Latest casualty in War on Cops

[waltky]

NYPD Sgt. killed in shootout with gunman...

NYPD Sergeant Fatally Shot, Another Wounded
November 5, 2016 - Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo died Friday afternoon after a shootout with a suspect and a second sergeant was injured but is in stable condition.

A New York Police Department sergeant died after a shootout with a home-invasion suspect in the Bronx on Friday, and a second sergeant was injured but is in stable condition, officials said. Police shot and killed the gunman, identified as Manuel Rosales, 35, after initially trying to arrest him in his vehicle, officials said. Rosales was pronounced dead at the scene.

The slain sergeant was identified as Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, a 19-year veteran, who was proclaimed dead after being taken to Jacobi Hospital. The wounded sergeant was identified as Sgt. Emmanuel Kwo, a 9-year veteran. Both appeared to belong to NYPD's 43rd precinct. Multiple officers were involved in the incident and it's not clear yet if either of the sergeants shot at Rosales, NYPD Commissioner James P. O'Neill said at a televised news conference at Jacobi Hospital. "It was close quarters when the weapons were fired," O'Neill said.

Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo​

Officers were trying to arrest Rosales after receiving a 911 call at 2:45 p.m., in which a woman reported that Rosales had broken into his estranged wife's home with a gun Friday afternoon and then fled in a red Jeep, O'Neill said. Seven minutes later, a patrol car spotted Rosales' Jeep half a mile away, O'Neill said. "There's nothing worse than a day like today," O'Neill said. Rosales had 17 prior arrests in Suffolk County, where he lived, O'Neill said.

The shooting comes two days after two Iowa police officers were ambushed and killed on the outskirts of Des Moines. With the sergeant's death, 53 police officers have now been shot and killed in the line of duty so far in 2016, according to figures from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. That's a dramatic increase of more than 50% over the same period last year, though over the past decade it has been common for the annual total to rise and fall dramatically from year to year, with no clear up-or-down trend.

NYPD Sergeant Fatally Shot, Another Wounded | Officer.com

See also:

Des Moines Chief Lashes Out at Cop Killer
November 4, 2016 - Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert on Thursday called the ambush killings of two police officers a "cowardly act of calculated murder."

Angry and emotionally spent, Des Moines’ top cop lashed out Thursday against the Iowa man accused of fatally shooting two police officers, calling the killings a “cowardly act of calculated murder.” “As the days move on, there are going to be some people who talk about this and try to explain it and figure out why and make a reason of why someone would do that. … I will not be one of them,” said an emotional Chief Dana Wingert, who added that he was amid the “stages the grief.” “What happened yesterday was the calculated murder of two law enforcement officers. Plain and simple, that’s the reality,” he said, speaking alongside officers, some of whom appeared to be fighting tears.

On Thursday afternoon, Scott Michael Greene was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the ambush-style slaying of Urbandale Officer Justin Martin, 24, and Des Moines Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Beminio, 38. The officers were attacked as they sat in their squad cars, parked nearly two miles apart. Greene fled before later surrendering, officials said. He was hospitalized for an unspecified medical condition. On Thursday, officers from Des Moines and neighboring Urbandale said they were stunned and struggling to make sense of the violent deaths of two fellow lawmen. “We can guess. I can guarantee, whatever it is, it’s not going to make any sense,” said Des Moines police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek when asked about a possible motive.

He called the slayings — the first deadly officer shooting in Des Moines since 1977 and the first ever in Urbandale — “the biggest case we’ve ever faced.” New details in the investigation trickled out Thursday. Parizek said police found Greene’s car off the road in Dallas County, west of Des Moines, and uncovered a .223-caliber rifle hidden in the brush. Parizek said police were going through surveillance videos from businesses near the shooting sites — close to a major mall and to a high school — for a better understanding of how the attacks unfolded. Greene was known to police in Urbandale, a small suburban city west of Des Moines. Over the years, he’d had a string of run-ins with police and a history of racially charged encounters with African-Americans.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Cook-out leads to deadly shooting...

Georgia Deputy Fatally Shot; Another Wounded
November 7, 2016 -- A dispute between neighbors led to a shooting Sunday that left one Peach County deputy dead and another seriously wounded.

The shooting happened about 5:30 p.m. west of Byron. One of the deputies was taken to the Medical Center, Navicent Health, in Macon, and the other was rushed to the Medical Center of Peach County. Peach County Coroner Kerry Rooks, who was at the Macon hospital, said deputy Patrick Sondron, 41, died about 6:40 p.m. “He was a very good person,” Rooks said of Sondron, who’d been with the department about 12 years. “He was just a great deputy. He did his job well and was always willing to help.” The other deputy, Daryl Smallwood, was in critical condition late Sunday night. He’s been with the sheriff’s office about a year after serving with other departments.

Deputy Patrick Sondron​

J.T. Ricketson, special agent in charge of the GBI office in Perry, said the sheriff’s office contacted him about 6 p.m. requesting assistance with a shooting. He said deputies were responding to “a dispute between neighbors.” “When they arrived, they were under gunfire,” Ricketson said at the scene. “They returned fire.” A suspect was taken to the Medical Center, Navicent Health. Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese identified him as Ralph Ellwood. Deese said he sustained one gunshot wound. “We don’t think it was targeting,” Deese said of the case outside the Macon hospital about 9:40 p.m. “It was a feud between neighbors.” The deputies, he added, “were out there doing their jobs. There is no such thing as a routine call.” Deese had arrived at the Medical Center about 8:15 p.m. and went inside immediately.

The shooting happened on Hardison Road at Ga. 42. Deputies had that area of Ga. 42 blocked after the shooting and many law enforcement vehicles were in the area. Ricketson said several law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including Byron, Perry, Houston County and Jones County. Ricketson said the incident started with people who were riding on Hardison Road in a four-wheeler and on a motorcycle. The suspect confronted them with a weapon, but Ricketson declined to say what kind of weapon. Neighbors next door then called 911. The deputies originally went to the home of the neighbors who called 911, Ricketson said. After they gathered information about what had happened, they pulled their cars to the suspect’s home, got out and came under fire. Ricketson said it took several minutes to secure the scene.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Soon-to-retire Arizona Police Officer shot dead...

Arizona Police Officer Slain; Suspect Dead
November 9, 2016 - Show Low Police Officer Darrin Reed died after being shot outside a fast-food restaurant Tuesday.

Officials said that 36-year-old Daniel Erickson shot Officer Darrin Reed around 1:30 p.m. outside an Arby's restaurant, according to The Arizona Republic. Reed, who was several weeks away from retiring, was transported to Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

Officer Darrin Reed​

Erickson barricaded himself in a rental cabin at Lake of the Woods Resort in Pinetop-Lakeside, triggering a standoff that began around 9 p.m. Officials said that the standoff came to an end when officers returned fire, killing Erickson and safety recovering a 15-year-old girl he was holding hostage.

Erickson is a convicted felon who served two stints in the Arizona Department of Corrections. "I believe everyone is still in shock," Kirk Webb, risk manager for the Timber Mesa Fire & Medical District said. "This is something nobody ever expects. Many of us knew him (Reed) for a very long time from different agencies. When you works in this field, you become so close. ... We are a family." Funeral arrangements for Reed are pending.

Arizona Police Officer Fatally Shot; Suspect Dead | Officer.com

See also:

Georgia Deputy Dies Two Days After Shooting
November 9, 2016 - Peach County Deputy Daryl Smallwood died from his injuries Tuesday after being wounded in an ambush that left Sgt. Patrick Sondron dead.

He survived nearly two days after being shot in the head. But Tuesday afternoon, Peach County Deputy Daryl Smallwood died from his injuries after allegedly being ambushed in the line of duty. Smallwood and Sgt. Patrick Michael Sondron were responding to a dispute between neighbors Sunday afternoon when both were shot, according to police. Sondron, 41, died after arriving at the county hospital. Smallwood, critically injured, was on life support until his death. A prayer vigil was planned Tuesday night for the deputies' families at North Peach Park in Byron. It was supposed to offer hope for Smallwood's recovery, but instead allowed those in the central Georgia community a chance to grieve.

Deputy Daryl Smallwood​

Late Monday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged the alleged shooter, Ralph Stanley Elrod, with murder and aggravated assault charges. An additional murder charge is expected to be filed Wednesday, District Attorney David Cooke said. "I need to make clear that the warrants are mere allegations and are not proof of Mr. Elrod's guilt," Cooke said late Tuesday in an emailed statement. Smallwood previously worked as a deputy with the Crisp County Sheriff's Office, where deputies gathered Sunday night to hold hands and pray for his recovery. The divorced father was engaged. Sondron served in the U.S. Air Force and loved to travel, but his legacy was to serve others.

For 13 years, he worked for the Peach County Sheriff's Office, where he was a sergeant assigned to the patrol division and a member of the SWAT team. On Sunday, he responded to his final call. At a home near Byron, about 15 miles south of Macon, a 57-year-old man angry with neighbors pulled a gun from his waistband and fired at Sondron and a fellow deputy. Sondron was married with three children and loved to travel, according to his online obituary. In his spare time, he loved to travel, was a pilot and drove charter buses. Sondron also loved cars, including Dodge Challengers, and was a die-cast collector. Visitation for Sondron will be Wednesday from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the church. Interment will follow at Magnolia Park Cemetery.

Georgia Sheriff's Deputy Dies Two Days After Shooting | Officer.com

 

[waltky]

"Ambushed" and shot while responding to a domestic situation...

Coroner: 1 of 2 Pennsylvania police officers shot has died
November 10, 2016 — One of two western Pennsylvania police officers "ambushed" and shot while responding to a domestic situation has died, and police are searching for a suspect, authorities said Thursday.

State police Trooper Melinda Bondarenka told reporters the incident began at 3:14 a.m. when the Canonsburg officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute. The officers were "ambushed upon their arrival" and immediately shot, Bondarenka said.

The dead police officer was identified as Officer Scott Leslie Bashioum. The surviving officer was flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh, county Coroner Tim Warco said. His name and condition weren't immediately released.

Police and SWAT teams were seen near at least two homes in the borough about 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. The Canon-McMillan School District canceled classes Thursday because of the heavy police presence, and the nearby Chartiers-Houston School District was operating on a two-hour delay.

VIDEO

 

[waltky]

Calif. Sheriff's Deputy Killed Execution-style...

Calif. Sheriff's Deputy Killed in Execution
November 14, 2016 - Stanislaus County Deputy Dennis Wallace was slain by a wanted man who was caught hours later after he carjacked one motorist, robbed a liquor store and tried to snatch a purse from a woman.

A Stanislaus County sheriff's deputy was shot and killed Sunday in "an execution" carried out by a wanted man who was caught hours later after he carjacked one motorist, robbed a liquor store and tried to snatch a purse from a woman in Tulare County, authorities said. Deputy Dennis Wallace, a 20-year department veteran, was shot twice in the head shortly after coming across a stolen van in Fox Grove Park, just outside the city of Hughson, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson told reporters at a news conference. "We know for a fact that the gun used in this crime was in direct contact with his head when the trigger was pulled -- twice," Christianson said, according to a video posted by news station KCR3. "This was an execution."

The suspect, identified as David Machado Jr., 36, fled before carjacking a 2009 white Kia Rio in the nearby community of Keyes, Christianson said. The van was abandoned nearby. While on the run, Machado traveled at least 150 miles before committing an armed robbery at a convenience store in Lindsay, about 15 miles east of the City of Tulare in the Central Valley, Christianson said during another news conference announcing the suspect's arrest. Then, shortly after noon, Machado tried to steal a purse from a woman, who fought back and called police, he said. Police officers who responded to her report chased Machado on foot and took him into custody, the sheriff said. "He surrendered to those peace officers who were chasing him," Christianson said.

Law enforcement and emergency crews are seen on the scene after the fatal shooting involving of Stanislaus County Deputy Dennis Wallace on Nov. 13 at the Fox Grove Fishing Access in Hughson, Calif.​

He said Machado was identified through his tattoos and a photograph that had been released to other law enforcement agencies.[ Christianson said authorities have recovered a van Machado used to flee from Fox Grove Park as well as the Kia Rio he carjacked later. "There's still much work to be done," Christianson said. "We will be bringing Mr. Machado back here to Stanislaus County to stand trial and we will seek justice, and justice will be done in this case." Christianson said the events that led to the shooting began about 8:24 a.m. when Wallace called in and was told by dispatch that a car he saw at the Fox Grove Fishing Access was stolen. Wallace asked for another unit but never responded to additional messages from dispatchers, Christianson said.

A second deputy discovered Wallace when he arrived. The gunman had fled, Christianson said. The carjacking in Keyes occurred about 8:40 a.m., the sheriff said. Machado, he said, had an outstanding warrant in connection with another felony, but the sheriff did not elaborate. "He is a known criminal," Christianson said. Wallace, he said, was well-known for working on anti-drug and early intervention programs. He was married with a family, the sheriff said.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Little Richard's father was killed in Macon...

U.S. Marshal Shot and Killed Serving Warrant
November 18, 2016 - U.S. Deputy Marshal Pat Carothers was fatally wounded while serving an arrest warrant at a mobile home park in Ludowici, Georgia Friday.

Law enforcement officers across the nation are morning the death of a U.S. marshal based in Macon who was killed in the line of duty. Just before 9 a.m. Friday, Long County law enforcement officers responded to the fatal shooting of a U.S. deputy marshal based in Macon. Pat Carothers, 53, was wounded while serving an arrest warrant near the rear of the Spring Creek Mobile Home Park on Tibet Road in Ludowici. Suspect Dontrell Montese Carter was armed with a rifle as marshals came to serve a warrant for attempted murder of police officers, domestic violence and unlawfully discharging a weapon in Sumter County, South Carolina. Carter also was fatally wounded, but it is not initially clear if Carothers fired a shot. “It’s terrible,” said John Edgar of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force that Carothers commanded. “He was just a great family man, a great employee, a great mentor and a great leader.”

Edgar, who was on vacation Friday, traveled to the Liberty Regional Medical Center in Hinesville where Carothers was taken by ambulance with a law enforcement escort. Carothers, the commander of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force was wearing his protective vest when he was hit twice, once at the top of his vest. One of the bullets hit his heart. Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick said protective gear has its limitations. “Those vests are not going to stop a rifle round,” said Bittick, who lost officer Michael Norris in a shooting two years ago. Bittick shared condolences on Facebook after hearing the news. Bittick lamented the death of another law enforcement officer. He attended last week’s funerals for Peach County deputies Sgt. Patrick Sondron and Daryl Smallwood.

U.S. Deputy Marshal Pat Carothers was fatally wounded while serving an arrest warrant at a mobile home park in Ludowici, Georgia Friday morning.​

Carothers and others remembered the fallen officers at the Macon Regional Crimestoppers luncheon on Nov. 7, just hours after the Peach County deputies were fatally wounded. As the agent in charge of the Macon field office, he worked closely with the community crime-fighting partnership, said Crimestoppers executive director Warren Selby Jr. “Just another tragedy. It just doesn’t seem to end,” Selby said Friday afternoon. “We kind of thought we were back on our feet... then something else hits us.” Crimestoppers relied on Carothers and the task force when they received tips about violent offenders. “Pat was a true professional in the law enforcement field,” Selby said. “Just another tragedy we have to deal with. ... It’s a sad day for local law enforcement.” A neighbor said he was still in bed when he heard the gunshots, freelance reporter Lewis Levine told The Telegraph. “I talked to people who were there and they didn’t see anything,” Levine said.

Older model mobile homes are tucked off the rural highway connecting Long and Liberty counties, Levine said. Multiple agencies responded to the call, including Long County deputies, the GBI, ATF and FBI. “We just lost one of our own,” Levine was told as he was ordered to back away from the crime scene. The FBI confirmed the marshal’s death, but did not release information about the suspect. U.S. Marshals Service Deputy Director David Harlow issued a statement on Carothers’ death. “Our deputies and law enforcement partners face dangers every day in the pursuit of justice nationwide,” Harlow stated. “The fugitive who killed Deputy Commander Carothers was extremely dangerous, wanted for trying to kill law enforcement officers and deliberately evading authorities. Pat is a hero and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and five children.”

U.S. Marshal Shot and Killed While Serving Warrant | Officer.com

See also:

Idaho Police K-9 Dies Following Shooting
November 18, 2016 - Boise Police K-9 Jardo, who was wounded along with two officers in a shooting on Friday, died late Wednesday of a heart attack caused by internal bleeding from his injuries.

The police dog, shot along with two Boise officers Friday as they worked to apprehend a violent suspect, went home with his handler one day after surgery and had appeared headed for a full recovery. Jardo was a star attraction at a vigil for police officers Tuesday night, and Chief Bill Bones told the crowd Jardo was expected to defy initial expectations and return to work on “light duty.” But one day later, Jardo suddenly became ill and his handler brought him to WestVet. where he died late Wednesday of a heart attack caused by internal bleeding from his injuries, Dr. Jeff Brourman, a veterinarian at WestVet who helped treat Jardo, said at a Thursday afternoon press conference. In a police news release, WestVet said two surgeons worked to save his life, but he had lost too much blood. The board for the Idaho Peace Officers’ Memorial, where Tuesday’s vigil was held, is considering adding a separate memorial at the Meridian site to honor fallen police dogs. Board president Mike Johnson said Thursday that the idea, still in its early stages, was discussed Monday night, when Jardo was still expected to recover.

Jardo will get a memorial service in line with what any other officer would recieve, Police Chief Bill Bones said. The details of that service are being worked out and will be released soon, a department spokeswoman said. “Jardo served our community, and though we were blessed with these few extra days to share with him, he ultimately gave his life in the protection of fellow officers,” Bones said. “The support and prayer that we have seen from this community has carried us through and continues to carry us through.” Jardo, who joined BPD in 2013, was rushed to WestVet, a Garden City trauma veterinary hospital, immediately after the shooting Friday. Despite losing a lung, he was out of the hospital the next day. On Wednesday, he visited the police station, “seeking out BPD members for every bit of petting he could obtain,” according to a Boise police news release.

K-9 Jardo​

On Tuesday, he attended a vigil honoring Cpl. Kevin Holtry and Cpl. Chris Davis, who were wounded in the shootout, and police officers in general. The crowd at the vigil chanted “Jardo, Jardo” when handler Shane Williams brought the Belgian Malinois out. Since the news of Jardo’s death, some have suggested his name be added to the wall honoring fallen Idaho officers at the memorial, but Johnson said the K-9’s death, while widely mourned, doesn’t fall into the same category. But it does make it more likely, he said, that an idea already under discussion for a separate K-9 memorial on the site will come to fruition. Requirements for that memorial would parallel those for the human memorial, he said: Any police dog that died from injuries received in the line of duty. At least three or four police Idaho dogs fit that requirement, he said, including Jardo and Roscoe, the Emmett police dog who died when the police car he was riding in was rear-ended in July.

Boise police suggested three ways to donate in memory of Jardo:

▪ To the Boise Police Canine Foundation through the Idaho Community Foundation.

▪ To WestVet’s Audrey Pet Foundation.

▪ To Animal Medical Center Boise.

Idaho Police K-9 Dies After Shooting | Officer.com

 

[waltky]

Be on the lookout if ya see this car in Texas...

San Antonio Officer Killed in Ambush
November 20, 2016 - The officer was issuing a traffic citation when a black vehicle pulled up behind the officer patrol car and the driver walked up to the cruiser's window, firing one round inside.

About noon Sunday, a San Antonio police officer was shot and killed while performing a routine traffic stop near police headquarters downtown, police Chief William McManus said. McManus said the shooting occurred on the south side of SAPD headquarters, where an officer was issuing a traffic citation. As he did so, a black vehicle pulled up behind the officer's unit. The suspect got out of the car, walked up to the passenger window and fired one round into the patrol car, hitting the officer in the head, McManus said. He said the suspect reached in and fired again, hitting the officer a second time. The suspect then drove off, McManus said during a news conference. The suspect is described as a black male, 5′ 7″to 6-foot tall, wearing a gray shirt and black pants.

A San Antonio police officer was issuing a traffic citation when a black vehicle -- seen fleeing the scene in the photo -- pulled up behind the officer patrol car and the driver walked up to the cruiser's window, firing one round inside that struck the officer in the head.​

According to chatter on police scanners, police were searching the area near headquarters and the surrounding buildings for the shooter, while homicide detectives were interviewing witnesses who were either near a VIA bus stop, or on a VIA bus near where the shooting occurred. "Right now we are looking for a possible motive," McManus said. "We are looking for video footage that may help us identity this individual." The officer was a 20-year veteran of the force, but no other details were given. "It's always difficult, especially in this day and age, where police are being targeted across the country," McManus said. He said this is everyone's worst nightmare, from the officers on the department, to officer families, to those who support the police department.

In a news release, Mayor Ivy Taylor said this type of crime cannot and will not be tolerated. She gave her condolences to the family of the officer and to the entire police force. Governor Greg Abbott also condemned the killing and said attacks on law enforcement cannot be tolerated and must be met with swift justice. He asked all Texans to join together in prayer for the officer's family. Outgoing Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau said county deputies are actively looking for the suspect and assisting SAPD in any way they may need.

San Antonio Police Officer Shot and Killed in Ambush | Officer.com

 

[Rambunctious]

A total of 57 U.S. law enforcement officers have been killed by gunfire so far this year, a 68 percent increase from the same period in 2015 wouldn't you step up and say something if you were the president of the United States?

 

[Buck111]

Dear Walky,
I have challenged you to a debate. Hoping you are up to it.
Link:
Debate Now - My Challenge To Waltky - War On Police

 

[waltky]

He was such a young cadet...

Wayne State University officer dies from gunshot wound
November 23, 2016 — A police officer has died a day after he was shot in the head while on patrol near a university campus in Detroit.

Wayne State University Officer Collin Rose, 29, died about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at a hospital, Detroit police Sgt. Michael Woody said. Rose's death had been reported earlier in a news release from school President M. Roy Wilson. "This is a tragedy felt by all of us," Wilson said. "Collin served Wayne State with distinction, and we owe those he left behind our deepest sympathies and our strong support." Rose also is the "only Wayne State officer ever to fall in the line of duty," Wilson said. The five-year veteran of the university's police force had gone through surgery earlier Wednesday, but his condition was described by the department's chief as "very grave." Police said a suspect in the shooting was arrested late Tuesday night a few blocks from where Rose was shot, but no charges have been filed.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig had said Rose was on duty around 6:30 p.m. when he radioed to say he was investigating possible thefts of navigation systems from vehicles and that he was about to speak to someone on a bike. Officers who arrived on the scene found Rose injured on the ground, Craig said. Authorities say ambush-style shootings on Sunday left one police officer dead in San Antonio, Texas, and another wounded in St. Louis, Missouri, underscoring fears in the law enforcement community that the uniform is increasingly becoming a target. But Wayne State Police Chief Anthony Holt said that wasn't the case in Detroit on Tuesday. "I don't believe it was an ambush," Holt said at a news conference Wednesday. "I don't believe he was specifically targeted" because of his uniform.

A Detroit man who has had several run-ins with police is in custody. Holt said no weapon has been recovered and that the investigation is ongoing. "We're trying to put the pieces together," Holt said. University spokesman Matt Lockwood said Wednesday morning that Rose had undergone surgery and that his parents and fiancee were by his side. Rose was a cadet with the New Baltimore Police Department and had his first job as an officer with the village of Richland, Lockwood said. Rose, a cyclist interested in dog training, graduated from Ferris State University in 2010 and was president of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Wayne State has more than 27,000 students and is located in the heart of Detroit. Wilson said the school employs around 65 officers. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and state Attorney General Bill Schuette offered condolences Wednesday night to Rose's family and fellow officers. "Officer Rose was doing his job, serving his community and protecting all of us, when he was tragically gunned down," Schuette said in a statement. "Officer Rose was too young to have his life taken, and he leaves behind a family that will never be the same."

Wayne State University officer dies from gunshot wound

See also:

Critically Wounded Michigan Officer Dies
November 23, 2016 - Wayne State University Police K-9 Officer Collin Rose died Wednesday of injuries sustained when he was shot in the head while on-duty Tuesday.

Rose is the first Wayne State officer to be killed in the line of duty. He was the second Wayne State officer to be shot while on duty. “I am saddened to report that a short time ago, Wayne State University officer Collin Rose died from the gunshot wound he suffered while working in the line of duty yesterday evening,” Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson said in a message to the campus community at 6 p.m. Wednesday. “This is a tragedy felt by all of us -- Collin and his family and friends, his fiancée, and our campus and community. Please keep Collin and his fiancée and family in your thoughts and prayers. Collin served Wayne State with distinction, and we owe those he left behind our deepest sympathies and our strong support. “Please keep all our police officers in your thoughts as well. Collin is the first and only Wayne State officer ever to fall in the line of duty. Our officers mourn with us, but these dedicated, professional men and women continue to serve us courageously, every day. We can honor Collin’s memory best with our ongoing gratitude and support for all of our officers.”

The 29-year-old police officer was shot in the head Tuesday evening while patrolling an area a few blocks off campus, near Martin Luther King Blvd. and Trumbull, in Detroit's Woodbridge neighborhood when he stopped to investigate a man. Rose was alone in the car with his two dogs. It's standard policy for officers to patrol alone, police said, It's also standard policy not to get the dogs - which are trained for narcotics and bomb sniffing - out and to use them to control a subject. It is unclear why Rose was in the area – which is off campus. Wayne State police are also sworn Detroit police officers and patrol the area around campus.

Police have not said if Rose was responding to a 911 call, which Lincoln Apartments manager, Betty Evans, said she made. She said she argued with a man on a bicycle, who didn't live there, and called 911 when he wouldn't leave the area. She looked outside as an officer arrived to confront the man on the bike. "He was outside, in front. The officer was trying to get his hands behind his back. We heard a shot and the officer went down, and we heard two more shots," Evans said. "I'm just praying everything works out. They have my condolences for this. "I feel sorry for the officer. I hate the crime that's going on in the city."

MORE

 

[MikeK]

War has been declared on White law enforcement quite loudly and publicly. And it's being carried out.
Our nation has effectively been leaderless for the past seven years, replaced by a foreign-born Muslim golfer.

If Obama is to blame for the recent string of cop killings it's because he's failed to recognize and address the inevitable consequences of the militaristic direction America's civilian police have been moving in ever since Ronald Reagan saw fit to escalate Richard Nixon's failed and destructively counterproductive War on Drugs. Instead of wasting time and publicity resources on such ill-conceived and silly racial healing stunts as "having a beer on the White-House lawn" with a White cop and an offended Black professor, Obama should have focused his attention on, for one thing, the dramatic increase in the number of 3AM "no-knock" SWAT raids, most of which are based on mere suspicion of minor drug offenses, which are taking place all over the U.S. at a rate of 100+ a day, 365 days a year.

This kind of wholly unnecessary, brutally aggressive exercise of excessively militaristic police authority operates to produce a festering resentment of police which eventually will manifest in the kind of retaliatory murders and assassinations we are seeing now.

If Obama is to blame for the apparent war on cops it's because he's failed to to see who started the war, and why, and to do something about it.

 

[waltky]

Tacoma officer dies responding to a domestic call...

Police Officer Shot in Washington State Dies at Hospital
December 1, 2016 — A police officer who was shot multiple times in Tacoma while responding to a domestic violence call died Wednesday night, while police worked to arrest a suspect they believed was still barricaded in the home with a gun, authorities said.

Tacoma Police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said the officer was pronounced dead at the hospital Wednesday evening. "We've suffered a great loss and I think the community has suffered a great loss. I don't know how to put that into words," Cool said. The officer's identity has not been made public. The body, escorted by a procession of law enforcement officers from around the region, was moved from the hospital to the county medical examiner's office Wednesday night.

Cool said police responded to the home Wednesday afternoon in the 400 block of East 52nd Street and that shortly after arriving, officers called for backup. Reacting to shots fired, arriving officers entered the home and managed to get the wounded officer outside and to a hospital, Cool said. She had said the officer had been undergoing surgery before the death was announced. It wasn't immediately clear what led up to the shooting.

In a statement, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he and his wife Trudi were sending their thoughts and prayers to the family and loved ones of the officer. "All of Washington grieves with Tacoma, which tonight lost one of their finest. Our hearts are with the men and women of the Tacoma Police Department, their families, and their brothers and sisters in law enforcement across Washington."

Cool said police believe the suspect remained in the home Wednesday night. She said the neighborhood was locked down while officers from multiple agencies were "working to bring it to a peaceful resolution." She also said it's possible the suspect, who hasn't been identified, could have left while police were removing the wounded officer from the scene. She said that's why the large neighborhood perimeter had been set up.

Police Officer Shot in Washington State Dies at Hospital

See also:

North Carolina Police K-9 Dies After Shooting
November 30, 2016 - Pembroke Police K-9 Payne, who died Monday after being shot on Nov. 18, will be laid to rest Thursday at the home of his handler Jason Hunt.

Payne, who specialized in drug detection, died Monday from complications related to injuries suffered in a shooting Nov. 18. His death and the details of services were reported on social media by Pembroke police and his family. The graveside service will be held at noon at 4909 Deep Branch Road. "Everyone is welcomed to attend! Law enforcement will line up for the procession at 11 a.m. in the parking lot of Locklear and Son's Funeral Home...the public is welcome to be waiting at the graveside at 12!" Pembroke police posted on their Facebook page today.

The 2-year-old Labrador Retriever was shot when Hunt stopped on Union Chapel Road for the dog to walk. Last week Pembroke Police Chief Grant Florita said it appeared Payne picked up a scent and ran toward Garden Street. Hunt then heard several gunshots before Payne came back limping, with flesh wounds on his left leg and ribs.

Payne underwent surgery, and spent a few days under care at Pembroke Veterinary Hospital before being taken home with a police escort. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing but no information on potential charges has been released.

North Carolina Police K-9 Dies After Being Shot | Officer.com

Related:

Man in Pursuit That Killed Deputy Was Illegal
November 30, 2016 - An illegal immigrant who was being chased when a Nassau County sheriff's deputy was killed by an SUV told a federal judged Monday he wants to plead guilty to reentering the country illegally.

Francisco Portillo-Fuentes, a 26-year-old Salvadoran, could theoretically face up to two years in prison. But his attorney told reporters the usual sentence is time served and another seven days behind bars, which immigration officials use to arrange deportation.

Portillo-Fuentes was arrested in Jacksonville about 12 hours after Nassau Deputy Eric Oliver was struck as he ran across Florida 200 in Yulee last week. Portillo-Fuentes had been riding in a truck with other men that U.S. Border Patrol agents approached, and he ran to avoid the agents.

Francisco Portillo-Fuentes, left, and Deputy Eric Oliver​

He had been removed from the country in September, the month after a DUI conviction in Jacksonville, and he had returned by crossing the Rio Grande just three days before Oliver was killed. U.S. Magistrate Joel Toomey had scheduled the hearing Monday as a continuation of a detention hearing that began Wednesday.

Toomey told Portillo-Fuentes, who remained locked up, to come back next Monday for a hearing where he might be allowed to waive the formal indictment process and simply plead guilty. Defense attorney Mark Rosemblum said after the hearing that it's common to plead guilty to illegal reentry. Rosenblum said Oliver's death was tragic but that he'd argue Portillo-Fuentes didn't deserve any greater punishment, since he had simply run to get away from authorities.

Man in Pursuit That Killed Deputy Was Illegal Immigrant | Officer.com

 

[waltky]

Identity of Fatally Shot Tacoma Police Officer released...

Fatally Shot Tacoma Police Officer Identified
December 2, 2016 - Tacoma Police Officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez was gunned down while responding to a domestic dispute Wednesday night.

Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez walked up the stairs of an East Side home Wednesday, talking to a man who'd locked his wife out of the house and refused to show his face. The Tacoma police officer stepped onto the landing on the third floor and turned down a hallway. A barrage of bullets cut him down. Guitierrez's partner, who was waiting downstairs with the wife, immediately returned fire. The officer then rushed out of the house with the wife and called for backup. "They thought he may be coming out willingly, but obviously he didn't," Police Chief Don Ramsdell said Thursday. By the end of it all, both the officer and gunman would be dead.

Officials gave the following account of what happened: Police believe the shooter was hiding in an upstairs room, likely with his 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. A family member identified the gunman as Bruce Johnson II, 38. Gutierrez lay crumpled on the landing. Fellow officers could not raise him on the radio. As soon as the call went out that an officer was down, officers from throughout Pierce and King counties descended on the house in the 400 block of East 52nd Street. Officers cordoned off several blocks and ordered residents to stay inside. A SWAT team quickly surrounded the home, trapping Johnson inside with several weapons. At one point, 185 law enforcement officers were on scene; 114 of them were from Tacoma, which is about half of the commissioned personnel.

Officer Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez​

A team of officers managed to rush inside the house and carry out Gutierrez, who was rushed to Tacoma General Hospital and later pronounced dead. Investigators are unsure how many times Gutierrez was shot or whether he was able to return fire. As nearly 200 uniformed law enforcement officers stood at attention in the biting cold outside the hospital, police were negotiating with Johnson, who barricaded himself in a room upstairs. Although police knew the children possibly were inside, they didn't have confirmation. They kept talking with Johnson, who threw things out a window and periodically shot off guns at unknown targets. It's unclear what set off Johnson.

The incident started just before 4 p.m., when two animal control officers were called out near the family's home to respond to an injured dog. While loading two dogs into their van, the officers noticed Johnson's wife was outside and visibly upset. Assuming the dogs belonged to her and she was upset about losing them, the officers led her to the van to show her the dogs. The woman broke down crying. She told them her husband had taken her cellphone and locked her out of the office. The animal control officers called dispatchers, who sent Gutierrez and his longtime partner to the house. The woman recounted her story to the officers but Johnson did not come to the door when they knocked.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Breakdown in communications leads to deaths of 5 officers in Ukraine...

Ukraine: Five police killed in friendly-fire shoot-out
Sun, 04 Dec 2016 - Five police officers are mistakenly killed by their own side in Ukraine, officials say.

Five police officers in Ukraine have been killed by friendly fire during a botched operation to arrest robbers, an interior ministry official has said. The overnight shoot-out between two sets of police began when each side believed the other to be criminals. It happened near Kiev and has been described as a "heartbreaking tragedy".

The gunfight began when a burglar alarm went off by chance in the house next door to one being staked out by two undercover policemen. A separate unit then arrived to investigate the alarm, in the small town of Knyazhychi, and detained the pair, mistaking them for robbers.

Security forces at the scene of the shoot-out in Knyazhychi, 30km east of Kiev​

But the back-up unit for the two men apparently feared they had been confronted by the thieves and tried to rescue them. Interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said those suspected of being the real burglars - who were nearby - heard the gun battle and fled in two vehicles.

The three were arrested soon afterwards with firearms in the capital, Kiev, the Kyiv Post reported, and it is expected they will be charged with numerous criminal offences. The former chief of national police Khatia Dekanoidze described the shooting as a "heartbreaking tragedy", the paper reported.

Ukraine: Five police killed in friendly-fire shoot-out - BBC News

See also:

North Carolina Officer Hit by 'Friendly Fire'
December 2, 2016 - A police officer who was shot while responding to a break-in call at an apartment Wednesday afternoon was hit by a round fired by another Raleigh police officer.

Police say the suspect in the break-in, Chijioke Kennedy Madueke, was also hit by gunfire and remains hospitalized at WakeMed. Police say Madueke, 28, was armed with a knife during the encounter with police. Madueke's medical condition was unavailable Thursday because he is not listed as a patient at the facility, a hospital spokeswoman said. The officer who was shot, C.N. Chandler, was treated and released from WakeMed, according to the department. He and two other officers -- R.D. VanHouten and T.A. Duford -- have been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is under investigation. It's not clear what role the other officers played in the incident or which one fired the shot that hit Chandler.

The shooting took place about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at 1230 University Court in the Lake Park Condominiums, off Lake Dam Road south of Avent Ferry Road. An emergency dispatcher told officers that the person who reported the break-in said he had been told that a tenant he had evicted that morning had returned to the apartment and broken in, according to a recording of the police radio traffic released Thursday. Court records indicate that Madueke's landlord, Siddharth K. Patel, had sought to have him evicted from the apartment for not paying October rent of $340 and refusing to leave. In a claim filed in district court on Oct. 21, Patel wrote that Madueke "has locked the room so I am not able to inspect the room/apt. He is also physical (he pushed me with intent to hit) last time I visited the apt."

Patel returned to court Nov. 7, when a small claims judge issued the order that evicted Madueke from the apartment. Madueke was not present during the hearing, court records show. Madueke had signed a rental agreement that began June 9 and was supposed to continue month-to-month after July 31, according to a copy of the agreement filed with the court. Patel told the court that he notified Madueke in writing on Sept. 15 that he needed to "vacate my unit" by Oct. 8. Another document indicated that Madueke rented a room within the apartment. Patel could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Patel described Madueke as "a student at a university," in a court affidavit. Michelle Fauver, a spokeswoman at Wake Technical Community College, said Thursday that Madueke first enrolled at the school in the spring of 2009 and was last enrolled in the spring of 2012. "He did not receive a degree," Fauver said. An N.C. State University spokesman said Madueke is not enrolled there. Madueke, whose last name is also listed as "Madweke" on court records, was charged by Cary police on Aug. 30 last year with one count of felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, according to records at the Wake County Clerk of Courts Office.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Off-duty correction officer fatally shot in New York...

NYPD: Off-duty correction officer fatally shot in Brooklyn
Tuesday 6th December, 2016 - A 25-year-old off-duty city correction officer was fatally shot while sitting in a car in Brooklyn on Sunday night, police said.

The officer, identified as Alastasia Bryan, of East New York, had just left her mother’s house in Flatlands and gotten in the car to make a phone call when a gunman fired five times, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. Bryan was found in the car around 9:15 p.m. at East 73 Street and Avenue L with gunshot wounds to her head and torso, cops said. She was pronounced dead at the scene, they said. The suspect appeared to be waiting for Bryan in another car and got out to shoot her, Boyce said. He then got into a tan car and drove off.

Alastasia Bryan, a 25-year-old off-duty city correction officer, was fatally shot while sitting in a car in Brooklyn on Sunday night​

Boyce said Bryan had been a correction officer at Rikers Island for only one month. “On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of Alastasia Bryan – a rising member of New York City’s Department of Correction who was senselessly murdered yesterday in Brooklyn," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement on Monday. "The NYPD is working aggressively to find the person responsible for this heinous act and will maintain its pursuit until they are brought to justice."

Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association president Elias Husamudeen said in a statement the association is grieving “the horrific murder of one of the youngest members of New York City’s Boldest.” “The COBA will do everything we can to support the officer’s family during this time and we will not rest until the assailant or assailants are brought to justice,” the statement said.

NYPD: Off-duty correction officer fatally shot in Brooklyn

 

[waltky]

Police suspect shooter was waiting for his victim...

Slain Corrections Officer Was Driving to Work
December 6, 2016 - New York City Corrections Officer Alastasia Bryan was killed outside her mother’s house in Brooklyn Sunday night by a gunman who police suspect was waiting for his victim.

The officer, identified by police as Alastasia Bryan, 25, of Crescent Street in East New York, Brooklyn, was shot several times and killed near East 73rd Street and Avenue L in the Flatlands neighborhood. Bryan had just left her mother’s house and had climbed into the car to make a phone call when a gunman fired five times, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Monday. Bryan was found inside her parked car, “unconscious and unresponsive, with gunshot wounds to the head and torso” about 9:15 p.m., police said

News video from the scene showed her gray sedan with five bullet holes in the driver’s side window. Bryan was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The suspect appeared to be waiting for Bryan in another car and got out to shoot her, Boyce said. He then got into a tan car and drove off. Boyce said Bryan had been a correction officer at Rikers Island for only one month.

Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association president Elias Husamudeen said in a statement Monday the union is grieving “the horrific murder of one of the youngest members of New York City’s Boldest.” “The COBA will do everything we can to support the officer’s family during this time and we will not rest until the assailant or assailants are brought to justice,” the statement said. Anyone with information can call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-8477.

Slain NYC Corrections Officer Was Driving to Work | Officer.com

 

[waltky]

Officer killed in Georgia...

Names of officers shot in Georgia released
December 7,`16. — The Latest on the shooting of two police officers in south Georgia (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Authorities have identified an officer who was shot and killed in south Georgia and another who was critically injured while responding to a domestic violence call. Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said Americus police Officer Nicholas Smarr died and Georgia Southwestern State University Officer Jodi Smith was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. Both had been officers since 2012. Authorities said the officers were shot while responding to a report of a domestic dispute at an apartment complex near the campus about 9:40 a.m. Wednesday. Scott said the suspect, 32-year-old Minguell Kennedy Lembrick, was still at large and local, state and federal law enforcement officers were searching for him. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan said his agency and the FBI are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Lembrick’s arrest.

3:30 p.m.

Messages including “not going to jail” have been posted on the Facebook page of a man wanted in the shootings of two Georgia police officers. Shortly after the shootings Wednesday, a message posted on the page of Minguell Kennedy Lembrick read: “other life gone not going to jail.” One officer died Wednesday and another was critically injured after being shot at an apartment complex in Americus, about 130 miles south of Atlanta. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified Lembrick as the suspect. Also posted to Lembrick’s account was a brief Facebook Live video showing a young man partly concealed by shadows saying, “I’m gonna miss y’all folk, man.” The final message on Lembrick’s page read: “Love yall.” GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles confirmed to The Associated Press that the Facebook page belongs to Lembrick.

3 p.m.

Georgia authorities say they are looking for a 32-year-old man who they believe is armed and dangerous in connection with the fatal shooting of one police officer and the wounding of another. Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles has identified the suspect as Minguell Kennedy Lembrick. Miles said an Americus officer and a Georgia Southwestern State University officer were shot while responding to a report of a domestic dispute at an apartment complex near the campus about 9:40 a.m. Wednesday. Miles says Lembrick is still at large. Miles said the Americus police officer died and the university officer was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. Americus is about 130 miles south of Atlanta. The university issued an alert on its website saying the shooting occurred off campus but that the campus was on lockdown.

2:15 p.m.

Authorities say one of the police officers shot in Georgia while responding to a domestic dispute has died and another is in critical condition. Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles says the Americus officer and a Georgia Southwestern State University officer were shot while responding to a report of a domestic dispute at an apartment complex near the campus about 9:40 a.m. Wednesday. Miles says the shooter is still at large. Miles said the Americus police officer died and the university officer was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. Americus is about 130 miles south of Atlanta. The university issued an alert on its website saying the shooting occurred off campus but that the campus was on lockdown.

The Latest: Names of officers shot in Georgia released

Related:

Georgia Officer Fatally Shot, Another Wounded
December 7, 2016 - Americus Police Officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr died after he and another officer were shot Wednesday morning while responding to a domestic dispute.

Americus police officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr died after he and another officer were shot Wednesday morning while answering a 911 call about a domestic dispute. Smarr, 25, and Jody Smith, a campus police officer for Georgia Southwestern State University, both responded to the call, which came about 9:40 a.m. from an apartment complex on South Lee Street. There, the lawmen encountered 32-year-old Minguell Lembrick, and shots were fired, according to a news release from the GBI. Both lawmen were wounded.

Officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr​

Smarr, who'd joined the department in 2012, died later that morning. Smith was life-flighted to the Medical Center, Navicent Health, where he remains in critical condition, officials said. Smarr's body is set for an autopsy on Thursday at the GBI crime lab in Macon. "He will be escorted by the Georgia State Patrol and other law enforcement officers as an honor guard," GBI director Vernon Keenan said.

Lembrick, also known as Minquell Kenney Lembrick, remained at large late afternoon Wednesday. A $20,000 reward is being offered by the FBI and GBI for information leading to Lembrick's arrest. "This is a very dangerous individual," Keenan said. "We need to have him off the streets. We want him arrested so that he can face the courts."

Georgia Police Officer Fatally Shot, Another Wounded | Officer.com

See also:

Charges dropped against man in Wayne State University officer's shooting death
December 7, 2016 -- Murder charges have been dropped against a man in the killing of a Detroit college police officer who was shot in the head last month.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Wednesday that charges have been dropped. The 31-year-old Detroit man was accused of shooting Wayne State University Officer Collin Rose on Nov. 22. The man had been jailed without bond since his arrest that night. He faced charges of first-degree murder and murder of a police officer.

Worthy said during a brief conference Wednesday he’s no longer a suspect.

Wayne State employs about 65 officers. The 29-year-old Rose died a day after the shooting and was posthumously promoted to sergeant. He is the only Wayne State officer to have been killed in the line of duty.

Charges dropped against man in Wayne State University officer's shooting death

 

[waltky]

Gunman committed suicide...

Second Wounded Ga. Police Officer Dies
December 9, 2016 - Georgia Southwestern State University Police Officer Jody Smith died Thursday, hours after the gunman who killed him and Americus Police Officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr committed suicide.

Jody Smith, the Georgia Southwestern State University police officer wounded in Wednesday morning's shooting, died Thursday afternoon, hours after the gunman who fatally wounded him and Americus policeman Nicholas Ryan Smarr committed suicide. "We have just received word that GSW Public Safety Officer Jody Smith has succumbed to his injuries and has passed away," GSW Interim President Charles Patterson said in a statement released about 5:35 p.m. Thursday. "We offer our deepest condolences to his family during this very difficult time. "Officer Smith was a bright, young and energetic officer, and he will be sorely missed."

The officer's death came hours after a 27-hour manhunt for their killer, Minquell Kennedy Lembrick, 32, ended with Lembrick fatally shooting himself. His body was found early Thursday afternoon after local, state and federal law enforcement officers surrounded the Allen Street home in Americus that he was hiding in. Authorities heard a single gunshot and rushed into the building. The manhunt started Wednesday morning after Smarr responded to a 9:40 a.m. domestic dispute call at Country Club Estates apartments on South Lee Street. Smith, close by at GSW University, heard the call and also responded to provide backup. According to officials, Smarr and Smith were good friends since high school and had attended the police academy together.

Georgia Southwestern State University Police Officer Jody Smith​

When they arrived, the two officers encountered Lembrick, officials said. According to reports, Lembrick fired on the officers and, although the officers returned fire, both were wounded before Lembrick fled. Smarr died from his wounds Wednesday and Smith, who was airlifted to a Macon trauma center, had been listed in critical condition before he succumbed to his injuries. A massive manhunt mobilizing local, state and federal law enforcement agencies got under way after the shootings. A reward, put together by those agencies and the community, began circulating on social media and through news agencies Wednesday evening. By Thursday, the reward for information leading to Lembrick's arrest was at $70,000.

Authorities said a tip led them to the house at 320 Allen St. in Americus, where Lembrick was holed up. "At approximately 10:02 this morning ,we received information from a citizen that Mr. Minquell Lembrick was located in a residence in the 300 block of Allen Street," Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said at a 1 p.m. news conference Thursday. "Officers responded to the area and began to set up a perimeter around the house and, as the first responding officers were getting there, they heard what sounded like a gunshot inside the residence."

MORE

 

[waltky]

Red-neck rampage against police...

200 Percent Increase in Georgia Officer Deaths
December 12, 2016 - At least eight Georgia law enforcement officers died on duty this year, as rural Georgia became an epicenter of violence against police.

“South of the Macon area was hit very hard,” said Frank Rotondo, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. The deaths of Americus police officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr and Georgia Southwestern University campus policeman Jody Smith add to a toll that now represents a 200 percent increase over the past two years, Rotondo stated in a news release extending sympathy to the officers’ families. “I think this has been a very bad year,” Rotondo said in a phone interview Friday. “Nationwide the numbers are going very high and it’s a real concern.” Rotondo, who once worked as a homicide detective on New York’s Long Island, was involved in a violent confrontation where the officer next to him was shot. That officer survived, but not without permanent scars and loss of vision.

Wednesday, Smarr answered a domestic violence call near the campus of Georgia Southwestern and his longtime buddy Smith came to assist. Both were fatally wounded. “I understand very fully the courage it takes for officers to do that,” Rotondo said. Domestic violence calls can be particularly volatile, he said. “The courageous and selfless response of officers Smarr and Smith was nothing short of heroic,” the news release stated. “They typified the selflessness and the internal steel with which law enforcement officers across the state of Georgia, and nationwide display every day.” The shooter, Minguell Lembrick, escaped and reportedly committed suicide Thursday morning. He shot himself in the head as the SWAT team surrounded his hideout, police said.

Corporal Phillip Hudson, Columbus State University Police Department, part of the honor guard, wears black over his badge in honor of Americus police officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr during the arrival to his funeral service at the Georgia Southwestern State University Storm Dome on Dec. 11.​

Support of law enforcement and cooperation from the public is the key to stemming the violence, Rotondo said. Lembrick might still be at large, he said, and other officers would still be in danger, if it weren’t for the anonymous tipster who led authorities to his location. Rotondo praised those who extend kindness and compassion to all police officers in the wake of the killings. Middle and south Georgia have seen a disproportionate amount of law enforcement deaths in 2016. Bibb sheriff’s investigator T. J. Freeman died in an accident with a fleeing suspect on May 5. Eastman police officer Tim Smith was fatally shot by a suspect on Aug. 13 and the alleged shooter was arrested in Florida a couple days later.

The Peach County Sheriff’s Office lost two deputies who were fatally wounded on Nov. 6. Sgt. Patrick Sondron and deputy Daryl Smallwood answered a call in Byron about a neighbor allegedly pulling a gun on people riding a motorcycle and four-wheeler. On Nov. 18, U.S. Marshal Pat Carothers, who was based in Macon, was gunned down in Ludowici while serving an arrest warrant on a man wanted for shooting at police officers in South Carolina. The national Officer Down Memorial Page also lists Newton County sheriff’s deputy Justin White as an on-duty fatal accident victim on Nov. 15. Across the country, 137 officers have been killed on duty, which is a 15 percent increase, according to the website. Of those deaths, 62 officers were killed by gunfire, which is up 72 percent.

200 Percent Increase in Georgia Officer Deaths | Officer.com

See also:

Fallen Georgia Police Officer Laid to Rest
December 12, 2016 - The town of Americus in South Georgia was in deep mourning Sunday as it bid farewell to one of two local police officers killed in the line of duty last week.

Hundreds lined the streets leading to the cemetery as a horse-drawn carriage carried the body of Americus Officer Nicholas Smarr to his final resting place. Smarr and his best friend, Jody Smith, an officer with Georgia Southwestern State University, were responding to a domestic violence call Wednesday when Minquell Lembrick opened fire on them, according to police. Smarr was pronounced dead the same day and Smith passed away a day later in a local hospital. Lembrick died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a manhunt and standoff. Speaking at the funeral, Americus Police Chief Mark Scott joked that you could tell Smith and Smarr were best friends because they took pleasure in posting embarrassing photos of each other on Facebook.

He also recalled how Smarr, after he was shot, died performing CPR on his wounded friend. They were found together when police arrived, he said. The deaths of the two young men has struck the small town to its core, said residents and community members who attended Smarr’s funeral service. Brinda Middleton, longtime secretary to Scott, spoke highly of Smarr. “He was the most respectful, it was always ‘Miss Brinda,’ you know, one of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet,” she said. “He never had anything negative to say about anybody. He’s just a real sweetheart and we’re going to miss him terribly.”

The North Carolina Troopers Association/N.C. Highway Patrol Caison Unit pass by a giant American flag as they transfer Americus police officer Nicholas Ryan Smarr from his funeral service to Oak Grove Cemetery on Dec. 11 in Americas, Ga.​

Middleton said Smith and Smarr’s were the department’s first officer fatalities in many years. “We’ve always been a close knit family, I think it will bring us a lot closer,” Middleton said of the tragedy. The officers’ deaths continue what law enforcement say is a disturbing trend this year of lawmen being killed in the line of duty with firearms. Smarr is the sixth law enforcement officer fatally shot in Georgia this year, double the total killed by guns in the previous two years combined. When Smith died the following day, he became the seventh officer killed by gunfire in 2016. There has been a 66 percent increase nationwide in the fatal shootings of officers from this same time in 2015, said Steve Groeninger of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. So far 64 officers have been gunned down in the line of duty this year. No more than 50 officers have been fatally shot in one year since 2011.

George Saratsiotis, a tailor and proprietor of George’s Menswear, said the two were regular customers of his. “These (are) wonderful young men, and it’s not fair for them to go so young,” said Saratsiotis, who settled in Americus 43 years ago after emigrating from Greece. “The atmosphere in town is very sad. Everybody is talking to each other and trying to help each other right now … We got a beautiful town here.” Americus resident Tonya Enlow, who works in manufacturing, said in a place where everyone is connected through family or friends somehow, Smith’s and Smarr’s deaths have taken a toll. “They were doing their job and it was uncalled for, it was unnecessary and stuff like that needs to be stopped,” said Enlow.

Sheila Newton’s daughter is best friends with Smarr’s girlfriend, Rachel Harrod. She said she only met Smarr a few times but saw that he made Harrod very happy. Smarr had been working to save up for a trip to Disney World for the two of them when he was killed. “You could tell that Rachel, I mean, that was her person,” Newton said. “My heart just breaks for her.” Funeral arrangements for Smith had not been announced as of Sunday.

Fallen Georgia Police Officer Laid to Rest | Officer.com

 

[waltky]

Corrections officer killed...

Arkansas Corrections Officer Killed in Attack
December 19, 2016 - Corrections Officer Lisa Mauldin was killed and Corrections Officer Demaris Allen was injured after they were attacked by an inmate at the Miller County Detention Center Sunday afternoon.

A corrections officer in Miller County, Arkansas was killed in an attack at the jail Sunday afternoon. Corrections Officers Lisa Mauldin and Demaris Allen were attacked by an inmate at the Miller County Detention Center located at 2300 East Street in Texarkana around 1 p.m., according to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

http://r1.officer.com/files/base/OFCR/image/2016/12/16x9/640x360/arklodd.5858737e8c14a.jpg[/img]
Miller County Corrections Officers Lisa Mauldin​

Both women were transported to Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana for treatment. Mauldin died from her injuries, while Allen was transfered to a hospital in Little Rock. The detention center was secured following the attacked and remained on lockdown Sunday night.

The name of the inmate who attacked the officers was not immediately available. Officials said in a statement that they are asking for "prayers for the families of these correction officers and for the agency as we mourn the loss of one of our own."

Arkansas Corrections Officer Killed in Attack at Jail | Officer.com

[/CENTER]
[/quote]