Subscriber Comments for
101 Shooting Incident Report

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 293592	2012-07-02 07:36 PM
sounds fishy
COMMENT 293593	2012-07-02 07:43 PM
With the over reaction on milpas the other day I fear this was just a matter of time.. shoot first ask questions later mentality.
COMMENT 293606P	2012-07-02 08:53 PM
293593 really how do you get this was a 1st shoot, ask questions later situation as the release or initial media reports describe it? The act of driving against traffic and ramming a police cruiser both would seem like a reason for use of force.
COMMENT 293611P	2012-07-02 09:57 PM
In the "old days", when hardly anyone lived in SB, we used to ditch cops on our motorcycles. This is nowhere near being innocuous like that. The guy used his car as a weapon and now the cop has to deal with the emotional fallout from that. How can you seriously question that?
COMMENT 293625	2012-07-03 06:34 AM
Oh right ... So the guy drives the wrong way on the freeway and then rams a cop car but shooting him was overkill (no pun intended)? Give me a damn break people.
COMMENT 293626P	2012-07-03 06:49 AM
Didnt SB Sheriffs shoot and kill someone just last week? Though Im sure there will be "justifiable" reasons given, still gives one pause, in a County like ours.
COMMENT 293628	2012-07-03 06:55 AM
An officer's life was in danger as were the lives of ordinary citizens who were confronted with a desperate, irrational wrong-way-on the-freeway driving criminal who had just been caught inside a house. Deadly force was indicated. For those of you who say this was overkill, what would you have said if one innocent bystander was killed or maimed by this criminal? There was enough provocation and indication that the suspect was uncooperative and dangerous. I'm glad they shot him before he could harm someone.
COMMENT 293630	2012-07-03 07:04 AM
A warm, fuzzy, feel-good story.
COMMENT 293631	2012-07-03 07:04 AM
Thank you very much Officers for a job well done!!!!!
COMMENT 293632	2012-07-03 07:12 AM
In these tough financial times, I propose we do away with our expensive judicial system. From the Sheriff's media release it's easy to glean the details of what happened and where blame lies. Why pay lawyers, judges, juries, and administrative personal to dig deeper?
COMMENT 293642	2012-07-03 07:41 AM
I don't get how people think this was not justified with the information being released. He was ramming the officers car, the officer has no idea where this guy is going to draw the line, does not know the mindset of the individual and has a responsibility to protect himself and others. This person was driving the wrong way on the freeway, if he let him continue he could have killed an innocent family. It's unfortunate this person chose to behave in this manner, but we've all seen TV, we've all seen what happens when you assault police officers. This is the end you can expect, especially when you are in a car and the only visible parts of your body are upper torso and head with multiple kill zones.
COMMENT 293643	2012-07-03 07:46 AM
The limited information that has been publicized so far makes clear the suspect posed a significant danger to the public and the police. No information has been publicized that points to the contrary. How anyone can warp the confirmed facts into a referendum on law enforcement is beyond me. It is unfortunate or worse that this suspect chose to live and die as he did, but I thank the police from the bottom of my heart for their bravery and courage in protecting themselves and the rest of us from further harm.
COMMENT 293645	2012-07-03 08:09 AM
Seems to me that cops are trigger happy, or feel their badge justifies them to shoot to kill when non-lethal force could be used like spike strips or bean bags. The suspect was not shooting at the cops, he merely ran into a cop car causing no known injuries. Sure going into oncoming traffic could have caused a serious accident, but it didn't and doesn't justify killing someone. Shoot out the tires and use other options, a robbery and police chase doesn't justify killing someone especially when he was surrounded, his car was immobile, and he didn't have a gun. As a cop your emotions can not effect using good judgement and taking a non-lethal route.
COMMENT 293646P	2012-07-03 08:15 AM
Officers could have shot out the tires instead of the driver. Yes he broke the law by driving the wrong way on the freeway and he rammed a cop car with his car. Why not take out the object that was allowing the suspect (yes he was not yet convicted of the crime) to create such chaos. He did not shoot at officers, he used the car. If the officers had disabled the vehicle they could have arrested him and charged him. B&E, Theft, and all of the charges associated with the chase.
ZEUSTHEGOOSE	2012-07-03 08:16 AM
i wouldn't say this was excessive, driving the wrong way on the highway while running from the police after breaking into someone's home is endangering the lives of many and worth taking one to prevent a tragedy. this guy was no Kenneth Chamberlain, i wonder why the media doesn't talk about him? see link-----> http://www.democracynow.org/2012/7/2/kenneth_chamberlains_family_files_suit_after
COMMENT 293656	2012-07-03 08:36 AM
all the clueless arm chair QBs are out early today. thank goodness none of you are law enforcement. go back to your cereal. thanks. should have shot out the tires....riiighht.
COMMENT 293664	2012-07-03 08:52 AM
The stress of being an officer is more than intense. Dealing with such hysteria and insanity on a daily basis. Stressing each and every day that one wrong step can take your life. I applaude this officers conduct and appreciate his protecting the peace. As a secondary measure, this message needs to get out to the crooks who attempt to run away only to get caught and surrender anyway. I'm tired of the chase game. Be an idiot? Go down.
COMMENT 293625	2012-07-03 09:01 AM
Cops didn't know if he was armed or not. If he was, why chance it by just shooting his tires? ....And spike strips? The freeway wasn't closed and he hadn't been "on the run" long enough to have even closed the fwy or set up spike strips. Think about the big picture, w/out getting your own emotions involved. The suspect did the wrong thing, all day, and should have known better than to do all of the things he did throughout the day. He posed a threat to many innocent civilians and the officers involved. Act right.
COMMENT 293668	2012-07-03 09:03 AM
I'm grateful that this person did not harm anyone in the process of this!
COMMENT 293642	2012-07-03 09:17 AM
@646p - Shoot out the tires? You realize that a vehicle can still move with flat tires right? It's not an automobile when you are ramming something, it is a weapon, he didn't need to have a gun at that point. He made a decision that unfortunately, ended his life. He could have just accepted that he was caught and surrendered, he chose to take any means possible to run, which included the possibility that he could be killed by officers. When he stopped on that bridge, he made a choice to not surrender and to attack the officer with his car. That was an act of assault that put the officers life in jeopardy and gave him no choice but to end the confrontation in this manner.
COMMENT 293682	2012-07-03 09:29 AM
"He didn't use a gun, MERELY rammed him with his car"! GIMME A BREAK!!! Where does anyone get off thinking that a 3,000 lb automobile isn't a deadly weapon? I'd say reimburse the officer for the cost of the bullets, give him 2 weeks extra paid vacation, and commend him for saving the county thousands of $$$ in court and prison costs.
ROGER DODGER	2012-07-03 10:56 AM
Good shot!
COMMENT 293817	2012-07-03 01:43 PM
Great way to stop jail overcrowding.
COMMENT 293646P	2012-07-03 02:31 PM
I guess I just look at this differently than many others. Perhaps we should just start shooting every person who commits robbery or runs from police. Better yet why not do what most animal shelters do and put down anyone that doesn't pass a personality test. If you don't live and act the way society demands you don't get to live. We wouldn't have overcrowded jails for sure. Overpopulation solved as well.
COMMENT 293817	2012-07-03 03:20 PM
646p He wasn't running from the police he was headed right for him.
COMMENT 293643	2012-07-03 04:56 PM
I continue to be amazed and depressed that certain posters, who have no facts about this incident other than the ones manifestly showing the known and potential danger this suspect posed, reflexively and ignorantly second-guess the police response. Why not wait to hear some details? Also, would any of the skeptics care to wager whether testing of the victim will establish that he was under the influence of drugs (probably a stimulant like meth) when this occurred? Do you think this guy had a record, and do you think the cops had that information handy as this played out? Let's wait and see.

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