4 officers killed in WA State

[Black Owl]

A gunman shot and killed 4 Lakewood Police officers today as they were sitting in a coffee shop.

 

http://www.charter.net/news/read.php?ps=1011&rip_id=%3CD9C9D0G80%40news.ap.org%3E&_LT=UNGL_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS

 

Even having spent almost 20 years as a Federal Agent, I will never understand that kind of mentality....

[Bigfoot]

There is just no end to mans depravity. If someone is willing to kill a cop in cold blood then imagine what they could do to others without any thought.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I'm amazed that they were all killed so easily...and what I mean by that is that the officers wear ballistic vests, ( which may not have been effective on the particular bullets used that morning, or the entry point was possibly the head and neck area) and normally keep an eye on the door of anywhere they gather.

 

Very tragic.

 

[Zfrebird4]

... in college. In all my 7 decades of living I will never cease to be amazed as to how3 much of that there is among us creatures. Prayers and sorrows for these useless deaths.

 

Jack D. Tharp, Retired Elder

United Methodist Church

[Yammer Dan]

It is almost impossible to stay on Red alert status all the time. Doing transports with Convicts I've had a couple of "Oh Sh**" moments. Just when you think you have seen it all something tops it. Prayers sent for them and their families.

[sarges46]

I was shocked to see this earlier while at work. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the officers.

 

What a shame.

[Skid]

Our Thoughts and Prayers go out to the families.....

[ArticusMedicus]

I'm amazed that they were all killed so easily...and what I mean by that is that the officers wear ballistic vests, ( which may not have been effective on the particular bullets used that morning, or the entry point was possibly the head and neck area) and normally keep an eye on the door of anywhere they gather.

 

Very tragic.

 

 

I got a hunch the shooter was know buy them, there by allowing a close proximity, point blank head shots. Perhaps looking them in the face?

 

Police are more aware of their surroundings than the average Joe. And there were four sets of eye at that table.

 

Could be wrong, but we will never know.

[Mariner Fan]

Ambush city. So sorry about this.

[Chaharly]

Hmm, thats really scary, especially since im going into that field of profession

[BoomerCPO]

FYI for everyone here.....With complete sadness.....Boomer

 

 

This morning at approximately 8:40 AM PST, four Lakewood Police Department

officers were murdered as they met at a coffee shop prior to starting their

shift. The Lakewood Police Department has been a major supporter of the PGR in

Western Washington, going far beyond the call of duty in helping with funeral

escorts and other PGR services. The WA PGR leadership has developed a close

relationship with the Lakewood PD, and today's events come as a shock. Some of

the Lakewood PD officers are PGR members themselves.

 

At this point, the names of the officers who were killed in the line of duty

have not been released. Information will be made available as it comes in.

Developments on this story can be tracked at:

 

http://www.komonews.com/

 

http://www.king5.com/

 

We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those impacted in this

tragic situation and our heart and prayers go with all members of the Lakewood

Police Department and surrounding LEO communities.

 

A message received from a representative of the Lakewood PD is as follows:

 

 

"This morning a complete coward and threat upon all of society took the lives of

four of my Guild members and your sworn protectors in a cold blooded

assassination. As I write this I am numb. We were dealt a nasty blow, good men

and women I have had the honor of knowing for years are senselessly gone. There

is no way to comprehend it, to validate it, or to make sense of any of it. You

cannot understand evil like this, as a community we must form a solid bond

against criminals and hold them accountable. I know my members and can say with

certainty that as a group we will remain professional and will continue to work

to protect those of you we have taken an oath to protect. If you know a cop tell

them how much you appreciate them, it truly keeps us going.

 

Please pray for these officers and their families. All of them had significant

others and children who are left behind. As a Guild we will do anything we can.

If you want to donate to the families our Guild has a benevolent account. Every

penny will go to the families; if you want to donate to a specific officer you

can write his or her name in the memo section. If the check is made out to LPIG

Benevolent Fund at PO Box 99579 Lakewood, WA 98499. I will personally make sure

it goes where it is intended. May God bless you four who are in a place so much

better than this; you are some of the finest professionals I have ever known.

God bless our community today.

 

Brian D. Wurts, President

Lakewood Police Independent Guild"

[jsooter]

Our Thoughts and Prayers go out to the families and co-workers.

[pakidaho]

Our prayers go out for all those who put their lives on the line. This is such a heart breaking tragedy. So much anguish caused in such a short moment by someone who must be devoid of humanity and compassion.

[Aussie Annie]

Prayers sent up for these brave police officers, their families, and their co workers.

[mini-muffin]

Looks like there is a suspect the cops are looking for in this horrible crime.

Here's the link to the story I saw on yahoo. Seems there may have been more to this then was first reported, looks like one of the officers actually fought the guy. Oh and they have released the names of the officers as well. Such a shame and loss for no reason.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091130/ap_on_re_us/us_officers_shot

 

Margaret

[az1103]

Looks like there is a suspect the cops are looking for in this horrible crime.

Here's the link to the story I saw on yahoo. Seems there may have been more to this then was first reported, looks like one of the officers actually fought the guy. Oh and they have released the names of the officers as well. Such a shame and loss for no reason.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091130/ap_on_re_us/us_officers_shot

 

Margaret

But there is a reason ..... It appears this guy was serving a life sentence when he got "early release"....Why? The judge who turned him loose is the one who should be tried for 4 murders and serve the rest of his life !!!

[pakidaho]

Because of so many "cut backs" there are hundreds if not thousands of folks just like that guy out on the streets. Mentally Disturbed people in and out of the system like revolving doors with no where else to go. Many should be on medications yet when they have little to no supervision they do not take medications. I feel terrible for police and Judges who are in a position where their hands are tied. This particular guy though should have never gotten to see day light, yet he did!

Seems our system has chosen to spend dollars to save dimes. What saves fifty bucks today costs thousands and lives down the line. I am personally no expert and perhaps should keep my mouth shut, however my fear is that things like this are just a beginning. We want to lay blame, yet who truly is to blame? Money?

[LilBeaver]

Looks like they have subdued the suspect.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,578292,00.html

 

Text of article:

 

" Seattle police shot and killed the fugitive who gunned down four officers in a suburban coffee shop, a sheriff's spokesman said Tuesday.

Maurice Clemmons was shot to death after a "very alert patrol officer" investigating reports of a stolen car recognized him, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told Fox News.

Clemmons, 37, murdered the four Lakewood police officers at a cafe Sunday morning in Parkland, a Tacoma suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle.

He was killed by a lone police officer in a working-class neighborhood after he was found with the help of information about possible hiding spots, Troyer said.

"Shots were fired," Troyer told "Fox & Friends" Tuesday. "We're very happy that the Seattle police officer is OK. ... This could have turned out a lot worse."

Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42, were the victims of Sunday's shooting spree.

Troyer told Fox police arrested three people overnight on suspicion of rendering criminal assistance. The suspected getaway driver also was caught early Tuesday morning, about 6:30 a.m., he said at a briefing.

SLIDESHOW: Deadly Lakewood Police Shooting

More arrests are coming, Troyer vowed.

"We're also looking at family members who aided and abetted in his escape," he told reporters. "They did everything they could to hamper our investigation. We expect to have six to seven people in custody by day's end."

Bios of the Slain Washington Officers

A gun belonging to one of the fallen Lakewood officers was found with Clemmons after he was recognized with the stolen vehicle about 2:45 a.m. and then killed, Troyer said. He was reaching for it when he was shot Tuesday.

"We know our suspect. He's not afraid to shoot cops," Troyer said at the news conference.

The officer saw Clemmons and ordered him to show his hands and stop, according to Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel.

"He wouldn't stop," Pugel said. "The officer fired several rounds."

Police had surrounded a house in Seattle late Sunday following a tip Clemmons had been dropped off there. After an all-night siege, a special weapons and tactics police team entered the home Monday morning and found it empty. But police said Clemmons had been there.

Police said they aren't sure what prompted Clemmons to kill the officers as they did paperwork on their laptops.

Clemmons was described as increasingly erratic in the past few months and had been arrested earlier this year on charges that he punched a sheriff's deputy in the face.

More from Q13Fox.com.

"There is no answer, other than that he was angry about being incarcerated," Troyer said. "There's never going to be an answer that makes any sense."

Authorities don't believe Clemmons knew any of the officers he gunned down, but was just targeting police in general.

"Whoever was in there was going to suffer the wrath of what happened," Troyer told reporters.

Clemmons indicated the night before the shooting "that he was going to shoot police and watch the news," Troyer told the Tacoma News-Tribune.

Clemmons' death capped one of the largest manhunts in the region's history.

Clemmons had stayed on the run for nearly two days with help from a network of friends and family who gave him places to stay, medical aid, rides and money, police said. Troyer said authorities believe they were planning to sneak him out of the state.

On Monday, officers detained a sister of Clemmons who they think treated his gunshot wound. Her name wasn't released.

"We believe she drove him up to Seattle and bandaged him up," Troyer said.

Police think people close to Clemmons deliberately misled officers. Troyer said anyone who helped him could face charges.

"We don't think anybody helped him plan this murder," he said. "But he's been bailed out of jail ... This family has enabled him. Even after this happened, after he killed all four officers, they continued to save him. ... They're going to pay for it."

Authorities said the gunman singled out the Lakewood officers and spared employees and other customers at the coffee shop. He then fled, but not before he was shot in the torso by one of the dying officers.

Troyer confirmed that Clemmons did have an untreated gunshot wound when he was killed Tuesday.

Police frantically chased leads on Monday, searching multiple spots in the Seattle and Tacoma area and at one point cordoning off a park where people thought they saw Clemmons.

Authorities found a handgun carried by the killer, along with a pickup truck belonging to the suspect with blood stains inside.

They posted a $125,000 reward for information leading to Clemmons' arrest and alerted hospitals to be on the lookout for a man seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.

"We need to get him into custody and we need to end this," Troyer said Monday night.

Authorities in two states were criticized amid revelations that Clemmons was allowed to walk the streets despite a teenage crime spree in Arkansas that landed him an 108-year prison sentence. He was released early after then-Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence.

Huckabee cited Clemmons' youth in granting the request. But Clemmons quickly reverted to his criminal past, violated his parole and was returned to prison. He was released again in 2004.

"This guy should have never been on the street," said Brian D. Wurts, president of the police union in Lakewood. "Our elected officials need to find out why these people are out."

Huckabee said on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" Monday night that Clemmons was allowed back on the street for a second time in 2004 because prosecutors failed to file paperwork in time, but acknowledged his role in commuting Clemmons’ sentence, making him immediately eligible for parole in 2000.

“I’m responsible for that,” Huckabee said of the commutation, which cut Clemmons’ sentence to 47 years. “And it’s not something I’m happy about at this particular moment.”

Huckabee reviewed roughly 1,200 such cases each year during his tenure as governor, 92 percent of which were denied, he said.

“My heart is broken for four families tonight,” Huckabee said.

Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley, whose office opposed Clemmons' parole in 2000 and 2004, said Huckabee's criticisms of the district attorney's handling of the case were "red herrings."

"My word to Mr. Huckabee is man up and own what you did," Jegley said.

Troyer said authorities were "disappointed" by the former governor's remarks.

"What we take issue with is him blaming us for something we had no control over," he told reporters.

Clemmons was charged in Washington state earlier this year with assaulting a police officer and raping a child, and investigators in the sex case said he was motivated by visions that he was Jesus Christ and that the world was on the verge of the apocalypse.

But he was released from jail after posting bail with the assistance of Jail Sucks Bail Bonds.

Documents related to those charges indicate a volatile personality. In one instance, he is accused of gathering his wife and young relatives and forcing them to undress.

"The whole time Clemmons kept saying things like trust him, the world is going to end soon, and that he was Jesus," a Pierce County sheriff's report said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report."

[BoomerCPO]

"We don't think anybody helped him plan this murder," he said. "But he's been bailed out of jail ... This family has enabled him. Even after this happened, after he killed all four officers, they continued to save him. ... They're going to pay for it."

 

Praying for swift severe justice!

 

Boomer.....who has the tree and the rope for use free.