Police officers shot after entering the wrong house on a burglary call

[MillCreek]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/31/ga-police-officer-shot/71495714/

Oops. I am guessing here that the homeowner responded to strange people entering the house.

[Jamisjockey]

This one.  Wow.
They were reportedly responding not to a burglary in progress but a SUSPICIOUS PERSON call.
They go to the wrong house.
They find an unlocked door and decide that's justification to enter on the assumption that the house is being burglarized.  Not a broken window, not a kicked in door but an UNLOCKED DOOR.
Gunfire breaks out and they wound the homeonwer and kill his *expletive deleted*ing dog.
And one of their own is injured.
Still unclear if the homeowner was armed or not.

Officers blab on and on about "going home safe".   Hard to do that with this level of bad policing.  *expletive deleted*ing idiots.

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

This one.  Wow.
They were reportedly responding not to a burglary in progress but a SUSPICIOUS PERSON call.
They go to the wrong house.
They find an unlocked door and decide that's justification to enter on the assumption that the house is being burglarized.  Not a broken window, not a kicked in door but an UNLOCKED DOOR.
Gunfire breaks out and they wound the homeonwer and kill his *expletive deleted*ing dog.
And one of their own is injured.
Still unclear if the homeowner was armed or not.

Officers blab on and on about "going home safe".   Hard to do that with this level of bad policing.  *expletive deleted*ing idiots.

Yep. And cops scratch their heads and hind quarters, moaning about people not trusting them.

[lupinus]

This popped up on the local news app last night. At least in the report last night they admitted they screwed up, haven't checked up to see if they plan to railroad the homeowner.

[brimic]

"Somewhere at the rear of that home, some things happened that have yet to be determined."

They haven't figured out a good narrative on this one yet.

“There was gunfire, I just cannot tell you who fired and who did not,” he said.

See above...

"Alexander called the situation complicated. Officers fired their weapons, the chief said, but it’s not clear if the homeowner had a gun."

If the homeowner had a gun, they would know already.

Looks like they really screwed the pooch on this one, then shot it.

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

They haven't figured out a good narrative on this one yet.
See above...
If the homeowner had a gun, they would know already.

Looks like they really screwed the pooch on this one, then shot it.

Illegally entering a house, armed. Destroying property and shooting home owner. That is a home invasion. Sad, but not one badge wearing citizen will be charged with anything. They will review and adjust their policy and training. Training the idiots should have already known.

[KD5NRH]

If the homeowner had a gun, they would know already.

Maybe he just throws bullets really hard.

If it comes out that the cop was wounded by friendly fire, DeKalb County law enforcement will have lived right back up to their previous level of idiocy.

[SADShooter]

http://news.yahoo.com/investigators-georgia-officer-likely-shot-other-officers-145410367.html

Now it looks like the officer may have been a "friendly fire" casualty.

[Firethorn]

http://news.yahoo.com/investigators-georgia-officer-likely-shot-other-officers-145410367.html

Now it looks like the officer may have been a "friendly fire" casualty.

Sadly, it's lucky that none of the officers died.

Sadly, in cases like this, when you have a bad department, it's not unknown to charge the, in this case shot, occupants of the home with felony murder for 'forcing' the cops to break into their home illegally and shoot each other.

The felony murder rule should be restricted to violent felonies, not as an excuse to have cops attempt Rambos.

[griz]

Is it normal to assume that an unlocked door is an indicator of a break in?  To me it would make sense to knock on the door and check on the occupant, and that would also let you find out if it's the right house.  Doing that would prevent "having" to shoot the victim's dog (and victim would be the right term unless you had reason to believe that the homeowner was the suspicious person) and starting a gun battle that everybody lost.

I don't know how you are supposed to excuse this kind of policing.  You can't even use the "at least the officers went home safely" defense.

[Ben]

It looks like more info is coming out, but from what's out there now, this seems to be the classic case that we ponder here regarding how we would react. Home invasion is home invasion, regardless of the invader wearing a uniform (which may or may not be real).

The police chief putting the homeowner's condition first during his statements says volumes to me. Also not disputing that the officers entered through a closed, unlocked door.

[HankB]

Maybe he just throws bullets really hard.

If it comes out that the cop was wounded by friendly fire, DeKalb County law enforcement will have lived right back up to their previous level of idiocy.

A COP WAS SHOT!!!

We'll see how they go about charging the homeowner for it . . .

[wmenorr67]

“That in and of itself would probably suggest to anyone that it is possible that there could be intruders inside, but it turned out not to be the case,” Alexander said. “Somewhere at the rear of that home, some things happened that have yet to be determined.”

Really? 7:30 in the evening and a back door being unlocked means there could be intruders. 

[RocketMan]

“That in and of itself would probably suggest to anyone that it is possible that there could be intruders inside, but it turned out not to be the case,” Alexander said. “Somewhere at the rear of that home, some things happened that have yet to be determined.”

The only thing yet to be determined is the level of stupid demonstrated by the cops in the rear of that home.

[KD5NRH]

The only thing yet to be determined is the level of stupid demonstrated by the cops in the rear of that home.

I dunno; all the stupidometers I've ever seen would have pegged about the time the dog was shot.

[Tallpine]

Sadly, it's lucky that none of the officers died.

...

I'd say that it's just sad and unlucky that none of the officers died. 

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

I dunno; all the stupidometers I've ever seen would have pegged about the time the dog was shot.

No. They should have scratched their heads or arse with "we have no legal justification to enter". Instead they inserted heads farther up their 4th point of contact and went on in.

[Mannlicher]

stupid crap like this just throws fuel on the fire.  Another innocent dog killed. 

[KD5NRH]

No. They should have scratched their heads or arse with "we have no legal justification to enter". Instead they inserted heads farther up their 4th point of contact and went on in.

These are redneck stupidometers that can actually handle that level.  It's barely past "hold my beer and watch this."  On the other hand, shooting the dog (especially considering that seeing a suddenly pissed off dog that wasn't making noise before should have been a prime indicator there's no burglar in the house) goes way beyond any humanly comprehensible level of idiocy.  Shooting the other cop and the homeowner also indicates that the stupid should have been measured before giving somebody a gun.

[Tallpine]

Cops need to keep their one bullet in their shirt pocket 

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

From a Fox News article:  

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/01/atlanta-area-police-officer-shot-circumstances-unclear/

When the officers went around the back of the house, they found the back door and screen door were unlocked, leading them to believe that someone had broken in.

WTF??  Since when is an unlocked door a sign of burglary?  *expletive deleted*it.

See. This is why cops are not looking good in the public eye. There is not a "War on cops". Forget that public outcry that the police nationwide would love for us to believe. Nope. Cops should look into the mirror, there is your problem. Militarization, shooting dogs and people (wrong address most often), entering illegally, pulling folks over for "prolonged eye contact",  talking down to people. All along demanding the publics respect. *expletive deleted*ck that. Police should respect the public, not the other way around. This crap sandwich that the cops are eating is all their own making, it's been sitting in the corner for several decades. People are just now deciding not to put up with this crap.

***I do not condone murder of anyone. So before any cop apologists suggest it or accuse me of being ok with some idiot walking up behind a cop and killing them, stop. I do not condone that and whoever does murder a cop in that manner or similar, should take a slow painful asshumping to hell.

[Hawkmoon]

I think you're all being terribly unfair.

A man in the home who exited a room off the kitchen was also shot in the leg by police, GBI officials said. A police officer was shot in the hip and listed in serious condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. Police did not immediately identify the wounded resident or officer.

"Early investigation indicates that the injured officer was likely shot accidently by one of the other officers on the scene," GBI officials said in a statement.

Clearly, the wounded officer deserves a citation for bravery above and beyond the call of duty for taking a bullet that might have killed the innocent homeowner. I'm sure the brave officer is wishing he could have taken another one to save the dog ...

[RoadKingLarry]

This is the kind of *expletive deleted*it that could tempt me to engage in riotous conduct.

[Tallpine]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that is spitting fire over this ... 

[Sindawe]

Used back in my youth I was pretty much neutral on the topic of police in our culture, outside of my issues over the favored then-illegal intoxicant of the time.  But that was part of the game, you pays your money and take your chances...

After years of reading about cops tazing and beating diabetics having issues; killing sleeping children and the elderly; tossing flashbangs in the cribs of babes; shooting dogs as the drop of hat and/or arresting and charging those who raise issue with such; acting like arrogant jerks when people have the audacity to record their interactions with the cops, or the interactions of others with cops; lying through their teeth and misrepresenting what the law states (and the icing on the cake of the courts ruling that cops don't have to know the law but we non-cops do);  doing their utmost to make the Sheriff of Nottingham look like cuddly puppy; etc... 

My views have drastically changed.