Animal Farm

Charlotte police kill man running to them for help

"Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning -- but he may have just been looking for help after a car wreck. Officers responded to a 'breaking and entering' 911 call at a home in Charlotte. The homeowner told dispatchers that a man had been knocking on her door repeatedly. Police say that when they got to the scene, a man matching the caller's description ran toward them. One of the officers fired his stun gun, but it was 'unsuccessful.' Another officer then opened fire, police said. Jonathan Ferrell died at the scene. He was shot several times. He was unarmed. Police now believe Ferrell was seeking assistance after crashing his car." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCharlotte police kill man running to them for help

Cop convicted for selling machine guns

"A former Basel police detective received a ten-month suspended jail sentence on Monday for using his position to acquire and re-sell illegal machine guns, firearms, hand grenades and other accessories. The 51-year-old, who worked for the cantonal police force for 20 years, was authorized to order guns and other weapons, according to an online report from 20 Minutes newspaper. However, he took advantage of his position to order firearms, which he paid for with his own money then resold to others, the newspaper reported. He admitted in the Basel criminal court to selling to a Zurich friend illegal weapons, including Heckler & Koch MP5 machine guns with silencers and other guns." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCop convicted for selling machine guns

South Korean troops kill man trying to swim North

"South Korean troops shot dead a man trying to swim across a border river into North Korea on Monday after he ignored repeated warnings to turn back, the defence ministry said. The spokesman said Nam was believed to have been trying to defect to the North, and had jumped into the river with a flotation device to help him get across. Hours before the shooting, hundreds of South Korean factory supervisors drove across a nearby border crossing into North Korea after both sides agreed to reopen a joint industrial zone shut down in April." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSouth Korean troops kill man trying to swim North

Newtown approves gun ordinance restricting recreational shooting

"'No resident may shoot for more than four hours after police are notified and shooting is limited to one person at a time,' the ordinance states as reported by NewsTimes.com. 'Target backstops are required and must be 10 feet above the target,' the ordinance continues. Lastly, there is no shooting allowed within a half-mile of a school. The ordinance only affects recreational shooting. Hunters, military professionals and law enforcement are exempt. Also, gun salutes for memorial events and tributes are not affected by the ordinance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNewtown approves gun ordinance restricting recreational shooting

Tallahassee police ‘stand by’ arrest practices that broke woman’s face

"Attorney Fred Conrad told the Tallahassee Democrat that he planned to sue the Tallahassee Police Department on behalf of 44-year-old Christina West after he reviewed dashcam video of officers breaking the orbital bone in her face and causing other injuries. West is placed in a patrol car, but she is later asked to get out of the car. A struggle occurs while the woman is asking her about her husband and a car seat for her child, and the two officers slam her head into the cruiser. And then the two men force her to the ground with their full weight, causing her to scream in agony as her face is smashed on the pavement. West has already had two surgeries as a result of her injuries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTallahassee police ‘stand by’ arrest practices that broke woman’s face

Florida man attacked, arrested for ‘walking on wrong side of the road’

"A Florida man is suing the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office over a violent arrest in December 2012 that the officer was not able to defend in court. First Coast News reported on Monday that Bobby Wingate was cited by an officer for 'walking down the wrong side of the road' during the stop, then punched in the face. When the officer pulled out his Tazer, Wingate called 911 to protect himself. Wingate was arrested, charged with resisting arrest without violence and walking down the wrong side of the road and brought to trial. But in court, the officer testified he was not sure what side of the road Wingate was on, prompting the judge to dismiss the case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida man attacked, arrested for ‘walking on wrong side of the road’

Questions persist after Ark. SWAT team fatally shoots 107-year-old man

"When the time came to move 107-year-old Monroe Isadore to a new home, police say he resisted and barricaded himself inside. Authorities tried using a camera to monitor him, along with negotiating tactics, and finally gas to get him to come out. So, a SWAT team went inside and was greeted by gunfire, authorities say. The team fired back, and Isadore died. The weekend confrontation raised a flurry of questions Monday as residents struggled to make sense of how someone known as a pleasant, churchgoing man who was hard of hearing and sometimes carried a cane had died in an explosive confrontation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingQuestions persist after Ark. SWAT team fatally shoots 107-year-old man

New Orleans Cop Gets Four Years For Fatal Drug Raid Shooting

"On March 7 of last year, Colclough was among a group of officers who raided her home on Prentiss Street in Gentilly, looking for evidence of drug dealing. As they marched up the stairs, 20-year-old Wendell Allen appeared at the top of the staircase. He was shirtless, wearing only pants and a pair of sneakers. He had nothing in his hands, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said Friday. He was unarmed. But Colclough fired his weapon once. The bullet tore through Allen’s chest, into his heart and his lungs. He fell on the landing and died within seconds." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Orleans Cop Gets Four Years For Fatal Drug Raid Shooting

Texas Trooper Cleared in Helicopter Drug War Killings

"Trooper Miguel Avila was aboard the Department of Public Safety (DPS) chopper as it participated in the pursuit of the pickup. DPS said Avila believed the truck, whose bed was covered with a cloth, was carrying drugs, and that he opened fire to disable it because the fleeing vehicle was headed toward a school zone. (The shooting took place on an unpaved rural road.) The truck crashed after being fired upon. Police found no drugs, but instead found nine Guatemalan immigrants and a teenage driver. Six of the Guatemalans were in the bed of the pickup covered by a cloth. Two of them, Marco Antonio Castro and Jose Leonardo Coj Cumar, were fatally wounded by Avila's gunfire." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas Trooper Cleared in Helicopter Drug War Killings

Mobile Crime-Fighting App Gives Police Instant Database Access

"More than 600 San Francisco Police Department officers started using the app Monday, giving them access to internal SFPD, California DOJ and federal law enforcement databases. An additional 1,000 officers with the department are expected to participate in the initiative by the end of 2013. Emergency 911 call histories will also be accessible via the device, along with data records used by law enforcement including booking photos, DMV records and criminal histories. Agents can use JusticeMobile on their iPads to check potential gun buyers at weekend firearms shows statewide by checking names against the Bureau of Firearms Armed Prohibited Persons (APPS) database." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMobile Crime-Fighting App Gives Police Instant Database Access