A couple of days I wrote a post about a shooting incident in Pembroke Pines involving a Customs Officer who was shot to death.
The story gets stranger, and something is not quite right. Here is a follow up to the original.
It is now reported as ROAD RAGE, and that the deceased and the shooter exchanged obscene gestures while driving on the same road. The shooter pulled into the post office, and the deceased pulled into the same post office parking lot, where the 2 continued to argue. At that point, the shooter took a weapon from his waistband and fired one shot, killing the deceased.
Here is where it gets weird:
The "Bad Guy" had a pistol license. Obviously he had no criminal record. The "Bad Guy" was also, GET THIS, an elderly kidney dialysis patient on his way to get treatment!!! This was no thug, this was an frail and elderly man confronted in the parking lot by, what has been reported, a screaming, aggresive, and by all accounts burly man. It is true that the shooter left the scene. Only to be arrested 2 blocks away at the dialysis center! Turns out, the center operates on a tight schedule. Dialysis patients DIE if they miss their treatments
Then the police claimed that the deceased was "on duty". Read the article. The deceased's DAUGHTER was the key witness, and she is 12 years old. Do all customs agents take their daughter on "Duty" with them? Give me a break, the guy was not on duty.
Stunningly, I was not the only citizen to pick up on the outrageous level of resources apportioned to this incident. Thousands of Floridians have written the local newspaper to express their displeasure. Not the least of which was that many felt intimidated by the police during the operation, and I can personally relate - I am terified of the police in South Florida due to my own experience with them on a recent "drag net". At least as much so as I am afraid of the real Bad Guys. And I am a well-to-do, middle aged, white Republican type - I can't imagine how young black men feel.
I was thrilled that I was not the only local who pointed out the unfairness of it all.
As for the facts of the case. Had the deceased been the old man, and the shooter the Customs Agent, you can be sure that no charges would have been filed. Law Enforcement personnel shoot people. Even for road rage.
I am not excusing the shooter. I have no idea what transpired. But this event simply does not add up to" "Punk shoots cop. Cops get Punk. Punk goes to electric chair." Law Enforcement personnel are not granted privledges to torment civilians while off duty. Florida law is very specific about not requiring an indivudual to retreat when threatened.
I wonder if the shooter has the money to afford they legal team he would need to air this out.
What does this have to do with Energy? 500 person law enforcement activities will be a thing of the past in the very near future.
Thank Heavens!
Mentatt (at) yahoo (d0t) com
7 comments:
Theres more to this story, I guarantee it, and if the "frail old man" (who seems to have enough energy to get into verbal fights), shot him for no good reason, that will be dealt with. I am leery of modern law enforcement too, but if the shit hits the fan and energy sends society on a downward spiral, you'll be happy the cops were around, overpaid and overstaffed though they may be.
That was was neither of the points I was trying to make.
First, read the link in the sun sentinel about how different "victims" get different levels of attention. That was my primary point.
Second, that 500 fully paid government employees was a serious abuse of tax payer money. Why not 1000, or 10,000 cops? Why stop at 500? If you were murdered, believe me, 500 cops would not be out closing down an entire town and scarring the shit out of people with the guns and dogs and out fits that are more befitting goose stepping down the Straza or invading Poland.
Lastly, this case has become more interesting by the moment. Did the shooter know the decease was a Law Enforcement officer? Why would he think so considering witness statements that they were flipping the bird to each other down the highway? Did the shooter feel threatened? Wouldn't you?
I guess you don't live in South Florida. Violent crime is NO JOKE down here. It is hard to tell the good guys from the bad, and Law Enforcement here has been embarrassed repeatedly by corruption stings engineered by the FBI.
Finally, by all accounts the shooter is 65 years old, in poor health from kidney failure and a dialysis patient. That would meet my definition of frail. Maybe "frail" does not work for you... pick another adjective, I am not married to frail.
IF you were paying attention when Cheney/Bush shredded the constitution, you would have noticed the steady rise in police-state activity.
This 500 man show of force seems to be what it takes to get some people's attention; The 'Decider' laughing about breaking laws is just not dramatic enough to rouse Joe six-pack from his stupor.
Thomas Jefferson said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
It seems the tree of liberty is very thirsty these days.
I have attorneys in the family, including DA's and prosecutors, and can assure you that they have all confided and agree upon one truth - there is nothing fair or just about the US justice or law enforcement system. Your best bet is to never get caught in the jaws of the beast, and if you are, you get the best justice you can afford. Those who are well connected will always end up laughing.
You guys are so cynical. :) I live in Chicago and the summer has been filled with stories of (a few) kids getting shot (so I live with violent news everyday). It is very easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys here: the Chicago police are the best dressed :) (thank you fashionable NYPD Blue -- New turtlenecks and nice pants with all the pockets, and their baseball hats, not to mention NOBODY drives Ford Crown Vics anymore except the cops). The news yesterday was about one cop getting fired for having sex in a police station, and another one for yelling at a Starbucks clerk because they wouldn't give her free coffee. These are the people you are so afraid of? You guys sure assume we can do all this "population-suppression" shit, but you are driven solely by your own self-generated fear based on only that. Remember the Cold War? When everyone assumed Russia and the U.S. could destroy the world, and the KGB and CIA were capable of amazing, oppressive stuff? It was all a big nothing, just like you all are promoting right now. We Federal workers aren't capable of much of anything over-the-top. :) You're all safe.
I seem to recall the Nazi's being rather snappily dressed, as well.
Post a Comment