Noise Complaint Leads to Police Shooting, Killing 17-Year-Old

[Lucille]

Radly (http://www.theagitator.com/2010/09/03/north-carolina-police-shoot-kill-17-year-old/) Balko (http://reason.com/blog/2010/09/03/teen-shot-dead-by-police-in-no):


Last Sunday night, police in Morganton, North Carolina shot and killed 17-year-old Michael Sipes. The officers were responding to a noise complaint called in by a neighbor in the mobile home park where Sipes lived. His mother says there were three children in the home on the night Sipes was killed, and were likely he source of the complaint.

According to Sipes’ mother and others in the house, the police repeatedly knocked on the door to the home, but never identified themselves. They say both Sipes and his mother asked more than once who was outside. A neighbor who heard the gunshots also says he never heard the police identify themselves. Police officials say the officers did identify themselves.

According to those in the trailer at the time, as the knocks continued, Sipes retrieved a rifle, opened the door, and stepped outside. That’s when Morganton Public Safety Officer Johnny David Cooper II shot Sipes in the stomach “four or five times.”

More here and here. Profile of Sipes here. The story is still fresh, but at first blush he certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of kid who would knowingly confront police officers with his rifle.

[Mini-Me]

I'm really curious as to how long these murders will continue without significant backlash.

:mad:

[angelatc]

Weird - this article never refers (http://www2.morganton.com/news/2010/aug/31/officers-name-more-details-emerge-shooting-case-ar-357690/) to them as the police. They call them "Public Safety Officers." The Chief is referred to as the "Public Safety Chief," etc etc.

Its freakin' creepy.

[Mini-Me]

Weird - this article never refers (http://www2.morganton.com/news/2010/aug/31/officers-name-more-details-emerge-shooting-case-ar-357690/) to them as the police. They call them "Public Safety Officers." The Chief is referred to as the "Public Safety Chief," etc etc.

Its freakin' creepy.

It sure looks like they're doing a fantastic job of public safety, doesn't it?

[WaltM]

anybody complain about the police shooting noise?

[SLSteven]

anybody complain about the police shooting noise?

not after what happened at the neighbors' house...

[Philhelm]

I'm really curious as to how long these murders will continue without significant backlash.

:mad:

I'm curious about this as well. I suspect that if there is backlash, it will be sparked off by something that you wouldn't think would do it. Something small; the straw that broke the camel's back.

[James Madison]

I hate the police. Never call 911.

[Golding]

I'm really curious as to how long these murders will continue without significant backlash.

:mad:Not until we start actually seeing this news reported on national TV news stations on a daily basis. And that will probably never happen until Republicans or Democrats make it an issue. And even then, people are so ingrained to believe that the police are there to help them, that the rival political party will try to bury their opponents with brainless pro-police BS. So even if it were to ever become an issue, it'll remain a divisive issue where no one actually does anything about anything. Meanwhile, innocent people get murdered in their homes at the hands of recipients of their tax money.

[aGameOfThrones]

See? On one hand people say that what the Kanes did was wrong, and on the other hand people get upset that more citizens do not act First in defense instead of letting Cops act First in offense.

Citizens should shoot first then later explain the situation rather than Cops shoot first and get a paid vacation later.

[Dr.3D]

Seems like the police were unable to communicate properly with the people who were making the noise. The lack of communication as it usually does, leads to consequences for either one party or the other. It is usually the party with permission to kill the other party that wins out in the end.

YouTube - Failure to communicate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnO9Jyz82Ps&feature=related)

[Mini-Me]

Not until we start actually seeing this news reported on national TV news stations on a daily basis. And that will probably never happen until Republicans or Democrats make it an issue. And even then, people are so ingrained to believe that the police are there to help them, that the rival political party will try to bury their opponents with brainless pro-police BS. So even if it were to ever become an issue, it'll remain a divisive issue where no one actually does anything about anything. Meanwhile, innocent people get murdered in their homes at the hands of recipients of their tax money.

Perhaps, but every time I see something like this, I wonder what the victim's family and friends are thinking. Regardless of media silence or spin, growing tyranny touches a growing number of people personally.

[Jeremy]

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[youngbuck]

According to those in the trailer at the time, as the knocks continued, Sipes retrieved a rifle, opened the door, and stepped outside. That’s when Morganton Public Safety Officer Johnny David Cooper II shot Sipes in the stomach “four or five times.”If only Sipes would have responded in a trained tactical manner, he wouldn't have been tragically eliminated by some dumbass JBTs.

RIP