A North Carolina officer shot dead a 74-year-old man whose concerned family had called the police and asked to check on him.
Officer
Josh Lefevers arrived at the home of James Allen just before midnight
on Sunday morning and announced he was entering the residence when Allen
approached him with a handgun and refused to put it down, police said.
Lefevers then shot and killed him.
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You already know how this will be played out. The murder....er....heroic LEO will be placed on administrative leave (aka an unplanned paid vacation) pending an investigation by the depts own internal affairs,which will (suprise, suprise) find the officer innocent of any wrong doing. They will determine that; the officer acted within dept policy and guidelines, he feared for his safety and the dead guy got what he deserved, by resisting arrest. It's a done deal
ReplyDeleteWe shall see. Thanks.
Deletelet's see. NC has a castle doctorine/stand your ground law. Man is in his own home
ReplyDeletein the middle of the night. He's 74 years old. Someone breaks in. He tries to defend
his home. He's broken no laws. He has a constitutional right to be secure in his person and property. The cop has no probable cause to think the man is committing a crime or dangerous yet instead of retreating he demands the homeowner drop his gun and then shoots him dead!
All I can say is it's a damned shame the old man didn't get a shot off! If the DA doesn't prosecute that cop he should lose his job too. CH
I'd like to find out if the cop was clearly visible or obscured.
DeleteWhy would that matter? They had no warrant; meaning no right to be in this mans house... they could be yelling LEO at the top of their lungs and it shouldn't matter, They had no right or lawful reason to invade his house, If they had not entered he would most likely still be alive today.
DeleteThey should be charged with murder and executed just like any other armed burgler who killed a homeowner.
exactly right!. Some third party calling a phone and not getting an answer is not a reason to invade someone's domicile. I'd be willing to bet that the cop entered the house with his gun drawn. The very reason they call a cop to do those entries is so the EMS folks won't get charged with illegal entry. What gives the cop the right without a warrant?
DeleteDon't get me wrong. I'm glad that cops enter old folks houses to rescue them when they are ill but when they do they should NOT be brandishing
a firearm and if the surprised gun owner comes out with a gun they should duck for cover and leave until a court authorizes them to do otherwise. After all, when the man comes walking through his house with his gun it's pretty apparent he's not in physical distress and the entire reason for the entry is now a mute point. CH
when the man comes walking through his house with his gun it's pretty apparent he's not in physical distress and the entire reason for the entry is now a mute point.
DeleteGood point.
There are several lessons to be learned from this, however the most important would seem to be if you are concerned for the welfare of a family member you should go check on them yourself and don't call the police. Having a key to his home and checking for themselves would have prevented this. Also if the cop knocked on the door and the man did not answer why did he force his way in? Why not call the family and ask permission to enter the house. Based on the article there did not seem to be exigent circumstances, he had no reason to enter the home. Bottom line take care of your own family issues and leave the government out of it.
ReplyDeleteif you are concerned for the welfare of a family member you should go check on them yourself and don't call the police.
DeleteAnother happened recently and this was brought up, but you would think common sense would prevail.
Let me be clear, I dont like that the homeowner was shot and killed. When a family member requests a welfare check, and the police check it out and determine that EMS is needed, the officer must make sure there is no hazzard to EMS workers. When the LEO goes in to secure the dwelling and finds a man pointing a gun at him, unless the LEO knows the homeowner, he has no way of knowing who the guy is that is pointing a gun at him. I could arm chair quarterback this and say that the LEO should have backed out and got more info on the situation but when someone is pointing a gun at you, the only thing you think of is how to survive. I also have to wonder why the concerned family member didnt check on the man himself? Was there a history or concern of mental unstability? And if so were the police warned of a possible threat? There is probly a lot more to this story than what we have read.
ReplyDeleteAll good points and I concur.
Delete"how to survive".... That's exactly what the old man was thinking when he
Deleteheard someone in his house late at night! But he didn't shoot. The cop did.
the one person in the group that is supposedly trained to deal with the situation is the one who shot and killed an innocent man. Yes I know that cops and EMS people have a sometimes dangerous job but they are NOT drafted and forced to do it.
The mindset seems to be "I'm going to rescue that SOB if I have to kill him to do it"
CH
The cop is in someone else's house, even if he has a good reason to be there. When guns come out, the cop has a moral obligation to de-escalate the situation by becoming submissive. This tactic is antithetical to police training and demeanor. As this case clearly points out, winning this gunfight = losing.
Deletethe one person in the group that is supposedly trained to deal with the situation is the one who shot and killed an innocent man.
Deletewinning this gunfight = losing.
Well said.
Promote that cop to the SWAT team! /sarc
ReplyDeleteAnother dead citizen. Defending his own home. Would you have done differently? Would Officer Leftover, himself, have done differently? Then why is Officer Leftover (or his family) any different? How can they object should the same thing happen to themselves?
ReplyDeleteWould you have done differently?
DeleteNo, as I have done the exact same thing many times and fortunately each was a false alarm.
Was the homeowner deaf, blind, incapable of clear thought? Did the police car have lights rolling, how many times do you have to yell "police" or "sheriffs department" before you enter the house? Like I said before, what is the whole story? And as far as police and EMS "volunteering" to enter a dwelling, youre correct, its their choice to enter the building and save your sorry ass. Maybe they should just stay in the next time they get a dispatch call. (And no Im not a fan of cops, emt's or firefighters who call themselves heroes) We just dont know what the whole story is yet. Im quite certain that no cop wants to be labeled as the guy that killed grampa.
ReplyDeleteWe just dont know what the whole story is yet.
DeleteExactly.
Ok. Ive been digging.. The 74 year old homeowner was post surgical and may have been medicated with painkillers. The officer entered along with paramedics. It sounds like they broke down the back door and startled the homeowner.
ReplyDeleteA sad, split second decision.
DeleteVia Harry
ReplyDeleteThe State Bureau of Investigation is looking into the fatal shooting of an elderly Gastonia man Saturday night, by a police officer sent to check on his welfare at his home.
http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/crime/2015/02/08/gastoina-police-officer-involved-in-deadly-shooting/23075073/
If you want someone killed, beaten to a pulp, framed for a drug crime or otherwise abused in a hellacious manner call the po po. If you are truly concerned for their well being the police are THE LAST people you should call. The badgemonkeys have only ONE TOOL in their toolbox.....violence. And that is all they bring to the party.
ReplyDeleteI guess it is Obama laziness as this is the second such story recently. Don't get involved, just call the authorities.
Delete