Ill Informed Media Strikes Again......

[JH225]

This is a local story and once again our utterly useless media talks out their collective misinformed and/or uncaring a$$es...............

Medical examiner: Catts shot himself in the head; gun did not have safety device
Investigation continues into standoff events

Poughkeepsie Journal • May 28, 2009


A day after a standoff with police, the Dutchess County medical examiner said the suspect died after shooting the gun in his mouth. Meanwhile, the Journal learned the gun did not have a safety device.
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Ken-Tweal Catts, 30, a convicted sex offender living in Hyde Park, was brought in for questioning about a rape when he attacked Detectives Matthew Burhans and Kurt Twadell. He grabbed a detective's gun, shot Burhans and barricaded himself in the sheriff's office for three hours before killing himself, according to the sheriff’s office.

The release of Twadell's name was one key development Thursday. Another was Dutchess County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kari Reiber's announcement that Catts killed himself by putting the detective's gun he had grabbed in his mouth and firing a single shot, causing injuries to the medulla and upper part of the spine.

The gun did not have a safety, the sheriff's office said.

Reiber said she recovered a bullet she was told was a .40-caliber.

The full autopsy will be completed later today or early Friday and the body will then be released to the family, she said.

The other bullet grazed the right rear of Burhans' head. He was treated at St. Francis Hospital and released, said Undersheriff Kirk Imperati.

Imperati said Burhans and Twadell were debriefed today, and counseling was made available to sheriff's department staff members.

The sheriff's office also announced Detective Lt. Bruce Coneeny and Detective Sgt. Jason Mark of the sheriff’s office are overseeing the investigation. "We're taking statements from everyone involved," said Imperati.

The detectives were in plainclothes and carrying either model 22 or 23 .40 caliber Glock semi-automatic handguns. The guns were in side holsters attached to their belts with a snap across the top, he said.

Imperati could not say whose gun Catts obtained.

The incident occurred while the detectives were preparing to take Catts to court for arraignment. He had been notified that charges of first-degree rape, a class B felony, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment, a class A misdemeanor, would be brought against him, he said

 

[Phatty]

Sure is a shame that the gun did not have a safety. It could have avoided this tragedy. When will the police ever learn? If I was Catt's family, I would file a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department and the gun manufacturer.

 

[Badger Arms]

IIRC, there is not a single production firearm made or imported into the USA that does not have a Safety. Now, if it's a Glock, it has three safeties. There are anywhere from 1 to 5 safeties on all .40's made today. They're probably talking about a glock. All safeties deactivate through pulling the trigger. Basically two safeties, though they say it's got three, the third is actually a safety FEATURE where the sear won't move out of the way of the striker until it's pulled back some.

 

[tjj]

A full autopsy needed??

Obviously, he ate a bullet and died of lead poisoning.

 

[Oro]

A full autopsy needed??

Probably required by law when anyone dies by a)suicide b)violence at the hands of others (homicide) c)in police custody, or d)other suspicious circumsances.

So this meets two of the four possible reasons to do an autopsy, regardless of the obvious. Just procedure. Plus, a blood panel for drugs would be in order. The odd thing to me in the story is that he hit the Medulla and upper spinal tract, and not the cerebellum. He'd have had to have the gun aimed slightly downward in his mouth at the time, not the most efficient way to guarantee a quick death. But he was clearly distraught, and also holding the gun backwards, so I think I am not going to pick on that very much.

 

[Tinpig]

once again our utterly useless media talks out their collective misinformed and/or uncaring a$$es

Yup, the newspaper was misinformed.
And where did the reporter get his misinformation about the gun?

The gun did not have a safety, the sheriff's office said.

Tinpig

 

[ants]

Do traditional revolvers have safeties?





Some revolvers have locks, but I don't believe that falls in the category of 'safety' within the context of that article.

 

[longdayjake]

Im guessing it is a misquote. I am betting that what really happened was that the gun was in a 0 retention point holster. Cops should know better but too often detectives think that because its under their coat that no one will try and get it.

 

[2RCO]

Ken-Tweal Catts, 30, a convicted sex offender living in Hyde Park, was brought in for questioning about a rape when he attacked Detectives Matthew Burhans and Kurt Twadell. He grabbed a detective's gun, shot Burhans and barricaded himself in the sheriff's office for three hours before killing himself, according to the sheriff’s office.

All I can say was if this was the gun's "fault"--Good Gun, I am very proud of that Glock, I may go out and buy a 22 and a 23 since they seem to not like Sex Offenders attacking their owners, --Any gun that randomly eliminates a repeat sex offender after he attacks a cop sounds like a firearm possessed by a Good Spirit!

I also wonder if this was an "accident"??? I would call this a suicide and really don't see a need for an autopsy here.

 

[chuckusaret]

The local rag here in West Palm Beach always makes some stupid statement like that in the articles that involve guns. The paper is anti gun and anti republican. After taking the paper for 30 years I could no longer put up with there biased Obama support and anti Bush articles. I cancelled my subscription.

 

[murph50]

Yea--you can tell that reporter is a gunnie-- Not only is the safety comment dumb but it defies logic. All guns have safeties. Putting a loaded one in your piehole and pulling the trigger is not one of them.
I agree with 2RCO
That's one bad dude we taxpayers won't have to keep in prison

 

[sm]

Safety is between the ears, not on some physical object.


This applies to equipment used by Main Stream Media, as they are responsible for the reporting they do, not the equipment.

Can you imagine a bubble-headed-bleach-blond trying to get the safety off a teleprompter to give the news?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KQCqBDCbIA

 

[WardenWolf]

I'm of the honest opinion that the Glock's trigger-only safety system should not legally be considered a safety device. It seems to defeat the whole point, particularly since something that snags the trigger can set it off, bypassing the whole system.

 

[SuperMagnum]

Do traditional revolvers have safeties?

No, most do not, except for the newer Smiths/Taurus with the lock...but that isn't really a "safety" either.

On a "traditional" revolver the only safety is the fact that you have to cock it first, or a heavy DA trigger pull.

...although I doubt this case has anything to do with a revolver...

 

[JH225]

Problem is that the scumbags "peeps" have now been given fodder by the press and/or S.O. to file some bogus lawsuit. I also have a hard time believing that any local cop made that quote. That newspaper or more appropriately "rag" is well known for making half assed comments and getting stories screwed up all the time.

 

[John Wayne]

One less sex offender?

Sounds like the gun was the safety device in this case.

 

[209]

According to the report, "The gun did not have a safety, the sheriff's office said." So I guess a spokesman for the sheriff's department said it. :banghead:

If I ever issued a statement saying the guns we carry don't have safeties, I'd be crucified.

I assume (and hope) the spokesman was misquoted.

 

[MarineOne]

I guess the new flavor of Listerine works really well




Kris

 

[searcher451]

The responsible thing to do in this case: 1) Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper, stating the facts, simply and clearly and without emotion. 2) Send a copy of the letter to the chief of police. 3) Send a copy of the letter to the informational officer of the police force.

In fact, that's the responsible thing to do in most every case where we see media folks providing unreliable information from unreliable sources. We need to take the time to correct it, time and again. We need to be unrelenting in our insistence that the facts about guns be reported fairly and accurately every time out. If we all took the time to do this, the members of the media might start putting gun experts on their source lists instead of just reporting by rote.

 

[BhmBill]

I guess if the gun had had a safety when he shot himself, he'd be alot less dead.

 

[answerguy]

I'm wondering if what the newspaper was trying to get at was the type of gun that can be only fired by it's owner. The type with the ring that allows the gun to be shot.

 

[JColdIron]

Maybe they need to put safety devices on the muzzle of the gun so it will not fit into a mouth. You know like a pacifier

 

[Kim]

LOL!!!!!!!

 

[HeavenlySword]

well, one rapist down

 

[moooose102]

you know, i dont know that they are so ill informed, just biasing the story so guns look bad. everything they write about only shows the bad side of guns. just once i would like to see NBC, CBS, or FOX report during prime time that someones life was saved that day because they were carrying a ccw legaly. but i certainly will not hold my breat on that!