Exactly......suicide by cop is a growing phenomenon.

Yep... not having the guts to blow your brains out the old fashioned way...

or live out your life with dignity to the end.

Seems like suicide by cop!

...and the wounded officer was probably hit by friendly fire (though the article does not say.)

His wife can collect his life insurance now...Suicide she couldn't

The wife cannot collect insurance money...as a law passed during the early nineties that do not allow insurance companies to pay-off if the deceased shot at the police at any time during the exchange...

If he would not have fired the gun, then the insurance would have paid-off...

A 380 will just make most people mad, wrong weapon for killing.

But Dr. Kevorkian was considered a murderer. He should have just been a cop.

You know that works both ways. Yeah, violence on cops has increased. But at the same time there has been an increase of cops shooting unarmed suspects.

If you want your folks to collect on insurance you have to attack the Hells Angels.

Dare I venture a guess and put thought to paper?

"brandishing a .380-cal handgun, walked into the lobby of the police station with a blank stare on his face"

sounds similar to another guy flying the USA flag upside down in protest; a guy who swung a samurai sword at a police officer in Denver; vandals who overturned or broke nearly 70 gravestones in a cemetery in Alabama, all in the past couple days after elections.

Are these actions typical of Rush/Hannity fans? Just askin'

"…this person was struggling with some very serious internal issues,”

Like bleeding.

“The suspect approached the front desk officer and simply stared at the officer. The suspect appeared to be staring into the distance and not a word was said,” Hawkins said.

In 'Nam that was known as the "thousand yard stare"

Thank you sir for serving our Country.

I wonder if we'll ever know (meaning, will they tell us) how many bullets were fired by cops, usually, one perp, numerous cops = at least 40 shots fired, 15 hits!

"a .380-caliber handgun"

If the guy walked into the police station with a rifle or shotgun, the cops would have immediately been on the alert.

But he had a hand gun and was able to walk right up to his intended victim and start shooting.

More people than ever are buying hand guns. More guns less crime?

"But at the same time there has been an increase of cops shooting unarmed suspects."

Assuming this is true, the explanation may be because there are more people walking around with hand guns. A cop is gonna shoot you dead if you present him with a threat. A cop is allowed to use deadly force in many situations where you, assuming that you are a civilian, do not.

Davey: Wrongo dude. A civilian has just as much right to defend themselves with deadly force if they feel their life is being threatened as a cop. Do you actually think a cop has more rights than you do to defend themselves when confronted by an assailant? I was a cop for ten years and I assume you are for gun control. For the number of handguns out there, there are actually surprisingly fewer shootings going on out there than one would think, just in my opinion. Also with as many guns that are out there now, to collect guns from the populace would be nuts, and if you actually could, then only the nuts and criminals will have guns. What a Utopia we would have then! By the way...it was suicide by cop. I hope he rests in peace, I actually pity him.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/2011-02-23/news/ian-birk-why-he-wasn-t-charged-and-what-happens-next/

A cop can shoot you, claim that you did something wrong, and walk. If I shoot you and claim that you did something wrong, I go to jail.

Or my favorite:

http://www.wate.com/story/1078898/family-of-dog-shot-and-killed-by-police-wants-officer-removed

If I killed your dog, I would be in trouble.

A cop can kill and get away with it, because they are cops. They often do.

I'm not railing against cops. I stay away from them, and I'm just fine. And if I ever have any contact with the police, I am real polite. Because I don't want them to shoot me, and claim that I was doing something wrong.

You are not for gun control? You want there to be lots of hand guns? Hand guns are the most commonly used murder weapon in the US.

davey-526272 said:

"... You want there to be lots of hand guns? Hand guns are the most commonly used murder weapon in the US."

And ironically the most commonly carried weapon for protection and self-defense is.....

Wait for it...

YES! The handgun!

See how it works?

See how it works?

For every justifiable homicide in America, 20 people are murdered by a killer using a hand gun.

See how it works?

"For every justifiable homicide in America, 20 people are murdered by a killer using a hand gun."

How many of those murder victims were armed?

I don't think that the FBI collects that info. But, you may find the following article interesting:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930121512.htm

Write your legislators about diverting more funding for PTSD treatment for vets.

No evidence that his service had anything to do with his behavior. He may been a cook at Ft. Dix.

right-he served DECADES ago-he was just a nut-thank god he was killed before murdering anyone!

No matter what your story may be, Jesus Christ is the answer to the tough questions.

Ban handguns. I'm sure Jesus would approve.

Herald9 said:

"No matter what your story may be, Jesus Christ is the answer to the tough questions."

My "tough question" is which handgun to buy? A .380 or a .45? Does Jesus have the answer?

WWJD- What Would Jesus Decide ?

My "tough question" is which handgun to buy? A .380 or a .45? Does Jesus have the answer?

WWJD- What Would Jesus Decide ?

Jesus was a good Jewish boy, he would have gone with a Jericho 941 or a Barak SP-21.

Herald9

in post 2.4 wrote: "No matter what your story may be, Jesus Christ is the answer to the tough questions."

(sigh) Imaginary friends aren't an answer to anything. Grow up.

I'd go .45 over .380 any day. The only reason to get a .380(I happen to have both) is for very easy, lightweight concealment. But since you can get small, fairly light handguns in .357, the .380 is really kind of underpowered compared to the weight/size benefit.

It isn't, and neither is global warming. Oh....and you can turn gay people straight with treatment. (sarcasm)

You'll seldom hear a politician say PTSD isn't real. It's funding...not acknowledgement.

Heard it several times from the GOP last election, including from Romney himself who actually cracked a joke about it by changing what the acronym PTSD stands for. Doesn't matter how seldom we hear it, for a politician to say it even once is unacceptable.

riverboy,

Exactly what was it that Romney supposedly said? I could find nothing.

"Please Take Some Disability"

I have never heard anyone from the Bush, or Obama administration say PTSD was not real. WHat I have heard is the DoD has a por process for handing claims off to the VA and the VA has a horrible time processing them in a timely manner. I have also heard the folks still in the military have a prejudice against ayone who caims a TBI or PTSD, the loeadership talks the good talk but the troops themselves have the issues with their comrades.

I don't know about politicians saying PTSD isn't real it most certainly is and as far as labeling it "Please Take Some Disability". If your life had been destroyed by PTSD and you lost any chance of being all you could be, you would not say that. You can learn to manage the effects of PTSD, but as of now there is no cure.

This country will hand over taxpayer benefits to immigrants who show up with their hands out, who have never paid a dime into the system, but our veterans have to fight for every dollar they receive and are often homeless. We need to get our priorities straight!

Hmm, so, what is our history with immigrant veterans?

As a vet.. I understand (a little) what the guy was going thru... what was going thru his mind... But please , in advance to all on the vine, don't take this the wrong way... But the vote for Obama was a vote against vets... Some will point to his increased funding for "vet issues" but that does not remove the fact that:

Our retirement has been cut

Our COLA frozen and reduced

Our health cost Post Obamacare has risen and continues to rise

This administration supports ill-legal immigration above the plight of our vets.

Please understand... I support the political process (that in part what we as servicemen protect) and like it or not He is our Commander and Chief. Yet... suffice to say we the are the one that are always the sacrifice when comes to government spending or balancing a budget... But hey.. this is the Great USA... and I mean that... the greatest nation on the earth... I really mean that... vets and those that still serve will still perform our duty proudly, unwavering and with honor.... God bless America and God bless the servicemen and vets..

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus is my friend and beyond all the politics, You, America are also my friend.

our veterans have to fight for every dollar they receive and are often homeless. We need to get our priorities straight!

In the extremely conservative county in FL where I live, homeless veterans are known as "bums" and "freeloaders." Yes, I have seen and heard people abuse veterans like this, and I have taken them to task for it. So you can blame Obama if you want, but remember that many veterans are part of Romney's 47%.

Flame77_7 said;

"Jesus is my friend..."

Jesus schmesus. The Invisible Flying Spaghetti Monster is MY friend. What's your point?

Divert 1/2 the defense budget to returning vets and end the wars. Sell a few drones.

Lokay5..... Jesus died for the world and (as the Bible says) His friends....Service men and women willingly give our lives for the USA... our friend..... come on man.. get with it.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that (although He is omnipotent and omniscient and could have used His powers to either get it right the first time or fix it after it was broken, instead. . .) He sent His only begotten Son (to be tortured and murdered.)

Yeah, this is the kind of evil God you worship, Flame77_7.

Idiot or troll? If you vote idiot +1 this reply.

JM, do you know what the Manchurian Candidate is? It's a really good movie and please look into MK Ultra, Joseph is right.

Joseph I think it is you that needs to see a psychiatrist and soon. You have issues.

Mind control? Good grief. You can't actually believe that, can you?

Joseph is right.

The CIA has been training Manchurian Candidates for decades and they've killed many, many people.

Of course, that was back when we all lived on the Planet Zork.

Nevada, I believe it was Plantet Kobal, Zork became too crowded, we had to move.

Sounds like the next blockbuster movie. Who's willing to do the script?

There probably isn't any workplace that has more guns than a police station, and yet, if there hadn't been bullet-proof glass, this veteran might have killed the officer at the desk. So much for all you people who say we'll be safe if we all would just have guns in our pockets.

Deborah: " So much for all you people who say we'll be safe if we all would just have guns in our pockets."

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. It really made me think. You are so correct when you say "There probably isn't any workplace that has more guns than a police station, and yet, if there hadn't been bullet-proof glass, this veteran might have killed the officer at the desk."

You really made me think twice (and I like that)-- "So much for people who say we'll be safe if we all had guns in our pockets." I mean if cops can't prevent killings without bullet-proof glass--then who can? Certainly not us civilians!

Thank you Deborah!

No one I know who has a CCW makes the claim that we are 100% safe because we carry. Our only claim is that we are 100% more likely to have a fighting chance than those who find some bogus morality in being an unarmed victim.

If only a crowd of armed citizens would draw their weapons, crazy gunmen would drop their pistols and surrender!

Oh, wait...that trick never works!

Mind control? Good grief. You can't actually believe that, can you?

Uhh, you mean like the millions of people that ostracize, discriminate against and kill other people because they believe that the human son of god died and arose 3 days later or...because they believe that there are 72 virgins waiting for them in the afterlife or...because they believe that god justifiably murdered the human population minus 1 family via flood?

You mean those "victims" of mind control or the rrreally crazy ones controlled by the CIA? /s

JackK: What? I was responding to the original post about CIA mind control, not trying to hijack the discussion with a rant against God.

How does that make you feel Hanoi Jane? Bitch!

gung ho, gung ho, gung ho

Cameron,

The article does not say who shot the officer - it may have been friendly fire. It does say that on the suspect's first attempt at shooting, his gun did not fire. Perhaps he never fired - maybe had no ammo.

While you're right on one count, they did not say directly that the vet was responsible for hitting the officer, they did call it an 'exchange'. Generally there have to be two or more parties exchanging gunfire with each other to be defined as such... I doubt the cops were 'exchanging' fire with each other. Friendly fire, maybe. But I doubt it. Depending on whether , and how, the .380 jammed, often it wouldn't take much to unjam the weapon and fire it...

It didn't say if the cop was shot by the veteran or friendly fire.

Thats pretty much what I conveyed in the last post, thanks...

This was most certainly " suicide " by cop. Don't be an A-hole or post asinine crap. Sounds like a case of severe mental issues. He probably wanted to kill himself, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Thus seeking assistance from your local law enforcement. If he actually wanted to kill multiple LEOs, he would not have walked into their stronghold with a little piss-ant .380. This is not the " Terminator " movie where he can hose down an entire sub-station.

And yes, our soldiers are AWESOME. putting their lives on the line daily so you can feel free to post sarcastic crap disguised as patriotism. Every soldier is different, some are able to handle what they have seen or done better then others.

this is what i was thinking

the first shot was misfired or didn't discharge?. I don't know what they mean by ".380 handgun" but revolvers are like honda dirt bikes, they always work unless you just don't take care of it. I'm guessing they are referring to the ACP?

So i'm thinking he never got a true shot off. Telling us what happened in the second part of the fray will give us more info i guess. Maybe the cop was shot by friendly fire?

Yep! "Friendly fire!" Ironic, huh? Nothing like getting shot by a friend!

Just ask Dick Cheney's hunting partner. He even apologized to Dick for getting in the way of his "friendly fire!" (Seriously! Look it up...)

I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

Could be. Whenever you have a group of people forced to fire in a confined area in a split second you can have friendly fire, either from direct hits, ricochets, or over penetration. That's not guaranteed, however. Assuming his .38 was a double action revolver, when it failed to fire the next trigger pull would have rotated the cylinder to the next chamber. If the problem was with a bad cartridge in the first cylinder, then the next cartridge would still be able to fire normally, along with the four after that. If it was a bad cartridge in an automatic pistol he simply would have had to manually eject that dud to chamber a different round that could then be fired (slightly less fluid a movement, but a known solution to someone who presumably been trained on clearly a jam). In the same vein he could have simply forgotten to chamber the first round when he inserted the magazine (though that is even less likely). He could also have simply left the safety on by accident with the first shot and flicked it off when he realized his mistake.

Stang-2682804

1. The article doesn't mention whether or not he had a history of serious mental disorder. It did however mention this poor physical health. Something took him over the edge.

2. What do you consider "the right set of people"? Non-Veterans?

Sorry Bill but that's an idiotic comment. As far as where they came from, why don't you check and see how many current LE officers are now serving in the Reserves.

If the guy wanted to commit suicide, where WAS he going to go? The barbershop?

I think he held himself accountable...jerk! Perhaps you'd like to lock up the body?

Agreed Doc, a man always has one last card to play.

Guess you never dealt with anyone who suffered from Dementura.or Alzheimer's and other illnesses. For all you know he was attacking an enemy from the 60's. The fact that he was a vet is probably only being played up because of today's date as a means to gain a bigger headline.

Bitter much?

Wow Wayne, you must have been a joy to work with in your prime. You seem to find fault in everything and everybody. Usually you look for faults to justify your own failures.

Nice to see you Ol Doc! Hope you're doing well...

Oh for Christ sake!! Get freaking life! 99% of LEOs are there to do a job, serve and protect, and try to make a difference by cleaning up our streets. They put their lives on the line every day, just like our soldiers, sailors, airmen, etc. You do have some whom are in it for the power trip, but eventually they get weeded out. Sounds more like you are one of those that fear cops because they try enforce laws you want to break. The " real enemy " of society is those that want to take things they didn't earn.

Yes, they get weeded out after they kill someone. By then it's too late. More so our police officers are being used as revenue generators for cities thru excessive ticketing for minor crimes. Go read some city council minutes and see what the police chief has to say. I guarantee you he will always propose some way to increase revenue, even if the department has more than enough funds to cover expenses. Naturally he wants a raise. Also I've found most are in it for the power trip. Nothing worse than having a C student with power and a gun.

GRR, go back to mom's basement. When someone points a gun at you, hand them a flower.

99% of LEOs are there to do a job, serve and protect, and try to make a difference by cleaning up our streets.

Gotta disagree with you on that War Ranger. DEA agents and narco cops are clearly not cleaning up the streets and I would say that the majority of them are criminals themselves.

Thanksgiving is a day set aside for giving thanks to God for a good harvest and helping to keep our ancestors, ( Pilgrims ) alive after a rough start, ( with help from the Native Americans ). " I bet they regret that. " Christmas is a day set aside for celebration of the birth of Christ. Veteran's day is set aside for the honor of all whom have honorably served this nation, whether in war or peace. But truthfully, ask any Vet and most will tell you we did not serve to have a day set aside for us. We did it because we love our country, it's people, it's Constitution, and everything it stands for. I served because this is my nation that has given me so much. The least I or anyone could do would be to give back in her protection. It matters not whether you served in a combat roll or support roll. You were still willing to do your part. The memories, whether bad or good, are all most of us need. But, a simple " Thank You " sometimes makes our day.

The irony of your statement given the etymology of holiday is amazing.

Oh Lord, another "shot him in the leg" expert. Guess what, a shot in the leg isn't going to stop him. Get your training from a matchbook cover?

I'm only surprised that you didn't reccomend that the cops shoot the gun out of his hand like they do in the movies, cause you know, that's reality based too. I'm sure that you would have just used The Force to disarm someone pointing a .380 at you. Excellent harvest in Redwood Country apparently.