It’s this simple. The deputies came to the door expecting trouble and ended up killing the man who opened it:
Now before you go blaming the occupant:
It was in the 1:30 a.m. when deputies knocked on the 26-year-old Scott’s door, not identifying themselves as law enforcement officers. Scott answered the door holding a gun, and deputies opened fire.
“When we knocked on the door, the door opened and the occupant of that apartment was pointing a gun at deputies and that’s when we opened fire and killed him,” Lt. John Herrell told WESH.
Even though Scott was well within his rights to answer the door with his handgun and within reason to be wary of people at his door in the middle of the night when an accused murder is on the loose, and even though officers never identified themselves, Herrell still maintained that Andrew Scott was at fault.
Wrong. The officers should have identified themselves.
Regardless, the point is, SWATting conservative bloggers could result in the same results.
I personally think that’s the goal.
20 years ago I had a friend who was killed in the same situation. Except he was the cop.
Tony Patterson was the leader of a team of narcotics officers in Topeka, KS, who were making a “bust” on a small-time doofus who was selling marijuana from his home. They could have gone to his place of employment the next day, walked in, cuffed him, and took him off to jail. But instead they decided to make a dramatic move on him at his home, at midnight. The narc team was gaining notoriety in town, and were celebrities of a sort. Those of us who knew them thought of them as “cowboys”, guys who really enjoyed kicking butt. We believe the midnight raid was for publicity.
The drug dealer was sitting in front of his television in his underwear. He had a pistol on the table (not uncommon for drug dealers). When the narc squad started pounding in his front door, he thought a gang was breaking in, so he started firing through the door. One bullet went in the armhole of Tony’s bulletproof vest, right into his heart.
He left two beautiful little kids and a heartbroken wife. The killer was out of jail in 18 months.
Should have done it the easy way.
Sorry about your buddy, Tom. He should have used his head. So should the Topeka PD. Someone unexpected comes to my door between 6pm and 6am, he will be met with a gun. He may not see it, but I’m ready. Woman and babies to protect. Come to my door at night . . . best to call ahead.