Houston officer kills double amputee in wheelchair

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/houston-officer-kills-double-amputee-wheelchair-222540280.html?_esi=1

By The Associated Press | Associated Press – 19 hrs ago

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston police officer shot and killed a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair Saturday inside a group home after police say the double amputee threatened the officer and aggressively waved a metal object that turned out to be a pen.

Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said the man cornered the officer in his wheelchair and was making threats while trying to stab the officer with the pen. At the time, the officer did not know what the metal object was that the man was waving, Silva said.

She said the man came "within inches to a foot" of the officer and did not follow instructions to calm down and remain still.

"Fearing for his partner's safety and his own safety, he discharged his weapon," Silva told The Associated Press.

Police did not immediately release the name of the man who was killed. They had been called to the home after a caretaker there called and reported that the man in wheelchair was causing a disturbance.

The owner of the group home, John Garcia, told the Houston Chronicle that the man had a history of mental illness and had been living at the house about 18 months. Garcia said the man had told him that he lost a leg above the knee and all of one arm when he was hit by a train.

"He sometimes would go off a bit, but you just ignore it," Garcia told the newspaper.

Silva identified the officer as Matthew Jacob Marin, a five-year veteran of the department. He was immediately placed on three-day administrative leave, which is standard in all shootings involving officers.

Houston police records indicate that Marin also fatally shot a suspect in 2009. Investigators at the time said Marin came upon a man stabbing his neighbor to death at an apartment complex and opened fired when the suspect refused to drop the knife.

On Saturday, Marin and his partner arrived at the group home around 2:30 a.m. Silva said there were several people at the house at the time. The caretaker who called police waited on the porch while the officers went inside, she said.

"It was close quarters in the area of the house," Silva said. "The officer was forced into an area where he had no way to get out."

[Kathryn41 3,205]

As topic is neither religious or political it has been moved from Politics & Religion forum to Off Topic forum

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

This is a tragedy. I am certain the Officer didn't wake up in the morning with the intention of offing the perp. I still don't know why folks challenge police officers, I mean get your ticket and then go have your day in court.

Hopefully my comment meets "The Gowon Disciples, VJ chapter" well this evening

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Why didn't he just tip the wheelchair over or kick the guy in the face instead of shooting him? Would that have been too violent? And what the ** was his partner doing? Couldn't he have snuck up behind the crippled guy in the wheelchair and pushed him or something?

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

Apparently they don't teach them "wheelchair tipping" at the academy.

[kytwell 179]

The handicapped can be dangerous.

An Upper Moreland man who uses a wheelchair is accused of shooting two people following an argument Thursday night at the Willow Hill apartments.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/willow_grove/man-in-a-wheelchair-arrested-in-upper-moreland-shooting/article_67fab412-68a4-556d-b06f-1c0195ff4ff2.html

Edited September 24, 2012 by kytwell

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

The handicapped can be dangerous.

http://www.phillybur...0195ff4ff2.html

But he wasn't a double amputee though

" a handgun in his right hand and using his left hand to move his chair"

but indeed anyone can be dangerous.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-investigate-officer-shooting-double-amputee-180236845.html

FBI to investigate officer shooting double-amputee

By JUAN A. LOZANO and PAUL J. WEBER | Associated Press – 1 hr 30 mins ago

HOUSTON (AP) — A caretaker at a group home for the mentally ill called police in the middle of the night because a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair was angry and wouldn't calm down.

What happened next is the subject of an investigation that now involves the FBI. One of the two Houston police officers who entered the home fatally shot the double-amputee in the head, saying he was cornered by the wheelchair and thought his partner was being threatened by what turned out to be a ballpoint pen.

Houston's police chief responded Monday to escalating criticism about the weekend shooting by cautioning against a rush to judgment. Community and civil rights groups say the incident is another example of problems that the Houston Police Department has with using excessive force.

"It is my desire to have everyone reserve judgment until all the facts and evidence in this investigation have been gathered," Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland said.

Officer Matthew Marin shot 45-year-old Brian Claunch early Saturday after responding to a call that the man, who reportedly lost two limbs in a train accident, was causing a disturbance. Police say Claunch cornered and threatened to kill Marin, who reportedly told investigators he didn't know the object in Claunch's hand was a pen.

John Garcia, who owns the group home, told reporters over the weekend that Claunch liked to draw.

McClelland said Monday he would enlist the FBI's help in the investigation and reassured the public his officers are trained to deal with people with mental problems.

Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said she didn't know if the department requesting FBI assistance in officer-involved shootings was rare but said "it's the step we're taking at this point."

But the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, a group that includes 16 local and national civil rights organizations, suggested Claunch's death was part of a bigger problem at the Houston Police Department.

"The deeper problem is a failure to discipline for excessive force, especially in the area of shootings," said Randall Kallinen, a member of the group and a local civil rights attorney. "They are concerned only about liability."

Kallinen said he would like the shooting to spark a change in the department regarding discipline and training of officers.

Marin, a five-year veteran of the department, has been placed on three-day administrative leave. That is standard department procedure for all officer-involved shootings, and Silva said no unusual measures were being taken that would prevent Marin from returning to duty this week.

It's the second time Marin has killed a suspect while on duty. In 2009, investigators said Marin came upon a man stabbing his neighbor to death at an apartment complex and fired when the suspect refused to drop the knife, according to the Houston Chronicle.

In 2008, Marin was one of three Houston police officers who were accused of assaulting the father of Green Bay Packers player Donald Driver. They were later cleared and filed a defamation lawsuit that was later dropped.

The Healing Hands group facility, located in a somewhat rundown brick home, was quiet Monday.

Garcia could not be found at the facility on Monday and a woman at a separate address under his name said he was not there and asked a reporter to leave the property.

Estella Olguin, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Guardianship Program, said Claunch had been a ward of the county since 2003 and had lived at the home since March.

Garcia said Claunch had lost his right leg to just above the knee and his entire right arm when he was hit by a train, according to the Houston Chronicle. He said Claunch was schizophrenic.

Marin and a partner arrived at the Healing Hands around 2:30 a.m. responding to a disturbance call made a caretaker at the home. Police have not elaborated on the nature of the disturbance and authorities Monday had not yet made the 911 call public.

Once inside the home, according to a department statement Monday, the two policemen found Claunch agitated and threatening to kill the officers and other residents. While yelling at the officers, Claunch "waved a shiny object in his hand in their direction," according to the statement.

Police say Claunch refused an officer's direction to drop what turned out to be a ballpoint pen.

"As the suspect backed one of the officers into a corner, he attempted to stab the officer with the object," the statement said. "Officer Marin, fearing for his partner's life, and his own safety, discharged his duty weapon one time, striking the suspect."

Relatives of Claunch could not be found Monday. Public records show Claunch had brushes with the law multiple times over the last 20 years, including a 2006 arrest for trespassing at a shelter. His record also includes drug convictions.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I guess if he tipped the wheelchair over he would have been accused of taking advantage of a cripple. That would have been a obvious case of discrimination. I mean, those two poor cops against a one armed, one legged man with a pen. Better to shoot him, much less savage.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I guess if he tipped the wheelchair over he would have been accused of taking advantage of a cripple. That would have been a obvious case of discrimination. I mean, those two poor cops against a one armed, one legged man with a pen. Better to shoot him, much less savage.

Why tip his wheel chair over when you can just shoot him to death. I mean that pen might have been a bic and we all know how deadly those can be if used with black ink.

[justashooter 430]

he could have tased him into a heart attack.