05-30-2013, 04:18 AM
From what I have read, the officers involved were very inexperienced. It appears that they came on the force last October. They did respond within the range of their training, though maybe a bit over reacting. The shooting review board may clear them but they will have to live with the death of an innocent man on their hands for the rest of their lives. And it may cause them to hesitate when they should not.
Worst case is that the city council (city manager ran city with a weak mayor) may just opt to throw them under the bus. This has become national news. In the military no commander wants a soldier to create a "CNN moment".
Family says man killed by Fort Worth police was inside his garage
Quote:
Waller was pronounced dead at 1:26 a.m. Tuesday inside the attached garage of his residence at 404 Havenwood Lane North, the Tarrant County medical examiners office reported.
The medical examiner said the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and ruled the death a homicide. That means another person caused the death but does not imply that a crime occurred.
On Wednesday, the two officers were identified as R.A. Hoeppner and B.B. Hanlon. Both were commissioned in October, Peel said.
The officers will be represented by Vincent Wisely, staff attorney for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
Quote:
Wisely said he would not comment on details of the case.
However, I will say that the officers involved did everything they were trained to do in responding to a very clear and direct threat upon their lives, Wisely said in an email.
Any time a police officer is forced to take a human life, it is painful not only for the family and friends of the precious life lost, but also for the police officer who has been placed in the unenviable position of having to defend his own life by the use of deadly force.
Peel declined to answer whether one or both officers fired their weapons or whether Waller fired or threatened to fire his, stating thats part of the investigation.
The investigation, conducted by the Major Case unit into the critical police incident, could take several weeks, Peel said, and then it will be forwarded through the chain of command before being reviewed by Police Chief Jeff Halstead.
Police have said the patrol officers were in uniform and driving marked cars when they responded to a report of a burglar alarm at 409 Havenwood Lane North, a house across the street from Wallers, which is 404 Havenwood Lane North. Police have said they do not know why the officers ended up at Wallers house, saying that was part of the investigation.
Quote:
The investigation, conducted by the Major Case unit into the critical police incident, could take several weeks, Peel said, and then it will be forwarded through the chain of command before being reviewed by Police Chief Jeff Halstead.
Police have said the patrol officers were in uniform and driving marked cars when they responded to a report of a burglar alarm at 409 Havenwood Lane North, a house across the street from Wallers, which is 404 Havenwood Lane North. Police have said they do not know why the officers ended up at Wallers house, saying that was part of the investigation.
NBC 5 and CBS 11 obtained recordings of radio communications between one officer and dispatchers. In it, the officer reported shots fired and requested an ambulance.
A dispatcher asked the officer his location, and he responded, 409 Havenwood.
The officer described what happened. I dont know who the guy is, he said. The guy came out with a gun. He wouldnt put the gun down. He pointed it at Hoeppner. Hoeppner fired.
Becky Haskin, a former Fort Worth City Council member who lives two doors from the Wallers, said when the alarm went off inside the house at 409 Havenwood, the security company called another neighbor when no one answered at the house with the alarm.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/29/...-fort.html
Police shooting is cause for alarm
Quote:
A Fort Worth homeowner is dead, two police officers have been placed on routine administrative leave and once again the police chief is asking for patience as the department investigates another tragic event.
Jerry Waller, 72, was shot to death early Tuesday at his Woodhaven home after police responded to a burglary call for a house across the street. Two uniformed officers, both of whom had been on the force less than a year, saw Waller with a gun and felt threatened, resulting in police shooting the resident, according to a police spokeswoman.
Police have not said whether only one or perhaps both officers fired their weapons, but the medical examiner said Waller was shot multiple times. Although the department spokeswoman said the officers encountered the homeowner at the back of his house near the garage and driveway, the medical examiner said Waller was pronounced dead inside his garage.
At this point there are more questions than answers, and it would be unwise and unfair to jump to conclusions. But regardless of what the facts ultimately show, this is an alarming tragedy.
A family and neighborhood are in mourning for a loved one and friend, and two officers and their families are dealing with a life-changing incident that no member of the force ever wants to face.
Patience indeed is called for as investigators search for the truth, but this not a case in which Police Chief Jeff Halstead can expect the community to wait a long time for answers.
Its imperative that the department act expeditiously and transparently to provide information about what happened.
In addition, police will have to re-examine issues like training when to shoot or dont shoot and procedural and policy matters involving how inexperienced officers are dispatched and supervised.
A thorough review will be valuable for residents and police, who face the threat of danger every time they make a call or stop a car for speeding.
Even without knowing all the details, this event provides a clear lesson for those who own firearms, even for use in protecting their homes. Those weapons must be put away or surrendered when police arrive to take charge.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/29/...alarm.html
Worst case is that the city council (city manager ran city with a weak mayor) may just opt to throw them under the bus. This has become national news. In the military no commander wants a soldier to create a "CNN moment".
Family says man killed by Fort Worth police was inside his garage
Quote:
Waller was pronounced dead at 1:26 a.m. Tuesday inside the attached garage of his residence at 404 Havenwood Lane North, the Tarrant County medical examiners office reported.
The medical examiner said the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and ruled the death a homicide. That means another person caused the death but does not imply that a crime occurred.
On Wednesday, the two officers were identified as R.A. Hoeppner and B.B. Hanlon. Both were commissioned in October, Peel said.
The officers will be represented by Vincent Wisely, staff attorney for the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
Quote:
Wisely said he would not comment on details of the case.
However, I will say that the officers involved did everything they were trained to do in responding to a very clear and direct threat upon their lives, Wisely said in an email.
Any time a police officer is forced to take a human life, it is painful not only for the family and friends of the precious life lost, but also for the police officer who has been placed in the unenviable position of having to defend his own life by the use of deadly force.
Peel declined to answer whether one or both officers fired their weapons or whether Waller fired or threatened to fire his, stating thats part of the investigation.
The investigation, conducted by the Major Case unit into the critical police incident, could take several weeks, Peel said, and then it will be forwarded through the chain of command before being reviewed by Police Chief Jeff Halstead.
Police have said the patrol officers were in uniform and driving marked cars when they responded to a report of a burglar alarm at 409 Havenwood Lane North, a house across the street from Wallers, which is 404 Havenwood Lane North. Police have said they do not know why the officers ended up at Wallers house, saying that was part of the investigation.
Quote:
The investigation, conducted by the Major Case unit into the critical police incident, could take several weeks, Peel said, and then it will be forwarded through the chain of command before being reviewed by Police Chief Jeff Halstead.
Police have said the patrol officers were in uniform and driving marked cars when they responded to a report of a burglar alarm at 409 Havenwood Lane North, a house across the street from Wallers, which is 404 Havenwood Lane North. Police have said they do not know why the officers ended up at Wallers house, saying that was part of the investigation.
NBC 5 and CBS 11 obtained recordings of radio communications between one officer and dispatchers. In it, the officer reported shots fired and requested an ambulance.
A dispatcher asked the officer his location, and he responded, 409 Havenwood.
The officer described what happened. I dont know who the guy is, he said. The guy came out with a gun. He wouldnt put the gun down. He pointed it at Hoeppner. Hoeppner fired.
Becky Haskin, a former Fort Worth City Council member who lives two doors from the Wallers, said when the alarm went off inside the house at 409 Havenwood, the security company called another neighbor when no one answered at the house with the alarm.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/29/...-fort.html
Police shooting is cause for alarm
Quote:
A Fort Worth homeowner is dead, two police officers have been placed on routine administrative leave and once again the police chief is asking for patience as the department investigates another tragic event.
Jerry Waller, 72, was shot to death early Tuesday at his Woodhaven home after police responded to a burglary call for a house across the street. Two uniformed officers, both of whom had been on the force less than a year, saw Waller with a gun and felt threatened, resulting in police shooting the resident, according to a police spokeswoman.
Police have not said whether only one or perhaps both officers fired their weapons, but the medical examiner said Waller was shot multiple times. Although the department spokeswoman said the officers encountered the homeowner at the back of his house near the garage and driveway, the medical examiner said Waller was pronounced dead inside his garage.
At this point there are more questions than answers, and it would be unwise and unfair to jump to conclusions. But regardless of what the facts ultimately show, this is an alarming tragedy.
A family and neighborhood are in mourning for a loved one and friend, and two officers and their families are dealing with a life-changing incident that no member of the force ever wants to face.
Patience indeed is called for as investigators search for the truth, but this not a case in which Police Chief Jeff Halstead can expect the community to wait a long time for answers.
Its imperative that the department act expeditiously and transparently to provide information about what happened.
In addition, police will have to re-examine issues like training when to shoot or dont shoot and procedural and policy matters involving how inexperienced officers are dispatched and supervised.
A thorough review will be valuable for residents and police, who face the threat of danger every time they make a call or stop a car for speeding.
Even without knowing all the details, this event provides a clear lesson for those who own firearms, even for use in protecting their homes. Those weapons must be put away or surrendered when police arrive to take charge.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/29/...alarm.html