“No reason for anybody to be suspicious of what happened.”
That is what Sheriff Dupnik said today in regards to the murder of Cpl. Guerena. I don’t think I need to tell anyone that this is complete nonsense.
Also, the SWAT team is going to be investigated by a “shooting board” made up of the SWAT team’s fellow officers from their own departments. Gee, I wonder if they are going to be impartial. Recently, up here in Maricopa County, when it became clear that some of Sheriff Joe’s deputies weren’t on the up and up, an investigation was conducted by a neighboring Sheriff’s department (who, despite being politically very similar to Sheriff Joe, found the MCSO to be pretty rotten). The same thing needs to happen in Pima County. But of course, don’t expect the media in Arizona to call for this.
OldSoldier54 went to a memorial for Cpl. Guerena in Tucson on memorial day. He sent some pictures and a firsthand account which I will post about later tonight or tomorrow.
Category: The Guerena Killing
Wow, another example of the audacity of a dope? So, what, exactly is high-end military gear? Advanced weather protective gear? Are those items proscribed by law? Reading the rest of the tongue bath Dupnik gave his boys, I’m drawing the conclusion that he still doesn’t know what he’s talking about, as if that was in doubt anyway.
So, the items found in a storage locker, not rented by the corporal, contained a ledger? So what? How does that tie into the corporal?
And, now we’ve gone from trying to justify this murder by claiming Guerena was a member of a “home invasion crew” to he might be involved in a homicide, if we can stretch our facts to cover our ass?
And, I would think that the attorney for the paper might want to persuade the judge that he/she ought to be there when she meets “in private” with the sheriff’s investigators.
Thanks Dan & Old Soldier. Stupidick knows better than to ask Devers or Babeu to investigate.
via http://beatandrelease.blogspot.com/2011/06/personal-update-stuff.html
“Speaking of the Guerena case, the Pima County Sheriff says those 500 pages of documents are available for anyone to pick up at their records division. Hint, hint.”
As fucked up as this whole goat rope of a SWAT operation was I have a good feeling that NOTHING negatively will happen to those involved. They will probably just remove them from the SWAT team and shuffle them around and that will be that.
Unfortunately, Kevin, it doesn’t alway work that way. Law enforcement tends to operate in an insular fashion and sheriff’s departments are particularly notorious. The Sheriff can’t be fired until the voters desire to do so. Administrations tend to shuffle people, but not very far. The guys involved in this shooting may be shifted to ‘low priority’ work, such as tactical surveillance (I know, they don’t seem to do much of that in Pima) or sent along as perimeter guards on lower risk warrants. Once a sufficient amount of time has passed to suit the boss, they will be back kicking in doors.
I’m taking a short hiatus to get an e-book done I have been promising folks was on the way. I will interrupt that effort should anyone get their hands on the official incident report or the other statements that were supposedly released. The media, even those critical of the incident, don’t seem to think the other 440 pages are worth the effort, but experienced police officers and those familiar with common sense tactics in general can make a lot of hay out of something the media deems insignificant in one of those documents.
I think I ought to point out that somehow or another there is actually video of the door charge.
It’s pretty sloppy. I don’t know why they sat at the frame shooting in instead of pushing on the objective. They blare the siren, but then stand around and lolly gag up to the door. If it was a fast raid you’d assume they’d try to get as many people on objective as quickly as possible, but it seems like thats not the case.
Finally I have to ask, HOW THE HELL can someone still be standing let alone resisting after that many rounds are fired? How was he even holding on to the AR-15 after being shredded like that?
I really haven’t seen anything thus far that might somehow exonerate this group of yahoos. Their approach was sloppy, their entry was sloppy, and their use of force was excessive in the extreme.
Some of the media is less “understanding” than the Star. Kgun’s coverage has been more pervasive and in general significantly more critical than the Star’s.
Idiot’s. Investigating yourself is never good. I wonder how long it’ll take before they catch up to what we do in Canada for oversight investigations. Lawyers, civilians, and retired cops. It’s a good system, tempered by people who have legal, civilian ideals, and what the guys on the ground go though. Sadly it doesn’t stop the flappy headed idiots from saying it’s rigged though. But no system is perfect.
The stench from the fish barrel is getting overwhelming. In the previous thread, there was a link to analysis by the Danger Room, which was a fluffl piece for PCSO where one line stuck out where they likened the Pima SWAT using the same tactics as our military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sarry, but that one sentence, alone, made me wretch, because I have never seen that type of entry by our military.
That sheriff Dumbass is going to investigate himself makes this worse than even I thought possible. Because now are they not only incompetent and dangerous, they are also corrupt.
This would be a good case for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to start investigating. If the killing of a presumably innocent citizen (remember, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty)isn’t a gross violation of his civil rights, then what is?
Forgive my ignorance, but can’t the Governor order an independent investigation by the State Attorney’s office? If she can has anyone petitioned her to do this? As I understand the voting in Arizona it’s not like she’s going to piss off any support she may have in that county as it’s pretty strictly democratic party property.
This is a clear 42 USC section 1983 action. Unfortunately, the US Attorney is an Obama appointee and probably loves Dufenshmirtz. However, where are the “Latino” activists on this? I guess because the Corporal was a citizen, they don’t care. That said, frequent calls by Arizona residents to the US Attorney’s office might get them interested. Because the Corporal was a veteran, investigating appeases the right. Becuase he was Latino, investigatin might appease the left as well.
I would have to look at state law, but generally this is not something a govenor “orders” so much as something the Attorney General “undertakes.” If you want to get your bang for the voting buck, Arizona voters need to start calling the AG on a regular basis.
Nothing to see here, “little people” citizens and “right-wing extremist” veterans, move along now!
Me? Suspicious? Naaahhh . . I’m not suspicious at all. I KNOW this was a goat-rope cluster-f**k of the first order, from the lack of proper intel to the unprofessional so-called “SWAT” (I wouldn’t have them swat a fly for me). . . and an innocent man died because of it.
Maybe the tables should be turned. Get the names of those involved. Put out some false intel on them. HAve the OTHER police break in & invade & shoot up THEIR houses.
Dupnik’s latest pitiful attempt at a coverup.
“The sheriff made the startling revelation that he believes Guerena greeted the SWAT team with a rifle that day because Guerena thought he was about to be arrested on a charge of murder.”
The family needs to contadt the DOJ and their elected weasels and tell them that they expect criminal charges filed for violating this man’s civil rights. Given their ethnicity, it will probably not be ignored since hispanics are the voter block of choice for president Urkel and his pet dems. Then all these fuckwit stormtroopers can do some time in prison and look for other jobs, probably in the fast food industry. A law suit would also be very nice, naming every last one of those cocksuckers on the raid, and their (non) supervisors, and Sherriff Dumbdick as well.