This isn't good... Library Police shoot at car - Anderson, SC

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http://www.wyff4.com/news/10703424/detail.html

Anderson Library Guard Fires Gun At Car

POSTED: 8:49 am EST January 9, 2007

ANDERSON, S.C. -- Police said a security guard at the Anderson County Library fired his gun at a car after the driver triggered a security alarm.

Police said security guard James Turner asked the woman to stop after the alarm went off as she left the library at around 5 p.m. Saturday.

According to a police report, Turner chased the woman as she ran to her car and he said the bumper brushed his knee as she pulled away.

Police said the guard then pulled his gun and fired into the driver's door. Authorities say the woman kept going and they don't know if she was hurt.

Library director Carl Stone said he's asked Cherokee Security Systems not to send Turner back to the library.

Stone said no one should be hurt over a missing library book.
 
Charge him with attempted manslaughter. Period.

And there's no "police" involved, just a donut rent-a-cop mall ninja. Who MISUSED LETHAL FORCE.
 
http://andersonindependent.com/news/2007/jan/08/real-life-mystery-unfolds-library/

Real-life mystery unfolds at library
By Charmaine Smith-Miles (Contact)
Monday, January 8, 2007

A library security guard shot at an unidentified woman Saturday as she fled the Anderson County Library.

It was not known if the woman was hurt, but a police report said she left the library parking lot in spite of the gunfire. The incident occurred on North McDuffie Street in Anderson at about 5 p.m.

It is still unknown why the woman ran from the guard, James Turner, after he called to her to stop.

“I have been in this business 40 years and I have never had this happen before,” Anderson County Library Director Carl Stone said. “Honestly, it is a mystery to me why any of this happened.”

An Anderson Police Department report stated the woman was leaving the library when — for some unknown reason — she set off the alarm at the exit. The alarm is placed at the doors to prevent patrons from walking out with books that haven’t been checked out. The woman did not check out a book, according to Mr. Stone.

When the alarm sounded, Mr. Turner, with Cherokee Security Systems, told police he asked the woman to stop. But she continued to the parking lot and broke into a run, he told police. The woman got into her vehicle, locked the door and put it in drive, he told them, “brushing” his knee with the bumper as she left the parking lot, according to the incident report.

The guard told police he fired his gun in her driver’s side door, “shattering” the door, according to the incident report.

Mr. Stone said the library pays Cherokee Security Systems to provide a guard for the library during operating hours, mainly as a presence. Usually, guards help retrieve lost items, or just help keep things quiet.

Mr. Turner, 50 of Anderson, had worked as a guard at the library several years ago. He recently returned just before Christmas to guard the facility again, Mr. Stone said. Mr. Stone said he has now asked Cherokee Security Systems not to send Mr. Turner to guard the library any more.

Anderson Police officers investigated the incident. It was still not known Monday night if the woman was injured.

As for Mr. Stone, he said he just wishes the whole incident had not happened in the first place.

“If we catch you taking a book, then we just ask for the book back and that’s it,” Mr. Stone said. “If we lose a book, then we lose a book. We don’t want anyone to be hurt.”
 
“Honestly, it is a mystery to me why any of this happened.”
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Well, I bet she won't be stealing too many books in the future... or will at least rethink her approach.
Makes ya wonder what they might do to "late fee" scaliwags.
The guard told police he fired his gun in her driver’s side door, “shattering” the door
Click to expand...
Whatever he was shooting, I think I want one...
 
Why not just get the license number and prosecute through proper channels? What is it, a misdemeanor, right?

My university had it's own security guys and allowed them to go armed. Then one night one of the guards heard something in the bushes and drew his weapon. It was a local kid playing.

The university disarmed them after that. Reasoned they were mostly too stupid to carry firearms.
 
I have been in this business 40 years and I have never had this happen before,” Anderson County Library Director Carl Stone said.
Click to expand...

WTH! I have been going to libraries for over 60 years and I don't know that I have ever even seen a "Library Guard" let alone an armed one. (Maybe I just haven't been looking.:what: )

Honestly, it is a mystery to me why any of this happened
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Maybe it's because you had a Barney Fife "guarding" your library.:banghead:
 
Charge the guard with 4 counts

"Turner 1) chased the woman as she ran to her car and he said the 2) bumper brushed his knee as she pulled away."

"The guard told police he 3) fired his gun in her driver’s side door, 4) 'shattering' the door..." so I say the following:

Charge the guard for the following:

1) stalking a library patron
2) wreckless endangerment of a mental incompetent
3) felonious assault with a firearm attempting to commit great bodily harm less than death
4) littering

Doc2005
 
Since the PATRIOT Act makes clear the necessity for library records to be accessible to law enforcement, it follows logically that attempting to evade the checkout procedure is a terrorist act. Anyone engaged in terrorism is the enemy and must be stopped, and we have to assume that only multiple head shots, delivered without a moment's hesitation, can prevent them from detonating a weapon of mass destruction.

We cannot allow the enemies of freedom to use our freedoms against us. The fact that this woman is still at large only emphasizes the need for stronger anti-terror legislation.
 
The guard is going to say that the woman tried to run him over. This doesn't appear to be the case. But, if it had been the case, the guard would have been justified.

devil's advocate hat on:

The guard is there to help prevent book/material thefts from the library. If someone sets off the detector, he should attempt to at least talk to the person. In my library experience, if someone sets off the detector, they generally look back at the librarian, who then waves them on. The guard goes to talk to this lady, asking her to stop for a second. She bolts. The guard is just doing is job trying to catch up with her so he can ask her a couple of questions. It IS his job to try and prevent this stuff, remember? The woman gets to her car and locks the doors. The guard tells her to step out, he wants to talk to her. She throws the car into reverse and hits the guard with her car. The guard thinks she's trying to run him over. Running someone over is lethal force. He responds with lethal force.

devil's advocate hat off.
 
It would make sense except...

for the fact that a reasonable and prudent person would have anticipated these contingencies under the guise of being proactive. That stated, one would have to assume the possibility to be struck if chasing a car (happens to dogs all the time). If this is a possibility, a reasonable person would ask, do I risk my life and her life to get that book? Good thing I won't sit on this jury when/if charges are filed! A parting thought...it won't be "library cops" sitting on the jury. It will be patrons.

Doc2005
 
I once went to two libraries on the same day: a little public library to pick up an interlibrary loan book, and then to the college library to return some books. I walked in, dropped the books in the return bin and walked straight back out, and the dang alarm went off. Turns out the interlibrary loan book set off the alarm, as the little public library had no alarm system.

I wonder if the woman had something in her bag other than a book from the library that set off the alarm. I also wonder if she had something else in her bag or on her person that she did not want to be discovered ;)

The guard is an idiot :rolleyes:
 
It's about time

It's about time someone decided to get tough on library crime.

I wish Officer Turner would come by and taser these punks hanging out on the computers at MySpaceDOTcom.

Then he could serve some no knock search warrants on over due books. (Who supplies the flash-bangs and the book sniffing dogs?)

Why should the Library of Congess be the only place with its own tactical team?

Yessir. Libraries are the store house of civilization. Freedom and rights have no place here.
 
What if...

What if...SHe really WAS a terrorist who was stealing VIDEOs of Discovery documentaries of national landmarks. I'm sure lethal force is perfectly sound there. :rolleyes:
 
Library Guy? This has to "hit home"!

Library Guy? This has to "hit home"!

Doc2005
 
I'm in big trouble! My wife has a book that is SIX WEEKS OVERDUE! Maybe I can sneak to the library at midnight and deposit it in the book drive thru.

Kidding aside, this is getting out of hand. There should be a major investigation into this. Will be interesting to see where it leads.
 
jcoiii said:
devil's advocate hat on:

The guard is there to help prevent book/material thefts from the library. If someone sets off the detector, he should attempt to at least talk to the person. In my library experience, if someone sets off the detector, they generally look back at the librarian, who then waves them on. The guard goes to talk to this lady, asking her to stop for a second. She bolts. The guard is just doing is job trying to catch up with her so he can ask her a couple of questions. It IS his job to try and prevent this stuff, remember? The woman gets to her car and locks the doors. The guard tells her to step out, he wants to talk to her. She throws the car into reverse and hits the guard with her car. The guard thinks she's trying to run him over. Running someone over is lethal force. He responds with lethal force.

devil's advocate hat off.
Click to expand...

I have to say that this scenario does have some merit. The guard was trying to do his job and was suddenly put into a potentially life-threatening situation. The woman clearly showed no concern for his safety, and he had no way of knowing if she would try to hit him again, her actions already were highly suspicious before this. A car is a deadly weapon, and he reacted to the deadly threat. Since they know she didn't check any books out it shouldn't be painted as if the guard was using deadly force to stop her from stealing a book, he was using deadly force to protect HIMSELF. My guess is she was in possession of something(s) that she didn't want to be caught with and panicked. Unfortunately since the incident happened to occur when she was leaving a library he will probably get thrown under the bus; if the same events had happened at a bank or courthouse the media coverage would be somewhat different.

Was the guard overzealous, or just taking his job seriously regardless of the type of location he was guarding? I'd like to think it was the latter.

Just my .02
 
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He put himself in the position of having his knee "brushed by her bumper" - it doesn't sound like she deliberately tried to flatten him. Bad shoot, IMO.
 
It's amazing how badly the opinion of the media is in one thread, and then a news story is taken as 100% accurate in another thread.

I don't know if the guard should have shot or not, but I'm not going to make up my mind by a few paragraphs of the story. If I was going to take either side, I guess I'd take the side of the guard, who while doing his job gets struck by a car. (assuming it happened that way)

I wonder why everyone is taking the woman's side. My first reaction has never been to "run". I might ignore the bells, or I might return to the desk, or just stand there, but I won't run. If a guard can't ask her questions, and can't try to get "stolen" mechadise back, than why have guards? Following her to her car seems reasonable to me. Did he jump in front of her car, or stand in front, or was he out of the way and she deliberately or negligently hit him?

If a guard can't ask a patron to stop for questions, or follow the patron into the parking lot, and we don't want to just allow books to be stolen (someone did pay for those them after all) then I guess the only way would be to bar the doors and only allow people out who pass the scanners. Of course then we'd be discussing how unjust and oppressive the library was being.
 
He put himself in position to have his knee "brushed by her bumper" - it doesn't sound like she deliberately tried to flatten him.
Click to expand...


What part of the story says that? Just because he followed her to the car?
 
Seems to me that if the guard shot into the side of her door, he was not in position to be hit by the car a second (?) time. I've never seen a car move sideways.
I hope he goes to jail.

Biker
 
It is surprising that no one has asked why the heck a library would need an armed guard in the first place? A regular unarmed rent-a-cop should suffice.

That said and based purely on the scenario as presented by the media the guard is an idiot; a typical rent-a-cop, mall ninja, Barney Fife type with visions of capturing the evil doer and heroicly saving the day. He deserves to be prosecuted, found guilty, loose his RKBA and spend about a year in the joint.
 
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