Swat officer flashbangs and headshots 7 year old girl in warrant less wrong address raid. No punishm

Forgive me if i'm wrong here, but don't these "Special" officers train in these situations to avoid this happening?

Dont they get sent to the kill house where paper targets of gunmen holding hostages pop up and little girls with umbrellas spring from behind corners to test their reponse?

The whole team should be fired and the shooter jailed for negligent homicide.

a reply to: bigman88 The thing to do is go against them financially. When they settle the lawsuit and settlement, take the money from the pension fund of the officers. Not from the police departments operating budget, not from the county or municipality, taxpayers wouldn't be charged one penny. I'm sure they have insurance against lawsuits but the increase and costs for the insurance costs would be deducted from the police pension fund. If the insurance companies fight what was a criminally negligent act and don't want to pay, the costs for arbitration and court costs still get deducted from the police pension fund. When current officers and retired officers see that they're future and current retirement benefits have taken a hit and will be reduced due to the actions of a few bad or idiot cops, you can bet they'll weed out the problem officers and not cover for them.

a reply to: 0bservant

Don't be so damn ignorant as to accept this "reacted to motion as he was trained" bull plop.

Aw spit. The grandmas testimony that she reached to protect her child?

Training is fine and all on the range. And the first thing to go out the door. "Critical thinking" is replaced by whatever is practiced by rote.

Shooting at silhouettes that present under lighting conditions that are bright enough to discern the difference between "grandma reaching for baby" and "known felon reaching for an AK" don't apply in the darkened room reality of black people "moving around in darkened rooms".

Think about that for a minute. Set that up on your training range and see how many guys guess wrong "in training", let alone the real world.

First off I am deeply saddened by this tragic event. A child should never have their life cut short.

I understand why people are blaming the SWAT team here and rightfully so. But full scale the blame is on the stupidity of the american people. 100's of millions of just plain stupid people. There is a reason we have the police state the way it is. It's all of these stupid people that ruin it for the smart one's like myself. (By smart I mean not putting myself at risk or my families at risk because of illegal activity).

originally posted by: IamAbeliever

originally posted by: funkadeliaaaa

originally posted by: IamAbeliever
These f#cking pigs are out of control. They better prepare themselves for the coming war.

Troll

How does this make me a troll? Because I speak the truth?

Most of these cowards have never gone up against anything that shoots back. Pigs. That's all they are.

This. These guys are armed and trained for small, bot that dangerous threats. Or not threatening at all. They think they are badass warriors. But they do not engage any people who shoot back with close to the amount of gear, weaponry, or numbers.

a reply to: bigman88
In the past I have looked down on rioters and demonstrator's that have shown there anger by hitting the streets, I have always thought there was a better way, but this has hit me hard and I think I would be right there next to them.

WHERE !!! are the Sharpton's and Jacksons where there is a true event to stand up to, where are the people in the streets calling for this murdering "COPS" head.

At the very least I hope the family sue this defect for wrongful death. This cop just shot in a haze of smoke without even caring what he hit, intell should have told them there was a child in the house....INTELL, that's a joke !!!

a reply to: bigman88

Oh man, I want to fly off the handle. I really do. I'm sitting here with goosebumps brought forth by anger. This is getting ludicrous. No knock warrants are idiotic, plain and simple. Mix in no knock warrants with idiots carrying badges and a gun and you're f****g begging for s*** like this to happen.

1) Get rid of the NKW's
2) Get rid of the idiots
3) ???
4) Profit

originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: FraggleRock

Let me start by saying that I think this a a huge tragedy and think that raids like this should essentially be done away with. The risks far outweigh the reward. There are far too many mistakes made. Most of these SWAT teams are not trained well enough, and suck far too much money from the taxpayer while simultaneously endangering everyone involved (or in the vicinity).

That beautiful little girl didn't need to die.

In response to your question though:

Because they charged him with involuntary manslaughter. Involuntary manslaughter is reckless behavior that kills someone (without any intent) like a DUI, or killing someone on accident while committing another crime.

Of course everyone is going to say he was acting recklessly since he had his finger on the trigger and was bumped (which I don't buy), or that just participating in a no knock raid is reckless (which I agree with most of the time, certainly in this instance). But were his actions actually reckless?

I don't think anyone can say definitively. I don't know how to phrase this without it sounding jackbootish, but it wasn't his job to pick the door he went through. He didn't make the massive f-up getting the incorrect address. An analogy that I admit is a bit of a stretch would be being the guy that hits the button to demolish a building and kills someone because the person in charge of assuring that wouldn't happen did a crappy job. I think he is indeed a scapegoat.

So the problem here is that there is no 100% proof. Juries are instructed that if there is reasonable doubt they can't lay blame. There is reasonable doubt that Weekley wasn't bumped by the grandmother, just as there is reasonable doubt that he was. Yes, the girl is dead and we know who pulled the trigger, but if there is still some doubt the jury shouldn't be sentencing. You have to take two people at their word, and when that happens there is enough doubt. The same would be true if they were trying to charge the Grandmother.

Now do I think the Grandmother bumped the gun? I was going to say I was 90% sure she couldn't have, but I was thinking about how my place is set up. The couch is a LOOONG way from the front door in my home. If these folks had the couch right next to the door, I can see someone being startled and smacking at a gun. I don't think it's entirely unreasonable unless I see a layout of the house at the time of the raid.

So unless there is 100% proof that the cop was negligent (to a level that would satisfy a court) I can certainly see how the case keeps getting thrown out. It's distasteful, but it should be that way.

I think we all want someone to be punished when a child is shot in the head, but I don't think this thing is that black and white. The law isn't about vengeance. There is a reason for these protections. We should all be assured them.

+++++I'm going to use this as an opportunity to say that ALL cops need to be wearing body cameras. ESPECIALLY guys on SWAT teams. They will pay for themselves by knocking out frivolous lawsuits that routinely end up as settlements because it's cheaper than having the lawyers fight. They've been proven to drastically reduce reports of brutality. If this cop was wearing one the trial would have been over in minutes.+++++

Reasonable and logical. I'm with you, but up to a point.

a stun grenade was tossed right onto the coach where they were lying though. Or right next to it. One of things blowing up that close to you means you can't see anything but a sheet of bright white light in your eyes, and you can't here anything but muffled noises, it would be HIGHLY improbable of grandma to get up and do any mp5 sub machine gun smacking.

Then they did not arrest the grandma immediately, which they would have done if she did smack a gun. Then the family's accounts of the police making the family sit around in the blood of the little girl while they rummaged through the house.

Make an example of him and the person who ordered that family's home raided. Put them in general population for life.

originally posted by: framedragged
a reply to: TzarChasm

But at the same time, two separate juries haven't found the 'officer' guilty of anything. How can public opinion possibly be so split about shooting a 7 year old after flashbanging her and her grandma? How could any jury possibly believe that the grandma went for the gun after being flashbanged?

because their names are on records easily available to the local police which enables law enforcement to target them for making their department look stupid. "Oh, you look famliar...you were a juror on so and so's trial, right? Yeah, he's a buddy of mine...doing 15 years hard time for doing his job...so that's speeding, evading arrest, assaulting an officer, possession of coc aine and marijuana AND meth, operating a vehicle under the influence, and...yeah, why not, lets put an expired license in there as well."

cops are downright nasty when they want to be. so its best not to be associated with any process that puts one of their buddies in trouble. unless you thimk you have the endurance and smarts to outplay the entire police department. good luck with that.

originally posted by: dreamingawake
This is sick beyond words but can it be seen finally what this has come to? Will leave this and in memory of lives torn apart:

First they came for the homeless but i didn't care I wasn't homeless.

Then they came for the peaceful protestors, I didn't care because I don't protest.

Then they came for someone who was complying after being pulled over for a violation.

Then they came for my neighbors, I didn't care because I don't do anything wrong.

Then they came for my dog, but I didn't care because he was barking, that scared the officer.

Then they came for my... children...

I like this one. Applies well to this reality.

a reply to: intrptr

It's very simple really, identify a threat before using lethal force.
Maybe we should use those big fancy spotlights for situations such as darkened rooms?

The guys that guess wrong in training, shouldn't pass the training.
If they're making mistakes with a target dummies life, why should they be allowed to carry anything more than pepper spray or a taser? Send them to the mall parking lot with a bright orange reflective vest.

In law enforcement, you're not allowed to make mistakes that cost the lives of innocents. (In a real world)

originally posted by: BigEvil
Hmm, seems like this happened back in May 2010, but this is the first time I am hearing of it.

According to the accused; the girl's Grandmother was trying to grab ahold of his gun in trying to grab her granddaughter. When she went to grab his gun, he fired.

6 seconds after a stun grenade went off right next to her. Right.

originally posted by: BlastedCaddy
What is going on? I was a LEO for some time back in the late 90s to early 2ks. I thought that was what I wanted to do. Be a cop... In my youth I was surrounded by great cops in a small PD. I grew and became determined that I wanted to be just like them. So I graduated HS and went into the Police Academy before my first semester at college. I was trained to meet with equal force. If a guy had a gun I was to draw my gun. If they had a knife I had OC, a taser and a baton. If they had nothing I had me and my partner. I joined the PD and the faces had changed. The good cops had retired. I was party to no warrant searches and bribes. I saw things in such a little town that I had never seen before. I did not last long.

15 years ago I realized what was coming down the pipe. I wanted no part of it... Just before my resignation and returning to school full time the State AG, the State Police and The FBI shut the town down. Fired everyone but the 4 old timers. Hired a Hollywood chief and restocked the force. Only a handful of the fired cops returned to police work. That Hollywood chief went on to have his own show on TV where he used psychic kids to help solve murders. Since then the town has changed and it has changed for the worse. Community policing does not exist where it should in such a small town. Its reactive policing not proactive. That has been the trend of that town for the past 15 years as it is the trend these days all over.

Good luck and keep safe everyone.

Praise the good cops because there are not enough and I'm sure they don't hear it enough. Protect yourself from the bad cops. If you don't no one will.

You did the right thing. Thank you.

But about the good cops you were surrounded by, they were nice people, but depending on the laws in your local community, would be writing someone a ticket for for some trivial nonsense no one should be forced to pay for. If they don't pay it's jail. If they don't care for the idea of jail and resist, what comes next. That's why i say there is no such thing as good cops.

But i don't know the laws in your area, or if the cops followed them. I always here about how police before were nicer, and in a some degrees yes, but i still think the government made sure to higher brutes to do the active duty jobs. I think today it's just the use of swat teams for every damn thing, including parking violations and gambling.

The cop that pulled the trigger should get the death penalty. And everyone else involved should get life in prison without parole. Only then will there be justice.

Hung jury?

skimming the pages...

Witness tampering?

that's my guess.

Some kind of fonzy-complex?

a reply to: intrptr

We don't blend in as well in the darkness as people like to joke, you know. When the lights go out we don't form into shadows and what not. And they had flashlight attachments at the end of their guns, i would think.

And a flashbang went off right next to them.

a reply to: bigman88

Well, you made me cry for the day...Jesus Christ. All I can think about is if that was my kid.

originally posted by: HawkeyeNation
First off I am deeply saddened by this tragic event. A child should never have their life cut short.

I understand why people are blaming the SWAT team here and rightfully so. But full scale the blame is on the stupidity of the american people. 100's of millions of just plain stupid people. There is a reason we have the police state the way it is. It's all of these stupid people that ruin it for the smart one's like myself. (By smart I mean not putting myself at risk or my families at risk because of illegal activity).

Did you read the article? They had nothing to do with the activities of the target.

You don't have to do anything illegal to get a swat team at your door.

originally posted by: Battleline
a reply to: bigman88
In the past I have looked down on rioters and demonstrator's that have shown there anger by hitting the streets, I have always thought there was a better way, but this has hit me hard and I think I would be right there next to them.

WHERE !!! are the Sharpton's and Jacksons where there is a true event to stand up to, where are the people in the streets calling for this murdering "COPS" head.

At the very least I hope the family sue this defect for wrongful death. This cop just shot in a haze of smoke without even caring what he hit, intell should have told them there was a child in the house....INTELL, that's a joke !!!

Sharpton and Jackson are paid shills, controlled opposition. They really don't care about us or anything but themselves for that matter, their very actions and their history proves that.

This is a horrific tragedy...

And I think the Police deserve the blame they are receiving..

But I am also a fan of looking at the whole story and the OP doesn't present both sides..

en.wikipedia.org...

Whatever conclusions are reached, both sides of the story and different claims should be examined.