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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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The citizen should ALWAYS remain innocent until proven guilty. The guy has a baby in his arms on his own property. As far as I know of, I can answer my door with a weapon in my hand legally, so even if he DID have a weapon and he's on his own property, that doesn't justify shooting him first. We are in AMERICA and we have a right to bear arms, particularly at our own home. There are some parts of town where everyone wants to answer a knock at their door with a gun in their hand...right?
This cop is guilty of murder...maybe 2nd degree, but it is murder period.
PingLizard, the guy had a black cell phone in his hand.
Hopefully, this guy carries an automatic, otherwise he'll have to stop to reload ! Someone needs to tell him, that's not why there called 6 shooters.
described by police as a "good officer" ... let me show you my shocked face :0 -whaaaaa!?!?!! imagine that, the good ol boys club in full shwing....
This cop needs to use some of his vacation time, and if he has used all the time he has earned already, he should be granted some more. He is clearly wound to tightly and an obvious danger to the very people he has sworn to protect. An earlier poster claimed the victim was shot in the back of the head, which I did not see reported in the article. If that is the case then the officer was way out of line.
There are bad cops; Officer Peters is about as far from a bad cop as you can get. Officer Peters is a hero, just ask the Safeway employee held hostage with a gun to his head when Officer Peters shot the suspect in that incident.
Officer Peters has had extensive firearms training, and his department calls on him and others with his training & steady aim to protect us from the bad guys in crisis situations. This is the guy you want on your team when all hell breaks loose.
We hire these men & women to do this job, we train them, we put them out there & then we stab them in the back when they do the job we hired them for. Support our local law enforcement; they protect you.
I am disgusted with the media for only reporting these stories in the worst possible light, in an attempt to gain readership through manufactured scandal.
Report on how Officer Peters received the Medal of Valor for the Safeway hostage incident; report on the other commendations he has received, or how he is a wonderful person who is out there being an example of a hard working cop who is making our neighborhoods a safer place.
Or just go back to reporting nonsense celebrity stories... that's all these reporters seem good at anyway.
They don't do anything, they come 5 minutes after a crime happened to clean up the mess. I would rather break bread with criminals than cops.
He shot an unarmed man in the head, holding a kid, on his own property and you want us to applaud that? There's like two fatal shootings a year in Scottsdale and this cop has been involved in 7 of them in the past decade? You think this is normal?
Total B.S.! I support real quality law enforcement personnel, but not this idiot. There is absolutely no physcological evaluation that this officer could pass EVER! Completely over the top with use of lethal force. Peters should never hold police certification again & never be allowed to own/carry any firearms or weapons!
another boob heard from...
do none of you have ANY reading comprehension skills at all? All the other shootings were justified, he worked in the SWAT unit which has the highest danger factor.
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."
Peters and another officer told investigators they saw something in Loxas' hand, and when he turned, Peters fired a single shot, killing Loxas instantaneously
he had his back to the door, cops felt he had a gun and when he turned to face the door Peters fired.
and wtf is this 5 kills under his belt sh!t? they make it sound like he is a yahoo, NOT a Police Officer doing the job he is paid to do! Protecting us from the scum out there
and as the guy above reported:
SupportOurOfficers
There are bad cops; Officer Peters is about as far from a bad cop as you can get. Officer Peters is a hero, just ask the Safeway employee held hostage with a gun to his head when Officer Peters shot the suspect in that incident.
Officer Peters has had extensive firearms training, and his department calls on him and others with his training & steady aim to protect us from the bad guys in crisis situations. This is the guy you want on your team when all hell breaks loose.
We hire these men & women to do this job, we train them, we put them out there & then we stab them in the back when they do the job we hired them for. Support our local law enforcement; they protect you.
I am disgusted with the media for only reporting these stories in the worst possible light, in an attempt to gain readership through manufactured scandal.
Report on how Officer Peters received the Medal of Valor for the Safeway hostage incident; report on the other commendations he has received, or how he is a wonderful person who is out there being an example of a hard working cop who is making our neighborhoods a safer place.
Or just go back to reporting nonsense celebrity stories... that's all these reporters seem good at anyway.
otter54, kindly stop referring to yourself as a boob, thanks.
This guy is just a killer- a gun happy, pistol shooting cold blooded killer. Someone needs to take his gun away and have him walk down the street in the neighborhoods he killed an see how much he likes getting a bullet up his butt
another boob heard from...
do none of you have ANY reading comprehension skills at all? All the other shootings were justified, he worked in the SWAT unit which has the highest danger factor.
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."
Peters and another officer told investigators they saw something in Loxas' hand, and when he turned, Peters fired a single shot, killing Loxas instantaneously
he had his back to the door, cops felt he had a gun and when he turned to face the door Peters fired.
and wtf is this 5 kills under his belt sh!t? they make it sound like he is a yahoo, NOT a Police Officer doing the job he is paid to do! Protecting us from the scum out there
and as the guy above reported:
SupportOurOfficers
There are bad cops; Officer Peters is about as far from a bad cop as you can get. Officer Peters is a hero, just ask the Safeway employee held hostage with a gun to his head when Officer Peters shot the suspect in that incident.
Officer Peters has had extensive firearms training, and his department calls on him and others with his training & steady aim to protect us from the bad guys in crisis situations. This is the guy you want on your team when all hell breaks loose.
We hire these men & women to do this job, we train them, we put them out there & then we stab them in the back when they do the job we hired them for. Support our local law enforcement; they protect you.
I am disgusted with the media for only reporting these stories in the worst possible light, in an attempt to gain readership through manufactured scandal.
Report on how Officer Peters received the Medal of Valor for the Safeway hostage incident; report on the other commendations he has received, or how he is a wonderful person who is out there being an example of a hard working cop who is making our neighborhoods a safer place.
Or just go back to reporting nonsense celebrity stories... that's all these reporters seem good at anyway.
Otter54 - quit clogging cyberspace. We know how you feel. You don't need to repeat every 10 second.
News....he doesn't even bother to think up a response now....it's just copy and paste. Sounds like there's no way this person could ever persuaded to view things objectively.
NewsJnky/johnnyt. I've already asked otter54 to stop referring to himself as a "boob",
the point is otterbox, that a lot of people have guns and its easy for a ticked off neighbor to call the police and say you or i had threatend them if its true or not just to get back at them, it is still no reason for a quick trigger finger from anyone other than the men at the door. when a person has an object in his hand doesnt mean a gun! that Idea was put in there head before they got there. and Margo gun laws has nothing to do with it! he was found un armed and if everyperson was shot because there was a gun in the house 90% of the population would be dead and who would be around to protect your sorry @$$
He should be fired. No way they are all justified. I could be a cop and knock on the door of almost every house in America and there would be a gun in the house. A gun in the house does not justify killing an innocent person. The guy is trigger happy.
Not hard to see what some people do for a job by remarks thinking its ok to just blow anyone away dont need judges
rlb..... I live in upstate ny and I've been sitting here trying to think about my neighbors and how many of them DIDN'T own guns....so far I haven't came up with one! I actually wonder how discovering firearms 'in the house' after the fact figures into shooting this guy? This looks like a case of the guy being judge, jury and exectutioner to me.
My goodness! Must be Migrating time for trolls!
I have never seen so many people call for the Cop to be executed! Jeesh!
Do we set a national limit for how many shooting incidents a cop can have over a career? If you are Barny Fife, you can be a cop for 40 years, but if you are Dirty Harry, you have to leave the force after three years? Really? Did you read on the other news sites that the loaded gun was found on the couch next to the door? Just where the guy was turning and reaching to when shot?
I didn't know it was a crime (or reason to be shot) because you own a gun, and have it loaded in your own home.
Did you not read this part of the article? "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.""
As a gun owner myself (including several Class III) You're preachin' to the choir about rights to own firearms. But even a collector or shooter will agree that some gun owners do - really - stupid - stuff with their weapons. This guy is out in public threatening the neighbors with a firearm, kid in his arms like a damn Taliban jihadist behind a human shield, and - Duh! when the cops come up to the door, he doesn't come out to talk, he reaches beside the door - not an action that makes any sense other than reaching for - Duh ! the loaded gun he was waving around before the cops arrived! Ok, the trolls are out for a lawman's blood tonight, so no amount of logic is going to get them to even wait a microsecond to see what an investigation shows. Oh, why do I even bother posting.. haters are gonna hate no matter how much you try to shine the light of reason on something.
Hmm - I thought everyone was entitled to their opinion. You know IMO. Does not mean they are haters. They just don't agree. Freedom of speech. And, the gun was not 'on' the couch, it was stuffed down between the cushion and the arm. Makes it a little harder to get to.
There are limits to what you CAN do with your right to bear arms. I own a gun too but do you think I would randomly threaten my neighbors? Do you think I would go to the door with a gun in my hand when there was a COP at the door as some have suggested that we are legally allowed to do? NO because I'm not stupid. I don't care how pissed off I am, if a cop tells me to come out and lie on the ground so they can make sure that I'm not a threat, I DO IT. Bottom line this guy had a loaded weapon. The police knew that he had allegedly been seen earlier with the weapon. I HIGHLY doubt that the officers walked up to the door and just shot him. The only likely scenario in my opinion is that they asked him to come out and he refused, probably threw a threat and or some profanity the officer's way and turned and leaned in the door a little too quickly. Again - one scenario that I could think of that would cause someone to get shot - I don't really know any more that you, MSNBC, Arizona newspapers, or anyone else knows because NONE of US were there.
NJRichie, how do we know that the neighbor's claim of him having a gun and pointing it at him is true? In the heat of the moment can't we think that what the neighbor "thought" was a gun was the man's cell phone since that is what the police discovered was in his hand when he was shot?
NJRichie - the problem with you is you have no pride and you don't expect to be treated like an American.
Time for him to sit on the porch. Most LEOs will never be involved in a shooting, let alone involving a fatality. This guy has SIX of them? Justified or not, he's due for assignment to the swim tank or warehouse.
Dirty Harry's got nothing on this guy.
we need more info
This sounds like an excessive amount of killings by this policeman. Sounds like a serial killer with a badge. Something is definitely not right about this man. I mean, this isn't typical of most police officers? Don't compare him to Dirty Harry -- at least Dirty Harry had a reason for killing armed thugs who had attacked him.
Definitely excessive and not right, I mean if he were in fullujah the past decade he would have a hard time getting six kills. But Scottsdale Arizona? There's two gun fatalities A YEAR in Scottsdale AZ.
It's amazing how cops everywhere immediately [not just Scottsdale, Arizona!] "circle the wagons" when one of their own kills someone! Invariably, when justifying the killing, the on scene cop looks deadeyed into the camera and states the killing was justified! You notice this time they mention entering the house and finding weapons on the premises as though that somehow, some way that fact was indicative of the man's guilt.
Note: The last time I heard, the right to own firearms was "not" a crime.
You mean to tell me they shot a man carrying a baby in the back of the head for kicking over a frigging garbage can??? I 'll bet when they (the so called peace officers) confronted this poor man about the incident he had with his neighbor I'll willing to bet he told them to go f#*k themselves turned to walk back into his house so Quick Draw got pissed and shot him. As far as guns in the house I think about everyone in Arizona has some kind of weapon in their home.
he turned to FACE them you complete and utter simpleton
"I think about everyone in Arizona has some kind of weapon in their home."
True, but most of us are smart enough not to go brandishing them around the neighborhood. There's a difference between carrying and brandishing.
Another murderer in a blue uniform.
He won't even be indicted for this MURDER of an unarmed man!
I hope the murdered man's family milks the Scottsdale PD for ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING they can!
"He won't even be indicted for this MURDER of an unarmed man!"
he was armed...armed with a baby and anybody thats ever been hit by a flying baby knows to shoot first
(sarcasm)
I understood what you meant. :- )
granny don't know crap....
another boob heard from...
do none of you have ANY reading comprehension skills at all? All the other shootings were justified, he worked in the SWAT unit which has the highest danger factor.
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."
Peters and another officer told investigators they saw something in Loxas' hand, and when he turned, Peters fired a single shot, killing Loxas instantaneously
he had his back to the door, cops felt he had a gun and when he turned to face the door Peters fired.
and wtf is this 5 kills under his belt sh!t? they make it sound like he is a yahoo, NOT a Police Officer doing the job he is paid to do! Protecting us from the scum out there
and as the guy above reported:
SupportOurOfficers
There are bad cops; Officer Peters is about as far from a bad cop as you can get. Officer Peters is a hero, just ask the Safeway employee held hostage with a gun to his head when Officer Peters shot the suspect in that incident.
Officer Peters has had extensive firearms training, and his department calls on him and others with his training & steady aim to protect us from the bad guys in crisis situations. This is the guy you want on your team when all hell breaks loose.
We hire these men & women to do this job, we train them, we put them out there & then we stab them in the back when they do the job we hired them for. Support our local law enforcement; they protect you.
I am disgusted with the media for only reporting these stories in the worst possible light, in an attempt to gain readership through manufactured scandal.
Report on how Officer Peters received the Medal of Valor for the Safeway hostage incident; report on the other commendations he has received, or how he is a wonderful person who is out there being an example of a hard working cop who is making our neighborhoods a safer place.
Or just go back to reporting nonsense celebrity stories... that's all these reporters seem good at anyway.
You're so full of it, I'll bet your eyes are brown!
How many were Hispanic - illegal or not - or carrying LEGAL concealed weapons? Man you gotta love Arizona
These cops shoot unarmed people in the back, and its still somehow found justified because the people making the desisions are other cops. Karma is A bitch "PIG"
What Arizona needs is more killer kops to go with their racist governor!
Cops will kill if you threaten them with a butter knife because they are cowards and are to ignorant to disarm anyone without shooting them, and people refer to cops a heros.
You are right Cops aren't Heroes, Heroes save Lives and Cops are trained to Kill.
I know some of you will say he saved the baby..from what? ( we'll never know )
seen that before
I agree with you.
You have to wonder what kind of personality he has to be able to murder so easily?
Do disregard human life under the guise of law & order is appalling.
I'm willing to bet he'll murder even after he leaves law enforcement since it's in his blood.
So, if someone turns around... you shoot the man in the back of the head with a rifle at point blank. Why do cops have to shoot to kill and ask questions later. This is outrageous.
omg are you stoopid? or just flamingly obtuse? he had his back to the door and when he turned to FACE THEM they thought they saw a weapon and fired
another boob heard from...
do none of you have ANY reading comprehension skills at all? All the other shootings were justified, he worked in the SWAT unit which has the highest danger factor.
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."
Peters and another officer told investigators they saw something in Loxas' hand, and when he turned, Peters fired a single shot, killing Loxas instantaneously
he had his back to the door, cops felt he had a gun and when he turned to face the door Peters fired.
and wtf is this 5 kills under his belt sh!t? they make it sound like he is a yahoo, NOT a Police Officer doing the job he is paid to do! Protecting us from the scum out there
and as the guy above reported:
SupportOurOfficers
There are bad cops; Officer Peters is about as far from a bad cop as you can get. Officer Peters is a hero, just ask the Safeway employee held hostage with a gun to his head when Officer Peters shot the suspect in that incident.
Officer Peters has had extensive firearms training, and his department calls on him and others with his training & steady aim to protect us from the bad guys in crisis situations. This is the guy you want on your team when all hell breaks loose.
We hire these men & women to do this job, we train them, we put them out there & then we stab them in the back when they do the job we hired them for. Support our local law enforcement; they protect you.
I am disgusted with the media for only reporting these stories in the worst possible light, in an attempt to gain readership through manufactured scandal.
Report on how Officer Peters received the Medal of Valor for the Safeway hostage incident; report on the other commendations he has received, or how he is a wonderful person who is out there being an example of a hard working cop who is making our neighborhoods a safer place.
Or just go back to reporting nonsense celebrity stories... that's all these reporters seem good at anyway.
Your at it again, Otter 54. That is not what happened. Reread the article. No one is getting the details straight and it doesn't matter. The cop killed an unarmed man.
he may have been justified but killing 6 people seems a little excessive don't you think. is he trying to break some kind of record or something?
I just wonder how many others he has buried in the desert, this man has a crazy look in his eyes, there's a saying "The EYES are the window to your SOUL".. This man has no SOUL...
Shot in his own house. Holding his own child. With his back to the officers. Wow. Really? People can justify this? Wake up people. We live in America and have rights.
Hey kountryking, How is the govenor rascist for following Federal LAW A hole ?
MSNBC feeding red meat to the liberals. How about some back round on the wacko or the other shooting events? If you are going to report the news, lets have all the information.