This is a case where an elderly woman was killed by narcotics officers during the forced entry of her home.
An early news release:
One source of confusion:
Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said the officers had a legal warrant and "knocked and announced" before they forced open the door. He said they were justified in returning fire when they were fired upon.Later in the article:
As the officers approached the house about 7 p.m., a woman inside started shooting, said Officer Joe Cobb, a police spokesman. The officers returned fire, wounding the woman, Cobb said.Did the shooting begin as they approached the house, or after they forced entry? I also notice that reports vary regarding the woman's age, describing her as 92 or 91 in various articles.
48 hours later: A typical article.
New facts:
- The Atlanta Police state they obtained the search warrant after undercover operatives purchased drugs at the same house some hours before the shootings.
- Officer James Polite, spokesperson for the Atlanta police, states that "Narcotics was found at the location"
Now: A current article.
New facts:
- According to the medical examiner, Kathryn's age is 88, though her friends and relatives say she is 92.
Edited 12/4/2006 to correct the spelling of Kathryn's name. (tipped off by Insane Pencil)
2 comments:
There was also controversy here about whether or not there were drugs at the house, and who had provided the tipoff/bought the drugs.
Some articles were saying no drugs, and others said less than a misdemeanor's worth of pot. Some were saying that there was no drug buy just an anonymous tipoff, and some were saying undercover cops actually bought drugs at this house.
New update:
Her first name is spelled Kathryn.
Well, this just is a sad case. Police don't go out saying, "Let's kill a black person today." The last thing a cop wants to to is shoot someone. You wind up stuck behind a desk while an investigation is conducted. People second guess you. If you're white and you kill someone who is not white, then people always bring up race. Even if you are justified, it's a bad time for all involved.
The police believed there was a drug dealer in the house and after announcing themselves, broke in the front door.
This is SOP, and it would be foolish for the police NOT to announce themselves, as MOST people don't want to shoot a policeman.
The police were shot at. Three police officers were wounded. At least five shots were fired from inside the house.
Katheryn lived in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Georgia. It was not unreasonable, given her age, or environment, for her to open fire. She probably didn't realize or believe the policemen were policemen.
I believe she did fire first. I find it hard to believe she could have gotten off 5 shots if 3+ policemen opened fire first.
The policemen responded by firing back. What else could they do at that point? The had not only been fired upon, they had been shot.
It's a very sad situation. Katheryn seemed to be a very sweet person. It is also ashame that some policemen were wounded. Getting shot is a terrible thing.
The legitimate questions are related to the circumstance that led to the police breaking down the door. Did they really announce themselves? The warrant was a "no knock" warrant. Were they plain clothed?
We have the policemen's side of the story. We will never have the primary victim's side of the story.
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