Botched Sting: Killed With Gun She Was Supposed to Buy

A college studentl was caught with a little marijuana and the police made her go against more serious drug and gun dealers in what seems to be a very poorly planned operation. Now she is dead. Sad story.

"Do we feel responsible? We're responsible for the safety of this community," Jones said, labeling Hoffman a "criminal" because she was caught twice with a baggie of marijuana.

"People we use as confidential informants are people that are familiar with the drug trade," the police chief said.

In the case of Hoffman, her friends say she refused to inform on friends who smoked grass.

Instead, say the friends, police pushed Hoffman to work undercover against two men considered much bigger in the drug scene, and to try to buy a gun. A transaction involving a gun can bring much more serious charges.

Former FBI agent Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant, says it made no sense to use an inexperienced person like Rachel for a gun deal.

abcnews.go.com...



[edit on 2-8-2008 by Flory]

reply to post by Flory


It is disgusting what this drug war zealotry will lead to-- complete disregard for life over a few ounces of a harmless, natural substance. And so an likely valuable member of society is lost in the name of protecting the community. All the police did in effect was protect a murderer.

These cops should be tried for aiding and abeting in a homicide. Their behavior sounds like they threw her to the wolves simply because she wouldn't rat out friends for the pigs. They sent her out with the big boys and let nature take its course so that they could exact vigilante justice and have their hands clean at the same time. She was set up, plain and simple. The message is clear: do as you're told. It's absurd that a person that buys some weed is somehow familiar with the drug trade in any detail.

By the way, how were the bullets traced to that gun? This part raises a flag for me though perhaps they picked the perp up later and found it. If the gun was sold into the system, why wasn't the perp picked up during that transaction? There must be a logical explanation, right?

reply to post by Flory


Read my lip End This Stupid "War"!