Posted on 07/26/2010 2:29:21 PM PDT by marktwain
LAS VEGAS -- Family and friends of the man gunned down by police officers two weeks ago outside a Costco in Summerlin are taking their message to the streets.
Erik Scott, 38, died after three police officers fired seven bullets into him. Police said Scott had a gun aimed at them, but some witnesses said they either didn’t see a gun in Scott’s hand or it was in its holster.
Scott, a West Point graduate, had a permit to carry a concealed firearm, family and friend said.
On Friday at midnight, seven billboards will start to display the first of several messages in the hopes of finding out the truth behind Scott’s shooting death.
“It's what friends do,” said Scott’s friend, Mike Pusateri. “They help find the truth. That's what we're doing.”
Pusateri and other friends of Scott have spent $3,000 on a series of digital messages targeting witnesses who were at the Summerlin Costco when Scott was shot.
“We're hoping they'll come off the fence and let their voices be heard on behalf of Erik,” Pusateri said.
Since Scott’s death, friends launched a website and a Facebook group dedicated to Scott’s memory.
More than 570 people have already joined the Facebook group, and some have made donations in support of the billboard campaign.
But Pusateri said the billboards aren’t accusing anyone.
“We're not going after anybody,” he said. “We're not going after Costco. We're not going after Metro. This is about getting the truth.”
The billboards are scheduled to run for four weeks, ending two weeks shy of the Sept. 3 coroner’s inquest to determine whether the shooting was justified.
And you won't until the inquest.
If the video shows him acting in a threatening manner, then it is justified. If it does not, then the cops not only MURDERED a man, they lied to cover up the murder and should be given the death penalty.
From what I’ve read, I can give them the answer right now.
He was murdered by the police and no one will be held accountable... That’s just the way it works.
"Solar flare temporarily knocked out the electronics", they'll say, or some such nonsense.
It is apparent that the fix is in. The only unknown is how far the police will go to maintain their story, before finally agreeeing to an out-of-court settlement with the heirs that unsurprisingly comes with an agreement to not discuss details of the case.
But then again I'm kinda cynical.
“And you won’t until the inquest.”
The police released a very small portion of the 911 call. I guess they get to decide what can and cannot be released, as it suits their purposes.
Although I've seen some of the details of this case (including having seen some posts on a Vegas TV station's website) I don't know nearly enough about this case to reach any conclusions.There's at least one factor that could make the cops and/or Costco look bad and at least one that could make Scott look bad.However,the quote contained above is *just* the kind of thing that a tort lawyer would advise the family to say.The LVPD has lots of $$$.And Costco has even more.
OK...flame away...call me a cop lover...call me a Costco lover.I'm just saying this looks bad as do several other things...at least one of which tends to make the LVPD and/or Costco look bad.
This is the first I’ve heard of this, so pardon my ignorance. What makes people think the police shot him without a reason? I’m not debating it, since I don’t have any idea what happened. But usually there is something that makes people believe it was an unjustified shooting.
You’re dead on. I haven’t seen or heard one verifiable story that suggests the cops acted improperly. There are suggestions and inuendo but nothing tangible. I’ll side with the cops every time short of hard facts. Why would they just choose to shoot this man in front of witnesses and as far as they knew, no tape to boot. Had they killed him in cold blood we’d have witnesses coming out of our ears by now. I’m guessing he got into a heated state over his conflict with the store employee re the concealed carry and that stayed with him. In the end a terrible accident.
Yes,the video "glitch" does tend to make the LVPD and/or Costco look bad.If there's a coverup in progress this is one of the things that you'd expect those engaged in it to do.But hard drives *do* go bad.Sometimes even when they're new..or almost new.I just had a nearly new Western Digital hard drive die on me recently.I think it was lightening but I'll never know for sure.
It is apparent that the fix is in.
If by "apparent" you mean "obvious" you're being premature.All we know for sure (or,at least,all *I* know for sure) is that somebody called the cops (Costco?),the cops responded,the guy (legally carrying at least one firearm) is dead and the video equipment is said to have malfunctioned.Could this be a coverup? Yup.Could it be a genuine (and major league) mistake on the part of one or more participants? Seems so to me.Could it be a West Point grad with a psych problem? Possibly...even West Point grads can have psych problems.
And the cops would never lie now would they?
Someone posting on a Vegas TV station's website's discussion board says there was a report that the dead guy pointed a weapon at somebody.Don't know if it's true or not...it's just what I saw.I assume that this case is getting some press in Vegas so locals probably have heard more about it than have I.
It’s a KONSPIWACY!!!!!!
You have never had a cop try to intimidate you in regards to what you saw have you? They protect their own at any cost.
“’ll side with the cops every time short of hard facts.”
Then your part of the problem... The cops control the “hard facts”. You have ZERO chance of seeing hard facts that implicate the police.
I knew Erik and I know Mike. Always smiling, courteous and courtly, Erik would be friends with all of the FReepers here. The notion of him losing control to the extent indicated would be so out of character that it’s not really conceivable to those that knew him. So...they are trying to get to the bottom of things. If they are indeed gettable it will all come out. If not, it wont.
Ping
I find fascism unacceptable, while most AMericans like you are williig to rationalize incidents like this as somoe kind of weird accident. We have been having a lot of them lately. Have you not noticed?
Our institutions are behginninig to fall apart. Its unacceptable.and passing the buck around and around until it is worn out solves nothing.
Scott wasnot acidentally shot, he was shot because theofficers were trigger happy. Why was that? What kinnd of culture does thepolice departent have that does not recognic=ze that citizens have 2nd amendment rights. Costco did not accept that right, obviously.
I cheer the Scott famly on. Before this is over I hope they receive millions as an award, and clean the dirty house of the LVPD up as a result.
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