Tulsa County Sheriff shooting of Eric Harris

[Vashta Nerada]

How much difference is there between "I thought it was my Taser" and "I thought my Taser wouldnt kill" ?

A 64-year-old man died at a hospital one week ago after officers pepper sprayed and Tased him during an arrest attempt at an east Tulsa motel.

Ollie Lee Brooks was pronounced dead at Oklahoma State University Medical Center after an ambulance transported him from the Super 8 Motel at 1011 S. Garnett Road, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Officers went to the motel at 6:19 p.m. to search the register for guests with outstanding warrants, police spokesman Leland Ashley said. They found that Brooks — who was wanted in Okmulgee County — was staying there.
Two officers went to his room, knocked on the door and, when Brooks answered, reportedly saw drug paraphernalia "in plain sight," the affidavit states.
Police entered the room to arrest Brooks, and he "immediately resisted arrest by actively fighting officers," according to the report.
An officer initially used oleoresin capsicum spray — pepper spray — in an attempt to get him to comply so they could put handcuffs on him, but it didn't "have the desired effect" and Brooks continued to resist arrest, the affidavit states.
After that, the officer used a Taser on Brooks, who "continued to fight," according to the document. Then Brooks was Tased a second time and "ceased his attempts to fight the officers," according to the affidavit.
"EMSA got there, cleaned him up, removed the (Taser) prongs from him," Ashley said.
An ambulance took Brooks to OSU Medical Center, where he later lost consciousness and died, the affidavit states. He was pronounced dead at 8:59 p.m.

The two officers involved in the arrest — Larry Crawford and Barry Hamm — were placed on paid leave following Brooks' death, although Crawford was the officer who deployed both the spray and the Taser, Ashley said.
A warrant was filed four days later to search the hotel room for firearms, ammunition, fingerprints, blood, evidence of Taser deployment, evidence of pepper spray deployment, prescription medications, illegal drug paraphernalia, among other items.
The affidavit for the search warrant says investigators were searching for evidence of the altercation between Brooks and the officers, as well as evidence related to Brooks' death.
No outside agencies, such as the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, were involved in the investigation, Ashley said.

The Okmulgee warrant was from 1991 and was never prosecuted.


A reporter asked the police chief if his department should have notified the media or public that a suspect's death occurred after a physical encounter that included use of force — even if determined to be a medical issue.

"In hindsight after today, yeah, I probably would. Yes sir," Jordan said.

The World reported Wednesday that Brooks was wanted on an Okmulgee County warrant, as online court records indicate. However, Jordan on Friday said officers actually matched Brooks to a 2015 city of Tulsa warrant. The department's online warrant search indicates the warrant was for jaywalking.

Police spokeswoman Officer Jeanne MacKenzie said "A warrant's a warrant" 
...and we will kill you over an old jaywalking ticket.

[patric]

Glanz skates without even so much as a mugshot.

[patric]

Which of the deputies was this?

http://www.newson6.com/story/35700613/tulsa-county-settles-lawsuit-pays-ex-deputy-137k

[Conan71]

Which of the deputies was this?

http://www.newson6.com/story/35700613/tulsa-county-settles-lawsuit-pays-ex-deputy-137k

Bill McKelvey along with Shannon Clark were Ganz' two henchmen that Glanz went all Captain Queeg on.

[patric]

Bill McKelvey along with Shannon Clark were Ganz' two henchmen that Glanz went all Captain Queeg on.

Each defendant in the Eric Harris civil rights lawsuit asserts that Harris caused his own shooting death by his "unlawful and criminal conduct," while the defendants' actions were "objectively reasonable" and "in good faith," lawyers say in recent court filings.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/crimewatch/eric-harris-death-was-his-own-fault-former-sheriff-reserve/article_2c7ad2c7-590d-5cd7-8a6b-cd602bfeef96.html

[Ed W]

Robert Bates was released on parole due to health concerns. One of the conditions was that he could not be anywhere that alcohol was served. The Tulsa World has a recent photo of him at a bar with a glass of red wine. If this proves to be true, Bates has violated his parole.

[Townsend]

Robert Bates was released on parole due to health concerns. One of the conditions was that he could not be anywhere that alcohol was served. The Tulsa World has a recent photo of him at a bar with a glass of red wine. If this proves to be true, Bates has violated his parole.

Is Bob Bates Violating Parole?

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/bob-bates-violating-parole

[heironymouspasparagus]

Sounds about right.  Rich guy getting rich guy perks.

Stupid comment of the year;

Guy Fortney, Bates' attorney, said he didn't understand why his client "is still being targeted."

[patric]

Sounds about right.  Rich guy getting rich guy perks.

Stupid comment of the year;

Guy Fortney, Bates' attorney, said he didn't understand why his client "is still being targeted."

"Targeted" is a word often used among certain attorneys who represent certain clients.

[Breadburner]

"Targeted" is a word often used among certain attorneys who represent certain clients.

Was your neighborhood "Targeted" for speed humps.......

[patric]

Police officer 'excused' after mistakenly using his gun instead of his Taser to shoot unarmed inmate in cell, DA says
This is not the first time an officer has shot a suspect with a gun, thinking he was using a Taser.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/13/us/jail-shooting-no-charges/index.html

https://www.startribune.com/cases-in-which-a-service-pistol-is-mistaken-for-a-taser-are-rare/600045269/

[heironymouspasparagus]

Police officer 'excused' after mistakenly using his gun instead of his Taser to shoot unarmed inmate in cell, DA says
This is not the first time an officer has shot a suspect with a gun, thinking he was using a Taser.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/13/us/jail-shooting-no-charges/index.html

Hey, I have an idea - let's not hire anyone to be deputy that has an IQ less than 80!!   In other words, someone who can tell the difference between a gun and a taser!!

That is such a lame excuse...  and yet, they seem to get a pass on it regularly...

[Ed W]

I'm told the usual setup for a LEO's duty belt is to have the lethal stuff on the dominant side and the non-lethal stuff on the other side. If you see the video of this incident, the first officer to enter has what appears to be a yellow Taser on his left side. Their color and shape is meant to reinforce muscle memory. The second guy says, "Taser! Taser!" then fires his service weapon.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I'm told the usual setup for a LEO's duty belt is to have the lethal stuff on the dominant side and the non-lethal stuff on the other side. If you see the video of this incident, the first officer to enter has what appears to be a yellow Taser on his left side. Their color and shape is meant to reinforce muscle memory. The second guy says, "Taser! Taser!" then fires his service weapon.

The shooter had both on his right side.  In direct violation of department rules.

[patric]

High-Profile Cases Sparking New Debate Over Old Legal Concept of Felony Murder

Prosecutors who support the rule say it discourages people from participating in serious or dangerous felonies and decreases the likelihood of violence during commission of a felony. They also argue that an added level of culpability should apply when someone is killed during the crime.

But the rule is now being challenged as part of a broader push for criminal-justice reform in the U.S. Critics say overly zealous application of the rule has led to over-incarceration and unnecessarily harsh punishments, especially among for the young and minorities.

"That's the danger of these statutes, that they're so broad that they allow all kinds of odd scenarios," said Pamela Pierson, emeritus professor of law at the University of Alabama.

"Generally, the crime that you're charged with and the punishment are supposed to match what your intent is," he said.
"With felony murder, someone doesn't have the intent to kill."
https://www.wsj.com/articles/high-profile-cases-sparking-new-debate-over-old-legal-concept-of-felony-murder-11569070801



A law frequently used to get cops off the hook could end up putting a narcotics officer who lied about deadly drug raid behind bars
"If you commit one felony, in this case, aggravated perjury, or tampering with a government document, and in the course of, or in furtherance of the commission of that first felony, you engage in conduct that is clearly dangerous to human life, and somebody dies, that's felony murder."
"If he knew that that warrant had the force and effect of last week's losing lotto ticket, and he's at the front door getting ready to achieve entry, he's no longer a cop. He's a home invader with a badge and a gun."
https://www.click2houston.com/news/kprc-2-legal-analyst-brian-wice-breaks-down-possible-charges-for-officers-in-drug-raid