''' On Friday, May 9, 2014, just after 5:30am in Killeen, Texas, Marvin Louis Guy was the target of a no knock raid. The officers were looking for drugs, yet none were found in the home. There was some questionable paraphernalia, but nothing indicative of drug dealing- or anything damning enough for a reasonable person to feel the need to take an officers life. Unfortunately the danger of no-knock raids is real. just ask the parents of baby Bou or the family of Detective Dinwiddie. Detective Dinwiddie was one of the SWAT officers who broke into Guy's house on May 9th, based on a seemingly bogus informant tip off about drugs being dealt from the home. Likely alarmed by the men climbing through his windows at 5:30 in the morning, Guy and his wife sought to protect themselves and their property and fired on the intruders- in self defense. Dinwiddie, along with three other officers were shot while attempting to breach the windows to the home, according to the department's press release. <blockquote>“The TRU was beginning to breach the window when the 49 year old male inside, opened fire striking four officers.†</blockquote>Since the shooting occurred during the break in, a reasonable person would assume they had not yet identified themselves as police officers. How on earth is this not self defense? Prosecutors are now seeking the death penalty against Guy. He is charged with capital murder in Dinwiddie's death, as well as three counts of attempted capital murder for firing on the other officers during the shootout, injuring one other officer. Body armor protected others who were hit. This announcement, given by the prosecutor in open court, comes one day after Governor Rick Perry presented Dinwiddie's family with the Star of Texas award. This award is given out each year to police and first responders killed or injured in the line of duty, the Killeen Daily Herald reported. Let's flash back to December, in Texas, for a moment. On December 19, also just before 6am, Burleson County Sgt. Adam Sowders, led a team in a no-knock marijuana raid on Henry Goedrich Magee's mobile home in Somerville. Also startled by these intruders, Magee opened fire, fearing for the safety of himself and his then pregnant girlfriend. Sowders was unfortunately killed among the chaos. In February, just a few months before the fateful raid in Killeen, all charges against Magee were dropped when a Texas grand jury refused to indict, based on them believing he feared for his safety and that this was a reasonable act of self defense. With such similar circumstances and such intensely opposite repercussions one cant help but try to find the differences. Most obvious? Guy is black and Magee is white. Also, take note of the difference in photos used in the press. Self defense is a right for all, and no knock raids not only pose a danger to dogs, children, and communities in general- but officers as well. Maybe its time to re-think that strategy. We need to end the war on drugs and put an end to this violence. Estimates show that the total number of SWAT deployments across the country has increased from a few hundred per year in the 1970s, to a few thousand per year in the 80s, and in 2010, the Washington Times reported estimates being as high as 50,000 per year. Many of these are for nonviolent misdemeanor drug offenses, not big time drug kingpins. Should we really be risking lives of citizens and officers, over what someone chooses to put into their own body? For more information on botched paramilitary raids, check out this shocking and interactive map from Radley Balko. Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/prosecutor-seeking-death-penalty-officer-killed-knock-raid/#1RmsZpC8fSW7D0dE.99
Is this propaganda or legit. Seems like just a story to me. he just said, 'I come from the land down under'
This has happened a few times. This particular guy is black. A white guy who did the same thing got released from jail on self defense. Race shouldn't matter.....no knock raids are just asking for trouble. Especially when most states allow you to defend yourself against intruders in your own home.
perhaps another grand jury will refuse to indict? i'm not one to normally say this, but give the system a chance. it hasn't played out yet for guy, has it?
If you're in law enforcement and you break into someone's home without knocking, YOU deserve to be shot at. Common sense people.
The fucked thing is though, is people have been killed by being shot back by swat. What happened to the law that they must be served a warrant statement. Does that law just not exist any more? Straight up thug activity. he just said, 'I come from the land down under'
Basically the logic of no knock raids is they're assuming whoever inside is going to be hostile. There's a time and place for them but they happen far to often and they're often conducted on shitty information about who lives there. I think they should be used, but used extremely sparingly, not commonplace like they are now. Anyone with an ounce of foresight could see this outcome happening.
While executing no-knock warrants is very dangerous, the purpose of them is to catch you by surprise as to stop you from destroying evidence. IE they yell police and you run and flush errthanggg.
the story said they were going in through a window. I thought the way to do it was to surround the house and knock the front door down. he just said, 'I come from the land down under'
And in the process they're putting innocent people and the police officers in danger for what is way too often just another drug charge. In this case there weren't even any drugs found. The whole thing was apparently based off an informant saying he saw drugs at the house, and some dumbfuck thought "yeah that's worth risking lives over".
Maybe more cops need to be shot before they realize this is stupid. If I was a cop, and I was forced to enter someone's house through a window, I'd be worried about getting shot. How the fuck is someone in a sleeping stupor, going to evaluate the situation and make a decision, this person breaking in MY window is a cop? Fucking stupid. Anyone jumping through my window is going to get hacked by a heavy Nepal kukri (heavy fucking knife). Not that I do anything illegal, just the way I am.
Even if they're not in a sleeping stupor.. it's like people are expected to never wear headphones or play loud music, don't be deaf, and make sure you can make a split second decision of "cop or burglar?!" under pressure. Because hey if you're wrong and it's a cop, it's your own damn fault.
Yea but its human nature to protect yourself/things. Further proof that the war on drugs isn't working and it causes more harm then good. he just said, 'I come from the land down under'
as some one who lives in michigan, stories like this make me wonder why no knock raids would exist in a place like texas where the average home owner is as well armed, if not better armed, then the average police officer.
It's not just about cannabis, it's the whole drug war. When people realize that the war is stupid and vote to decriminalize all drugs, perhaps then there won't be any need to risk cop and civilian lives in pointless raids. This whole concept of pot being the only issue kinda irks me. So what if cannabis is legal? Will it then be okay to kill civilians based on unfounded coke or heroin busts? Shooting people in front of their children because they might have a drug that isn't cannabis? Where does the madness and hipocracy stop? No offense Granny Storm Crow, just expressing my personal moral views.
For real. I used to live in Houston, and one time when I bought a few g's back in the day from a kid in a suburban, middle class area, he had a 12 gauge sitting in his room. We got to look at it and all, he was a cool guy; however, it really makes me wonder, had I been an aggressor towards him, would I have been hit with buck shot? All over a little bit of drugs?
I'm sure it's more about the rush the cops get out of planning and executing a no knock warrant rather than the small amount of drugs they may get. And let's not forget the hope that they will make a big cash score for forfeiture.