Posted on 02/23/2006 4:07:31 AM PST by Ellesu
A witness has come forward to change one key detail in that shooting involving a police officer which has caused such an uproar in Baton Rouge. Auto Zone store records place this witness in the parking lot as the fight and deadly shooting occurred. The witnesses tells a story not heard before, claiming he heard exactly what was said between the officer and shooting victim, George Temple. Out of fear of retaliation, the witness has requested his identity not be disclosed.
The witness says he was parked just a couple of spaces away from the black Mercedes George Temple was driving. At first, he didn't pay much attention to the man getting a ticket from the police officer, until he heard Temple and Officer Brian Harrison start to yell at each other. The witness says Temple called the officer a punk and said "you're just jealous of my car" not long after the officer and Temple started to struggle.
According to the witness, "You could here them muffled... 'Mother' this and that. 'I told you not to mess with me, I told you -- I'm a beast, I told you not to mess with me. I told you, I told you.' "
The witness says the officer took quite a beating.
Witness: "I mean, Mr. Temple was a big man."
Reporter: "What was the officer saying?"
Witness: " 'Help me, help me!' That's when he started screaming."
That's when a bystander in a neckbrace, Perry Stephens, shot and killed Temple. Even though the witness believes Stephens likely saved the officer's life, he does take issue with one part of Stephens' story. The witness says he never heard Stephens give a threat or a warning before he shot Temple.
"The man probably saved the officer's life... but he did not give out a warning," he says. "But if this would have been on a dark road, we would probably be looking for a cop killer, to be honest with you."
Stephens eventually ended the struggle between Temple and Harrison with a shot to the back of Temple's head.
"I heard [Temple] had a daughter, my heart goes out to the family. But Mr. Temple was aggressive to the officer. If [the officer] would have shot him, I probably wouldn't have even called [channel 9]."
The NAACP is upset with the officer, the investigation and the Baton Rouge Police Department's policies. The witness sees it differently. "I say the officer did everything he needed to do. If I would have been pulled over, I wouldn't have had an attitude, because the officer did everything he was supposed to do."
The witness says he doesn't want any trouble or attention. He says he just couldn't sit on the truth anymore.
BTW, the witness is black.
If the NAALCP is involved, I presume that George Temple was a Negro and the police officer and good Samaritan were white, correct?
yes.
--if tahe circumstances are as described, no "warning" was necessary--
A warning? I think the news writer needs to discover the difference between movies and real life.
Perhaps back at grammar school? "According to the witness, "You could here them muffled... 'Mother' this and that."
I hope this isnt a growing trend. Sounds not unlike the unprovoked shooting of a police officer not far from my home a couple of days ago. Scumbag on a bike rode up to a cop and shot him. Fortunately the cop escaped injury but managed to get his gun and shoot the creep.
I don't think I have attached a link like this before. Hopefully this will work:
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4539907
This Stevens sounds like no one you'd want to mess with. It takes a certain kind of person who can see an incident like this, calmly walk to their car and retrieve a handgun and then walk close enough to take out a large, scary man in a murderous rage with a single shot to the head. Ice water in his veins. Looks like Mr. Road Rage picked a bad day to explode.
I don't believe it was a single shot to the head. I heard he shot him four times, THEN shot him in the head, killing him.
I would have shot in the air first.
The officer was beaten not about to be shot and 1 second away from death. And that Stephens dude didnt know what was happening did he?
It could have been a crooked cop and someone who had enough of being blackmailed for instance.
Give a warning first, it's not like anyone would still continue fighting with a gun pointing at them unless they where completely doped out or insane.
Yeah, right!
Four "warning" shots to the body should have told Temple to stop beating the officer.
Police don't fire warning shots and neither should civilians
Is this the incident that involved a funeral procession?
So what if you ever got into a fight with a cop?
For whatever reason, lets suppose you are on the right side.
You want anyone to come along and kill you immediately without even bother to check what was happening?
I sure wouldnt.
And the witness will be ignored by the race-baiting brigade. The truth rarely helps them so they're used to ignoring it.
You make it sound like the guy fired bullet after bullet into Temple with any time in between the shots to give him time to stop.
It was a salvo without so much time to raise youre hands and surrender.
Imagine how silly you'd have looked if your "warning shot" would have hit someone.
The cop shot the perp once in the gut and it didn't faze him. The badguy starting pummeling the living daylights out of the cop and the citizen retrieved his gun and shot the badguy 4 more times in the gut/torso.
The badguy must have been hopped up on drugs because after being shot 5 times center mass he was still beating the crap out of the cop. Then the citizen put a slug in his head and dropped him.
Sounds like a good shoot, and now there is another witness confirming it.
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