Suicidal Man Takes Officer's Pistol

[coylh]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002258340_shooting30m.html

[TMM]

if we banned guns from police officers none of that would have happened!

...

wait a minute.. :scrutiny:

hmm- couldn't he have just whacked the guy over the head with the baton i assume he was carrying? or maybe he was too caught up with the struggle. oh well, things happen. atleast the LEO didn't get shot.

~TMM

[Jeff White]

Man fatally shot by Seattle police
By Sara Jean Green
Seattle Times staff reporter

A man who apparently made comments about killing himself grabbed a Seattle police officer's service pistol from the officer's holster early yesterday and was fatally shot in a struggle over the gun, said Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office yesterday identified the man as Dennie Trujillo, 35, who died at Harborview Medical Center from gunshot wounds, an investigator said.

"We believe, but it has not been confirmed, that he'd been treated for suicide threats fairly recently," Kerlikowske said of Trujillo.

Just before 2:30 a.m., Trujillo side-swiped a parked car, pushing it into another vehicle at North 86th Street and Fremont Avenue North, the chief said. There were no injuries and damage was minimal, he said. Trujillo abandoned his car at the scene and called a friend to pick him up.

The friend, a woman, arrived and found Trujillo in a "highly emotional, highly agitated" state, Kerlikowske said. She began driving with him to West Seattle, but at some point, pulled the car over, telling Trujillo she had to use the restroom. She then called 911. When the woman got back to the car, Trujillo had left and was walking toward the First Avenue South bridge, the chief said.

Around 3:30 a.m., Trujillo jumped from the bridge railing, then scrambled back onto the bridge and jumped again, at which time police arrived, the chief said.

As officers were looking for Trujillo under the bridge, another woman, who identified herself to dispatchers as Trujillo's mother, said her son had just phoned her to say he was going to commit suicide, Kerlikowske said. Around the same time, the female friend told officers Trujillo had said something about wanting to be shot by police, the chief said. Medics were called and were standing by, he said.

A police dog and its handler were able to pinpoint Trujillo's hiding spot in some bushes and two other officers, one of them trained in crisis intervention, tried to talk to him. Trujillo was "down on his knees in the underbrush," and one of the officers managed to cuff one of Trujillo's wrists, the chief said. At that point, Trujillo apparently reached for the other officer's gun. That officer "slaps his hand away and the fight was on," Kerlikowske said.

Almost immediately, the first officer who had tried handcuffing Trujillo realized his gun was missing.

"He never even felt it come out of his holster," the chief said. That officer, who's been with the force for five years, began to struggle with Trujillo over the weapon.

The gun, a .40-caliber Glock 22 pistol, discharged "and we don't know who pulled the trigger," Kerlikowske said. Though Trujillo still had his hands on the gun, the officer was able to get enough control of the weapon to fire it at Trujillo, he said.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com


Almost immediately, the first officer who had tried handcuffing Trujillo realized his gun was missing.

"He never even felt it come out of his holster," the chief said. That officer, who's been with the force for five years, began to struggle with Trujillo over the weapon.

I wonder what kind of holster he had? Too many officers get a level II or III retention holster and then forget to take other precautions. You can't forget basic weapons retention at any time.

The vast majority of members here will never have to handcuff a suspect. But, everytime we talk about going hand to hand with an attacker, we need to consider weapons retention. How many here carry their CCW in an open holster with no retention devices, even a thumbreak? I admit that I carry my off duty weapon in an open top kydex holster.

Something to think about everytime you contemplate going hands on

Jeff


admin note: always try to post the article along with the link. Links on news sites often go dead after awhile then people reading the thread in the archives or on a search don't always have an idea about what we're talking about.

[Russ]

Before I get flamed, I have gigantic doubts that the article tells the whole story. However, I have the following commentary. Take it for what is worth:

Seriously, if someone can disarm you and you don't have a clue they did it, you don't need to carry a gun or a stick or a cell phone or a pencil for that matter. Unfortuneatly, I believe this is true of some persons in the LEO profession. I know this is a difficult and dangerous job but those with no sense don't need to be doing it. I have run accross more than one in my life.

For example, I know a LEO that has what he called a "personal weapon" (a loaded SW .357 revolver) and he used to leave in laying about in the house. At the time he had a 6 year old boy. I think this was really completely and utterly lame, (inexcusable), and I told him so in no uncertain terms. He realized he had been negligent and correted the problem. At the time, he didn't know where his revolver was half of the time. He never cleaned it and it needed some slight mechanical work. However, it still fired every time one would pull that nice light S&W trigger.

He was not a firearms enthusiast but that is beside the point. He saw carrying as a necessary part of his job and that was that. He gave little thought to it when off the job. When my kids were little we put up stuff that would normally be under the sink like Drano, so God forbid, my kids wouldn't get into it and a swig. I would never let my kids get their hands on my guns until they were old enough to have a clue. My wife and I taught them from an early age what they were and to stay away from them until we told them it was OK and had taught them how to use them. I guess they got the message becuase they are men now and have great respect for the machinery and what and awesome responsibilty is it to own and carry a gun.

I adamantly oppose mandatory gun locks or safes having lived most of my life in a fruticake commumist state (California). However, if all you have between your ears is air, you don't need to carry. Some LEO's in much of the country are paid so little that I don't know how the derpatments can attract anyone with am IQ large enough to even have a clue. That is a sad commentary in and of itself.

I can't judge this case because the news is so often wrong. Every time I hear this I think back to the basic rules of the respect that should be afforded to firearms. My father drilled it into me. I have drilled into my children. Too bad some don't know how to do this. When an accident happens it just adds more fuel to our gun grabbing opponents arguments. My rule is, no brains no guns.

In this case, it sound like this soul was bent on suicide. I am sorry for the officers who had to make the decision to end his life. That will likely haunt them forever.