Anti Federalist
10-30-2014, 10:04 AM
“Dynamic entry” raids are still dangerous for cops, too
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/10/29/dynamic-entry-raids-are-still-dangerous-for-cops-too/
By Radley Balko October 29 at 6:03 PM
A sad story from California:
A SWAT officer died early Wednesday, a day after being wounded by a shotgun blast while attempting to force open a door during a pre-dawn raid at a Southern California home, authorities said.
Pomona Police Officer Shaun Diamond, 45, succumbed to his injuries at a Pasadena hospital, Chief Paul Capraro said in a statement.
The suspect in the shooting, David Martinez of San Gabriel, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer. He was jailed on $4 million bail, and it wasn’t immediately known if he had a lawyer.
Diamond was wounded as he attempted to lead fellow officers into the home around 4 a.m. Tuesday, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Eddie Hernandez said.
“When Officer Diamond was attempting to breach the outer door of the location, the interior door opened and he was met with gunfire,” Hernandez told reporters at a news conference outside the hospital.
He said Diamond, who was wearing a helmet, appeared to have been struck in the back of the head by a single gunshot that also hit the suspect’s father in the arm.
Martinez, 36, surrendered without incident, Hernandez said. Officers did not return fire because the suspect’s father was in the way, he said.
This article from the Pasadena Star-News has a few more details:
On Tuesday morning, a group of about 14 officers arrived at the location, announced their presence, and when no one opened the door, attempted to break the lock on an outer door, said Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau.
As Diamond worked to open the door, investigators think Martinez’s father opened the interior door and Martinez fired a shotgun from behind his father.
The spread of the shotgun hit Martinez’s father in the arm and Diamond in the head, Hernandez said . . .
After discharging the shotgun, the suspect dropped his weapon and lay on the ground before officers reached him. Only one shot was fired, and it was fired by the suspect, Hernandez said.
There is no indication law enforcement personnel serving the warrant were ambushed, he said.
“The officers at this point did not have a clear shot on the suspect,” Hernandez said.
The warrant was served at 4am. Martinez has a criminal history, including domestic abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. That said, his actions here strongly suggest he thought his house was being invaded by criminals. If Martinez knew these were cops and decided to take them on, whether with the intent of killing them all or to escape, it makes little sense for him to fire a single shot, then immediately surrender. That sounds much more like the actions of a guy who was taken by surprise, fired his weapon in self-defense, then surrendered when he realized the people breaking into the house were law enforcement officers.
There may well be more, but this at least the third incident I can think of in a year in which a law enforcement officer was killed during a dynamic entry raid to serve a warrant. In one Texas case, the man who killed the officer was cleared by a grand jury. The police found some pot plants in his home. A second Texas man is currently facing murder charges. The police found no drugs in that home. And then there are of course the people killed by police officers in these raids, like David Hooks and Jason Wescott, both killed this year.
Dynamic entry tactics work well when you’re using overwhelming force to defuse an already violent situation. But none of these situations were already violent. This latest incident may have involved a violent person. But he wasn’t in process of committing a violent crime. The tactics the police used here created confrontation and risk. Why not apprehend him as he’s coming or going from the house?
I suspect few people will have much sympathy for Martinez. But the tactics also put his father at risk, a guy neighbors spoke highly of to the local media. These tactics put cops at risk. Other bystanders, like children, are at risk too. All unnecessarily. At some point, maybe we’ll accumulate enough bodies to start realizing that.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/10/29/dynamic-entry-raids-are-still-dangerous-for-cops-too/
By Radley Balko October 29 at 6:03 PM
A sad story from California:
A SWAT officer died early Wednesday, a day after being wounded by a shotgun blast while attempting to force open a door during a pre-dawn raid at a Southern California home, authorities said.
Pomona Police Officer Shaun Diamond, 45, succumbed to his injuries at a Pasadena hospital, Chief Paul Capraro said in a statement.
The suspect in the shooting, David Martinez of San Gabriel, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer. He was jailed on $4 million bail, and it wasn’t immediately known if he had a lawyer.
Diamond was wounded as he attempted to lead fellow officers into the home around 4 a.m. Tuesday, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Eddie Hernandez said.
“When Officer Diamond was attempting to breach the outer door of the location, the interior door opened and he was met with gunfire,” Hernandez told reporters at a news conference outside the hospital.
He said Diamond, who was wearing a helmet, appeared to have been struck in the back of the head by a single gunshot that also hit the suspect’s father in the arm.
Martinez, 36, surrendered without incident, Hernandez said. Officers did not return fire because the suspect’s father was in the way, he said.
This article from the Pasadena Star-News has a few more details:
On Tuesday morning, a group of about 14 officers arrived at the location, announced their presence, and when no one opened the door, attempted to break the lock on an outer door, said Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Department homicide bureau.
As Diamond worked to open the door, investigators think Martinez’s father opened the interior door and Martinez fired a shotgun from behind his father.
The spread of the shotgun hit Martinez’s father in the arm and Diamond in the head, Hernandez said . . .
After discharging the shotgun, the suspect dropped his weapon and lay on the ground before officers reached him. Only one shot was fired, and it was fired by the suspect, Hernandez said.
There is no indication law enforcement personnel serving the warrant were ambushed, he said.
“The officers at this point did not have a clear shot on the suspect,” Hernandez said.
The warrant was served at 4am. Martinez has a criminal history, including domestic abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. That said, his actions here strongly suggest he thought his house was being invaded by criminals. If Martinez knew these were cops and decided to take them on, whether with the intent of killing them all or to escape, it makes little sense for him to fire a single shot, then immediately surrender. That sounds much more like the actions of a guy who was taken by surprise, fired his weapon in self-defense, then surrendered when he realized the people breaking into the house were law enforcement officers.
There may well be more, but this at least the third incident I can think of in a year in which a law enforcement officer was killed during a dynamic entry raid to serve a warrant. In one Texas case, the man who killed the officer was cleared by a grand jury. The police found some pot plants in his home. A second Texas man is currently facing murder charges. The police found no drugs in that home. And then there are of course the people killed by police officers in these raids, like David Hooks and Jason Wescott, both killed this year.
Dynamic entry tactics work well when you’re using overwhelming force to defuse an already violent situation. But none of these situations were already violent. This latest incident may have involved a violent person. But he wasn’t in process of committing a violent crime. The tactics the police used here created confrontation and risk. Why not apprehend him as he’s coming or going from the house?
I suspect few people will have much sympathy for Martinez. But the tactics also put his father at risk, a guy neighbors spoke highly of to the local media. These tactics put cops at risk. Other bystanders, like children, are at risk too. All unnecessarily. At some point, maybe we’ll accumulate enough bodies to start realizing that.