Posted on 09/22/2006 1:15:32 PM PDT by WatchingInAmazement
A 32-year-old illegal immigrant has been charged in Thursday evening's shooting death of Houston Police Officer Rodney Johnson.
Juan Leonardo Quintero has been charged with capital murder in the 248th District Court, said HPD spokesman John Cannon.
The suspect is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who has been deported in the past and sometimes expressed concern about immigration officials and worried that he should return, his wife, Theresa Quintero, said in an interview today at their home near Hobby Airport.
Mrs. Quintero said the couple has been married since 1997.
The HPD spokesman Cannon said the suspect gave "a full confession" to the shooting.
A Harris County prosecutor said in court this morning that, while seated in the back seat, the suspect pulled a 9 mm handgun from his waistband and shot Johnson in the face. The officer was able to push an emergency response button, alerting dispatch of a problem.
When other police arrived at the scene, Quintero remained in the back seat with the gun in his hand, the prosecutor said. Police found bullet casings inside the car.
Quintero kept his head down while waiting to be called before the judge. During a brief hearing, he answered "Yes'' when asked whether he understood the charge against him.
Quintero's record shows he received deferred adjudication for a 1998 charge of indecency with a child, according to Harris County records.
Also on his record are a 1996 charge of driving with a suspended license, a misdemeanor, and a driving while intoxicated conviction in 1995.
The simple traffic stop turned suddenly tragic Thursday evening when the veteran Houston police officer was shot and killed as he sat in the front seat of his patrol car near Hobby Airport.
Just after 5 p.m., Johnson had stopped a pickup with two people inside. It was unclear why he detained or handcuffed the driver, though an officer familiar with the incident said he had no identification on him. At least one female passenger left, possibly with Johnson's permission, but Police Chief Harold Hurtt said he thought officers had found the woman and were bringing her to headquarters for questioning.
A source familiar with the scene said Johnson was shot four times through the plastic shield separating the front and rear seats. Johnson managed to push his emergency button before collapsing. The 12-year veteran of the department was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect reportedly struggled as officers tried to move him to a different vehicle.
"They finally got him in the other car, but he was scratching and fighting and acting crazy, like he could win in a fight like that," said Clara Rodriguez, who lives nearby.
Johnson, 40, was the first HPD officer killed in more than two years.
"He was very personable," Hurtt said. "We will miss one of our true soldiers in Rodney Johnson."
At least a dozen law enforcement vehicles cordoned off a large area at Randolph and Braniff where the light bar atop Johnson's patrol car continued to flash long after the shooting. Temporary spotlights illuminated the scene into the evening as evidence technicians scoured the area. The owner of a nearby machine shop was called to the scene because bullets apparently pierced the wall of his building and investigators needed to get inside.
Before the suspect was taken to HPD headquarters, he was stripped of his clothes, which were placed in evidence bags, and dressed in a white jumpsuit. He was then taken downtown in the second of three patrol cars that left the scene shortly after 7 p.m.
'It just breaks my heart' As news of Johnson's death spread, police officers gathered in small groups but said little. One HPD sergeant walked to a patrol car, took out his cell phone and made a quick phone call, taking a long drink of cold water from a bottle.
"Something real bad has happened by the airport," he said.
Rodriguez said that she and her neighbors in the small subdivision between Telephone Road and Almeda Genoa knew Johnson well and that he was well-liked.
"He would always wave and smile when he saw me," Rodriguez said. "He was a real nice guy. All he was trying to do was enforce the rules."
Rodriguez said Johnson stopped her once for speeding when the speed limit was lowered on Telephone Road. She said he politely asked her to slow down and did not ticket her.
"He was just so very nice," she said. "He was not ever mean. It just breaks my heart. I feel so very bad for his wife. He got up and went to work this morning, and this is what happened. This is what happened to one of the people who protects us, who truly took care of us."
Johnson graduated from high school in Oakland, Calif., then enlisted in the Army, serving as an MP until he was honorably discharged in 1990. He served as a corrections officer for the Texas Department of Corrections (now the Texas Department of Criminal Justice) and as a Houston police jailer before attending the police academy and graduating in 1994.
Johnson was assigned to the southeast division that year and to the southeast gang task force in 1996. While on the task force he received two Lifesaving Awards from the department and one Medal of Valor from the state. He was married to Houston police officer Joslyn Johnson. They have three daughters and two sons.
The The 100 Club is issuing a $10,000 check to Johnson's family for any immediate costs associated with his death and will provide the family with further assistance later.
The group's Survivor’s Fund provides benefits to the dependents of peace officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty.
A familiar scene Thursday's incident was similar to the shooting of Houston police officer G.P. Gaddis in 1994. Gaddis was murdered by one of two aggravated robbery suspects he was taking to jail for aggravated robbery. Both had been searched and handcuffed behind their backs before being placed in the back seat of the patrol car.
Edgar Arias Tamayo managed to maneuver his hands, still cuffed, to his front and retrieved a pistol hidden in his clothes. He then shot Gaddis in the back of the head as he was driving. The patrol car crashed into a house, and the suspect escaped from the wrecked car, but was arrested nearby.
Tamayo was convicted of capital murder and is on death row. The shooting prompted criticism of the department by police union officials who claimed Gaddis' death could have been prevented if patrol units carried two officers.
According to a police department patrol veteran, within the past two years all HPD officers were required to attend an in-service training refresher class on proper search technique. However, he said, the unique circumstances of each incident dictate how thoroughly a suspect is searched. Search procedures also are outlined in the department's general orders manual, the officer said.
"The degree of search can range from a strip search to a cursory pat-down," said the officer, who requested anonymity out fear of departmental reprisals. "If the person is just a witness or if (the stop) is just a traffic violation, you might just put them in the back of your (patrol) car to do the paperwork. If the suspect is high risk or wanted on a felony, then you need to do more than a pat-down. But even then, you can still miss a weapon. It's part of the job. And this isn't the first time an officer has been killed with a suspect in the back seat."
Nor was it out of the ordinary for a one-man patrol unit such as Johnson to arrest one or more suspects without calling for backup, the officer said.
In the estimation of the officer, the department's well-publicized staffing shortage leaves approximately 80 percent of all HPD patrol units with a single officer. There is no protocol mandating that single-patrol officers call for backup while making arrests, he added.
"If we called for backup every time we made an arrest, nothing would get done," the officer said. "Lots of officers arrest multiple suspects by themselves. But would it be safer with two officers? Absolutely."
News of Johnson's death hit the department hard, especially Hans Marticiuc, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, who said he was a close friend.
"He was very, very safety conscious," Marticiuc said. "He knows how to search. He worked in the jail for a number of years and all they do is search prisoners down there. "
Johnson served on the union's board of directors.
Other officer deaths The last Houston police officer killed in the line of duty was Frank M. Cantu, who was hit by a drunk driver in Montrose in March 2004. The driver was charged with intoxication manslaughter.
Three officers have been wounded in shootings since then, however. The most recent occurred in January 2005 in west Houston. Officer Ronald V. Pinkerton was shot twice as he approached a vehicle that had rear-ended him.
The last fatal shooting of a Houston police officer involved Charles R. Clark in 2003. Clark, a 20-year veteran, was killed while responding to a silent alarm at a check cashing store on South Loop 610.
In July 2005, 33-year-old reserve Deputy Constable Nehemiah Pickens was killed by friendly fire during a chase in northeast Houston. Pickens, who was armed but not in uniform, was shot four times in the back by a deputy sheriff.
About 100 Houston police officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1860.
Chronicle reporters Eric Hanson, Steve McVicker, Anne Marie Kilday, Peggy O'Hare, Jennifer Radcliffe, Mike Glenn and Todd Ackerman contributed to this report.
mike.tolson@chron.com
Uh where have I stated that anybody has the right to committ murder.
It is you trying to differentiate the murders because of ones immigration status.
I say all murderers are equally scumbags.
I live in Ft Bend County and work in Houston. I wonder if the rest of the country is aware of what we go through just by simply driving a car down the street?
"I say all murderers are equally scumbags."
Yes, but not all murderers have a motive of trying to beat deportation.
Dane:
half-cajun has is right. He is dead on.
Dane said to me:
"It is you trying to differentiate the murders because of ones immigration status."
Correction:
"It is ME trying to PREVENT the murders because of ones immigration status."
As I have stated to you, but you will not hear, ALL MURDERS are WRONG. The FACT remains that some could be prevented if our border security was not so lax.
For the life of me, I can not understand how you can arrive at the conclusion that I prefer one type of murderer over the other.
I am speaking of a way to stop one type of murder. Those committed by illegals. Close the borders and deport those here. Period. No illegals, no illegal murderers.
This does not mean that no murders will ever be committed again.
It does mean you will eliminate one source of murder.
Dane,if it is as you say"I say all murderers are equally scumbags.", wouldn't it be logical to remove some of these scumbags from our country?
"half-cajun has is right. He is dead on."
It's "she". But that's o.k. :)
You're presumptious. I know politics very well.
I support KF on a single issue only, border. I want the Repubs and Dem party to absolutely collapse and be destroyed as a party, including widespread impeachment, if they refuse to do their sworn constituional duty.
The limits of KF legislatively is irrelevant. His election is the earth quake that will either bring the 2 parties into line and begin passing real meaningful legislation, or it will be their demise.
I don;t care if KF does anything at all.
He however does have some limited powers to propose use of the NG and with sufficient popular backing, and his use of the bully pulpit, he CAN make it happen.
[Note both aprties support illegal immigration because they need to keep Social security solvent. They are reaping in 100's millions $$ extra that are posted by employers against invalid SS#'s. The baby boomers and the upside down cash flow (too few 20-40 yr olds and too many seniors) threaten the stability of the government should SS become unstable. We are only 1 welfare/SS check away from turmoil adn revolution. So they will print money as a stop gap causing inflation to skyrocket. Thus they encourage new workers to invade and pay SS $$, without receiving their payback later.]
Illegal immigrants are the 2 parties solution to Social Security collapse.
KF election will inform the parties that their careers are more unstable now (not later) by refusing to secure borders.
Lose power now? or later? Only the voters can make that happen by electing ANYBODY who makes securing borders their primary issue.
BTW: One of the solid indicators demonstrating that the Feds do not wish illegals to stop working nor stop using invalid SSN's is the fact that the Feds refuse to give employers the very very easy option of running a check on the validity of the SSN's and verifying also the name name behind them.
CARFAX gives a history of a specific car by VIN number. Amazon recommends books for you by your purchasing habits. the police can instantly look up your criminal records by DL #.
The feds simply refuse. The argument that it is too difficult is simply wrong.
They choose not to.
why OH WHY , would you wanna wake up Dane [??!!!!?]
.. .. he'll be here soon enough to hijack this thread
... I steer clear , he prompts me to wanna ______ him !! [no shit]
you try to jsutify that murder and violence committed by an illegal alien is some how worse than murder and violence committed by native born Americans.
Clearly GT said nothing of the sort. Your disgusting distortions reek of desperation.
With this statement:
"I know politics very well."
followed by this statement,
"His election is the earth quake that will either bring the 2 parties into line and begin passing real meaningful legislation, or it will be their demise."
I quit reading. The second statement totally contridicts the first.
My apologies, Ma'am!
LOL. I understand, you concede the field, the only reasonable option you thought you had.
But not the wisest choice, of which silence would have been better.
Your "out", however is clumsy and leaves you looking either illiterate or naive, and certainly defensive.
No politician would deny the "earthquake" in national politics should KF win the texas gubernatorial race.
Let me clarify...the state is Texas. The office is "governor", not dog catcher.
KF has no traditional political capital, orginization or experience.
If he wins it will be for one reason, and one reason only. Illegal immigration.
Perry meanwhile is running ads about how important education is...not enough money. LOL This after we've all had our property taxes raised over 30% to support education just 2 years ago.
Don't allow your tribal loyalty to cloud your judgment.
None needed!
Why was the "plastic shield" not bulletproof?
good question
They are not bulletproof because that would costs too much money over the plexiglass screen. That would be the answer from the administration and city/county gov't.
It's really hard to miss a gun on a patdown if it is done properly but I missed a knife once and I would venture to say any of us who drove a patrol car probably missed things a time or two.
I am so sick of the border issue being ignored by our idiots in D.C.
This issue makes my blood boil as much as it did on 9/11
>>If he wins it will be for one reason, and one reason only. Illegal immigration.<<
This is the only thing you've said that's worth commenting on since its the only thing you've said that is really arguable. The earthquake stuff is just utter nonsense. However, I still don't agree with the above comment for several reasons.
First, nobody, and I mean NOBODY likes Rick Perry. I can go into reasons why, but they aren't important. He's a very weak candidate, even coming off a term and a half under his belt. Beating him, as any reasonably strong Republican could have in the primary (Strayhorn isn't a strong Republican), is nothing to crow about.
Second, every politician has already gotten the message on illegal immigration. Most choose to ignore it because they are scared to death of the media accusing them of being racists and risking having to explain their position to hispanic voters. None of this will change, KF win or not.
Third, I don't believe most Texas voters really know KF's position on border stuff. Some will vote for him for a joke. Others will for drug legalization issues. A few might do it on border stuff, but for most, that will be only one of a few issues.
Finally, KF isn't going to win or even come close. I think his poll numbers are overstated, but even if they aren't, he's topped out. As more people begin to pay attention, he'll slide.
Then you don't understand what moves politicians to action.
We've had "earthquakes" in the past 20 years.
"earthquakes" are single issues that infuriate the grassroots to a level that rocks the political foundations resulting in huge new reactionary programs and the overthrow of incumbent politicians.
The politician must either implement huge new programs to address the issue or be cast out of office.
Some recent temblors...
1)Clintons election to office was the result of an "earthquake" that was not properly dealt with by Bush because there was NO NEW PROGRAM (tax reduction) as Bush promised after being elected for his "Read my Lips, No New Taxes" promise, and then he raised their taxes...
The "earthquake": Popular uprising over the tax issue and widespread distrust of all politicans, now worse than ever, created an opening for an INDEPENDENT with money to make serious cuts into the support of the 2 primary parties. Ross Perot was a product of that earthquake which allowed a nobody from Arkansas to win. (Dems were the non-incumbents) (this is a good model for the current situation. The independent gets enough votes to prove the importance of the issu and throw the election into disarray.)
2) 1994 Republican Revolution: Widespread fear about a power mad new President and his attempts to nationalize huge segments of the economy, take away guns and lead hostile actions and murders of religious cults led to the people to form "militias" with the express purpose of taking on the new "tyrannical" goevrnment if it came to that.
--The Result? A takeover of Congress by mostly freshman, non politicians, INDEPENDENTS essentially of politics as usual; doctors, butchers, barbers etc etc...and a promise to implement 10 major NEW PROGRAMS to regain the trust of the people.
The "independents " made the difference because NO NEW PROGRAM was implemented by Clinton to resolve their fears.
Several smaller earthquakes related to major disasters have created the new paradigm in politics that whenever there is a big storm with lots of damage you must instantly spend as much money as you possibly can on a NEW PROGRAM and pay off every citizen involved otherwise they will rise up and throw you and your party out of power.
The 9/11 earthquake: The birth of Homeland Security, a major war, etc etc...in this case the people locked on tighter to the current president for leadership, but huge new programs were formed.
MAJOR NEW PROGRAMS in response to galvanizing single issues lets the politician stay in office.
Get the idea??
Any current politician that doesn't udnerstand that the illegal invasion across undefended borders, in an age of terrorism, is a greater potential earthquake than all the previous earthquakes mentioned (including 9/11) will not remain in office.
A major NEW PROGRAM must be implemented that satisifies fully the public concerns or their will be a political uprising as there was in 1990 and 1994, but greater in scope than 1994. For the first time several indpendents will take office in 2008 (mostly sitting Reps/Dems who leave the party to protect themselves).
Jesse Ventura was also the product of a political earthquake. he was showing worse poll numbers at this time before the election.
KF does have a chance to win, especially with another well known highly advertised independent splitting the ticket (grandma) and something few people have discussed...
Tom Delay's name is still on the ballot and the real candidate, must be written in. Sekula-Gibbs is very popular, well advertised and will have the best showing ever of a write-in candidate.
Thats a huge problem for Perry. Why? Voters cannot vote straight ticket Republican and still write in for Sekula Gibbs. A huge Republican district (one of the largest in Texas) may lose as many as 60-70% of their usual straight ticket voters, who then may or may not come back and vote for Peryy. But possibly also, many of those ballots will be disqualified as Republicans vote straight ticket but then try to write her in anyway (if thats possible with new voting machines).
What I am outlining to you is the political lay of the land that any major politician must be aware of in designing his campaign strategy.
In any electtion we look for sources of energy in the grassroots and thn seek to tap that energy for ourselves before our opponent gets it.
Illegal immigratyion is not just where the new money is, more importantly it is where the grassroots "hubbub" is which can make up for $$millions in campaign ads. It is where the grassroots energy for volunteerism and activism is for GOTV campaigns.
Any politican who simply talks about education and welfare (standard issues) and ignores the issue will be gored. (usually both parties would agree to ignore the issue and play it down, but they cannot do that when a serious independent is in the race,.)
If I were to continue putting the strategy together for this campaign I would be going out of my way to start locking up the current set of most active grass roots organizations working the illegal immigration issue. ("locking them up" means getting their exclusive endorsement and use of their mailing/phone lists, at their expense even.)
I would make my candiate highly visible, meeting with Minute men on theborder, issuing major policy statements, with a few surprise statements to get attention and then I would attack the old school lack of action. Attack it big with letetrs ferom Osama claining he snuck major WMD's across border etc etc...incumbents have nothing to lose, they can hit very hard (just keep it real though)
I would state to the press "Follow the Money!" How much money is being made by the supporters of illegal immigration and contributors to the Rep/Dem parties?? At the root of every situation like this is "money". Who is proffiting from the illegals?
The voters know this is true. This election will be their chance to vote for a large well defined program and to cast the corrupt sob's out of office.
As a strategist the illegal immigration issue is the greatest thing that could happen for a non-incumbent, or independent.
I've made campaign strategies work before with far, far less meat than this.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.