Man Shot by Police , Family Upset Now
Why do people call the police for help, then whine and cry when they solve the problem. NEWS FLASH , If some dumbazz comes running out with a gun. He is gonna get shot, If you don't want that to happen then don't call the cops.
Jan. 20, 2007, 12:53AM
Deputy constables shoot man
He's hospitalized after authorities say he charged at them with a gun
By ANITA HASSAN and ANNE MARIE KILDAY
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Neighbors react
Police shoot man in Harris County
Four deputy constables opened fired on a man outside his northwest Harris County home Friday after authorities said he charged at them with a pellet gun.
Richard Williams was taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was in critical condition.
Williams, 35, a recruiter for an accounting firm in downtown Houston, suffers from depression, his family said. His parents questioned why deadly force was used to stop a man who was clearly troubled.
Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Glenn Cheek could not be reached for comment Friday evening, but authorities said Williams left deputies little choice but to open fire after rushing toward them with what appeared to be a rifle.
The shooting took place shortly after authorities received a 911 call from Williams' home in the 6200 block of Henniker. The caller hung up before speaking to emergency dispatchers about 10:18 a.m., said Harris County sheriff's spokesman Lt. John Martin.
When deputy constables arrived at the home in the Concord Bridge subdivision, Williams answered the door and appeared to be very disturbed, said Capt. Michael Coleman.
Williams refused to let deputies inside and spoke to them with his door partially opened, Coleman said.
A short time later, Williams came running outside with what appeared to be a rifle as deputies began to surround his home.
Four deputies then fired at Williams, who had an unknown number of gunshot wounds to the groin area, Coleman said. The shots also blew out the back window of a patrol car.
The firearm later was found to be a pellet gun, Coleman said.
"At the time, the officers didn't have time to figure out whether it's a pellet gun or a high-caliber gun," Coleman said, adding that a pellet gun also is dangerous and if fired at the right place can cause serious injury or death.
Williams' parents had more questions than answers Friday evening at they waited for word on their son's condition at a Memorial Hermann hospital.
Seyon Julien and Charmaine Julien said Williams still was in surgery about 6:30 p.m., for wounds to his leg and abdomen.
Charmaine Julien said her son has had a history of depression.
"The police said they got a 911 call from his home, but the caller hung up. The police went out, and they said my son was screaming," Julien said. "They said he had a shotgun."
"It just seems unbelievable. We are in shock. If somebody seems to be in distress, why did they shoot him?"
Julien said she thought law enforcement officers had Tasers to deal with people who were upset or combative.
A call for a Taser was put in, but Coleman said the deputies didn't have time to use it because Williams was running at them with a weapon.
Julien said she did not know if her son owned a gun.
"We have never seen a gun in his house. We never had guns when he was growing up," Julien said. "They also said he had a knife in his shoes."
"He's never told us he owned one (a gun), and we've sure never seen one in his home," Julien said.
Many residents in the neighborhood were stunned by the incident involving the neighbor they described as a quiet man who they regularly saw walking his two small dogs.
Betty Thompson, who lives next door to Williams, said he moved into the neighborhood about five years ago and lived alone in the home. She said he was a good neighbor and she never experienced any problems with him.
"I'm just shocked," she said as she peered down the cul de sac - it was sealed off by police tape and squad cars - where she has lived for 20 years.
The sound of the gunshots scared Veronica Graham, a certified nursing assistant who cares for a woman on Henniker.
"She (her patient) thought it was a firecracker and I told her, 'No, Mommy, that is no firecracker,' " said Graham, who added that she jumped to the floor inside her patient's home when she heard the shots.
Michael Brown, who lives across the street from Williams, said he also was troubled by the news. Although he didn't know Williams that well, Brown said he seemed like a nice man.
"He seemed like a really friendly individual," said Brown, who lives in the neighborhood with his mother and two children. "And (it) never seemed like he would have waved a gun at anyone or anything."
The shooting is under investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Division, as well as the Harris County District Attorney's Office, which is routine in all officer-involved shootings.
anita.hassan@chron.com anne.kilday@chron.com
Jan. 20, 2007, 12:53AM
Deputy constables shoot man
He's hospitalized after authorities say he charged at them with a gun
By ANITA HASSAN and ANNE MARIE KILDAY
Get section feed
Neighbors react
Police shoot man in Harris County
Four deputy constables opened fired on a man outside his northwest Harris County home Friday after authorities said he charged at them with a pellet gun.
Richard Williams was taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was in critical condition.
Williams, 35, a recruiter for an accounting firm in downtown Houston, suffers from depression, his family said. His parents questioned why deadly force was used to stop a man who was clearly troubled.
Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Glenn Cheek could not be reached for comment Friday evening, but authorities said Williams left deputies little choice but to open fire after rushing toward them with what appeared to be a rifle.
The shooting took place shortly after authorities received a 911 call from Williams' home in the 6200 block of Henniker. The caller hung up before speaking to emergency dispatchers about 10:18 a.m., said Harris County sheriff's spokesman Lt. John Martin.
When deputy constables arrived at the home in the Concord Bridge subdivision, Williams answered the door and appeared to be very disturbed, said Capt. Michael Coleman.
Williams refused to let deputies inside and spoke to them with his door partially opened, Coleman said.
A short time later, Williams came running outside with what appeared to be a rifle as deputies began to surround his home.
Four deputies then fired at Williams, who had an unknown number of gunshot wounds to the groin area, Coleman said. The shots also blew out the back window of a patrol car.
The firearm later was found to be a pellet gun, Coleman said.
"At the time, the officers didn't have time to figure out whether it's a pellet gun or a high-caliber gun," Coleman said, adding that a pellet gun also is dangerous and if fired at the right place can cause serious injury or death.
Williams' parents had more questions than answers Friday evening at they waited for word on their son's condition at a Memorial Hermann hospital.
Seyon Julien and Charmaine Julien said Williams still was in surgery about 6:30 p.m., for wounds to his leg and abdomen.
Charmaine Julien said her son has had a history of depression.
"The police said they got a 911 call from his home, but the caller hung up. The police went out, and they said my son was screaming," Julien said. "They said he had a shotgun."
"It just seems unbelievable. We are in shock. If somebody seems to be in distress, why did they shoot him?"
Julien said she thought law enforcement officers had Tasers to deal with people who were upset or combative.
A call for a Taser was put in, but Coleman said the deputies didn't have time to use it because Williams was running at them with a weapon.
Julien said she did not know if her son owned a gun.
"We have never seen a gun in his house. We never had guns when he was growing up," Julien said. "They also said he had a knife in his shoes."
"He's never told us he owned one (a gun), and we've sure never seen one in his home," Julien said.
Many residents in the neighborhood were stunned by the incident involving the neighbor they described as a quiet man who they regularly saw walking his two small dogs.
Betty Thompson, who lives next door to Williams, said he moved into the neighborhood about five years ago and lived alone in the home. She said he was a good neighbor and she never experienced any problems with him.
"I'm just shocked," she said as she peered down the cul de sac - it was sealed off by police tape and squad cars - where she has lived for 20 years.
The sound of the gunshots scared Veronica Graham, a certified nursing assistant who cares for a woman on Henniker.
"She (her patient) thought it was a firecracker and I told her, 'No, Mommy, that is no firecracker,' " said Graham, who added that she jumped to the floor inside her patient's home when she heard the shots.
Michael Brown, who lives across the street from Williams, said he also was troubled by the news. Although he didn't know Williams that well, Brown said he seemed like a nice man.
"He seemed like a really friendly individual," said Brown, who lives in the neighborhood with his mother and two children. "And (it) never seemed like he would have waved a gun at anyone or anything."
The shooting is under investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Division, as well as the Harris County District Attorney's Office, which is routine in all officer-involved shootings.
anita.hassan@chron.com anne.kilday@chron.com
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Houston and Harris County have gone off-the-hook when it concerns police officer involved shootings. Every wannabe activist and civil rights group comes out of the wood work to get camera time. Houston and Harris County have become as bad or worse than Austin and Travis County with the wacko bleeding hearts trying to get free on-air time. 0 -
I've been watching this story on the news. What idiot is going to carry a gun looking object after he knows police are around, especially in HOUSTON. The police are trigger happy here. [:D]
All joking aside, I don't blame the cops if the guy pointed it their way. The cops here in Houston get nuts pretty fast, however I can't blame them to much with the huge amount of voilent trash there is in this city especially since we got all the New Orleans trash. Cops don't know the people they deal with often and they don't know what that person might do.0 -
Simply suicide-by-cop.
If you come at police with what looks like a gun, they will shoot you. It is that simple and what they are trained to do.
If you don't what police to do what they are trained to do...
don't call.
It is truly that simple.0 -
quote:Julien said she did not know if her son owned a gun.
"We have never seen a gun in his house. We never had guns when he was growing up," Julien said. "They also said he had a knife in his shoes."
"He's never told us he owned one (a gun), and we've sure never seen one in his home," Julien said.
The family knew that he didn't have any guns, so of course the cops should know this also. [}:)] [;)]
They just wanted to gun down a man that they and everyone in the world knew didn't have a gun. [:0] [:p]
Good shoot, the guy got what is expected when the situation is presented as it was.0 -
Dam coppers; how dare they shoot that "troubled" man?
How are cops supposed to tell the difference between:
1. "Troubled, but he wouldn't hurt anyone."
2. "Troubled, but he would only hurt himself."
and
3. "Troubled and homidical"
When the guy is running at them with a weapon???
Dam coppers. How dare they not be perfect.
TB0 -
So the whackjob tries "death by cop", and the police are blamed for reacting exactly as they are trained to react....
He's lucky to be alive..
If he got a .40 to the brain, THAT would have treated his depression nicely[:0][:D]0 -
"The police said they got a 911 call from his home, but the caller hung up."
The call came from within the house of pellet gun man. Either he, or someone he lived with, could not handle him, and they wanted the police to take charge. He attacks the police with a gun, and now it is the cops fault? Give me a break.0 -
Sigh.
About two years ago in Denver, we had a situation where a "mentally-challenged" "boy" (read, "retarded" "20-something") was getting into an argument with his family and he pulled a knife. The family calls 9-1-1 and indicates that the boy is being violent and threatening to stab other family members. The police showed up and the boy ran outside with the knife and challenged the police. The police shot him and he died.
The uproar then started. The family screamed that the cops acted inappropriately and that their darling boy would have never hurt anyone (in that case, why did they make the 9-1-1 call?????).
They sued. In the middle of last year, the family settled their lawsuit with the City/County of Denver for several millions.
I just don't get this. I don't get it at all. The police do their job, respond to a scene due to the victim's telephone call, the suspect threatens the police by lunging at them with a knife, and what... the cops are supposed to just watch this happen and do nothing?
Folks, this country isn't going to Hell in a handbasket. We're already there.0 -
How can they sue and get money when the police act appropriatly, but those women who were raped for hours and the cops took like 14 hours to show up and investigate sued and lost?
If the cop does his job right, he might be sued and loose.
If the cop just doesn't do his job at all, well then he's got nothing to worry about.
Moral of the story, its best for the cops to do nothing and not even show up for several hours, so dont depend on them.
Just consider columbine, how many hours did those cops just sit outside and wait, even hours after the two $h1t heads had committed suicide, the cops were still outside waiting to go in.
Where was the uproar about cops not doing their job? Oh Im sorry the correct thing to do was say we need more gun control and the cops will protect you.
Its all BS0 -
quote:Originally posted by spanielsells
Folks, this country isn't going to Hell in a handbasket. We're already there.
Ditto.0 -
quote:number of gunshot wounds to the groin area,
Hopefully he won't be spreading his seed to the next generation.
Good shooting guys!0 -
I would shoot at anybody who charged me with a rifle whether i were a cop OR a private citizen 0 -
quote:deadly force was used to stop a man who was clearly troubled.
Clearly troubled? I don't care who you are or what your mental situation is, if you're running at me with a firearm or a replica of a firearm which I cannot readily tell if it's real or not, you're going to get shot. End of story. Anyone of any mental capacity is able to pull a trigger.0 -
quote:Originally posted by stanman
quote:number of gunshot wounds to the groin area,
Hopefully he won't be spreading his seed to the next generation.
Good shooting guys!
HERE HERE!0 -
quote:Originally posted by max_power29
I would shoot at anybody who charged me with a rifle whether i were a cop OR a private citizen
I agree...it comes down to them or me?...Well I chose me. And a one sided story is always easier to defend.[:D]0 -
With less than lethal shotgun pepperspray shells, Tazers, teargas, beanbags, training, vastly superior numbers, mace, nightsticks, body armor, big nets, and air superiority, is there really any reason cops surrounding a house have to kill everyone?
You would think they practice for this senario rather than look like amateurs when they get there. How long does it take to knock out a lion with a tranquilizer dart? Put about 3 or 4 into the sweetie and avoid him until he drops. You can always resort to killing if it doesn't.0 -
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
With less than lethal shotgun pepperspray shells, Tazers, teargas, beanbags, training, vastly superior numbers, mace, nightsticks, body armor, big nets, and air superiority, is there really any reason cops surrounding a house have to kill everyone?
You would think they practice for this senario rather than look like amateurs when they get there. How long does it take to knock out a lion with a tranquilizer dart? Put about 3 or 4 into the sweetie and avoid him until he drops. You can always resort to killing if it doesn't.
Good point, but it only takes 1 bullet from a gun to kill someone. That psycho could have had a real gun with a bullet in it. If I were a cop and pulled up to a scene with another dozen and some wacko comes running out with a gun, I'm not going to give him the chance to light off a potentially deadly bullet that may kill one of my coworkers.0 -
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
With less than lethal shotgun pepperspray shells, Tazers, teargas, beanbags, training, vastly superior numbers, mace, nightsticks, body armor, big nets, and air superiority, is there really any reason cops surrounding a house have to kill everyone?
You would think they practice for this senario rather than look like amateurs when they get there. How long does it take to knock out a lion with a tranquilizer dart? Put about 3 or 4 into the sweetie and avoid him until he drops. You can always resort to killing if it doesn't.
I would not want to fight a man with a firearm with that less than lethal stuff0 -
I believe this would have been the better way to handle things. This is however one of the instances were the police were justified in shooting the man.quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
With less than lethal shotgun pepperspray shells, Tazers, teargas, beanbags, training, vastly superior numbers, mace, nightsticks, body armor, big nets, and air superiority, is there really any reason cops surrounding a house have to kill everyone?
You would think they practice for this senario rather than look like amateurs when they get there. How long does it take to knock out a lion with a tranquilizer dart? Put about 3 or 4 into the sweetie and avoid him until he drops. You can always resort to killing if it doesn't.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Fatboy lives
I believe this would have been the better way to handle things. This is however one of the instances were the police were justified in shooting the man.quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
With less than lethal shotgun pepperspray shells, Tazers, teargas, beanbags, training, vastly superior numbers, mace, nightsticks, body armor, big nets, and air superiority, is there really any reason cops surrounding a house have to kill everyone?
You would think they practice for this senario rather than look like amateurs when they get there. How long does it take to knock out a lion with a tranquilizer dart? Put about 3 or 4 into the sweetie and avoid him until he drops. You can always resort to killing if it doesn't.
You may well be right, but then again, we'll never know.0 -
quote:Originally posted by max_power29HERE HERE!
The actual phrase is, interestingly enough, "Hear him! Hear him!"
The post title, including the words "Family upset now" got me interested.
As if they were not at first upset ...0 -
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
With less than lethal shotgun pepperspray shells, Tazers, teargas, beanbags, training, vastly superior numbers, mace, nightsticks, body armor, big nets, and air superiority, is there really any reason cops surrounding a house have to kill everyone?
They didn't kill everyone. They shot the guy charging at them with a gun.
This was a good shoot. Just because he's "troubled" doesn't mean his actions don't have consequences0 -
I also hear all this stuff every night on the Houston news. Groups complaining that their loved one was shot dead for no reason,or tasered. They are griping about too many black suspects being tasered versus whites or Mexican. And every "community activist" within ear shot shows up for his or her air time is ridiculous. Imagine how many people are approached by police for one reason or another in a single day in a city the size of Houston AND don't get shot. But then again who gets out of his car scratching his crotch and saying "what I did man"? 0
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