Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Deputy In Videotaped Shooting To Face Felony Charges.
That January videotaped shooting of an Iraq war vet by a San Bernardino deputy Sheriff, Ivory J. Webb IV, 45 will become task for a jury to decide. Today the San Bernardino San Bernardino County District Attorney, Michael A. Ramos said today that Webb would be charged with Attempted Voluntary Manslaughter.
The videotaped shooting sparked a firestorm of controversy because Iraq war vet, Senior Airman Elio Carrion, 21 was shot three times by Webb. The grainy video seemed to show the unarmed Carrion complying with orders get up by the deputy who then fired the shots.
The confrontation happened after Carrion was a passenger in a Corvette involved in a high-speed police chase. Carrion, who is recovering from his wounds has not been implicated for any crime.
I look for this case to turn into a courtroom battle of the experts. Issues of the physical effects of a police pursuit on the officer and how the confusion during such a conflict may have negated evil intent are sure to be a large part of the defense.
There can be no doubt that police trainers everywhere will examine this case. Video cameras are everywhere quick to provide that instant replay to exonerate or implicate the players of such events.
Good post P.H.- (but can you update it and post the actual video of this nightmare?)
ReplyDeleteI personally say fuck that grunt dummy for having the gall to think he could run the post-chase traffic stop. He had his chance in the `Vette if he had wanted to calm the situation down- he should have turned the damn ingition off/pulled the key out of his asshole buddy's ride, or cold-cocked him like SEISER if he were so interested in better cooperation with local law enforcement!
To my ear the Deputy was warning him/challenging him... (felt more like "Just TRY and "GET UP!" moron") to warn him what he'd get if he dared to get up, NOT ACTUALLY ordering him to stand up. Seems obvious actually- the offender is STATING that he WISHES to get off the ground! Probably drunk off his ass- did they get the driver to blow or get a blood test?
Maybe the Deputy erred in mot being more explicit/clear verbally; yes he SHOULD have said "IF you even ATTEMPT to disobey me and GET UP I will DEFEND myself by SHOOTING YOU!" In a perfect world great- but after a long adrenaline-pumping chase it's not that easy as reasonable people should understand. And yeah, maybe a TASER would have been a less extreme intermediate step rather than three caps in the ass...
But I'll bet NEXT TIME (doubt there will ever be one) assface will stay in the prone position as long as he is instructed, the dumbfuck!
Good Job Deputy- Better to be judged by 12 than carried by SIX! Can you volunteer your crack services to try and keep our Cop outta the clink for merely protecting himself, P.H.? Think of the great pub you'd get... we could start calling you the Albino Johnny Cochran for Cops, the the Anti-Kevorkian, or maybe the SaintJudeDude.Blogspot.COP!
Regardless- Keep on Bloggin' Crimefile... Seiser don't run shiznit in the Blogosphere- You Da Man! ;-)
This case is not one that a private eye can do much to help. This is one for training experts and shooting re-constructionists.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are that Webb was so hyped up with adrenalin from the chase, and trying to eyeball both suspects at once he was unable to articulate the command/s he intended. I suspect that it’s fair to say Webb thought was saying, “Don’t get up!”
As for use of a Taser, I don’t want officers especially those working alone to try and operate one thing more than their service pistol and radio. I think a Taser would cause the officer not to be ready with his gun if things got worse. The guy Webb did not see behind him with the video camera could have been an accomplice with a gun instead of a camera.
I talked with my friend, Massad Ayoob who is an author, and police-training expert about this case. He’s confident a case will be made for the officer who he thinks will win the criminal case. The whole case will rest on intent and the mind-blowing stress Webb was under.
The hard part is this case for Web will be dealing with the makeup of the jury pool in San Bernardino.
That vido is posted at the bottom of the story!