Jose get your gun -- SWAT raid goes bad

[JayFarrar]

http://newstaco.com/2011/05/24/cops-shoot-latino-marine-71-times-deny-him-care-in-arizona/

While details are still emerging, a former Marine in Tucson, was shot and killed in a SWAT team raid. It seems a deputy fired his gun mistake. And then the SWAT team unloaded 71 shots into the house with 60 hitting the guy.

To make things worse, the SWAT teams guys kept EMS out for over an hour while the Marine bled to death as his wife and kid watched.

The Marine pulled two tours in Iraq but gets shot at home.

More details from Forbes, plus video from a SWAT guy's helmet cam.

http://blogs.forbes.com/erikkain/2011/05/18/iraq-war-veteran-jose-guerena-killed-by-arizona-swat-team/

 

[PCLoadLetter]

It's been a confusing and frustrating story to deal with -- and it seems to me, not nearly as black and white as those two links try to paint it.

Without question, the SWAT team forked this up. The guy never fired and the officers fired off dozens of rounds because one of them popped off a round by mistake. Plus, they weren't exactly forthcoming with the truth.

At the same time... the fact that the dude is a former Marine doesn't exactly mean he wasn't involved in the drug trade now, and the fact that he went for the AR-15 rifle as police entered his house leads me to question whether he's just a poor schmoe trying to get by as a miner on the graveyard shift.

Also, the tape shows police identifying themselves before storming into the house, contrary to what the wife says. That's a common tactic of rip crews, so it doesn't eliminate the possibility that this was an innocent man who thought he was under attack.

As for the refusal to allow EMS into the house... not smart, but given that dude was shot about 60 times, I'll assume it's really a moot point.

So.... I dunno. Heads will roll, and they should, but I'm not quite ready to fit the Marine for a halo just yet.

 

[Killick]

Best part is — after initially saying Guerena shot first, then backing off that — the Pima County Sheriff is getting all butt-hurt that the media dares question the legality of the raid or the actions of the SWAT team.

As a result of the need for information surrounding the shooting of Jose Guerena by members of the Pima Regional SWAT Team, the public has received misinformation and emotionally-charged speculation...

... However, it is unacceptable and irresponsible to couch those questions with implications of secrecy and a cover-up, not to mention questioning the legality of actions that could not have been taken without the approval of an impartial judge.

http://pimasheriff.org/files/9213/0574/4466/Officer_Involved_Shooting_Update.pdf

Sorry, Sheriff Dumbass, but when you fork up this bad, there are going to be questions. Legitimate questions. And you'd better have HONEST and FORTHCOMING answers immediately. By the time of the press release scolding, it had been two weeks since the event — more than enough time to figure out what happened and inform the public.

 

[JonnyD]

How long does it take to bleed to death after you've been shot 60 times?

 

[Killick]

Bump. It's now been a month since the shooting, and the Pima County Sheriff still refuses information.

http://www.thepostemail.com/2011/06/07/former-marine-killed-by-swat-team-in-arizona-did-not-fire-the-first-shot/

 

[Det. Jimmy McNulty]

At the same time... the fact that the dude is a former Marine doesn't exactly mean he wasn't involved in the drug trade now, and the fact that he went for the AR-15 rifle as police entered his house...

then

Also, the tape shows police identifying themselves before storming into the house ... That's a common tactic of rip crews, so it doesn't eliminate the possibility that this was an innocent man who thought he was under attack.

Are you this stupid in real life, too? Christ. That gave me a headache.