Why? Because police often don't think the rules apply to them. ‘Please, God, Help!’: South Carolina Cop Fatally Shot Suspect He Chased Into House 5 Times, Ordered K-9 to Maul Innocent Homeowner, Faces Up to 50 Years In Prison
Former deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers faces charges of Voluntary Manslaughter, and "assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature." The Voluntary Manslaughter brings penalties of up to 30 years in prison, while the assault charge carries a maximum of 20 years. While the headline is factually correct, I doubt a judge would sentence him to consecutive sentences, though it does happen.
William Dwayne Rankin crashed his car into a tree and fled into a house.
Sellers exited his squad car and entered the home through the back door with his police dog, which was off-leash, and then failed to announce himself, state agents said.
He then ordered the K9 to attack without identifying who was inside. The dog attacked the homeowner, Johnny Cooper, who had nothing to do with the chase, authorities said.
Sellers shot Rakin multiple times. Rakin had been unarmed, and he had been sitting on a couch. Deputy Sellers let the K-9 maul Mr. Cooper for 87 seconds. Mr. Cooper suffered permanent damage to his left arm and shoulder as a result the attack. That forms the basis for the assault charge.
It took Sellers 7 minutes to call for medical help.
If there is a single thing that this guy got right, I can't think of it. You can click thru for the statement from the Sheriff, but I will leave you with this one statement from the investigation.
Sellers and the K-9 arrive at the backdoor of a mobile home, which Sellers opens and allows the dog to run inside the residence “with reckless disregard for the substantial and unjustifiable risk of great bodily injury to another person,” the state Law Enforcement Division stated in its report.
While on leave over this incident Deputy Sellers was arrested on an unrelated domestic violence incident, at which point he was fired.
Florence County, South Carolina, is about 95 miles southeast of Charlotte. Florence County, S.C. Sheriff TJ Joye seems to be taking the right actions, and saying the right things, but this doesn't look good for his department.
I keep in mind the PhilandroCastile case, where the jury bought the cop's rationale as to why he gunned down an innocent man (and, arguably, the prosecution laid down on the job). Charging bad cops is a good first step, but let's see if the prosecutor pushes the case hard and gets a conviction.
ReplyDeleteI also keep in mind the Ahmaud Arbery case, where the county prosecutor wasn't going to charge the killers until video leaked out (one of the kil;ers was a former cop and DA's office investigator).
The case of Drew Peterson, a one-time sergeant of the police force in Bollingbrook, IL. He was convicted for killing his 3rd wife, after the disappearance of his 4th wife.
DeleteThere had been 911 calls for domestic violence, but somehow police reports against a fellow officer were never filed. Not once or twice, but many times.
Bollingbrook, IL is a suburb of Chicago.
Stay armed,everywhere. It's unlikely that you will need it. But the Cost of Needing it and not having it is enough, for me, to try to stay within a few seconds of a weapon. I can't imagine being in my house and be attacked by a vicious dog. That poor guy will be nervous for the rest of his life.
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