[Gaffer]

The killer, Sgt. Burnett, had previously told a law-enforcement magazine that he and fellow officers were trained to shoot quickly and at close range. Burnett had previously put the training to use by shooting and killing an armed suspect in 2008.

Something is drastically wrong with this statement and this person. The only thing right about it is the 'killer' statement. If this were an American soldier in IRAQ or Afghanistan right now, he would be cashiered summarily poste haste.....

[subterfuge]

Police Kill Man In Drug Raid Gone Wrong

Nothing went wrong. That was the plan.

[Fido969]

Cops should have stayed home that day. Didn’t do much “protecting the public.”

I guess they “felt that their life was in danger.”

Whenever you encounter a cop: MAKE SURE HE FEELS SAFE.

When I was a kid, it was the job of the police to make the public feel safe. Somehow or other, that got turned around.

[mewykwistmas]

“but found only a small amount of pot and an empty vial that had apparently contained meth. “

Total cost to taxpayers:

Fox door, broken glass, furniture : $1870
Salaries for the 50-60 jackbooted thugs and support team: $18,000 (including pension contribution)

Settling wrongful death lawsuit : $10 Million.

Enjoy.

[rahbert]

Weber County UT? The same jurisiction that wants a blimp to spy on the citizens of Ogden?

They need to get their gunslinging deputies under control.

[Paladin2]

Are Cops Constitutional?

[ml/nj]

I think drugs are a bad thing. But police raiding homes is worse. This has to end. All of the people on this raid, and those who ordered and approved it, must be charged with manslaughter at least, and all must serve prison terms.

ML/NJ

[org.whodat]

Swat, the new SS.

[unixfox]

Good thing the Jack Booted Thugs are keeping us safe from ourselves.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Blair's death raises the question of why multiple heavily-armed officers were sent to raid a drug addict -- and why Weber and Morgan counties in Utah would even need a "Narcotics Strike Force."

When your job is to carry around hammer, everything starts looking like a nail.

[Sir Gawain]

Next time I hope the home owner is waiting with a shotgun.

[isthisnickcool]

I was not impressed with this SWAT team. No reason to shoot. 8+ man team and the guy was armed with a stick, err, golf club. Pu$$ies!

[TexasCajun]

What's an angry copy to do with all that target practice?

Had the cop been listening to too much angry rhetoric from law-abiding citizens?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

There are people who post here who have no problem with this.

[wmileo]

I was barely able to see that the victim was a white male before he fell to the ground dead.

This shooting would not pass muster in most jurisdictions. The suspect was at least 12 feet from the door that the police opened with enough light in the room to see that he had a golf club. Golf clubs are not considered lethal from that distance. The police did not act in a manner which is consistent with sufficient force and public safety.

They could have given the suspect a few seconds before doing a quick draw and firing with deadly force.

I am not either a liberal or a police officer. This was not a righteous kill!

[sargon]

Local police forces are able to keep to property they seize in drug raids, often without the necessity of a conviction

Tyranny incarnate.

[SamuraiScot]

Within seconds, without demanding Blair drop the iron or lay down, Weber-Morgan Strike Force Sgt. Troy Burnett fires three shots into him.

It was less than one second.

[Onelifetogive]

...Todd Blair, 45, was a drug addict rather than a dealer,...

OLTG's Rules for a Happy (and Longer) Life: "Don't be a drug addict!"

[loungitude]

.

[fuzzybutt]

This was murder, nothing less.