunned down in cold blood needlessly shot 5 times through the back in what can only be described as a blood lust execution and if this doesn't make you cringe then nothing will.
Read the story below the fold and be afraid, very afraid:
Erik Scott was a West Point graduate,he ran with the bulls in Pamplona and jumped out of airplanes while training to be a paratrooper.A West Point graduate who commanded battle tanks Army veteran, MBA graduate of Duke University, and a medical sales rep for Boston Scientific. He was gunned down by three Las Vegas police officers after they responded to a 911 call by Costco store employees reporting a man with a gun, possibly on narcotics, behaving erratically.
Scott was 38 years old, shopping with his girlfriend for items they needed as they moved in together. Unfortunately, those are the only details of the story on which anyone agrees.
To hear the side of the story presented by Scott’s family, friends, and some eyewitnesses, Erik Scott’s death was the result of ignorance and embellishment on the part of the Costco staff, and a combative, deterministic mindset from responding officers.
Other witnesses and the police claim that Eric Scott was armed and acting irrationally, and that his own actions led to his shooting.
What we know for certain is that Scott was in the camping section of the store taking bottles out of their packaging, attempting to determine how many of the bottles would fit in a cooler he was thinking of purchasing. At some point he bent over and his shirt rode up, exposing the pistol he had concealed at the small of his back.
A Costco employee saw the holstered sidearm and told Scott he was not allowed to have the weapon in the store. Scott replied that he had a permit and the right to carry his weapon. He then went back to shopping. The employee called over a manager, who informed a 20-something security guard, who made a 911 call to police.
We do not know precisely what was said in that important call, because the police have refused to release it. We do, however, know from police radio traffic picked up by a scanner that the guard had told police that Erik Scott was armed with a gun, was acting aggressively and erratically, and that he may have been under the influence of drugs.
It must have been a frightening tale: over a dozen police officers responded, along with a helicopter, ambulance, and competing incident command teams.
As the police began to form a massive perimeter outside, Costco managers began evacuating the entire store without apparently explaining why to anyone. As Scott and his girlfriend exited the store he was identified to police officers, who were waiting with guns drawn outside the front door.
A blog from Erik’s family described what happened next:
Erik turned to find three officers facing him, guns drawn, and all three shouting different commands: “Get on the ground!” “Drop your weapon!” “Keep your hands up!” Erik held his hands up, spoke calmly, told them he DID have a concealed firearm and a legal CCW and was an ex-Army officer. His girlfriend was screaming about Erik being a West Point grad, former Army officer, etc. Erik leaned to his left, hands still up, to expose the pistol, and repeated, “I am disarming; I am disarming.” Witnesses say he started to lower his right hand, palm OUT, perhaps intending to remove holster and gun together — but never got the hand below his shoulder, when one of the cops (believed to be William Mosher, who had committed a fatal shooting in 2006) shot Erik in the chest with a .45-caliber semi-automatic weapon. Erik dropped to his knees, clearly in shock, his face a picture of disbelief. He was shot a second time and collapsed. The rest is ugly. The three officers unloaded again, firing a total of seven hollow-point rounds. At least four, possibly five, hit Erik in the back, after he was on the ground and dying.
Two experts hired by Scott’s family examined his body. They claim that of the seven .45 ACP hollowpoint bullets fired into Scott’s body, one was fired through his armpit, suggesting his arm was raised at the time. Four remaining shots were fired into his back. There were no exit wounds, making it all but impossible for police to claim that investigators misread through-and-through wounds.
Witness statements: Robert Garcia directly was close enough to see this guy’s face, and to see his hands, and to see his body go down.Walking just ten feet in front of Erik Scott, Garcia exited the Costco to see officers with guns drawn. He heard an officer yell: “Put it down! Get down!”Then he claims four shots were fired, and he instantly turned towards the victim:After hearing the shots I see the guy going down. I looked at — I saw his hands. His hands had no gun in it. I looked on the ground because — just, I just did that. I looked down and I didn’t see a gun. I saw what I thought were maybe sunglasses. And a pen.This matches up with several other eyewitness claims that officers William Mosher, Joshua Stark, and Thomas Mendiola fired nearly immediately after shouting conflicting commands at Scott, giving him little or no time to respond. Four other witnesses within 20 feet of the store’s entrance all agree that Scott never brandished a weapon or made a move that could be interpreted as brandishing a weapon.
In an ongoing search for the truth, Erik’s family and friends have banded together. They have created a few Facebook Pages as well as a website where people can go to find and share information ErikBScott.com contains links to the Facebook account, photos, and discussion forums along with a way to make donations and contact the family. To further spread the word, there are currently 7 billboards in the Las Vegas area and 16 more going up within the next week or so. A plane towing a banner which read “Vegas Police cover up? R. I. P. Erik B Scott.com” was flown over Huntington Beach, CA during the U.S. Open of Surfing on Sunday
August 8th, 2010.
I believe the majority of people in America do not think what happened to Erik Scott should have ever happened. Furthermore, a lot of us feel that if it happened to Erik, it can happen to anyone.
Read and cringe=>>Source
Please comment on Erik's Facebook page=>>here
Please donate and show support to Erik's family by E mailing mcb.480.mcb@gmail.com and visiting :
26 comments:
How come nobody cares about mixed commands when others are killed? Ohh that's right..when a white dude is killed by the po po then all heck breaks loose and it's Metros fault. But when a brotha is shot..ohh it was standard procedure. But..I guess it takes one of your own to get popped in order for you to see how other's feel. Frankly, i feel the family, but others have been killed by the cops and now he is one of them. Let's rmember him and look to the future and learn something. Cops should not be held accountable if they were not held accountable for other shootings.
In vague situation such as this case, given the lack of the eyewitness testimony from the policeman involved, and Eriks' girlfriend who most likely witnessed most of what went down, Wouldn't one find it odd that 3 police officers would ambush and gun down a suspect who had aldready purchased his goods and left the premisis en route to his vehicle. All within feet of innocent bystanders? Sounds like poor planning, fear, and a very BAD CALL to me. It was definitely overkill...A hero COP was someone that protects the citizen...my first hand knowledge of the cops I've met in this town would lead me to believe that youth, inexperience, fear, panic, inaccountability and the cushion to believe gunning down an innocent citizen behind the badge is acceptable
Yes you are right cops do this all the time only there is no media attention because the victim is a nobody! A freind police officer told me how cops routinely have a untraceable weapon to use as a plant in order to incriminate and justify many extrajudicial excecutions.
It has been said that witness's at Costco close to Erik reported that he was first shot in the back as he lifted his shirt to expose the gun that he was order to drop. He then turned and fell face first to the pavement and the officers fired 5-6 more bullets into his back while shouting orders at him. He never had the chance to finish complying with the order to "drop the gun". He was murdered by three thugs dressed up as peace officers.
This shooting is outrageous. Mr Scott must have been a law abiding man with good self control. You don't graduate from West Point without those qualities. He was an asset to our community rather than a detriment. It seems as though our local police are more of a detriment and danger to all of us, than a community asset. If they shoot people like Mr. Scott, they could shoot any of us. The police will try to whitewash it...but no one should be allowed to get away with murder. This is a job for an independent federal prosecutor. The operations and training of our cops also need to be reviewed by an outside agency....and appropriate corrections made. Until then we all all in danger and all routine traffic stops should be eliminated to minimize contact between the public and the police.
Why did the founding fathers create a convoluted (but effective) system of checks and balances to allow those laws to be questioned, changed or repealed? Why did the founding fathers put THE PEOPLE in authority over the government (through proper elections)? They knew the corrupting nature of power, and they knew the intrinsic right of free men to not be ruled by tyrants begins in the "authority opposition disorder."
There isn't a "free" society in America because the sons and daughters of free men have traded away their birthright for temporary security (and welfare, and social security and bailouts and....)
A Libertarian Utopia is a contradiction in terms, and, as such, cannot exist.
These days if you photograph a cop on duty you go to jail. good bye 1st Amendment.
Seriously, how can the “suspect” have any significant hope of surviving such an encounter if three different police officers (or groups of police officers) yell three mutually-contradictory sets of instructions at him at the same time? He can’t possibly obey all of those instructions simultaneously! “Drop your weapon” inevitably requires you to lower your arm(s) which is a direct violation of “Keep your hands up”. And I have no idea how you are supposed to “get down on the ground without lowering your hands either to brace you on the way down.
This is what “gun-control” actually looks like in practice. They will kill you. He was down, probably mortally-wounded, and they finished him off.
This was cold-blooded murder. But if the government does it, it is not a crime.
The idiot employee was the result of so many years of anti-gun hysteria. He saw a gun. He got scared, because he has been taught that guns are scary, rather than simply tools. He was denied. Perhaps he panicked, or perhaps he was vengeful, but he made up the story of of a wild man with a gun. It was a false charge which led to the man’s death. Will he be charged with depraved indifference? I seriously doubt it. He’ll likely get his 15 minutes of fame, maybe even doing talk shows and get some money for it.
Blood money.
its all about intimidation...its no longer protect & serve.........
My son, Erik, was shot seven times by Metro officers Mosher, Stark and Mendiola. Four, possibly five, of those shots were into Erik’s back. That fifth round was in the armpit area, making it difficult to determine whether it was fired from the front or back. In any event, the wound virtually proves Erik had that hand up, above his head, when he took a round in the armpit.
Two of our team’s investigators, a trauma specialist and a practicing physician, physically examined Erik’s body on July 18th, carefully mapping the entry wounds on his chest and back. There were no exit wounds, thanks to the hollow-point, mushrooming rounds cops use in Vegas. Consequently, we have confirmed that my son was shot at least four times in the back, while he was lying on the ground, bleeding to death. The first shot, taken in the chest, killed Erik, but the three officers still considered that dying young man a threat. Incredible.
My wife and I were 7 or 8 feet away from the shooting as were the police. We were to the suspects immediate right. We heard and saw the 3 police officers shouting to the man in question to 'get on your knees' several times. At that point the man appeared somewhat stunned by the commotion and shouting of the police. His Right arm went up in a defenseless position and it appeared his left arm appeared to be going up but there was NO gun in his hand. He was taserd and shot at the same time. At no time did the man in question ever raise his voice, shout an obscenity or become confrontational with the police. We saw the disabled man stooping to his right facing us with what appeared to be a bullet wound in his upper chest with blood coming from the wound and immediately his eyes became glossy as he began to convulse. At this point he was no threat to anyone, both hands were in full view of us and there was no gun. As he was down, the police continued to shout 'put the gun down' several times...but there was no gun in his hand as we had full vantage point view. The injured man was having agonal respirations, he was down when the second volly of bullets rang out. There was no doubt in question that following the second barrage of bullets the man was dead. His girlfriend was to the back side of us and began to scream.....why did you kill him, he is a military man with a license to carry a concealed weapon. You didn't need to kill him....you didn't need to kill him.
An officer then came up to the injured man who in my opinion was a 'dead' man', was cuffed with his hands behind his back and no attempt by the officer to determine if the man was alive or dead. No apparent life saving aid was given to the 'downed' man. The man was totally lifeless when the Paramedics arrived on scene. I was absolutely surprised to see that no attempt at aggressive ACLS was engaged. They simply just picked up the body like a 'sack of potatoes' and hurled him onto the gurney and into the ambulance This was a crime scene.... the crime scene was violated. One of the paramedics who attended to an injured elderly lady said the man was dead. There was a dead man in front of Costco. What nobody is talking about is that there were many many spectators, many like ourselves within just a few feet of the victim when the shots rang out. It seems to me that the greater danger was posed not by the victim but by the police who fired many shots in the vicinity of the innocent public. I agree with you, I hope the media and your friends family can get their hands of Costco's Camera's which will indeed tell the rest of the story. Also it must be confirmed whether the second gun supposedly found by the victims side was indeed also registered to him as a licensed conceal and carry.
This whole incident was a monumental tragedy; a tragedy for the family and friend and also a tragedy for the involved officers who were pushed into a needless confrontation that reached hysterical proportions due to the overreaction of certain employees and bystanders. This was a needless death.
In summary it is our opinion that the victim did not pose an immediate threat to the public.....and in the final analysis was a case of excessive force
As a classmate of Erick and lawyer that once represented a state police union in a different state, I can pretty much guarantee that Erik Scott would never have removed a weapon from his holster if he were approached by law enforcement. He was a trained combat arms Army officer. Proper weapons handling is taught from day one--and Erik was also in charge of supervising such training for subordinates as a lieutenant. This has all the markings of a poorly trained cop making a really bad mistake.
What I find shocking is that the Las Vegas police appear to be lying and trying to cover up the mistake by suggesting that Scott was reaching for his gun and posed a threat. Message to the three police officers: you just killed a law-abiding, contributing member of your community. Don't make matters worse by perjuring yourselves.
i"m married to a cop and even we see an issue with this shooting, and as for a criminal, why because he had a right to carry a firearm in Nevada, your comment sounds stupid and very very ignorant. Were you there? because my mom was standing 3 feet from him when he was shot and killed. I guess we should just start shooting people who don't comply on the first command,even if there not in fear for there lives, and thats about everyone my husband comes in contact with, and lets not forget the 30 pedestrians who were with in 8 feet when they shot him, thank god they have good aim my mom was the closest person to him, and he never pulled a gun, boy I can't wait for the video to come out!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know the family. Erik is my boss's cousin (I suspect the "Robert L" who posted above); Erik and Rob' were raised together ...the family is devastated by this ...I was at the funeral for the grandfather - a WWII hero, retired major, Bronze star - just last weekend. These are solid people. Patriots. Devout. I just got off the phone with Rob's wife; Erik and Rob' were like brothers. They're shattered by this. As someone else said, Erik was a West Point graduate ...with honors. He was a successful businessman. He did have a CCW. Anyone ...ANYONE ...speculating that he was doing anything wrong at Costco is an idiot ...he was shopping with his girl friend. This is a tragedy ...caused by an idiot Costco employee who's going to have to live with their complicity of the death of this fine man ...and three cops who should lose their badges over this. Y'all need to shut up. Erik was a good man. A good man
I have known Erik for over 9 years. I am a physician and can speak to his character on a personal as well as a professional level. On a personal level, he was one of the most personable and likable people you would ever meet. Another friend of mine, Mike Pusateri, was quoted in the LVRJ today as saying he was "salt of the earth" which describes him to a T. This guy would give you the shirt off his back. Professionally, he was always very articulate and intelligent and contributed to the management of the patients. A true professional.
I have spoken with two people who I know and trust who were at the Costco and both said he was shot in the back and therefore could not have been "pointing a gun at the police officers" as reported by the police captain who was interviewed on the news by the media. All of the eye witness reports state that he did not have a gun in his hand but that it was in his holster. Some reports state that he may have been trying to lift up his shirt to show the weapon or comply with an officer's order to "put it down" by reaching for his weapon to set it down. Erik is a West Point graduate - he knows not to do anything that would be threatening to police officers who have loaded guns pointed at him. Regardless, there is no justification for shooting a man 6-7 times who has his back turned does not have a weapon in his hand.
Its always the same thing, from the same people. Cops all good, never bad, never wrong. Its old. Go read about it, find witness stories, and listen to some realism here. The Capt. flat out lied about the shooting as well, they had guns drawn before anyone came out (verified by an attorney who was also a witness) and the Capt said they tapped Erik on the shoulder. Sure they did. Its complete cover up BS. Multiple people including a guy who did weapons training for Metro said its BS. But I dunno, cops shot him so he must have been a crazed lunatic who pulled his gun and fired through his holster!
I dunno, YOU figure out the truth here. Looks pretty plain if you ask me. I'll bet the video from Costco vanishes. Reportedly, they have more video cameras there than CBS has at a sporting event. As of 3 days after the shooting from news reports, they still did not obtain the videos from Costco
LAS VEGAS - Chris Castillo describes his co-worker and good friend Erik Scott in glowing terms.
"(He) served his country, West Point grad, Duke master's degree, solid business guy," Castillo said. Castillo is shocked Scott was shot and killed by Metro Police Saturday afternoon. "It was very, very hard to believe. Everybody was in disbelief as to what the heck could have happened and why," Castillos said.
The 38-year-old medical salesman was shopping with his girlfriend at Costco when police say trouble began. "What he was doing was removing metal water bottles out of their packages or boxes," said Metro Police Captain Patrick Neville said. "He threw a few on the floor, and put other ones within his cart."
Police say customers complained about Scott's behavior. He allegedly argued with security and refused to obey officers when they arrived. "(He) goes into his waistband area, puts his hand on the weapon, is going for the weapon," Capt. Neville said. "The officer then begins to issue verbal commands for him to get on the ground, get on the ground, get on the ground."
Three officers then fired seven shots. "We have over a dozen witnesses that saw this individual pull a weapon from his waistband," Captain Neville said.
Attorney Ross Goodman represents Scott's family. He says Scott never pulled a gun and was not acting in a threatening way toward officers. He says other witnesses will back that up. Some comments on 8NewsNOW.com from people who claim to have witnessed the shooting agree with Goodman.
One person wrote, "I saw the whole thing go down from start to finish, and the cops were trigger happy. The guy never had a chance." "I was there, and I never saw this guy do anything with his gun," another person wrote. "The police started shooting immediately after ‘drop it' was yelled."
Metro officers say they haven't heard those eyewitness accounts yet and encourage anyone who saw anything to contact them.
"It sounds like he was trying to show the police his gun by lifting up his shirt," Castillo said. "These guys, they fired prematurely."
Captain Neville says 911 calls will prove otherwise. "I could clearly hear the officers giving commands to the individual to get him on the ground," he said. "You could hear people yelling and screaming in the background. You could hear the shots being fired." "When you listen to that, it definitely sends a chill down your spine," Capt. Neville said.
Goodman says he hopes surveillance video, along with the witnesses he's hearing from, will show Scott did nothing wrong.
LAS VEGAS - Chris Castillo describes his co-worker and good friend Erik Scott in glowing terms.
"(He) served his country, West Point grad, Duke master's degree, solid business guy," Castillo said. Castillo is shocked Scott was shot and killed by Metro Police Saturday afternoon. "It was very, very hard to believe. Everybody was in disbelief as to what the heck could have happened and why," Castillos said.
The 38-year-old medical salesman was shopping with his girlfriend at Costco when police say trouble began. "What he was doing was removing metal water bottles out of their packages or boxes," said Metro Police Captain Patrick Neville said. "He threw a few on the floor, and put other ones within his cart."
Police say customers complained about Scott's behavior. He allegedly argued with security and refused to obey officers when they arrived. "(He) goes into his waistband area, puts his hand on the weapon, is going for the weapon," Capt. Neville said. "The officer then begins to issue verbal commands for him to get on the ground, get on the ground, get on the ground."
Three officers then fired seven shots. "We have over a dozen witnesses that saw this individual pull a weapon from his waistband," Captain Neville said.
Attorney Ross Goodman represents Scott's family. He says Scott never pulled a gun and was not acting in a threatening way toward officers. He says other witnesses will back that up. Some comments on 8NewsNOW.com from people who claim to have witnessed the shooting agree with Goodman.
One person wrote, "I saw the whole thing go down from start to finish, and the cops were trigger happy. The guy never had a chance." "I was there, and I never saw this guy do anything with his gun," another person wrote. "The police started shooting immediately after ‘drop it' was yelled."
Metro officers say they haven't heard those eyewitness accounts yet and encourage anyone who saw anything to contact them.
"It sounds like he was trying to show the police his gun by lifting up his shirt," Castillo said. "These guys, they fired prematurely."
Captain Neville says 911 calls will prove otherwise. "I could clearly hear the officers giving commands to the individual to get him on the ground," he said. "You could hear people yelling and screaming in the background. You could hear the shots being fired." "When you listen to that, it definitely sends a chill down your spine," Capt. Neville said.
Goodman says he hopes surveillance video, along with the witnesses he's hearing from, will show Scott did nothing wrong.
Erick should have been a Muslim then the cops would of apologized and sent him on his way!
It's an interesting story, Ray, but if you want stories unrelated to elder abuse, there are plenty! My first thought while reading this, is why didn't Mr. Scott leave the store when the employee explained to him that it is against store policy to carry a gun in the store? That, to me, would have been the decent thing to do. I don't care who has a permit to carry a weapon, a rule is a rule. Did he think he was above following the rule? If I'm shopping in a local store, I don't want to be among people with "permits" carrying weapons. I feel bad for this man and my heart goes out to his family. If, by any chance the information put out there was true and he was acting radically, it could have been an officer killed. Granted, there are police officers that act overzealous and shoot when it isn't necessary but then there are others that don't shoot and end up dead. I wouldn't trade places with a police officer for all the money in the world! Damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Good story though and I see why you follow it, but there are so many other stories where innocent people have been killed by police. Not that all of them are necessary. I just think this story is way off base for comparing to elder abuse that is happening in our courts!
Hope you don't mind my writing my opinion. May not agree with me but I felt I had to add to the "other side". Thank you for all you do for the elders. They need all the help they can get and you are a force in their favor!
Jamie
Not at all Jamie, thanks for expressing yourself I would never object to anyone's opinion,or exercising their right to expression , it is a G-d given right.
That being said it is also a G-d given right to protect your life as no one has a right to take another person's life.
In Israel many citizens share in the responsibility to protect themselves and their families this has prevented many mass murders of innocent civilians. the Great Thomas Jefferson (Quoting Cesare Beccaria)
said:
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.”
What do the mass murders in Virgina Tech and Fort Hood have in common "Gun Free Zone" do you think there would have been 12 killed and 31 badly injured if citizens were armed?
Before a permit to carry CCW is given there is usually some sort of proficiency and training and most legal gun owners as myself are responsible people and I for one would be relieve to find some of them in the store with me should a deranged individual bent on revenge with a religious motivation start to kill dozens of innocent victims as has been the case in gun free zones here in the US.
By the way do you know that states with the most stringent gun laws have the highest murder and crime rates?
Also Jamie if I might add : There was not a sign posted in the store so Erik had no way of knowing the store's rules and that is no reason to take a person's life.
Bill Scott: The Clark County Coroner’s Inquest Hearing into my son’s slaying on July 10th at the Summerlin Costco store will be held in Las Vegas, NV, this week. As a one-sided, unchallenged insult to the tenets of U.S. due process, the hearing promises to be quite a show. ..... It will be nauseating amateur theater carefully orchestrated and controlled ...........this abomination of justice has only two objectives: To destroy Erik Scott’s reputation, and to .......
Ray Fernandez: Nearly half of all Americans now use prescription drugs on a regular basis according to a CDC report that was just released. Hardly a capital offense this should not even be brought up... take the focus away from the perps and put on the victim, all of us who have had to fight to free our parents from abusive guardianship recognize the horse and pony show you describe... most people think this can't happen to them,here... you probably did too until it did! Denial is a beautiful thing until it's your turn. then you have to publish your own blog because no one will believe your story . I am truly sorry that you had to find out the hard way that the people whom you trusted to uphold the truth and meet out justice are not really your friends after all... those who have not felt this betrayal will not understand.... no until it's their turn......
Robert "The police officer's responding to that 911 call had no idea what they were going to confront, they had no way of knowing what a great guy Erik was. "
Ray: I thought about this and your are absolutely right! Since we often don't have time to dress up when we run to Cosco for something, how could police have known! To avoid these types of mistakes in the future we ought to screen people and separate the 'nice guys' from the 'dirt bags' a tattoo displayed in a prominent place would work just fine.... that way when cops are in the mood to go out and ice some bad guys they could avoid costly mistakes like these that could cost them their careers when they dust off the wrong people!
Robert Edward LaCentra Ray I am not defending those cops. That one officer 3 shootings in 5 years, I was involved with law enforcement for 25 years in the US Navy and 8 years as a police officer in Florida. Never had to draw a weapon. I am trying to say that those officers appeared to be undertrained and Erik made a move and they percieved to be a threat. I do not think Erik ever even came close to drawing a weapon on those cops, I also agree with you as to the inital confrontation. He was not posing a treat when he left the store wait unit he is alone and closer to his vehicle before you confront him. Just so you understand I also carry a weapon. I have had a CCW for about 15 years. When I used the car back firing analagy I was saying the tensions where high and judging from the other officers reactions cutting loose with gunfire thats all it would have taken. Again it boils down to leadership and training.
Post a Comment