What on Earth is Going on with Law Enforcement?

[Jeff Higgins]

This story, if true, just makes my blood boil. Apparently an elderly rancher was called after one of his bulls got hit in the road. He found the bull out in front of his place with a broken leg - it clearly had to be put down.

So, our rancher returns to home to retrieve a front loader to haul it back with and a rifle to kill it with. Little .204 Ruger - you don't need much when you are just going to shoot it in the back of the head and put it out of its misery.

Well, he never got the chance to do that. While back at the house, a couple of sheriff's deputies pull up and start blazing away at it willy-nilly with their AR15's. By the time our rancher got back, the bull was all shot up in all the wrong places and mighty pissed off about it.

The old duffer decided the poor bull had had enough, got around behind it to shoot it in the back of the head, when one of the deputies grabbed him and jerked him around. Then one of the deputies started shooting again - only this time, at the old rancher. They killed him.

Plenty of witnesses to this event, since the old man had a few relatives over for dinner. The deputies have been put on "administrative leave" while a local P.D. investigates.

Unbelievable.

Idaho rancher’s wife: ‘I saw them murder my husband’ | Idaho Statesman

[scottmandue]

I support out LEO's
But the world has changed.
When I was a teen if the police stopped us and asked for our ID we could ask them "why?" and we would have a friendly discussion.
Today I fear that answer could get you thrown to the ground and cuffed.

[Baz]

Cowardly POS cops....they should be left out in the desert somewhere with no water to die....

[id10t]

Difference between an officer of the law and a cop or a pig...

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The biggest surprise is that it happened in Idaho.

[rusnak]

I would expect the people of Idaho to see that justice is done. That would mean life sentences for the deputies, and basically the Yantis family will own the county. Might as well change the name from Adams to Yantis.

[MBAtarga]

Wow - I can't believe that. Beyond any comprehension.

[Bill Douglas]

Shame the old fulla didn't have something like a semi auto shotgun and get to exercise his right to self defense.

[nynor]

i remember this story. the date on the article is november of last year. i wonder what the outcome of the investigation is.

edit: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/07/29/idaho-deputies-who-shot-killed-rancher-wont-face-charges.html

[Gogar]

Old guy probably tongue-lashed those cops and their fragile egos couldn't handle it. Adrenalin is a powerful chemical.

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by nynor

i remember this story. the date on the article is november of last year. i wonder what the outcome of the investigation is.

No criminal prosecution. AG determined there wasn't sufficient evidence to charge as criminal homicide--basically too much conflicting evidence from the four witnesses made "beyond a reasonable doubt" an impossible task. It is now in the civil arena, but the community is not over this by a longshot.

[Gogar]

Whoops, sorry Grandma. Those were supposed to be blanks.

Woman fatally shot in a role-playing event at Florida police department | 9news.com

[intakexhaust]

edit - oops Gogar beat me to it.

I know many LEO of various rank and organizations. The frustration is shared with all of us. My only conclusion is in the numbers. Higher population equates to more police hence higher probability of this crazy stuff. And like the rest of the population, there's always been a few among them with some short circuiting going on.

Try and explain this one:

Florida Woman Killed in Accidental Shooting at Punta Gorda Citizen Police Academy | NBC 6 South Florida

[Hugh R]

We use blanks all the time in the Film industry. The level of check and double check is rigorous. Blanks can certainly kill. Since a camera is two dimensional, you NEVER point a gun with blanks at another person, you fire to the side of them, the camera can't see the difference. When an actor fires a shotgun at a skeet range, it has blanks and a highly qualified skeet shooter is to his or her side off camera doing the actual work. In 25 years + in the film industry, I've never seen live ammo being used.

EDIT: they used some live shotgun ammo during the filming of "The Twilight Zone Movie" in which Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese kids were cut in half, by a helicopter blade, but that was before I joined the Industry and it was Warner Bros. not us. Changed the industry a whole lot.

[nota]

Originally Posted by ossiblue

No criminal prosecution. AG determined there wasn't sufficient evidence to charge as criminal homicide--basically too much conflicting evidence from the four witnesses made "beyond a reasonable doubt" an impossible task. It is now in the civil arena, but the community is not over this by a longshot.

I wonder if the cops were tested for steroid use ?
and as both were hired at way over 30
what their records were elsewhere
as even if worse case they get fired over this
they just go down the road
and get a new cop job in a new city or state

that is why I want a kill a citizen and
never ever work armed in law enforcement again anywhere rule
as now they seldom get charged
if charged seldom get convicted
and if fired get a new job
no deterrent, no consequences, no justice

[Laneco]

This sure looks bad... I'm curious about something. The entire incident started because someone hit the bull with their car. A full grown bull can hit 2,000 pounds pretty easily - and they hit it with a Subaru wagon, hard enough to break both back legs on the bull according to the article.

What happened to the person who was driving the Subaru? Wouldn't they have witnessed this whole thing? Reading the article and seeing the drawing of the scene - it is as if neither the car nor the driver of the car were present. I can guarantee that Subaru wasn't driveable... So where did this person who I assume would have been impartial wind up?


**edit** Looks like both deputies had prior disciplinary issues and one had been fired from a prior employer - http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/state/idaho/article93841257.html - man this is certainly ugly...

angela

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by Laneco

This sure looks bad... I'm curious about something. The entire incident started because someone hit the bull with their car. A full grown bull can hit 2,000 pounds pretty easily - and they hit it with a Subaru wagon, hard enough to break both back legs on the bull according to the article.

What happened to the person who was driving the Subaru? Wouldn't they have witnessed this whole thing? Reading the article and seeing the drawing of the scene - it is as if neither the car nor the driver of the car were present. I can guarantee that Subaru wasn't driveable... So where did this person who I assume would have been impartial wind up?


**edit** Looks like both deputies had prior disciplinary issues and one had been fired from a prior employer - Prior employers disciplined the deputies who shot Idaho rancher | Idaho Statesman - man this is certainly ugly...

angela

Can't answer your question with authority, but in my researching the incident it was mentioned that one of the reasons why the police reacted so dramatically was because Yantis was positioned in such a way that his rifle was aimed at the ambulance and crash victims that were being attended, which were located in the background beyond the bull. This was according to the two policemen. That would explain why the driver was not a direct eyewitness. This all smacks, once again, of poor discipline/poor judgement/poor training/overreaction/negligence/etc. that does not reach criminal level because of the burden of proof requirement. Still, if they cannot prosecute they can still end the careers of such officers, as Nota suggests, so these "accidents" do not happen again and others learn there is punishment beyond criminal incarceration.

[Todge]

Whats wrong with 'LAW ENFORCEMENT'?
Simple answer...they get generalized and somehow ALL LEO's are now responsible for whatever action or event the media, or in this case, the OP has deemed reprehensible. What's wrong with these specific DEPUTIES? is how I think you meant to start.

Todge

[Todge]

Originally Posted by nota

I wonder if the cops were tested for steroid use ?
and as both were hired at way over 30
what their records were elsewhere
as even if worse case they get fired over this
they just go down the road
and get a new cop job in a new city or state

that is why I want a kill a citizen and
never ever work armed in law enforcement again anywhere rule
as now they seldom get charged
if charged seldom get convicted
and if fired get a new job
no deterrent, no consequences, no justice

LOL, Awesomest post ever!
Of course they were on steroids! They were hired after 30. Everyone knows that after reaching the ripe ol age of 30, you're pretty much done. Every 30+ year old I know is a 300lb waste of space that can't critically think, so their days are spent with coloring books. Any Doctor can tell you that steroids make your brain 15 years smarter.

So, kill a citizen and never work again? Great Idea! Only one problem, the lines to get hired at the local PD or Sheriff's Department are gonna be around the block. There are gonna be so many qualified candidates just looking to place themselves in such a precarious position, stations are gonna look like there's a black Friday sale. Clearly spoken from the perspective of someone who has never had a gun pointed at them. As far as they 'seldom get charged'. I guess you have only been watching the first half of the news story. Society is seeing Officers charged like NEVER before. Oh, and I'm sure you have some examples you can post about how someone was fired after being involved in a wrongful shooting and then got a new job at the next department, you just forgot to post them.

Todge

[dafischer]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

Try and explain this one:

Florida Woman Killed in Accidental Shooting at Punta Gorda Citizen Police Academy | NBC 6 South Florida

Friends of ours own a coffee shop in Punta Gorda, and know the woman, her husband, and their son well, as they're regular customers. Really nice people.

A damn shame for all concerned.