Police go to wrong address...kill homeowner in middle of the night

[davbrucas]

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/crime-law/gbi-officers-respond-to-wrong-house-shoot-homeowne/nrcj8/

A Stockbridge man shot by police who had been dispatched to the wrong house died Thursday afternoon, a relative told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Brother-in-law Clifton Worn said William David Powell, shot in the neck by an officer, was pronounced dead around 4 p.m. at Atlanta Medical Center.

Henry County police were responding to a call to 911 reporting gunshots and a woman crying for help. A preliminary review of the 911 call indicates “the officers were at the wrong location,” said Scott Dutton, spokesman for the GBI, which is investigating the shooting.

Powell, according to his mother-in-law, Geraldine Huey, had gone outside to investigate a possible intruder.

“He went to see what the dogs were carrying on about,” said Huey, 85, who lives next door. “He (picked) up his gun and when he got to the gate, they shot him.”

And of course, sadly but predictably...

According to police, Powell ignored orders to put down his handgun. One of the officers then fired at the homeowner, who had just emerged from his garage.

A neighbor told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that police didn’t do a good enough job identifying themselves.

“I think the police should identify themselves more if they show up at someone’s house in the middle of the night, instead of just shining lights in their windows,” said Darrell Cooper, who has known Powell for at least 30 years. “He’s a fine man.”

Oh, and FTP.

[davbrucas]

You can't blame the officers for repeating strategies that have gotten them off the hook in the past.

I bet I can predict what happens here. DA convenes a grand jury. Gets life threatening testimony from officer Billy Bob, claims he felt threatened, and that the deceased was uncooperative. Then put officer Billy Bob's wife on the stand and say that she lives in constant fear of him not coming home everyday. Then get all of his LEO buddies on the stand to say what a wonderful officer he is. Grand Jury returns a no- bill.

Family then sues and gets a settlement front the city in which no officers feel any financial liability, and in which the town assumes no fault. No officers are reprimanded or punished. In fact some may even be promoted for properly following all the rules. The family can never speak of it again either.

Feds come in and do a civil rights investigation, but no charges are ever filed. Case over.

Fucking pathetic.

[ram57ta]

You can't blame the officers for repeating strategies that have gotten them off the hook in the past.

I bet I can predict what happens here. DA convenes a grand jury. Gets life threatening testimony from officer Billy Bob, claims he felt threatened, and that the deceased was uncooperative. Then put officer Billy Bob's wife on the stand and say that she lives in constant fear of him not coming home everyday. Then get all of his LEO buddies on the stand to say what a wonderful officer he is. Grand Jury returns a no- bill.

Family then sues and gets a settlement front the city in which no officers feel any financial liability, and in which the town assumes no fault. No officers are reprimanded or punished. In fact some may even be promoted for properly following all the rules. The family can never speak of it again either.

Feds come in and do a civil rights investigation, but no charges are ever filed. Case over.

Fucking pathetic.

I think that sums it up pretty clearly and accurately. A couple of years ago I found myself answering a loud knock on the door at about 2am..this was the same night a neighbor down the street had thrown another one of his weekly loud, obnoxious parties with loud music and people yelling and screaming all night long with cars screaming down the street..people throwing beer bottles in peoples yards and pretty regularly banging on doors and then running away. Police had been called numerous times in the past about this neighbor but the parties continued. All of my neighbors were getting fed up with this shit. Well this night I was tired...trying to sleep...and expected this was the same people like always banging on doors at 2am for their amusement...looked out the peep hole and saw nobody...no cars in view...I was pissed...flung the door open with the .40 in hand...and it was Red Oak's finest. I immediately dropped the gun on the ground and he just stood there calmly and suggested I not do that in the future. I explained to him that I think he should have announced "police officer" or anything to let me know he was the law. He was letting me know that the light was on in my truck I'm alive, he never drew his gun...we both kinda laughed about it and life went on. Kingjason knows all about it

[Forever_frost]

You can't blame the officers for repeating strategies that have gotten them off the hook in the past.

I bet I can predict what happens here. DA convenes a grand jury. Gets life threatening testimony from officer Billy Bob, claims he felt threatened, and that the deceased was uncooperative. Then put officer Billy Bob's wife on the stand and say that she lives in constant fear of him not coming home everyday. Then get all of his LEO buddies on the stand to say what a wonderful officer he is. Grand Jury returns a no- bill.

Family then sues and gets a settlement front the city in which no officers feel any financial liability, and in which the town assumes no fault. No officers are reprimanded or punished. In fact some may even be promoted for properly following all the rules. The family can never speak of it again either.

Feds come in and do a civil rights investigation, but no charges are ever filed. Case over.

Fucking pathetic.

One would think you'd heard of this happening before