That story is a complete distortion of the truth. Eric’s dad is the author, and he has written a piece of fiction. It would not be nearly as interesting if the truth was told.
I live here in Vegas and have followed the story very closely, including all the testimony at the inquest.
Eric had more than a dozen prescription drugs in his system, some at lethal levels. As someone who has taken paid meds for years, Eric had probably devolved a tolerance for the drugs and was using way to high of safe dose. This may have impaired his judgement.
His girlfriend was stealing prescriptions from the doctor she worked for. When confronted, she fled the state and has not been heard from since. She more than likely kept him supplied with the meds. Last I heard was the investigation into her was at a standstill, but it does appear she only provided meds for Eric and no one else.
Eric got into an argument with a COSTCO employee over his concealed carry pistol (It seen by a customer and an employee). COSTCO is private property and in Nevada you can be asked to leave for ANY reason, failure to do so on the spot is trespass.
The employee who called the cops escalated this by calling in a man with a gun. The report claimed Eric was violent and erratic, witness contradict this to some degree. Costco ordered an evacuation of the store (fire alarm). Where the cops were waiting. Someone also followed Eric out of the store and when he was at the exit they yelled “He’s the One” or “He has a Gun” witnesses heard both.
Lead officer gave him commands that can be clearly heard on the tape, but other commands and voices can also be heard.
Eric assumed the position (hands up) and reached for his gun, and removed it and the holster (gun never came out of the holster) and he was shot.
The holster was an Uncle Mikes type cheapie nylon. I have one and you could put you finger in it and fire the gun easily while it was holstered.
On the audio tape played at the inquest, I believe there was more than one command given to Eric by the cops. It sounds like multiple commands, witness say there was a lot of confusion, many people were VERY close to officers, the additional voices heard may not even be police.
If Eric had never touched is gun and remained with his hands up he would be alive today.
He was not even facing arrest at this point, 99% of trespasser’s are told to leave and not return. End of story.
The search of Eric later did found a second gun. This not uncommon in Vegas. I have carried two in many occasions.
Eric’s second gun was not registered properly with Clark County, again no big deal. They take it, you get it back after a fine and paperwork. It happens all the time to law abiding citizens.
It is a shame Eric died, I find the majority of fault with him and the employee who called it in. The police acted appropriately based on the information they were given and based on the actions of Eric.
The whole sitch reminds of the cops who shoot dogs (who aren’t threaten the officer(s))but the cops just over-react and go all trigger happy.
As America slips into third world dictator status I expect the number of people who will be costcoed in the future to increase.
“I have one and you could put you finger in it and fire the gun easily while it was holstered.”
Odd. I tried it with mine and it would be damned awkward. Even more so since Scott was carrying without a round in the chamber.
The bottom line for me was they opened fire without giving him a chance to comply. From the tape:
14:11 (D): “And do they see him?”
14:12 (SL): “Ah, negative.”
14:13 (D): “Have they walked out the door right now? What is that guy doing right this...”
14:16 (Unidentified Officer’s Voice(s) in Background): “Put your hands where I see them now, drop it, get on the ground, get on the ground...”
[At 14:18, multiple, rapidly fired gunshots can be clearly heard in the background.]
[Officer call sign 2V16, probably Mosher, at 19:11, radios, and the transcript indicates he’s yelling: “2V16, we got shots fired, shots fired!” The Dispatcher asks if anyone is down and 2V16 does not directly reply, saying only “Roll medical.” Approximately 27 seconds later, 2V16 is asked if it is safe for others to enter the building. He does not respond to this question but blurts out: “He pulled a 413 and pointed it in my direction.” Is this an officer who is still unsettled by the shock of a shooting, or an officer trying to get information on the record that he knows will help him later? This was apparently not pursued at the Inquest.]
14:19 (D): “Shay. Hello. Shay.”
14:20 (SL): “He pulled a firearm. Yeah, I’m here, I’m here.”
At 14:12, the cops have not figured out that Eric Scott is the ‘deranged suspect’, yet at 14:18 they are shooting. What happened in 6 seconds that made them go from ‘where is he’ to ‘must shoot to save our lives’?
In that time frame, how could ANYONE have complied?
I’d be willing to bet Trigger Finger didn’t mean to shoot Scott. I’d bet he had his finger on the trigger of his Glock, and was just so tense he fired by accident - and then everyone else joined in.
“The Officers were clearly caught by surprise to find Scott, a man who moments earlier walked past them and was obviously unremarkable, suddenly identified as the suspect, in their midst. Drawing down on him, their commands and responses were hasty, uncoordinated, and everyone in the immediate area including themselves was in danger, but not from Scott, from the Officers, who were likely pointing their weapons at each other with Scott between them (due to “tunnel vision” they would almost certainly have been unaware of the danger). Scott had, from the sound of the first command, only about two seconds to save his life. Witnesses testified that he was clearly “surprised”— anyone would be—but given the time frame, he did not have sufficient time to respond to any command before being shot in the heart, and if he did, in fact, reach toward his right side, it may have been nothing more than a last ditch reaction to the surprise and stress, an attempt to disarm himself and defuse the situation. It was almost certainly not an attempt to shoot the Officers. “
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/306409.php
Did COSTCO actually *lose* the video of the event?
Very informative post. I still believe the cops did not give him time to comply, and find your comment about the holster to be questionable, but overall you provide good information. Thanks.
Well, what was the command?
What were those other commands?
It sounds like multiple commands
Were all the commands the same?
If they said they found 15 or 20 extra guns on him I would believe it. Thjey planted them there, why shouldn’t they find them. The only thing more repugnant and discipicle about that incident is someone that alibis for and defends those who done it. The poor guy was murdered in cold blood.
One story Scott's Girlfriend a No-Show at Coroner's Inquest with lots of reader comments about what was described above vis-a-vis the girlfriend.