View Full Version : Officer Down!
Over the years I have seen way too many Law Enforcment Officers lose their lives to the scum they are trying to protect you and I from. This thread is to recognize those Officers for their service and dedication, they will be missed.
2 Tampa officers killed in Florida shooting (June 29th, 2010 @ 7:19am)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Two Tampa police officers were killed in an early Tuesday shooting during a traffic stop that has prompted a massive manhunt for two people.
Officer David Curtis pulled over a red Toyota Camry around 2:15 a.m. because it didn't have a visible tag. He called for back up after a background check revealed the male passenger in the car was wanted on a misdemeanor charge for writing a worthless check in Jacksonville, Tampa Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
The two officers approached the passenger side of the car. Six minutes after the traffic stop, a witness called to say Curtis and Officer Jeffrey Kocab had been shot. Authorities arrived to find them lying on the ground. Kocab and Curtis, both 31, were pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.
Helicopters, police dogs and dozens of officers in bullet proof vests searched for the passenger, who is believed to be the shooter. A female who was driving the car was also being sought, McElroy said.
Tampa police said they were searching for Dontae Rashawn Morris, 24, and Cortnee Nicole Brantly, 22, who they described as persons of interest.
Police cordoned off an apartment building a few miles away, but no other details were available.
"We know they are armed and extremely dangerous," McElroy said. "We don't know what else they're capable of."
Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and Mayor Pam Iorio announced Kocab's death at a news conference at the hospital where the officers were taken. Dozens of somber officers filled the hospital.
Kocab had been on the force for 14 months. His wife is nine months pregnant with their first child, police said.
Curtis, a father of four boys, had nearly four years with the department. He remained on life support as doctors prepared to harvest his organs at the family's request.
"They both said how much Dave and Jeff loved being a Tampa police officer. They both said their loved ones loved going to work everyday...that it was the best job in the world," Mayor Pam Iorio said of the officers' families.
"It's just been heart wrenching as the family members have said goodbye to their loved ones and then it's been heart wrenching to see the officers and how much they respect them," she said.
This is the region's second incident of law enforcers being shot in less than a week. Two Polk County deputies were shot early Friday in Lakeland after stopping a man riding a bicycle. They are expected to recover.
NeilSmith
06-29-2010, 10:15 AM
Sometimes I'm sorry to say Tampa is my hometown.
1 officer dead, 2 wounded in S. PHX shooting
by Sandra Haros, Bob McClay/KTAR and Associated Press (July 29th, 2010 @ 7:53am)
PHOENIX -- One Chandler police officer was killed and two others wounded in a gunbattle on a south Phoenix street.
Bullets started flying as the officers conducted an undercover drug operation, near 19th Avenue and Southern, about 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Six suspects were involved. Two died at the scene, two others were shot and two others taken into custody, according to Phoenix police.
Chandler police were still trying to sort out the details of the shooting Thursday. They said more information and the names of the officers probably would be released Thursday afternoon.
Mark Spencer of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association said it is common for police in one Valley city to do operations in another.
"My understanding is it was just a narcotics operation. It was a buy bust. That's not unusual at all, going from town to town."
Spencer was among numerous law enforcement officers who gathered at St. Joseph's Hospital after hearing about the shooting. He said officers were dealing with a tough loss.
"Chandler officers are responding to a family member down. It's not an officer member down to them. It's a family member down."
Several clergy members also spent the evening counseling family members.
"This is a great loss," said Phoenix Police Sgt. Steve Martos. "You know, we have officers who come out here every day. They wear the badge. They come out to work. You can talk to any officer on the street -- they come out here and they do this for one reason."
"When something like this happens, it's like a family member who we've lost."
TV news helicopters showed the three officers being taken out of the home on stretchers about 7 p.m. Wednesday. The officer who died was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.
Five charged in officer's death
by KTAR.com (July 30th, 2010 @ 7:03am)
CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Five men have been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of a Chandler police officer during an undercover drug bust in south Phoenix.
Officer Carlos Ledesma, 34, a father of two, died Thursday night in a gunbattle inside a home near 19th Avenue and Southern. Two other officers were wounded.
Thadika Singleton, 38, John Webb, 37, Doarnell Jackson, 35, Jerry Wayne Cockhearn, 25, and Eldridge Gittens, 34, all were charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, possession of marijuana for sale and burglary. Gittens also faces weapons charges.
One suspect remains hospitalized and charges have not yet been filed against him. Two other suspects were killed during the gunbattle.
One of the wounded officers was released from a Phoenix hospital Thursday. The other remains in stable condition. Their names have not been released.
The three Chandler officers were trying to buy a large quantity of marijuana.
Chandler police said it's unclear what went wrong in the undercover operation. They said they are investigating the possibility that the drug dealers planned to rob the officers, who had hundreds of thousands of dollars on them.
An account for Ledesma's family, set up by Chandler police, has been created at Wells Fargo Bank. It's called the "The Ledesma Memorial Fund."
Funeral services for Chandler Police Detective Carlos Ledesma, killed in the line of duty on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, will be as follows:
Memorial Service
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
10 AM
Mission Community Church
4450 East Elliot Road
Gilbert, AZ 85234
Internment
Valley of the Sun Cemetery
10940 East Chandler Heights Road
Chandler, AZ 85248
A memorial fund for his family has been set up in the name of “The Ledesma Family Memorial Fund” at Wells Fargo Bank.
Sheriff's deputy fatally shot near AZ-Utah border (August 26th, 2010 @ 8:27pm)
FREDONIA, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities are pursuing a man they say fatally shot a Utah sheriff's deputy near the Arizona-Utah border.
A Coconino County, Ariz., sheriff's spokeswoman says authorities were chasing a 23-year-old man on foot when he shot a Kane County, Utah, sheriff's deputy with a high-powered scope rifle Thursday afternoon.
Coconino County authorities announced hours later the deputy had died. The deputy's name was withheld pending notification of family.
Coconino County spokeswoman Valerie Ausband says the incident began around 2:20 p.m. about three miles east of Fredonia, a small Arizona town just south of the Utah border.
Ausband says multiple agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service have joined in the pursuit of the suspect.
Suspect in Utah deputy's killing caught near Arizona border
by Molly Smith - Aug. 30, 2010 11:40 AM
The Arizona Republic
A man suspected in the shooting death of a Utah sheriff's deputy was captured early Monday morning when a resident just north of the Utah-Arizona border reported seeing a suspicious person who was armed and outside of his home.
Authorities say they used night vision goggles and a helicopter to catch Scott Curley.
Seventeen law-enforcement officials responded to the area near Kanab, Utah, and took Curley, 23, into custody shortly before 1 a.m. (midnight Arizona time) Curley surrendered without resistance and had a rifle suspected of being used in the shooting death of Deputy Brian Harris, according to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office.
The caller from Lost Spring told authorities he woke up when his dogs began barking. He saw a man with a rifle was attempting to enter his home at 12:20 a.m. Officials responded and searched the area. They found Curley within 25 minutes.
Coconino County Sheriff's Office detectives were interviewing Curley Monday morning. They will be seeking extradition and prosecution on first-degree murder warrant issued in Coconino County. There has also been a federal warrant issued for Curley, for unauthorized flight to avoid prosecution, but authorities say it will be dropped in favor of the Coconino County warrant.
Curley has the option to wave his rights and be extradited to Arizona or contest the extradition and have a hearing in Utah, where the governor must sign the extradition papers. Whichever route is taken, Coconino County Sheriff Bill Pribil said he is confident that Curley will be brought to Arizona to face charges.
In a press conference early Monday, Chief Deputy Jim Driscol from the Coconino County Sheriff's Office said the death penalty could be pursued.
Curley was initially a suspect in a break-in and assault at Fredonia High School in northern Arizona on Wednesday night. During pursuit of Curley on Thursday morning, Harris was shot when Curley was believed to have opened fire from under a tree 40 feet away.
Officers continued pursuit, twice exchanging fire, but believe Curley was able to escape due to his knowledge of the rough terrain in the area, according to the Kane County Emergency Services Department.
The arrest came less than a day after authorities announced they were adding more law-enforcement teams to hunt the fugitive down.
Pribil said the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, and Border Patrol helped in the search. The Arizona Department of Public Safety provided two helicopters.
"We put in a huge effort to locate Mr. Curley, and a significant, if not a lion's share, of that effort came from Utah state and county resources," Pribil said. "Without that maximum effort, I don't know that we would have had success as quickly as we did. I can't express the gratitude of Coconino County for all of the resources that were put our way."
On Sunday, authorities asked residents in the Fredonia and Kanab areas to open their homes and outbuildings to searches by officers in tactical gear.
About 100 officers were in the field Sunday, and three helicopters were aiding in the search, according to a statement from Coconino County deputies. At Monday's press conference, Driscol estimated at least 400 people were involved in the search.
Authorities said Curley suffered from depression and had few friends, but was familiar with the rugged countryside near Fredonia and searchers could pass 10 feet from him and never see him in hiding.
The U.S. Marshals Service has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Curley's capture. Official paperwork has not been started, but authorities say they assume that the reward will be claimed by the caller, who appears to be eligible.
Harris left behind his wife Shawna, 13-year-old daughter Kirsten, 10-year-old daughter Kristina, five brothers, a sister, and his parents.
Harris' wife was told of Curley's capture early Monday morning by Kane County Sheriff Lamont Smith. Smith described her as being "overwhelmed (and) thankful" for all of the help put into the case.
Harris' 72-year-old father, Bruce, said his son most enjoyed saving people and animals as part of his job, and was the one lowered from helicopters during rescues.
There will be a vigil held for Harris on Monday night in Kane County, according to Smith.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Slain deputy laid to rest
by Associated Press (September 3rd, 2010 @ 5:52pm)
ORDERVILLE, Utah - A Utah lawman who was shot to death while chasing a suspect in northern Arizona last week was laid to rest Friday.
Services for Kane County sheriff's Deputy Brian Harris were held at Valley High School in the southern Utah town of Orderville.
``We lost a great man in Brian Harris,'' Sheriff Lamont Smith said.
The turnout at the service and burial included law enforcement officers from throughout Utah and Arizona. The Salt Lake Tribune reported online Friday that a broadcast feed was also shown in the high school's theater and Mormon ward houses in Orderville and nearby Glendale for those who could not get in the gymnasium.
Harris was buried in Glendale, one week after he was shot in Fredonia, a tiny Arizona town south of the Utah border.
Scott Curley has been arrested in the shooting. The 23-year-old man faces a first-degree murder charge in Arizona.
On Thursday, family members, friends and fellow law officers from across the state paid their respects to Harris at a viewing.
Ariz. Border Patrol Agent Killed in Car Wreck
Updated: Thursday, 02 Sep 2010, 7:46 PM MDT
Published : Thursday, 02 Sep 2010, 7:25 PM MDT
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A U.S. Border Patrol agent was killed in a car accident Thursday near Sells in southern Arizona.
The agency provided few details but said the agent was involved in a two-vehicle accident around 9:30 a.m. on Federal Route 19.
The agent was pronounced dead at the scene. The agent was not identified so all family members could be notified.
The female driver of the other vehicle had minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
Border Patrol spokesman Omar Candelaria says it's the second agent death this year. Another agent was killed in a car accident near Rachal, Texas earlier this year.
Chief Patrol Agent Victor Manjarrez, Jr. says the death is a "terrible tragedy" and fellow agents all are feeling a sense of loss.
SELLS, Ariz. (AP) — A tribal police department has arrested an Arizona woman who they say was driving drunk when her car collided with the vehicle of a Border Patrol agent, killing him.
Tohono O'odham police are charging 40-year-old Angela Mata of Sells with negligent homicide, criminal damage and driving under the influence, and say federal charges are pending.
Police say Mata was driving on a dirt road on the southern Arizona reservation near the village of Topawa and failed to yield to the agent's vehicle as she approached Federal Route 19.
Her car hit the agent's car, causing it to roll off the road. The agent was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim has been identified as 32-year-old Michael Gallagher, who worked for the Border Patrol for 3 years. He leaves behind a wife and two kids.
Mata had non-life-threatening injuries and is in custody after failing field-sobriety tests.
Phoenix officer shot, killedby Kevin Tripp, KTAR.com (October 19th, 2010 @ 7:28am)
PHOENIX -- Police threw a dragnet over the state Capitol area Tuesday morning after a Phoenix police sergeant was shot and killed.
The sergeant was on duty alone when he was shot between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday, said Sgt. Trent Crump.
"I can tell you it is a fatal gunshot that the sergeant has sustained."
He said officers are working to support each other. "They're difficult times and everybody will try to put aside - that's working this - will try to put aside those feelings, investigate this and do the job that we're doing out here."
According to Fox 10 News, the incident happened near 18th Avenue and Jefferson Street.
"They tried to contact him about 11 last night. When they couldn't get ahold of him, police started searching for him. They knew something was wrong," said reporter Alexis Vance. "Capitol police found his abandoned car near 18th Avenue and Jackson and got even more worried. Not too far away from the car, the officer was found shot to death."
The officer was found in a dirt lot near railroad tracks in the industrial area. Sources said there was evidence of a struggle.
Crump said authorities would not release the officer's name until later Tuesday.
Police said they did not have much information to pursue in their search for a suspect. They did not know if he stopped someone or what could have led to the shooting.
Killer of Phoenix officer gets death penalty
by Michael Kiefer - Oct. 19, 2010 10:53 AM
The Arizona Republic
A 23-year-old man who shot and killed a Phoenix police officer at a check-cashing store in 2007 was sentenced Tuesday to death.
A Maricopa County Superior Court jury imposed the death penalty against Edward James Rose, who fatally shot Officer George Cortez as the officer was trying to arrest him.
Rose pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in August, on the first day of his trial. On Sept. 13, the jury found aggravating factors to qualify him for the death penalty.
On July 27, 2007, Cortez, 23, the father of two boys, answered a 911 call from a check-cashing store in the 8200 block of West McDowell Road, where Rose and his girlfriend, Norma Lopez, were reported to have tried to cash a forged and stolen check. The incident was captured on surveillance video.
Prosecutors played moments of that video in court at Lopez's sentencing in April. She received 22 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
In the video, Rose and Lopez can be seen standing at a teller's window as Lopez fidgets nervously. At that moment in the video, Lopez walks out of the store as Cortez walks quickly up to Rose and snaps a handcuff on his left hand.
Rose then pulled a .40-caliber pistol from his waistband and shot Cortez twice in the head.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/19/20101019phoenix-police-officer-killer-gets-death-penalty19-ON.html#ixzz12pajfbJG
Manhunt on for killer of veteran Phoenix PD sergeant
by Kevin Tripp, KTAR.com (October 19th, 2010 @ 12:16pm)
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2010/10/237914-1.jpg
PHOENIX -- A search is on for the killer of a veteran Phoenix police sergeant, shot while on patrol in the state Capitol area.
The dead officer was identified Tuesday as 35-year-old Sgt. Sean Drenth, who has been on the force for 12 years and worked as a patrolman and on the neighborhood enforcement team.
Drenth worked in the South Mountain and Squaw Peak Precincts and was awarded the Phoenix Police Department's Medal of Valour in 2003 when he rescued trapped residents in a burning two-story apartment building.
Investigators are trying to determine what Drenth was doing in the minutes before he was shot to death Monday night about a block from the State Capitol building.
Capitol Police found Drenth near his patrol car, about 11 p.m. Monday. They had joined the search after city police put out an alert that they had not heard from the officer.
The sergeant, whose name was not released, was working alone in the Capitol area west of downtown Phoenix at the time of the shooting.
Investigators said they had no information on whether the officer had stopped someone or what was going on just before the shooting. They hoped to obtain surveillance video from nearby businesses.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon went to the scene after getting the call about 11 p.m. Monday.
"A great officer was killed protecting us in the line of duty," Gordon told Fox 10 News. "He loved his job. I know him."
Sgt. Trent Crump said everyone in the department was upset.
"These are difficult times and everybody who's working this will try to put aside those feelings, investigate this, do the job that we do out here."
He added, "We have a lot of officers and a great support group. And that support group has responded out here this morning to be with family, to be with friends. A lot of officers who have come out here this morning are here in support of other officers, colleagues, friends."
Crump told 3TV that police but out broadcasts when they were unable to locate the sergeant late Monday.
Phoenix officer killed with own shotgun
by KTAR.com (October 20th, 2010 @ 10:50am)
PHOENIX -- A Phoenix police sergeant, killed near the state Capitol, was shot with his own shotgun, according to a report by 3TV.
The television station quoted sources as saying the shotgun was left at the scene and that one of the officer's other guns was found a short distance away.
The search continued Wednesday for the killer of 35-year-old Sgt. Sean Drenth, who had been on the force for 12 years.
Drenth was found shot to death about 11 p.m. Monday after a Capitol police officer found his patrol car abandoned near 18th Avenue and Jackson, west of downtown Phoenix.
Police said Drenth, who was patrolling alone, had been out of touch for about two hours before he was found dead.
Buckeye officer dead, another critically wounded in southwest Phoenix
by Associated Press (May 1st, 2011 @ 4:23pm)
PHOENIX — A police officer from the west Phoenix suburb of Buckeye has been killed and a second officer critically wounded in an early morning shootout that also left a suspect dead.
Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson says the off-duty officers were working a private security job at a nightclub early Sunday. The officers got into an altercation that ended with gunfire.
The wounded officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds. A second suspect also was wounded and is in critical condition. Police are looking for a third suspect who fled the scene.
Thompson says the shooting happened just after 1 a.m. at a swap meet called El Gran Mercado that also has an open-air nightclub.
The Arizona Republic identified the dead officer as Rolando Tirado and the wounded officer as Christopher Paz.
Buckeye officer `executed' during traffic stop
by Jim Cross/KTAR (May 2nd, 2011 @ 10:33am)
https://theultimatejeep.com/images/imported/2011/05/261615-1.jpg
PHOENIX — A Buckeye police officer was executed -- shot from behind and killed -- while working a private security job, investigators said.
Officer Rolando Tirado was killed and Officer Christopher Paz critically wounded outside the El Gran Mercado around 1 a.m. Saturday. The two were in uniform, but working a private security job.
Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said the problems began when the officers stopped a car that was moving erratically. He said a passenger in the car, Cesar Leon, got out and killed Tirado.
"Shooting him from behind," Thompson said. "He never knew what was coming."
Thompson said Leon then was involved in a gunbattle with Paz.
"Let me say this was a life or death gunbattle. Officer Paz was struck numerous times."
Paz, who remained in critical condition Monday, shot and killed Leon.
A second suspect was shot but survived. A third fled and remained at large Monday. Those suspects were not identified.
Leon had a long history with police in California, Thompson said. He did not elaborate.
Tirado had worked in law enforcement 11 years, seven of those with the Buckeye Police Department. He was married with two children.
Paz had been with the department for four years.
The El Gran Mercado is a swap meet that also has an open-air nightclub with a stage for concerts and a dance floor.
Arizona law enforcement officers frequently work private security jobs or road construction safety assignments to supplement their income, Thompson said. They generally work in uniform.
Police: Man who fled scene of Buckeye officer's slaying found
by Jackee Coe - May. 3, 2011 11:03 AM
The Arizona Republic
Phoenix police have found a man who fled the scene of the slaying of Buckeye Officer Rolando Tirado Sunday morning, authorities said.
The man, who has not been identified, was interviewed by detectives, Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson said. Thompson would not say if the man is considered a suspect or could be facing charges.
"He's considered an investigative lead at this point," he said. "At this time, the investigation is ongoing."
Cesar Tomas Quiroz Leon, 27, fatally shot Tirado from behind about 1:15 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of El Gran Mercado, 1800 S. 35th Avenue, in Phoenix, where Tirado and Buckeye Officer Christopher Paz were working off duty as security, Thompson said.
Leon was killed in an ensuing gun battle with Paz, which left him critically injured with multiple gunshot wounds to the shoulder, neck and lower body, he said. A second suspect also was critically wounded in the crossfire.
A third man fled and Phoenix police found and questioned him. Phoenix police would not elaborate.
Paz and the second suspect are expected to survive, Thompson said.
Tirado and Paz were working off duty when they stopped a white Chevrolet Tahoe with dark-tinted windows that had been driving erratically in the parking lot, he said.
While Tirado was talking to the driver, the front-seat passenger, identified as Leon, got out of the SUV, walked around the back of the vehicle and "executed Officer Tirado, shooting him from behind," Thompson said.
"He never knew what was coming," he said.
Leon then engaged in a "life or death" gunbattle with Paz that left him dead, Thompson said. Leon has an extensive criminal history, mostly in California.
Tirado, 37, an 11-year police veteran and 7-year Buckeye veteran, leaves behind a wife and two children, ages 13 and 16. He worked as a SWAT crisis negotiator and a school resource officer at Youngker High School.
On Monday, co-workers, students, school officials and residents showed an outpouring of support.
About 250 students and staff at Youngker gathered around the flagpole in front of the school for a moment of silence. They set up impromptu memorials with flowers, cards, notes, balloons and candles around the flagpole, around a tree in the school's courtyard and at Tirado's office.
Students, school officials and community members said Tirado had a passion for youths and helping them stay on the right path.
"He was an advocate for the students," Assistant Principal Rob Roberson said. "He was constantly working with them. You couldn't describe him just as a police officer. He (worked) with them to make them better people, better individuals."
The Buckeye Police Department has set up bank accounts for Paz and Tirado. People can make a donation at any Wells Fargo location to the Tirado Memorial Fund or the Paz Recovery Fund.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/2011/05/03/20110503buckeye-police-officer-shooting-man-fled-scene-found-brk.html#ixzz1LJw1HTgT
Sheriff: Suspect in officer's death was illegal immigrant
by Colin Smith/KTAR (May 10th, 2011 @ 12:48pm)
PHOENIX -- The suspect in the shooting death of a Buckeye police officer was an illegal immigrant who should have been deported years ago, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspect, Cesar Leon, 27, was killed in the same gun battle that left Officer Rolando Tirado dead and Officer Christopher Paz wounded outside a Phoenix swap meet-party place on May 1. The officers were off-duty, but in uniform and working security at El Gran Mercado.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Leon was in the United States on a visitors' visa and was a convicted felon who should have been deported when he was released from a Los Angeles County jail.
"Many officers have been killed by illegal immigrants," Arpaio said. "Start checking the record. If they weren't here, these incidents wouldn't be occurring."
The sheriff added that Leon was a known gang member with an extensive record.
The executive director of the Arizona Police Association, Brian Livingston, said Leon was a known gang member in the Los Angeles area and asked why he was not deported when he was released earlier this year from a California state prison where he served time for violating terms of his green card.
"We have to know and nobody in California is speaking up and advising us why it wasn't done the first time," Livingston said.
"It was more than a mistake. This person should have been deported back in 2005 when his criminal activity originally started."
Livingston said the attack on the officers may have been premeditated. He said the manner in which Tirado was shot was similar to the way members of Leon's gang were trained to kill.
We lost another great Deputy today:
PHOENIX -- A Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and killed while responding to a burglary call in the North Valley Sunday morning.
Deputies responded to a medical plaza in Anthem at approximately 4 a.m. The burglar was in a van when deputies confronted him, according to the sheriff‘s office.
The suspect opened fire with an automatic rifle, fatally shooting one of the deputies. Other deputies fired back and the suspect was killed.
“It’s a sad day for law enforcement and for the people of Maricopa County that he’s trying to protect,” Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.
Arpaio said William Coleman had been with MCSO for almost 20 years.
Arpaio called Coleman an outstanding deputy and said he dedicated his whole life to law enforcement.
Coleman, a resident of New River, leaves behind two young children in Arizona and other children out of state.
"This tragedy is one more example of the danger that our brave members of law enforcement confront on a daily basis," Gov. Jan Brewer said. "We owe them our gratitude."
Brewer ordered flags lowered to half staff until sundown Sunday.
NeilSmith
01-08-2012, 05:14 PM
man, I heard about that earlier today. first thing I thought of was you. Glad to hear you're ok. Sorry to hear about your fellow officed. R.I.P.
Sorry to hear that man. Don't know wtf is wrong with people .... :(
Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy killed in shootout
by Laurie Merrill - Jan. 8, 2012 10:42 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
A veteran Maricopa County sheriff's deputy slain by a gunman early Sunday responding to a call at an Anthem strip-mall was just hours away from finishing his final night shift before switching to daytime duties.
Flags hung at half-staff across the state all day Sunday to honor Deputy William Coleman, 50, a 20-year veteran officer with two young children, and the first Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputy slain in the line of duty since 1995.
His killer, who "came out shooting" when approached in his van by deputies in a parking lot just before dawn, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with two other deputies.
Investigators were trying to determine whether Coleman might have been slain by the same gunman who fatally shot a vacationing couple near Sedona two days earlier.
Coleman, like the two killed near Sedona, was shot with a high-powered rifle, and the two homicide scenes are connected by Interstate 17, giving rise to theories that the two shootings may be the work of the same gunman. That could explain why the man decided to open fire on the deputies when disturbed on Sunday, said Deputy Jeffrey Sprong, a Sheriff's Office spokesman.
"That (connection) is definitely something our investigators will look into," Sprong said Sunday. "It wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be the same guy."
Yavapai County sheriff's detectives traveled to meet with Maricopa County investigators to compare ballistic evidence from the Sedona crime scene with evidence recovered in Anthem. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said it expected to have results sometime today.
Gov. Jan Brewer on Sunday ordered flags at half-staff at state buildings until sundown in honor of Coleman.
"This is a day of sadness for the Arizona law enforcement community as we mourn the loss of (Coleman)," Brewer said in a statement. "This tragedy is one more example of the danger that our brave members of law enforcement confront on a daily basis. We owe them our gratitude."
The Anthem incident began just after 4 a.m. when Coleman and two other deputies responded to a report of a burglary at Angel Pediatrics on West Anthem Way, a short distance from I-17, Sprong said.
An apparently sleeping man and his pet pit bull were in a minivan parked outside when deputies arrived, Sprong said. The Sheriff's Office patrols Anthem, a master-planned community roughly 30 miles north of central Phoenix.
"The suspect came out and started shooting at our deputies," said Sheriff Joe Arpaio, speaking early Sunday from John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital. Coleman was taken to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.
One of the deputies, Arpaio said, "returned fire and killed the suspect."
"Unfortunately, one of our deputies was killed in the line of duty today," the sheriff said. "It is extremely sad for everyone. He was an excellent deputy."
Neither of the other deputies was injured.
Arpaio said investigators were trying to figure out why the 40-year-old man opened fire.
"We're trying to determine his identity, his background, to see if he has warrants or was involved in other criminal activity," he said. "I want to see who and what his background is, what caused him to come out shooting."
Coleman wore a bulletproof vest, but deputies said they could not yet comment on how many times or where he was shot.
They also did not identify the gunman or say whether he had stolen anything.
Authorities were at a loss to explain why the gunman fired at the deputies.
"Number 1, there's a war on against police," said Arpaio. "We live in a violent world."
Coleman leaves behind a wife, two young children, ages 4 and 7, and older children who are no longer living at home, Arpaio said. Deputies stationed at Coleman's home in New River said the family would have no comment at this time.
The gunman's dog was unharmed and was taken to the sheriff's animal shelter.
Also Sunday, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office identified the two New Hampshire visitors slain at an overlook near Sedona as James Johnson and Carol Raynsford, both 63.
As deputies continued searching for a motive in the fatal shooting Friday of Johnson, from Jaffrey, N.H., and Raynsford, from Nelson, N.H., they released more details about a white, half-ton truck they said was seen at the time of the double slaying.
The "suspect truck" was described as a 1998-2002 Dodge or Chevy with an older, faded camper shell and red ribbons attached to the rearview mirror.
"Use all cautions if the vehicle is located," said Dwight D'Evelyn, a spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. "Occupants (are) likely armed and dangerous."
The bodies of the victims were found about 11:30 a.m. Friday in a red Subaru parked at the overlook near Page Springs Road on Arizona 89A. The engine was still running, D'Evelyn said.
Sheriff's deputies said the pair were shot from outside the Subaru with a semiautomatic weapon. Deputies have recovered .223-caliber shell casings and other evidence.
A $1,000 reward is being offered for any tip that results in an arrest.
Anyone with information should contact Yavapai County Sheriff's Office at 928-771-3260 or web.sheriff@co .yavapai.az.us or Silent Witness at 800-932-3232.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2012/01/08/20120108maricopa-county-sheriffs-deputy-shot-killed.html#ixzz1ixxarIYE
Adondo
01-09-2012, 12:04 PM
This one hit a little too close to home for me. At least the POS that shot her dead was found later, face down wearing pretty much summer garb and one tennis shoe. Nobody can figure out what the perp was thinking since it's a dead end with 20' of snow where he was going. The road leads to the top, and that's it. What was his stupid plan?!? Oh well, at least we don't have to be bothered with a trial. He was fleeing a shooting at a New Year party where several people were shot.
Massive manhunt after ranger slain at Rainier
Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, a mother of two who was married to another ranger at the park, was shot about 10:30 a.m. Sunday after setting up a roadblock to stop a car that was fleeing another officer.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017143010_ranger02m.html
http://unofficialnetworks.com/man-shoots-mt-rainier-park-ranger-dead-mt-rainier-natl-park-closed-evacuated-63325/
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120102/mount-rainier-national-park-manhunt-ranger-murdered
Let us now praise an exceptional man
Maricopa County Deputy Sheriff William Coleman was an exceptional man.
But he was not the exception.
At his funeral today there will be hundreds of men and women in uniform who would do (and perhaps have done) exactly what Deputy Coleman was asked to do on the night he was killed.
They sign up – all of them – to respond to calls like a burglar alarm going off, as deputies received last weekend from a medical facility near Anthem.
They go to such places and, if necessary, confront suspicious individuals, as did Coleman and other deputies.
If such an individual becomes violent they stop him, sometimes sacrificing their own lives.
As Deputy Coleman did.
The officers who fill the North Phoenix Baptist Church at Coleman's funeral today are willing to do what he did.
Imagine that. When you watch news coverage of the funeral on television, or look at photographs of the service on the Internet or in tomorrow's newspaper, marvel at how many of these men and women there are.
The procession of motorcycles and cars they drive will go on and on and on.
Their uniforms will come in shades of blue and beige and brown. Their badges will bear the names of big cities and small towns. Some of their hats will have broad brims. Others won't. Some will wear boots. Others won't.
They'll be joined by firefighters and paramedics and other first responders.
Each of them is exceptional.
None of them is the exception.
Last year, after the death of another exceptional man, Glendale police Officer Bradley Jones, I spoke with Brian Livingston, executive director of the Arizona Police Association.
Jones and others who represent first responders had been through a bruising series of hearing at the State Capitol in which Arizona lawmakers essentially said that our police and firefighters were ripping off taxpayers by way of their pension benefits and union activities.
These same politicians were at Bradley's funeral. Some of them will no doubt be at Coleman's service.
"We had the big pension fight at the Capitol, and I raised this issue (of hypocrisy) and was chastised by lawmakers," Livingston told me last year. "They told me they really do care. But now the reality is here. We see people who have been injured and will not get their cost-of-living increases, and it will put these families under stress. They say that they want the best and the brightest in this profession. And they get them in people like Officer Jones. Will that continue to happen if you keep going after their pensions and make them out as greedy?"
At those legislative hearings, and through similar attacks for other politicians and special interests, critics have singled out a handful of bloated double-dippers as examples of a broken system.
They don’t represent the vast majority of the men and woman who hit the streets every day and every night.
Tim Hill of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona told me, “Many of the people who have pensions in the private sector get health insurance, where we have many members who are having to choose between health insurance, which could use up most of a pension, or paying their bills. Folks aren't aware that many of our members aren't Medicare eligible or Social Security eligible. There was a guy who testified last year, a disabled highway patrol officer. He was in that position, choosing between health insurance and taking care of his kids.”
This isn’t something to argue about at a law enforcement officer's funeral. But neither should it be forgotten after the officer is buried and we go on with our lives.
It should come up each time politicians try to make it more difficult for first responders, for the men and women who will fill the church today, lead the funeral procession, then hit the streets again tonight.
The William Coleman Memorial Fund has been established at Desert Schools Federal Credit Union For those wishing to contribute, the account number is 6000123586.
Coleman was a loving husband and father. A good friend. A brave and unflinching deputy. At his service today he will be mourned and praised and honored by hundreds of fellow law enforcement officers. Exceptional people.
Just like him.
(Column for Jan. 13, 2012 Arizona Republic)
Didn't see a thread of military... so figured i'd post here.
These young men were in the same squadron as my best friend. They're actually the ones who relieved him of his duties in his past deployment. Within 2 weeks, they made the ultimate sacrifice :(
NAIROBI — Four U.S. soldiers returning from a reconnaissance mission have been killed in an air crash near a U.S. military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, U.S. officials said.
The four were killed when their U-28 aircraft crashed on Saturday, a statement released by the Department of Defense late Monday said.
"The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom ... The cause of the accident is under investigation," the statement said.
Operation Enduring Freedom includes the war in Afghanistan, but also covers U.S. operations in a number of other locations including the Horn of Africa.
Hostile fire not suspected
The four killed in the crash were: Capt. Ryan P. Hall, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, with the 319th Special Operations Squadron; Capt. Nicholas S. Whitlock, 29, of Newnan, Georgia, with the 34th Special Operations Squadron; 1st Lt. Justin J. Wilkens, 26, of Bend, Oregon, with the 34th Special Operations Squadron; and Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten, 26, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with the 25th Intelligence Squadron.
Hall was a U-28 pilot with more than 1,300 combat flight hours. He was assigned to the 319th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla.
Specialist Ryan Whitney of the 1st Special Operations Wing said that initial indications are that the plane did not crash because of hostile fire.
The plane was conducting an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission, he said. A statement from U.S. Africa Command called it a "routine" flight
Florida Cop Killer Shot 68 Times
A Florida gunman, who shot and killed an officer and his police dog, was shot at 110 times and hit 68 times when SWAT team members found him the following day hiding in the woods under a tree trunk and he refused to show his hands. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the fugitive would have been shot more, but the SWAT team ran out of bullets.
Angilo Freeland (pictured), 27, a suspected drug dealer, fled from police after he was pulled over in a routine traffic stop by Deputy Douglas Speirs. The deputy called for back-up and Deputy Vernon Matthew Williams answered the call with his police dog.
As they followed the suspect into the woods there was a "burst of gunfire" and Deputy Williams and his dog were killed and Speirs was wounded in the leg. An autopsy report revealed that Williams, 39, was shot eight times. He was shot once a close range behind his right year and again in his right temple.
After a massive manhunt for the fugitive through the night, a SWAT team surrounded Freeland in a thickly wooded area hiding under a fallen tree. When he failed to show the officers both hands and they spotted a handgun in one of his hands, they opened fire. Freeland's autopsy showed that he was shot 68 times. An investigation of the scene revealed that police fired 110 rounds.
"That's all the bullets we had, or we would have shot him more," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told reporters.
Adondo
03-12-2012, 10:18 AM
One thing's for sure, a casket is a lot cheaper than a trial. Good riddance.
The thing that bothers me is the shot behind the ear, the POS gives the K9 officer a coup de gras final execution shot? That's going way beyond shooting his way out of a traffic stop or eminent arrest. The human waste had to take extra time for that last parting shot.
I doubt the part about running out of bullets; no SWAT team member(s) is going in unarmed even is the suspect is hamburger. I think that was a little sarcasm throw in there. :)
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