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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies going back on duty after shooting death

http://www.redwoodcurtaincopwatch.net/node/528

Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies going back on duty after shooting death

The Times-Standard Posted: 08/13/2010 01:15:16 AM PDT

The two Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies involved in the shooting death of Robert Garth near Blue Lake on Saturday are returning to duty today.

After reviewing physical evidence, officer statements and witness statements, Sheriff Gary Philp decided to return seven-year veteran Deputy Dave Lundie and Deputy John Fomasi to regular duty, according to a Sheriff's Office press release. Philp determined that neither deputy violated Sheriff's Office policy or procedure during the incident.

An investigation was opened after Garth's death. He was shot multiple times after allegedly approaching officers aggressively with the metal handle of a garden rake and refusing to comply with officers' orders on State Route 299 west of Blue Lake.

The case will be forwarded to the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office for review, including autopsy and toxicology reports.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

aggressively wielding a metal rake = shot to death? couldn't the officers shot his leg or something? wtf?

Anonymous said...

Think before you type, all law enforcement agencies shoot to stop the threat and the best way to stop someone who is charging at you with a weapon is to put two bullets in his chest, how much harder would it have been to shoot this man in the leg rather then his chest? If the deputy would have gone for his leg and missed the man would have been right on top of him and could have killed him. This person posed a threat and when someone is wielding any kind of weapon the officer should respond with a weapon that is a step above the suspects. I.e. he has only his hands then the officer responds with a tazer or OC, he has a knife, then the officer responds with a firearm.

Jeff Muskrat said...

You are correct. But you also check your facts before you reaffirm the fact that this was a cold blooded murder that will probably never have justice served.

Officers should "shoot to stop the threat and the best way to stop someone who is charging at you with a weapon is to put two bullets in his chest."

However, Robert was not carrying a "deadly" or even dangerous "weapon". Robert finds a hitchhiker in his front yard early one morning taking a shit on his property, adjacent to the 101 Blue Lake Southbound on-ramp. He grabs the closest thing to him, a flimsy leaf rake with a modified handle, which happens to be a hollow aluminum tube.

Robert chases the poop-a-trator onto the 101 to later be shot by homicidal pigs who act as judge, jury and executioner. For a rake handle.

I'm not justifying Robert's actions at this point, but what would you do if you found someone pooping in YOUR yard? Does chasing someone with a rake(which later became a hollow aluminum tube) justify being shot SIX TIMES?

And the cops were afraid for their safety? No usage of less than lethal force for the two officers to simply stop one person with a hollow tube, probably less than a pound in weight?

What a bunch of fucking pusses...