New Coroner's Inquest Set For Costco Shooting

KVVU Las Vegas ^ | 19 August 2010 | unattributed

[JLS]

LAS VEGAS -- The Clark County Coroner’s Office has rescheduled the inquest hearing into an officer-involved shooting at a Summerlin Costco for Sept.22-24.

[WaterBoard]

The Las Vegas PD (LVMPD) has history of lying to the public and corruption.

[UCANSEE2]

The LVPD has still not produced any video.

Well, no. They sent the disk with the video file off to the Digital Editing Studios of Hollywood's finest. It's not quite ready for public viewing... yet.

AND as usual, the producer will not get any credit.

[UCANSEE2]

- the way the police have handled it is not healthy.

It's the VEGAS WAY.

[UCANSEE2]

That may be a part of the motivation.

Yes, it is. It is why COSTCO gave the ONLY copy of the disk to the LVPD, and acts just as stupidly about their security system.

No one at COSTCO or LVPD knows if there even were cameras, yet they sent the disk off to California to be 'evaluated'.

[UCANSEE2]

It is in Hollywood with some CGI experts.

[I cannot think of a name]

I wonder if there is just something paranoid about working at Costco? I've told this story many times, and I'm always surprised how often someone else has some similar, strange story about the place.

When they opened down here they sent us a free pass for a weekend. I went there one Saturday, didn't see anything spectacular, but I did buy a couple of items. I paid with a credit card which the checker handed back to me and then seemed to be fiddling with the cash register.

Since my hands were going to be full when I got outside, I put my sunglasses on and picked up my items while waiting for the cashier to hand me my receipt. She turns around and freaks that I have sunglasses on. She says, “sir, I have to ask you to remove your sunglasses immediately.”

I took them off and said, “ok, is there some problem.” As she handed me my receipt she said, “it is a security requirement.” I said, ‘oh, OK, guess you won't be getting Ray Charles's business” (he wasn't dead then).

Now she gets a look in her eyes like I just pointed a .44 mag at her. She must have pressed a button or alarm because almost instantly there are three guys at the checkout station. One of them said, “sir would you come over here to the office and we'll discuss this?” I replied, “no, we're going to pretend like I walked into someplace by mistake and I'll NEVER be back.” I walked right through them and I could hear one of them say to a cel phone or a walkie-talkie, “no, he's just leaving.”

I was truthful to my word and have NEVER been back.

[21twelve]

Here’s a thread with the radio traffic from Dispatch (D) to the cops. Costco employees gave the impression of a guy “going berserk” (as per the cops description right after the shooting). I’ve excerpted some of the radio talk

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2556714/posts

D: It looks like the subject is still inside the business, argumentative with the manager who asked him to leave, telling him there’s no 413’s allowed inside the business, break. The manager is a Green Beret and is allowed to carry a 413. [Confused message, probably means the manager said the guy says he is a “Green Beret” and can carry a gun]. He’s throwing merchandise around; he’s still in isle 126 in the camping area, break. He appears to be fidgety. A female joined the male. She’s described as Hispanic, 30s, black long hair, wearing black tank and blue jeans. Security’s going to be standing outside the business in front of, to wait for officers to direct, break. He’s walking through the camping area towards the front of the business on the main isle. (13:18)

D: All units, code red this channel. Officers arriving on the 413 at Costco, 801 S. Pavillion Center. (15:07)

2V16: 2V16, we need units to clear these people out of here. We’re attempting to evacuate right now; get as many people out as possible. (15:45)

D: 2V16, copy. (15:47)

351WC: 351WC, where’s the CP? [Command Point] (16:45)

...............

AIR5: AIR5, are we still landline with anyone who has eyes on this guy, because there’s a lot of people pouring out of the store. I just want to make sure he doesn’t slip out. (17:28)

2V16: We got 2 officers here at the front doors watching everybody come out. (17:36)

D: 2V16, copy. AIR5, it looks like we’re still landline. It looks like the male is still being watched by inside personnel due to him ripping open packages. They’re concerned of a 414A. [Not sure what a 414A is, but a 413 seems to be “a gun”. Perhaps 414A is a shooting???] (17:49)

2V16: Copy, we’ve got a very orderly evacuation going on right now. We’ll try to get all these people out of here and then figure out what we’re going to do next. (18:00)

D: 2V16. (18:01)

2V54: He’s directly in the middle of the building. (18:08)

D: Okay, copy. Confirming suspect’s directly in the center of the building? (18:14)

2V54: ___ isle. (18:16)

D: You broke on the isle, could you re-advise? (18:20)

784: 784, copy location for IC. (18:31)

D: 784 (18:32)

784: It’s going to be set up at the northwest parking lot at the Red Rock Casino across Charleston. It’ll be the Costco command. I’ll be incident commander until the arrival of 351WC. (18:46)

D: 784 copy. 351WC, incident command at northwest parking lot of Red Rock Casino across Charleston. (18:55)

AIR5: Control, AIR5, we need 1 unit to take the north side of the Costco please, right off of Pavillion Center so they can keepy an eye on the back and the east side. (19:02)

2V16: (yell) 2V16, we got shots fired, shots fired! (19:11)

D: 2V16, copy. Anyone down? (19:12)

2V16: Roll medical. (19:13)

D: 2V16. (19:15)

767: Go ahead and make the notifications. (19:19)

.......................

[UCANSEE2]

If I can find it again, I will give you the links to the AUDIO of the POLICE DISPATCHER.

The description the police were given was that this man was an escaped lunatic. The ‘security person(Female)’ said he had a TEC 9MM, and he was waving it around in the store, destroying merchandise.

Here is one article that provides a link to the AUDIO

http://www.8newsnow.com/global/story.asp?s=12912995

[mockingbyrd]

Yeah, a lying Costco employee would put the store on the hook. Disgusting, but it looks like they are happily complicent in murder.

[21twelve]

Oops - meant to ping you to my post on the Police Radio transcript (gives a hint of what the 911 call may have sounded like).

[Upstate NY Guy]

I'm thinking the Costco employee, or employees, at the LV store realized their exaggeration helped creat this tragedy and took it upon themselves to quickly erase or destroy the tapes (or hard drive). Hard to believe they would ask anyone at the corporate level what to do. Also it is hard to believe anyone at the corporate level would be foolish enough to authorize the destruction of the tapes. In any case if it can be proved Costco employees destroyed key evidence the settlement may be much larger. Also it seems that if the cops were truly interested in finding out exactly what happened they would have locked down the store and let some higher agency take control of the crime scene, evidence and the entire investigation.

Erik Scott's father complained that in LV you have cops inverstigating cops, reporting to cops. Do they really want to find the truth?

[UCANSEE2]

Have the 911 tapes been released, or have they “disappeared” or equipment “malfunctioned”?............

The DISK of the capture files was sent off to LOS ANGELES for FORENSIC EXAMINATION.

(Maybe they are gonna dust it for fingerprints?)

They did not say what form of transportation they were using to send the disk across the desert (possible camel?).

Above all is the question of why couldn't COSTCO have played back the images?

Doesn't their Security camera system allow PLAYBACK? I mean, I know it might cost a little more, but I would think they could afford that option.

[JLS]

I would not be surprised if your scenario is spot on. I agree that no one higher up at Costco likely directed them or even okayed any tape destruction.

I see the outcome of this as:

1. Three cops fired.

2. Costco pays 8 figures to the Scott family.

3. One and maybe all three of the cops charged.

4. The coroner’s inquest this month on the other cop homocide during the drug arrest leads to that cop being fired too.

I think this August inquest will really tell the story. If it is different than recent whitewashes in LV, then we will see things have changed.

[JLS]

There are no Costco’s around where I live, so I have never been in one. Your and other stories make me doubt I ever will.

[Pontiac]

Bad intel leads to bad decisions. It’s not the fault of the people acting on that intel, it’s the fault of the source of that intel. Especially if the intel was fabrication or embellished.

Certainly a report of a man with a gun acting erratically can be expected to put a cop on edge. However LEOs are supposed to react to real danger and actual acts that they witness not citizens’ reports. LEOs are supposed to respond to citizens report, evaluate the situation for themselves and act appropriately.

False or misleading reports are a daily occurrence in large metro areas such as LV. If a cop a not cool head enough to not shoot when a man lifts his coat he had better not be on the job.

There is plenty of training available out there to allow a rookie to display his ability to wait until a real danger displays it self before firing his weapon. If LV does not utilize such training they deserve a good raking over the coals.

[Pontiac]

If a jury can be convinced that the claims of the employee were false, and convinced that the cops perception of him was “poisoned” by false claims by the employee, well, it should be worth at least as much as hot coffee spilled on your lap.

I mean, nobody died that time.

Kind of a weak analogy.

McDonald’s coffee temperature was corporate policy.

Unless it can be shown that the response of the Costco employee to a person with a gun was established corporate policy I don’t think your analogy works.

[RobRoy]

>>Kind of a weak analogy. <<

So sue me. ;)

I just like that one because it demonstrates how a Jury can be manipulated. And often they make decisions that have little to do with actual law, but feelings.

I’ve actually argued that case with people that know the details of the case and firmly believe the Jury was right.

My belief is the laws of physics limit the max temperature of water (depending on altitude) and even the max temp in Death valley (below sea level) is not high enough to put responsibility for being careful with “hot” water on anyone other than the customer. But that’s just me.

[Domandred]

Wow. I think I might have to wear my sunglasses into Costco next time. I usually take them off just so I can see. I think I’ll forget and see what happens.

[Pontiac]

Yep the old woman should have sued the car manufacturer for not installing a cup holder ;)

[UCANSEE2]

I haven't timed it yet (from the dispatcher audio tapes), but Scott's father says that the TIME ELAPSED between the COPS telling the COSTCO employees to evacuate people from the store, until they fired SEVEN shots as him, was 71 seconds.

I'll say it again. SEVENTY-ONE SECONDS.

One witness reported that the cops fired SIX SHOTS, then one of them walked up as he lay dying on the ground and shot the SEVENTH shot. Some witnesses reported he had been shot from the front and the rear.