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Subscribe to RSSScottsdale police Officer James Peters has been involved in seven shootings in the past 10 years. Lissette Martinez of NBC station KPNX reports.
The Arizona police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man while he held his baby grandson has been involved in at least five previous fatal shootings, police said.
The officer, James Peters of the Scottsdale police, was on administrative leave Thursday after he killed John Loxas, 50, with a single rifle shot to the head Tuesday. Loxas' 9-month-old grandson, who was in his arms, was unhurt.
"There were at least three officers in position to engage the suspect," Sgt. Mark Clark, a spokesman for the Scottsdale police, told NBC station KPNX of Phoenix. "At least one of the officers thought he saw something in the suspect's hands."
KPNX reported that Peters has now been involved in seven shootings in the past 10 years, six of them fatal. The Arizona Republic reported Thursday that the city of Scottsdale agreed to a $75,000 settlement in 2009 with the family of one of the people Peters had killed; the city denied liability.
New Times, a Phoenix alternative weekly, profiled Peters in 2010 under the headline "'Dirty Harry' in Scottsdale? Badass Cop Bags Four Bad Guys in 10-Year Career."
Police said that as a former member of the SWAT team, Peters had been involved in the department's most dangerous assignments and that all of the previous shootings had been found to be justified.
In the incident Tuesday, police were called to Loxas' home after a call to 911 reported that he had kicked over a trash can and threatened the owner when he complained. The caller said Loxas was walking around the neighborhood with his grandson and a weapon.
"We have a neighbor out here that pulled a gun on us," the caller said. "He's got a baby in his arms. He's got a gun, and he cocked it."
Loxas had returned home by the time police arrived, and he answered the door with the baby in his arms. Peters and another officer told investigators they saw something in Loxas' hand, and when he turned, Peters fired a single shot, killing Loxas instantaneously.
Afterward, detectives determined that Loxas wasn't armed. But they did find several weapons in the home, KPNX reported.
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I guess they're gonna have to register officer Peters as a lethal weapon!
Of course, the police and the city are going say that all of the shootings were justified. Who (the public) would really know? It sounds like this guy is trigger happy considering that he had a child in his arms at the time.
The 911 caller could be a real @!$%# and was giving him a hard time because his daughter had a child out of wedlock. Too many questions and not enough answers. Hmmmmmm.
Look this guy is walking around making threats with a gun, the cops were called.
If the cop didn't shoot and this jerk shot a cop or the neighbor.....wow then you'd all be pissed at his poor response time.
this "jerk" was unarmed. and this "jerk" didn't shoot anyone. did the person who called the cops tell the truth about the gun? guess it doesn't matter now. You are talking what ifs to ignore the what happened.
g-2798617,
Let me correct your statement: 'Look this guy is walking around <and is alleged to be> making threats with a gun, the cops were called.' Face it, the victim was holding a kid and the police never saw a gun. Mr. Loxas answered the door. There is nothing in the story to indicate that the police actually witnessed any unusual behavior. The story states they testified they thought they saw something in his hand. None of this justifies shooting Mr. Loxas. James Peters should be immediately suspended from the police department. Charges should be filed for his negligent criminal behavior. Based on the story, Mr. Peters should spend at least a decade in prison and the City of Scottsdale should pay through the nose to the families of his victims.
there was a time when people were allowed to legally protect themselves from criminals with badges. You frickin morons from never never land still think cops are better than the people they are suposed to serve and protect? It's only one criminal cop until the rest of the force covers for him. then they are all guilty.
Involvement in seven shootings in 10 years is NOT TYPICAL! There is something wrong with this officer and probably with the PD he is employed by.
Police investigate themselves to determine if their actions were “justifiable.” That seems fair. What amazes me is that so many people are willing to accept a statement from the police that a killing was justified. Time and time again we learn from videos or eye witnesses that the police have lied. Police rarely tell the truth about anything, and especially lie to cover-up for each other when they are caught in wrongdoing. This cop should be charged with murder and all his accomplices (fellow police) who are trying to cover for him should also be arrested. The internal investigators who find the shooting “justified” should be charged with the most serious crime of all. We live in a police-state where cops are becoming more and more trigger-happy. It is the price we pay for allowing the government to become so intrusive. I personally would prefer less government, and fewer trigger-happy cops on killing sprees. The only way I can have what I want is to vote with my feet. The American public keeps voting for more nanny-state and police-state policies and politicians. I am not so disgusted with killer cops on steroids who have developed a penchant for murdering unnamed citizens, as I am completely disgusted with the citizens and voters who think it is ok as long as the police say it is justified.
This reminds me of a newspaper headline I read while living in Washington, DC - "Police Shoot Man Dead Attempting to Commit Suicide!" Well, at least they prevented him from killing himself - he'll never try that again!
It sounds as though the previous shootings were justified......as much as it sounds as though this shooting was not!
What a bunch of comments we have here. Some are intelligent and some are simply based on nothing.
1. The neighbor calls the cops after having a confrontation with this man and tells them that this man is walking around with a baby and a gun. Hellooooo did anyone else see this or is this just a fabrication by the neighbor who's pis-ed off due to his trashcan being kicked.
You want cops ready to shoot on site - I would believe this would be the very recipe to do just that! Small baby and man with gun is there any question as to what they are thinking.
Next you have three cops at the door when the man answers the door all of them geared up to meet some Psychopath with a gun. No matter what this man has in his hand or doesn't is not even a question at this point. All that is in this officers mind is gun. The article does not report what was found if anything that this officer saw. It will be lost in all the reports. Here are a couple of thoughts phone, baby diaper, talcum powder or how about nothing!!
First we don't send cops out with orders to be judge, jury and executioner. They do this all on their own. Now please understand not all cops are bad but I sure don't want to be walking down a street and match this guys description if the cops are going to be shooting because they think they saw something! Cops are expected to make sure there is reason for deadly force before using it, not thinking that there is but knowing there is.
Next he answers the door - which for most instances would mean he is facing the door. As he turns- this cop shoots him in the head!! If he is turning he is no longer facing the door and has to be turning away from the officers. So where is the imminent threat. Where is all the danger. I'll tell you it's lurking just outside this man's door and wearing blue uniforms.
Next in the story we have to add some color of reason for the public so the cops report finding guns in this man's home. Ok I can see that this is important information to have if you just shot an unarmed man holding his grandson. Where were these so called guns? Maybe in the gun cabinet or maybe in a gun safe because they sure weren't on this man. Owning guns does not make you guilty and darn sure does not give these cops the right to shoot first and know later!! Again the whereabouts of these guns is not mentioned by the police or in the reporting! If a gun had been lying anywhere near the entrance to this man's home you could be sure that the police would have been yelling (see I told ya )
I'm going to tell you what makes this a justifiable killing!! Officer that took the shot. "I thought my fellow officers were in danger so I took the shot, Judge."
Second officer (I thought i saw something Judge and when I yelled out he's got something my partner shot him) These two sentences make it a justifiable shooting. And off we go with another notch in our gun.
Some of you might wonder why I would lay this out in this manner. The answer would be I was married to a deputy for ten years and divorced for another twenty. That is thirty years of knowing that not all cops are bad but I can guarantee you that not all cops are good. How about if you guess which one you have at your next traffic stop.
Let's go one step farther. Fifty year old grandfather out walking around his neighborhood with his grandson and a gun just so he can go over and kick his neighbors trash can. Get Real! No where in the article does it mention the police having any history of problems with this man. Normally that is the first thing that is brought to light. Again Get Real!! Now this man and his neighbor seem to have a history or why would he kick his neighbor's trashcan especially while carrying his grand son around the neighborhood. Personally I would never take my grandchild anywhere that I had any expectation of having a confrontation let alone be carrying a gun. Something does not ring true about this.
This officers defense is nothing more than a standard one of I thought my fellow officer was in danger so I took the shot Judge. (No Charges Filed) Sorry Gramps it was just a little mistake!! Sorry little guy but your Grandpa would be here if he didn't go around the neighborhood with you and a gun!! GET REAL!!
Doyle1,
I think your post is excellent and very likely (scarily) the truth.
Maybe he was turning to pick up the Winchester defender shotgun just inside the door.
And WHY would he turn anyway?
He should have walked outside as soon as he opened the door.
He was reported as a threat and acted that way by turning.
i see a future defence for someone killing an officer at his front door as self defence
The bottom line is, this man was NOT carrying a gun when he was killed. It's not like he was holding a "real-looking" BB-gun either. This police officer approached him from behind. The man turned, holding only a baby and the officer shot and killed him. No matter what the phone calls said about him having a gun, this man had no gun when he was killed. The only thing he was carrying was a baby. How can you justify this killing?
MOFO needs to get his ass wupped...so sick of J**K O*F D**K H**D Cops...He should off himself...going to Hell for sure anyway!
My father was a cop in Newark for 30 years and never had to even pull his gun, something he prides himself on. He was always able to talk them down even when they had a gun. This cop is a vigilante.
Get a badge, become a serial killer.
This one is going to be hard to write off as justified. Arizona just past gun laws allowing the carrying of concealed weapons without a permit and possessing guns on college campuses and generally liberalizing gun possession. It is not against the law to carry a gun in public and carry your grandchild.. Although it was reported he had brandished a weapon in a threatening manner earlier, the cops overreacted on this one. He is dead over kicking a trashcan. The police could very easily have shot him with beanbag shot or a Taser if they had time to put a bullet in the back of his head. Just saying it looked like he was a threat is not good enough. Cops made a split second decision and it was the wrong one.
Looks like lawyer Michael Manning will soon have a new client in a wrongful death suit. He has had a lot of practice suing Arpaio so this should be a simple bigtime settlement for him.
Correction, "...dead over <allegedly> kicking a trashcan."
I'll take this article as a good reason not to brandish a gun in my neighbors' faces while carrying my Grandson. I could wind up dead. DUH!!!
The guy was probably a nutcase. He already had previous encounters with the law. A local newsroom video showed they even found the makings of a pipe bomb in his home.
What 'makings'? a piece of pipe and some fittings?
imricklb,
Could you please provide a link to the local newsroom video? I'll take this article as a good reason not to piss off neighbors who might call the police and claim I was brandishing a gun.
The video feed has changed and omitted the makings of the bomb on going back for a second look. But the first time I viewed it they showed a plastic baggie with black powder in it and another baggie with a wick in it and said a metal tube was found with these, so I can't back up the claim any more. They even left out the previous encounters with the police. Who knows? At any rate these were not relevant in the actual shooting.
I'll still remember not to brandish a gun in public while I have my grandson in my arms.
Here's the link: http://www.azcentral.com/video/1454972237001
We have one of those killer cops in Cleveland. James Simone is a trigger happy bastard who has killed five people in his 36-year career.
Plus he gave me and my brother a ticket for parking our motorcycles on the sidewalk of a bar owned by one of his fellow officers on State Road. Total prick
But they did find several weapons in his home... hmmm... a .22 rifle, a butter knife and laptop computer with the plastic lid filed to a sharp angle!
Something is really wrong with this picture across the country of ours with trigger happy cops and their heavy handed tactics in general! Their stupid errors costs people their lives.
Getting tough with a gang member I can see, but they apply the same tactics to 80 year olds with oxygen tanks... what is wrong with these guys! Of Course this is Arizona... so much of anything other than brains go...
When you're a hammer everything looks like a nail. SWAT snipers have to kill people or theyre out of a job.
Arizona has a history of giving passes to cops that shoot unarmed or innocents.
Seems like arizona police departments have no problems with killing people in front of their homes like veterans or unarmed civi's for a supposed split second jugdement call. give me a break. He needs to be incarcerated with the criminals he thrives to be like.
This is one case we will NEVER get the truth out of. The only person who could tell you what really happened is dead. This man did not have a gun on him when he was killed. He only had a baby. You want the police to arrive fast, just call 911 and say someone is threatening you with a gun. But the man was killed without having a gun on his person. This police officer was in the wrong. What a coward!
Now they could've used a dog like in San Diego..
Cops emerge victorious from standoff with empty car ( from MSN )
"A police dog sniffed out instantly what it took San Diego cops two hours to figure out: There was no one inside the busted-down sedan on the shoulder of Interstate.."
The story says Loxas answered the door with the baby in his arms. I would say that this means there were officers at the door. This murderer with a badge, took matters into his own hands and shot past his fellow officers and killed an unarmed man and put an infant in harms way also. Then the blue line of justice was wraped around it all and the wagons were circled "again" to protect one of "their own". How do you think these police officers would treat you if you were forced to kill someone to protect the lives of your family? Once? You may come out ok. Seven times? You would be on the way to the chair and labeled as psychotic and many other medical diagnoses.
I can promise you that when all is said and done, it did not go down like this.
This officer was told he had clearance to shoot, or he made the decision on his own.
I doubt that he did it for sh!ts and giggles.
He was in place with a rifle, NOT a handgun.
Someone put him in that position to do just what he did.
A sharpshooter doing his job and doing it well.
Nothing to see here, move along folks.
Much the same as his kindred in Syria, Egypt, N. Korea and Iran...