CHL holder killed by police in Las Vegas at a Costco

[philip964]

In this article http://www.lvrj.com/news/witness-list-d ... 48369.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The lawyer mentions near the end of the article that he has 15 witness some of whom are doctors or lawyers as close as five feet away who say Erik was not a threat and that he did not have time to react to any of the orders before he was shot. He also said that Erik was shot seven times including five times in the back while he was on the ground

This obviously is from Erik's attorney and he is not under oath, but this is terrible if it is true.

I found that the army forums have picked it up this story as this is one of their own, and they are not happy campers either.

I would say the delays and the forensic examination of the video (which apparently there are lots of cameras nearby) do not bode well for Costco and the police officers involved.

[Excaliber]

Police somewhere like Montana or Idaho would get more benefit of doubt.

Randy Weaver lived in Idaho. . . . Oh wait, the feds murdered him.

Mr. Weaver is still alive. His wife and teenage son were shot and killed by federal officers.

[Excaliber]

In this article http://www.lvrj.com/news/witness-list-d ... 48369.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The lawyer mentions near the end of the article that he has 15 witness some of whom are doctors or lawyers as close as five feet away who say Erik was not a threat and that he did not have time to react to any of the orders before he was shot. He also said that Erik was shot seven times including five times in the back while he was on the ground

This obviously is from Erik's attorney and he is not under oath, but this is terrible if it is true.

I found that the army forums have picked it up this story as this is one of their own, and they are not happy campers either.

I would say the delays and the forensic examination of the video (which apparently there are lots of cameras nearby) do not bode well for Costco and the police officers involved.

The location of entry and exit wounds, the angle of passage through the body, and the ground impact points of full penetrating shots (if any fully penetrated and if in fact he was shot in the back while on the ground), and the projectiles themselves are all items of easily read physical evidence. If the attorney's allegations are true, the proof should not be difficult as long as evidence was properly collected and preserved.

If five shots were fired into the back of a prone disabled individual, even if he had previously been a threat (which is not at all clear at this point), I think it will be difficult to come up with an explanation to justify them from the circumstances as that have been reported so far.

[mgood]

Police somewhere like Montana or Idaho would get more benefit of doubt.

Randy Weaver lived in Idaho. . . . Oh wait, the feds murdered him.

Mr. Weaver is still alive. His wife and teenage son were shot and killed by federal officers.

Oops, I knew that. Posting without thinking again.

[baldeagle]

If five shots were fired into the back of a prone disabled individual, even if he had previously been a threat (which is not at all clear at this point), I think it will be difficult to come up with an explanation to justify them from the circumstances as that have been reported so far.

Excaliber, won't they be able to tell who fired each shot by examining the ballistics of the bullets? Or is that just on TV? If it's true they shot him five times after he fell to the ground, then I can't say what I'm thinking about the police in Las Vegas.

I want to believe that it's not true. I've always been a strong supporter of law enforcement. However, I recall the statement of one eye witness, which I posted earlier in this thread, that blood was coming out of his chest as he slumped to the ground. That accords well with this description; one in the shoulder, one in the chest and five to the back. If true, it's possible Erik could have survived the initial volley and died from the shots to the back. In my opinion, that should be manslaughter for whoever fired.

All of this, of course, is predicated on speculation and uncorroborated witness statements quoted in the media, which I don't trust at all to tell the truth, so we are going to have to wait for the now-delayed inquest in the hope that the truth will come out.

[Purplehood]

The commercials hit home...'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'.

[dubya]

This does not sound good:

http://www.lvrj.com/news/witness-list-d ... ml?ref=369" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

But, a lot of it does not sound good...including the glitch in the store's surveillance system the day of the fatal shooting

[Excaliber]

If five shots were fired into the back of a prone disabled individual, even if he had previously been a threat (which is not at all clear at this point), I think it will be difficult to come up with an explanation to justify them from the circumstances as that have been reported so far.

Excaliber, won't they be able to tell who fired each shot by examining the ballistics of the bullets? Or is that just on TV? If it's true they shot him five times after he fell to the ground, then I can't say what I'm thinking about the police in Las Vegas.

I want to believe that it's not true. I've always been a strong supporter of law enforcement. However, I recall the statement of one eye witness, which I posted earlier in this thread, that blood was coming out of his chest as he slumped to the ground. That accords well with this description; one in the shoulder, one in the chest and five to the back. If true, it's possible Erik could have survived the initial volley and died from the shots to the back. In my opinion, that should be manslaughter for whoever fired.

All of this, of course, is predicated on speculation and uncorroborated witness statements quoted in the media, which I don't trust at all to tell the truth, so we are going to have to wait for the now-delayed inquest in the hope that the truth will come out.

In a pistol shooting case like this, there's a good chance that a match can be made between some or all of the recovered projectiles and the guns that fired them. Metro PD knows where the guns are, so that solves one problem. The condition of the recovered rounds and the way they were handled during evidence recovery and analysis will be the determining factors in whether or not there is enough intact jacket material that was marked by its passage through the bore of a particular weapon to enable a positive match between the recovered projectiles and similar reference rounds fired through the guns in question in the lab.

If you're interested in seeing how this is done, check out this video.

[Razgriz]

But, a lot of it does not sound good...including the "glitch in the store's surveillance system the day of the fatal shooting "

Why is there always a glitch, or the camera wasn't on, or ot was stolen ect.?

[WildBill]

But, a lot of it does not sound good...including the "glitch in the store's surveillance system the day of the fatal shooting "

Why is there always a glitch, or the camera wasn't on, or ot was stolen ect.?

Most people don't check their cameras or look at security tapes until something happens and they need them. Then, it is too late to find out if the system was working correctly.

[philip964]

nice article about LEO's and CCW.

http://www.policeone.com/police-product ... ed-weapon/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

too bad this guy wasn't one of the police at the Costco.

[WildBill]

nice article about LEO's and CCW.

http://www.policeone.com/police-product ... ed-weapon/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

too bad this guy wasn't one of the police at the Costco.

[mctowalot]

Thanks for the link, I bookmarked the site. I found the comments posted by (alleged) LEOs after the story to be kind of refreshing.

[philip964]

I came up with a reason to withhold the video. Normally killings occur in dark alleys, inside houses, rarely are they this public and with video. The video probably does not include sound, and what happened may be blurred or from the wrong angle and some of the nuances maybe hard to understand from watching the video.

What with so many witnesses, the prosecution may want to get everyones testimony and compare it to the video. If they release the video, the witnesses will see it and it may change their testimony of what they remember and saw. The newscasters may also describe what is on the video and that may also color their memory.

All this would be important if this becomes a murder trial.

New video interview with a witness, says Eriks hands were empty as he went down.
Witness was very convincing.
http://www.mynews3.com/story.php?id=24018&n=5037" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Beiruty]

Who collected the gun or guns that were on the scene on the body of the downed man? First responders? or LEOs? seems very fishy!