Posted on 10/29/2013 9:59:16 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Sheriff's officials say the Northern California deputy who fatally shot a 13-year-old boy is a firearms instructor who has trained his law enforcement colleagues in the proper use of force for nearly two decades.
Sonoma County spokesman Assistant Sheriff Lorenzo Duenas said 48-year-old Erick Gelhaus has been an instructor and rangemaster for the county for 19 years.
He also teaches pistol, carbine, shotgun and rifle lessons for Gunsite, a private company in Arizona, according to the company's Web site.
Gelhaus, a 24-year sheriff's office veteran, is a frequent contributor to S.W.A.T. magazine, a monthly firearms publication.
Duenas confirmed that Gelhaus is one of 26 gun instructors for Sonoma County.
He has not only given shooting lessons but also has provided instruction on the proper use of force, Duenas said.
To do that job, "you've got to be good at instructing others," Duenas said, adding: "You have to be able to instruct others on policy and procedures and use-of-force policy issues."
Gelhaus shot and killed Andy Lopez last week in Santa Rosa.
Investigators say Gelhaus mistook the pellet gun Lopez was carrying for an assault rifle....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
So, this wasn’t a Sheriff who committed murder, this was a gun-loving Tea Party Sheriff who committed murder!
P.S. FUEG!
Explains a lot, really.
He also teaches pistol, carbine, shotgun and rifle lessons for Gunsite, a private company in Arizona...
Investigators say Gelhaus mistook the pellet gun Lopez was carrying for an assault rifle.
and he couldn't tell the difference between a pellet gun and an assault rifle?.....................
Orange tip removed. Split second decision. Is it real? Is he going to take me out? Someone thinking that they might try to intimidate someone with it? Some of the airsoft guns out there sure look like the real thing to me. I have one that’s an exact duplicate of a S&W MP40 except it’s clear and has the orange tip on it. Could it be mistaken? In the dark? YUP!
Did you see the pellet gun? It looked EXACTLY like an AK-47. I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.
The non-wartime parallel to "Kill them all and let God sort them out."
Except for the barrel -- which incidentally is that part of the gun that the deputy said that he saw.
Often the “pellet rifle” is a nearly exact replica in terms of visual appearance.
If the bright, day-glo muzzle attachment was removed, there would be no visual cue to rapidly determine whether the gun was real or a toy.
Given the militarization of American police forces, the savagery of the Urban Feral predators, etc. why that gun was not cased is a valid question.
So long as the militarized cops feel justified in anything they do and any person they shoot, such tragedies will continue to occur.
Militarization of police has consequences.
I have one that looks like an H&K MP7, and, having shot a real one, they are identical in size, appearance, and weight. The only thing that would indicate it's not real is the orange tip on the muzzle.
Removing that or painting it over and walking around in public is asking for trouble. No way I would let my kid do that.
Now, I'm not going to judge this incident one way or another, but if people want hyper-realistic "toy" guns, they need to anticipate the potential consequences.
Does he wear glasses?
Just a little practical field exercise.
Or maybe we need police officers who don’t shoot first and think second.
Update on Deputy Involved Shooting Investigation
For Immediate Release
October 24, 2013
TO: News Media
FROM: Lieutenant Paul J. Henry
SUBJECT: Officer Involved Shooting Investigation
On Thursday, October 24, 2013, the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy of Andy Lopez Cruz. The autopsy was performed by Dr. Arthur Josselson with the Forensic Medical Group. The examination was attended by investigators from the Santa Rosa Police Department and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. Final autopsy results will not be available for several weeks. The following preliminary information can be released.
There were seven apparent entry wounds discovered in the body. Two of the wounds were determined to be fatal wounds. One of the bullets that resulted in a fatal wound entered the right side of his chest. The second fatal wound was caused by a bullet entering the right hip. There were non-fatal wounds on his right wrist, left bicep, right forearm, right buttocks and right hip. Three bullets were recovered in the body.
Investigators believe that a total of eight rounds were fired at the scene. Four rounds were recovered at the scene and three rounds were recovered in the body.
The timeline for this incident is as follows:
• 1514:15 hrs – Sonoma County Sheriff’s Dispatch created an incident of a suspicious person in the area of Moorland Ave. and West Robles Ave.
• 1514:19 hrs – The Deputies call for emergency assistance from other Deputies in the area
• 1514:25 hrs – The Deputies notify dispatch that shots have been fired
• 1514:41 hrs – Emergency medical advised to respond to the scene
https://local.nixle.com/alert/5081815/
Something else has changed.
Just offering info, pal, go argue with someone else.
I didn’t argue with anyone.
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