TTPD officer killed...

[dlh]

I heard Lubbock P.D. scheduled a press conference for today at 3 p.m. so hopefully we will learn some more details. Should be video of this incident between the cameras at the station and possibly captured on the officer's body-cam. With drugs found in the room surely the officer did a pat-down? Maybe not...where did this firearm come from? Prayers for the officer's family and the perp's family in Seguin.

[Abraham]

You can't legislate sanity.

Crazies along with 'the poor' will always be with us.

[thenick_ttu]

The discussion coming from a Texas Tech message board I frequent is that the TTPD do not frisk/search people nor do they put people in handcuffs, usually. They want to give the impression that the TTU campus is a safe, crime-free place.

If that is indeed the policy, I'm sure it will be changing.

[SQLGeek]

The discussion coming from a Texas Tech message board I frequent is that the TTPD do not frisk/search people nor do they put people in handcuffs, usually. They want to give the impression that the TTU campus is a safe, crime-free place.

I have read the same. If that's true, and it seems it is, that is simply asinine and it got an officer killed.

[Lynyrd]

The democratic party is already having to apologize for politicizing this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... b56f1985cd

[flechero]

The democratic party is already having to apologize for politicizing this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... b56f1985cd

What's extra disgusting about this is that they don't give a rats rear about the LEO or the druggie, only being able to get a fast tweet out to condemn CC. They didn't bother to wait for info- they irresponsibly ASSUMED and jumped to conclusions based on what they wanted to be true... just like with so many other tragedies they try to exploit.

[threoh8]

MORE

Lubbock PD had stopped the suspect earlier in reference to a stolen gun report. He did not allow a vehicle search, and the officers didn't believe they had probable cause.

Lots of questions remain.

[dlh]

For some reason the Texas Tech Police have clammed up about this. Earlier they gave a 4-minute press conference and took no questions.

Re: the pat-down or lack thereof: If an officer receives a call about a suicidal student with drugs and a gun...you get to the room and find drugs...and the student walks in..then yes, the officer has a right to make a pat-down for his own safety. The Courts are very clear on this.
However, we still do not know exactly what happened so hopefully more details will be forthcoming.

[ELB]

I read the link threoh8 provided, and while I know there are pieces missing, I am even more boggled that it seems TTPD did not thoroughly search this kid. It looks like they got two separate inputs that he might have a gun, one from his family and one via the stolen gun/matching vehicle route, and still...

[rmr24]

Lubbock PD had stopped him earlier as suspect when gun was reported stolen, but didn’t have probable cause to search.

http://www.newschannel10.com/story/3657 ... ng-suspect

[rmr24]

Didn’t see earlier post, sorry...

[ELB]

01 Nov 17: Student indicted in death of Texas Tech police officer
Capital Murder of a Police Officer. Life without parole or death penalty.

21 Nov 17 Accused TTU police officer shooter pleads not guilty
He also faces federal charges for a stolen Springfield XD45.

[ELB]

The DA has filed for civil forfeiture of the defendant's vehicle.

This article says details from the lawsuit documents reveal that the police do think he smuggled a gun into the police station and pulled it from his pants to shoot the officer. He had been handcuffed when brought to the station, but was uncuffed during processing.

It also says the welfare check was prompted by a call, not from his family which is what I'm pretty sure I read earlier, but by people living in the same dorm who reported that they heard a gun shot from his room at about 3am. The responding officers frisked him, apparently not finding a gun, and then found marijuana and pills in his dorm room.

Lubbock (not TTU) police officers had only two hours earlier stopped the defendant because a homeowner had reported that the defendant has stolen a handgun from the homeowner's night stand. The Lubbock police did not search his vehicle because the defendant did not consent and the officers say they had no probable cause.

It doesn't say whether TTU officers were aware of the earlier stop by the Lubbock police.

ETA: Reading a little closer, I realize that the TTU police did not make their welfare check until the evening of 9 Oct, even tho the residents apparently heard a gunshot at 0300 that morning. The news articles just say it was not clear when the residents called the police.

http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-cour ... dden-pants

[dlh]

Any police officers care to weigh in on this one? I am certainly no expert on frisking and have never patted anybody down but guns just don't magically appear on people. Wonder why the arresting officers did not find the gun?

I have also heard of stories where the arresting officer fails to discover a weapon on a defendant and later on in the booking process at the jail one of the jailers does a patdown and finds the weapon! Ouch!