Video of Perry (GA) Shoot-out Watch raw police footage.

[TheFederalistWeasel]

Follow this link http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local_headlines.aspx?storyid=12897

Then click on the, "Click here to view the raw police footage".

Long video, about 40 minutes, same chace and shooting from several different in car cameras.

Burke Releases Video of Perry Shoot-out
Watch raw police footage.
Web Editor: Raymond Ruda
Originally Created: 4/6/2005 6:51:29 PM
Updated On: 4/7/2005 11:16:22 AM


Houston County District Attorney Kelly Burke says law enforcement officers were justified in the shooting death of Kevin Todd Screws on January 27th, 2005.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Burke revealed his decision to the media and showed the police car video tape of the high-speed chase that ended in a shootout in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Perry.

Burke explained that the Grand Jury viewed the same tape on Tuesday, and they asked questions of the law enforcement officers involved in the shooting for about an hour. Officers involved in the actual shooting were from the Georgia State Patrol and the Houston County Sheriffs Department.

The D.A. says the Grand Jury viewed the tape not as a possible indictment but simply as an outside source to suggest how the D.A. should proceed.

The Grand Jury decided it was a justified shooting. Kelly Burke agreed.

The videotape shows the approximately 12 minute chase up and down I-75 and Hwy 96. The tape shows the shootout in Woodlawn Cemetery, too.

According to Burke, the shootout lasted one minute and 10 seconds.

He says law enforcement officers believed Screws had a gun because of actions he took, not only on the road simulating his hand like a gun, but also getting out of the SUV and proping his hands over the top of the vehicle like he had a weapon.

The D.A. says there was evidence of 62 shots being fired by law enforcement.

After it was over, they discovered Kevin Screws did not have a gun. Kelly Burke says officers found Screws slumped over in the front seat with a black TV remote in his hands.

He says one single bullet actually hit Screws which was instantly fatal. He says Screws was sprayed with "buckshot" as well.

The fatal shot was fired by Houston County Deputy Donald Blackman from an AR-15 rifle which hit Screws in the head.

As far as Burke is concerned, the case is closed.

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

Here are the facts that are not disputed surrounding this case.

The traffic stop was initiated because the tag on the SUV came back stolen.

The driver then led several agencies including mine on a 12-minute chase.

During the chase several officers from multiple agencies said when they got close to the SUV the driver held his hand up “As if he had a gunâ€.

When the chase ended the driver holding an object in his hand pointed it at an officer.

After the shooting the item he pointed at officers was found to have been a TV remote control.

The vehicle was stolen, it contained several TV’s stolen from motels, both the driver and female passenger was wanted throughout South GA and North FL on various charges.

The female passenger was not injured during the shooting.

 

[runswithscissors]

Woot Woot

Nice to see those cops kicking some ass. Its great that the police were able to end the situation without the passenger being injured. I could care less about the driver. Stupid get what stupid people deserve. Had he stopped and surrendered, he would only be looking at some felony charges, not a 6' party underground.

 

[OF]

Hard to call it a 'shoot out', though, when only the cops were shooting... More like 'target practice', really.

- Gabe

 

[30 cal slob]

Dang, all that and the passenger wasn't hit?

 

[cidirkona]

Interesting shot grouping... completely miss the passenger, get one right in the BG's head, but I definetly saw shots missing and hitting the dirt 30 feet away...? Ricochets?

-Colin

 

[Lil38]

No time to check link or see 40 minute video (maybe I can get to it later)- just curious where the passenger was at the time. Did she duck? run? what?

 

[P95Carry]

Whether he had a gun or not - sad to say - lead cops on a lunatic chase of that magnitude and you sure ain't gonna get a polite handshake!!

Every minute he prolongued it was just adding to the strong possibility that the outcome was not going to be pretty - simply because someone that crazy and seemingly determined (tho quite why anyone thinks they can ''win'' a pursuit still amazes me) is sending out some very bad signals.

Totally amazing the passenger was not hit - that is incredible. I am afraid tho this idiot brought it on himself.

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

Update and photos of the SUV

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/top_stories.aspx?storyid=12937

 

[Standing Wolf]

...officers found Screws slumped over in the front seat with a black TV remote in his hands.

Was his first name "Loose"?

 

[Deavis]

Did anyone notice that the camera appears to indicate when the officer is braking? I would guess that the L indicates lights. Very VERY smart idea... I've never noticed that before in footage.

 

[Taipei Personality]

The D.A. says there was evidence of 62 shots being fired by law enforcement.

He says one single bullet actually hit Screws which was instantly fatal. He says Screws was sprayed with "buckshot" as well.

Am I reading this correctly? They fired 62 times and hit him once?

 

[beerslurpy]

I thought reckless driving didnt bring the death penalty?

All I saw was the guy speeding away from cops and then pulling over and getting lit up. You would think that a few dozen cops would at least wait to see a gun before opening fire. They could have even waited for a gunshot or two and still not been in any danger. You arent going to kill someone at 30+ yards behind cover with a pistol (I'm assuming thats what they thought he had).

It sucks that the grand jury sided with the cops.

 

[30 cal slob]

Can anyone comment on the puffs of smoke that seemed to be coming FROM the suspect's SUV? Do bullets make that much smoke when they hit metal or plastic?

 

[Henry Bowman]

You arent going to kill someone at 30+ yards behind cover with a pistol (I'm assuming thats what they thought he had).

Allow me to be the first to say: "Will you let me shoot at you with a pistol from 30 yards? Even if I'm only "point shooting? Even if I'm blindfolded and only know generally where you are?" I didn't think so.

During the chase, he appearantly stuck his hand out the window as if he had a gun. The film was not clear, but early in the first segment, the cops say out load, "He's got a gun," after something protruded from the driver's window.

Reports said that he put his hands togather and pointed them over the hood as if he had a gun. None of the video clearly showed this angle to tell for sure.

I think the cops showed restriant in that the passenger was not hit. Their shots were all aimed (even if only one or two hit the moving target). After viewing the chase from the video, I was so revved that would have been tempted to turn the car into Swiss cheese.

 

[Leadbutt]

INteresting case,would love to see the after action investigation,to see if it is nothing more than "Suicide by Cop"

 

[Third_Rail]

I'd love the video, but I don't do streaming video.

 

[rock jock]

Amazing. 62 shots fired and only one hit. Spray and pray never works. Reminds me of IDPA, with similar targets in this case.

 

[Shalako]

Like my daddy always said, "Don't bring a TV remote control to a gunfight."

 

[Mark13]

I don't like car theives, but I wouldn't want to get my truck back looking like that.

What if his passenger was kidnapped? Would you want your wife to trade places with her while these guys used your truck for target practice? Sprayed the vehicle with buckshot?

I think they were justified in shooting, he did pretend to have a gun, but they needed some fire discipline.

 

[beerslurpy]

Where did the "car thief" bit come from. You would think it would be mentioned somewhere in the actual story.

 

[Archie]

Slurpy....

Have another, your liver is softening up.

 

[beerslurpy]

Ad hominems about my drinking habits aside, I still see NO evidence the car was stolen or that the man committed any crime other than speeding.

Sure, he invited the wrath of Darwin by pointing a remote control at cops who thought he had a gun, but people have been wrongly shot by police officers for far milder mistakes, often in their own home. Just because police only rarely kill people wrongfully doesnt mean we shouldnt punish it severely when it does happen. Nor should we assume it never happens because every LEO we know personally is a paragon of wisdom and self restraint. It would be like assuming that because nearly all gun owners are non-criminals, that ALL people with guns are beyond reproach.

I just dont like seeing people die when the justification for killing them seems dubious at best. At the very least I'd like to know what else happened to make the jury decide against indicting the cops. I'm all for self defense, but it really deserves extra scrutiny when the person isnt even armed with something that looks like a gun. I'd want the cops to investigate me thoroughly if I killed someone in broad daylight who tried to zap me with a remote control.

 

[P95Carry]

IIRC - maybe in the write-up in the link given in first post - mention was made of this being checked out as a stolen vehicle..... and that I think was pretty much at the start, prior to which I guess maybe it was just ''another'' speeding vehicle.

IMO - once licence plate check shows the vehicle as stolen - added to which was the speed and unsafe manner of driving (there could have been innocent folks taken out when Screws made some of his moves near exit ramps etc) - then the pursuit is going to get serious and I imagine many cases of similar situations have in fact ended up with perp' producing a weapon.

If a driver is that determined to try and elude capture, for that long - it raises the bar rather a lot I'd say.