Posted on 11/08/2009 9:55:33 PM PST by Chet 99
Everett Officer Troy Meade Charged After Shooting Drunk Driver Seven Times
By Caleb Hannan in Chalk OutlinesTuesday, Oct. 27 2009 @ 10:59PM
UPDATE: Meade's lawyer says he had no choice but to shoot Meservey seven times. Details after the jump...
41-year-old Everett cop Troy Meade is now the holder of a particularly dubious record: The first Snohomish County police officer to be charged for a shooting in the line of duty.
On the night of June 10th, Niles Meservey, 51, of Stanwood was drinking at the Chuckwagon Inn. Others in the bar tried to stop him from driving home drunk. When Meservey ignored their pleas they called 911.
According to court documents, Meade boxed in Meservey's white Corvette then tasered him when he refused to get out of the car. Witnesses say Meservey tried to drive away, lodging his car between a fence and a parking curb. That's when a fellow officer says he heard Meade say 'Time to end this, enough is enough' before firing seven shots into Meservey's back.
Witnesses say Meservey was reciting the Lord's Prayer when he was pulled from his car. An autopsy later determined that his blood alcohol level was .26, three times the legal limit.
Meade was charged with manslaughter on Monday. He remains on paid leave. Meanwhile, Meservey's daughter has filed a $15 million claim against the city.
Cops don't have easy jobs. And while it's easy to second-guess them, most of us are probably willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. That being said, we're guessing most juries will have a hard time overlooking that quote from Meade's fellow officer. We'll keep you posted.
UPDATE: Meade's lawyer says his client shot Meservey because he feared he might be run over. But witnesses disagree.
Witness Trisha Tribble tells KOMO News that while Meservey was belligerent, Meade wasn't in harms way.
"No way his car could have been used as a deadly weapon," she said.
More details from the investigation include another quote from a responding officer, who claims Meade told Meservey, "I don't know why the (expletive) I'm trying to save your dumb-(expletive)." If convicted, the 11-year-veteran could face up to eight-and-a-half years in prison.
Seven shots? Heck, why not unload a few more clips? Make it 37 shots.
Manslaughter on the cop’s part.
When somebody has just tried to drive off with a blood alcohol level of 0.26, and a Tasering didn’t change his mind, I’m not going to get worked up about what a police officer did to him. Yeah, it was technically wrong, but nowhere near as wrong as trying to drive while extremely drunk and take a huge risk of killing totally innocent people. The officer may spend a lot of years in prison, but he probably saved some innocent lives by taking this guy out. The fact that his car was apparently boxed in *this* time doesn’t mean much. He’d have been driving drunk again in no time, if he hadn’t died that night.
then why in the hell did they call 9-1-1 on him?
Unbelievable!
You say that even though the driver may have been boxed in this time, in other words, he was no longer a threat THIS TIME it is OK to kill him because he might be a threat in the future?
Hell, using your logic why don’t we just round up every person who has been convicted of a DUI and line them up and shoot them?
Are you nuts?
We don’t execute people for future crimes they might commit.
The car was reportedly boxed in. The driver could damage property but nothing more.
Random? There were a bunch of witnesses, including people who had called 911 to summon police because they very reasonably feared this guy was going to kill somebody.
What do you call killing them for the same reason -- "prior slaughter"?
The problem is that once you are at .26, you aren’t able to understand “wrong”. It’s like shooting a 4-year-old because he keeps kicking you in the shin.
The fact that his car was apparently boxed in *this* time doesn’t mean much. He’d have been driving drunk again in no time, if he hadn’t died that night.
Let's repeat that - : The fact that his car was apparently boxed in *this* time doesn’t mean much. He’d have been driving drunk again in no time, if he hadn’t died that night
ARe you saying that even tho' he was no longer a threat this night - some other time, he'd get drunk and be a threat - and so the officer was right to just kill him then - shoot him in the back - to prevent him from ever driving drunk again?
Are you DRUNK!
I hope to he*l YOU aren't a cop with a gun at your disposal - or should that be, with people at your disposal - for things they might do in the future...just shoot 'em in the back and pat yourself on the back for saving society.
Exactly.
There’s very little difference between drunk driving and attempted murder, when somebody is that drunk. Too many *totally* innocent people have been slaughtered by drunk drivers. People at the bar tried to stop this guy from driving, when that failed they called 911, when he refused to get out of his car for the officer, the officer tasered him and he *still* wouldn’t get out and tried to drive away. This guy was in the process of trying to commit a violent crime when he was killed.
Like I said, technically it was wrong, but it very likely saved innocent lives. A 51 year old behaving like this behind the wheel of a Corvette is no less likely to reoffend than a child rapist.
“it was wrong”
That is all we need to know. Put the occifer away, he deserves what he will get.
So they got him into a situation where killing somebody was not possible. So he was shot for what... some ostensible future crime? To prevent property damage? (This was NOT Texas)
GovernmentShrinker does this all the time. Just ignore him. He’s a troll.
talking of offenders - you’re an offender of the human race.
Maybe you should shoot yourself - in the back - 7 times.
Talk about EXPANDING the role of a gummit into nannyhood!
The man was already stopped. He was no longer a threat.
At that point it is up the legal system/courts judges, jury etc. to handle the rest.
It is called DUE PROCESS. It is there to protect YOU.
The COPS do NOT get to play judge, jury and executioner. They are not the SS or the gestapo.
Based on your lame arguments I suspect that you ARE nuts. Or mentally deficient. Take your pick.
“Yeah, it was technically wrong, but nowhere near as wrong as trying to drive while extremely drunk and take a huge risk of killing totally innocent people.”
Well, on the one hand you have a man who is drunk who MIGHT have hurt someone, and on the other hand you have a cop who actually KILLED someone without cause. You’re right that one is nowhere near as wrong, but you have managed to get the rest backwards.
GS likes to make outrageous comments to stir people up. He is just mouthing off to get attention.
“GovernmentShrinker does this all the time. Just ignore him. He’s a troll.”
Thanks for the heads up.
I always make it a point to ignore those 20 somethings that troll away while they still live in their mother’s basement because they can’t get a real job.
I made the mistake of thinking this “governmentshrinker” was an adult.
Suicide!
especially when they have 6 in the back of the head!
With an attitude like yours, you might hurt someone, so I would be justified in shooting you in the back seven times. Ok, good to know.
If I didn't know better - and I don't - I'd think he was a plant trying to give Napalatino red meat to shut us down with.
I have never heard a legit FReeper talk like that.
The flags went up right there...
That's when a fellow officer says he heard Meade say 'Time to end this, enough is enough' before firing seven shots into Meservey's back.
Wow.
If convicted, the 11-year-veteran could face up to eight-and-a-half years in prison.
Astounding.
That poster has posted goofy, juvenile stuff like that before.
You’re a sick puppy. And that’s the nice version of what I’m thinking.
“That is all we need to know. Put the occifer away, he deserves what he will get.”
I agree.
I would say this rogue cop had 6 bullets too many.
I remember cops from the old days, up until about 1990.
Most all were great guys, as I worked with many rural
departments, providing communications services.
The newer cops seem to be more like jack booted thugs.
When I left my small rural town of 400 people, the police department had gone from a night watchman to a one or two man friendly police depaertment, to a gang of riot police, wanting to practice assault tactics in an old building that I owned.
I just do not know what has happened to the USA.
Tremble and despair.
Only in Clinton’s Arkansas...
Seven shots? Heck, why not unload a few more clips? Make it 37 shots.
Manslaughter on the cop’s part.
“Time to end this, enough is enough”
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG - in the back of a retreating target.
2nd degree homicide IMO, just on these facts, assuming they are correct. On the other hand, I have never known the media to accurately report the facts of a case - imminent danger to others, civilian assessment of the situation, etc.
Well did he kill the car?
There’s very little difference between drunk driving and attempted murder, when somebody is that drunk.
Errr. . . Yes there is.
GS likes to make outrageous comments to stir people up. He is just mouthing off to get attention.
Types with one hand does he? That would explain it.
He must have been feeling quite holey.
firing seven shots into Meservey's back.
Ouch! Me severed back!
He was trying to shoot the keys out of the ignition and the guy’s back got in the way.
California not Arkansas.
At least no one has to say he needs more range time.
I gotta wonder if this guy was trying to “rock” this car
back and forth to get it loose,,,
That would have gotten him shot...
Let’s save many more lives by shooting all of them 7 times. I hope the “officer” rots in hell, after rotting in jail.
There was nothing random about it. In fact, I'd say that if the officer HAD to shoot someone that night, he chose very well.
you are on the wrong website.
And another vote for an ignore function on this forum.
Amen. I use a greasemonkey script developed by a fellow freeper to ignore trolls.
It would be cool, though if this were a part of FR, and you could take a look at usernames and see how many people are ignoring them!
You’ve outdone yourself with this one.
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