US police 'shot dead in ambush' in Washington state

[Zan de Man]

US police 'shot dead in ambush' in Washington state
BBC




Four police officers have been shot dead near the McChord Air Force Base in Washington State, US media and police say.

A sheriff's department spokesman told KOMO-TV that the officers were shot at the east side of the air force base.

The officers were fired on while they were at a coffee shop, police say.

A sheriff spokesman described the shooting as an ambush. The air force base is in Parkland, Pierce County, 40 miles south of Seattle.

Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told local media that the officers had been in the coffee shop with their computers when the shooting happened on Sunday morning.

He said it is believed that the officers had been targeted and the incident was not a robbery.
Officials at the scene said two suspects had opened fire, KOMO-TV reported.

Other customers were in the coffee shop at the time but no-one else was injured, the report said.

The area has been sealed off by police.

[donquixote99]

A deliberate hit on those police. Whether criminal or terrorist remains to be seen.

To speculate, I'd bet criminal. Probably one of the four was the real target. Revenge or witness elimination.

[Westerner]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

A deliberate hit on those police. Whether criminal or terrorist remains to be seen.

To speculate, I'd bet criminal. Probably one of the four was the real target. Revenge or witness elimination.

Whomever did this, destroying the lives of four men and their families, needs to be executed.

[clownboy]

Well, the state has the DP and the Governor (a democrat) supports it. The circumstances support the penalty.

I heard they're holding at least one guy found in the area thus far.

[Westerner]

Originally Posted by clownboy

Well, the state has the DP and the Governor (a democrat) supports it. The circumstances support the penalty.

I heard they're holding at least one guy found in the area thus far.

I watched "America's Most Wanted" last night. A prisoner escaped from jail. An officer tried to arrest him and the escapee shot the officer. Again, the criminal was captured, sentenced and put in prison. Three years later, once again, the prisoner escaped and has remained in society now 30 years. How often do dangerous homicidal prisoners escape and get loose to commit other acts of violence? It seems to happen often.

If four decent responsible men who head families are dead, there is no place for the "animal" that would do such a thing.

[Zan de Man]

Yep. Dig a pit and stone them to death.

[Westerner]

Originally Posted by Zan de Man

Yep. Dig a pit and stone them to death.

As humane a method as possible. Lethal injection. The guy is a deliberate killer. Do you want him sitting around planning who he will kill next?

[Westerner]

Maurice Clemmons, man wanted for questioning, has troubling criminal history

The man sought for questioning in the execution of four Lakewood police officers was granted clemency in 2000 by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and released on bail just six days ago on a child rape charge in Washington state.

By Seattle Times staff

Maurice Clemmons
Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

"This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said tonight when informed that Clemmons was being sought for questioning in connection with the killings.

Clemmons' criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record also stands out for the number of times he has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.

Clemmons had been in jail in Pierce County for the past several months on a pending charge of second-degree rape of a child. He was released from custody just six days ago, even though he was wanted on a fugitive warrant out of Arkansas and was staring at seven additional felony charges in Washington state.

Clemmons posted $15,000 with a Chehalis company called Jail Sucks Bail Bonds. The bondsman, in turn, put up $150,000, securing Clemmons' release on the pending child-rape charge.

Clemmons lives in Tacoma, where he has run a landscaping and power-washing business out of his house, according to a police interview with his wife earlier this year.

He was married, but the relationship was tumultuous, with accounts of his unpredictable behavior leading to at least two confrontations with police earlier this year.

During the confrontation in May, Clemmons punched a sheriff's deputy in the face, according to court records. As part of that incident, he was charged with seven counts of assault and malicious mischief.

In another instance, Clemmons was accused of gathering his wife and young relatives around at 3 or 4 in the morning and having them all undress. He told them that families need to "be naked for at least 5 minutes on Sunday," a Pierce County sheriff's report says.

"The whole time Clemmons kept saying things like trust him, the world is going to end soon, and that he was Jesus," the report says.

As part of the child-rape investigation, the sheriff's office interviewed Clemmons' sister in May. She told them that "Maurice is not in his right mind and did not know how he could react when contacted by Law Enforcement," a sheriff's report says.



"She stated that he was saying that the secret service was coming to get him because he had written a letter to the President. She stated his behavior has become unpredictable and erratic. She suspects he is having a mental breakdown," the report says.

Deputies also interviewed other family members. They reported that Clemmons had been saying he could fly and that he expected President Obama to visit to "confirm that he is Messiah in the flesh."

Prosecutors in Pierce County were sufficiently concerned about Clemmons' mental health that they asked to have him evaluated at Western State Hospital. Earlier this month, on Nov. 6, a psychologist concluded that Clemmons was competent to stand trial on the child-rape and other felony charges, according to court records.

Clemmons moved Washington in 2004, after being released from prison in Arkansas, state Department of Corrections records indicate. That would mean he had gone five years or so before landing in serious trouble with authorities here, according to a review of his criminal record.

Clemmons started Sea-Wash Pressure Washing Landscaping with his wife, Nicole Smith, in October 2005. The license for the business expired last month.

Long history of trouble in Arkansas

News accounts out of Arkansas offer a confusing — and, at times, conflicting — description of Clemmons' criminal history and prison time.

In 1990, Clemmons, then 18, was sentenced in Arkansas to 60 years in prison for burglary and theft of property, according to a news account in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Newspaper stories describe a series of disturbing incidents involving Clemmons while he was being tried in Arkansas on various charges.

During one trial, Clemmons was shackled in leg irons and seated next to a uniformed officer. The presiding judge ordered the extra security because he felt Clemmons had threatened him, court records show.

Another time, Clemmons hid a hinge in his sock, and was accused of intending to use it as a weapon. Yet another time, Clemmons took a lock from a holding cell, and threw it toward the bailiff. He missed and instead hit Clemmons' mother, who had come to bring him street clothes, according to records and published reports.

On another occasion, Clemmons had reached for a guard's pistol during transport to the courtroom.

When Clemmons received the 60-year sentence, he was already serving 48 years on five felony convictions and facing up to 95 more years on charges of robbery, theft of property and possessing a handgun on school property. Records from Clemmons' sentencing described him as 5-foot-7 and 108 pounds. The crimes were committed when he was 17.

Clemmons served 11 years before being released.

News accounts say Huckabee commuted Clemmons' sentence, citing Clemmons' young age at the time the crimes were committed.

But Clemmons remained on parole — and soon after landed in trouble again. In March 2001, he was accused of violating his parole by committing aggravated robbery and theft, according to a story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He was returned to prison on a parole violation. But in what appears to have been a mistake, Clemmons was not actually served with the arrest warrants until leaving prison three years later. As a result, Clemmons' attorney argued that the charges should be dismissed because too much time had passed. Prosecutors dropped the charges.

It appears that Clemmons remained in trouble with Arkansas authorities even after moving away. This year, while Clemmons was living in Washington, a warrant was issued for his arrest, accusing him of being a fugitive from Arkansas

[R Lance]

-This was close to me. A black man did shooting It was a deliberate hit on cops Patrons and workers never threatened
We has a similar ambush of an officer not too far from this one near Seattle a month ago They caught and killed that shooter.
They are showing pic of a guy they refer to as a person of interest no one in custody at this time Killer may be wounded as one cop got off several shots.

[Uplifter]

BBC News - Seattle police killer suspect 'shot and possibly dead'

US police killer suspect 'shot'
Police in Seattle say they have shot and possibly killed a man suspected of shooting dead four officers in a cafe in Washington State.
The Seattle home of Maurice Clemmons had been surrounded by police hunting the suspected killer.

Acting on a tip-off, they sealed off part of the Leschi area of the city, while armed Swat team members ringed the property.

Mr Clemmons, 37, has not been named as a formal suspect.

Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff, confirmed that Mr Clemmons had been shot by police.

"He may be deceased from his gunshot wound," Mr Troyer told the Associated Press news agency.

News of the siege broke in the early hours of Monday, local time. Washington State is eight hours behind GMT.

Police used a loud-hailer to call on Mr Clemmons to come out of the house but there was initially no confirmation that he was inside.

“ This is one of the toughest decisions you'll make in your life but you need to man up ”
Police negotiator speaking to suspect at siege house
Jeff Kappel of the Seattle Police Department told local people to stay in their homes with the doors locked.

"Just allow us to get this subject identified and verify his identity and go from there," he said.

Just before the police began shooting, they shone lights on the house and called out to Mr Clemmons by name.

"Mr Clemmons, I'd like to get you out of there safely," a negotiator said through a loud-hailer.

"I can tell you this, we are not going away."

According to an Associated Press photographer, no response was audible from inside the house.

'Deliberate'

Shortly afterwards, police began using sirens outside the house and several loud bangs rang out before the negotiator resumed speaking.


"This is one of the toughest decisions you'll make in your life but you need to man up," the negotiator said.

Minutes later, more bangs were followed by the sound of breaking glass and then a louder explosion.

Later still, gunshots rang out in the darkness. AP reports that the gunfire was deliberate and widely spaced, appearing to be aimed at the house by surrounding police.

A helicopter was circling above the area.

Police then confirmed that Mr Clemmons had been shot.

The four police officers - Sgt Mark Renninger and officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold and Greg Richards - were shot dead in a single attack at a coffee shop in Parkland, 40 miles (65km) south of Seattle on Sunday morning.

The officers had been working on their laptops in the coffee shop when at least one gunman entered.

Mr Troyer said police would be "surprised if there is a motive worth mentioning", behind the attack, but that the gunman had been "well versed" with the weapon.

"This wasn't something where the windows were shot up and there were bullets sprayed around the place. The bullets hit their targets," he said.

Other people in the cafe at the time were not injured.

Melanie Burwell, the sister-in-law of Mr Richards, 42, said he "didn't have a mean bone in his body".

"If there were more people in the world like Greg, things like this wouldn't happen," she told reporters.



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Story from BBC NEWS:

[donquixote99]

This story above implies he was shot at the house. News now is that the house has been searched and there is no sign of him.

Police are stating positively that he has been shot, and speculate that he is possibly dead, but this would have been a shot from one of the original four victims. In any case, at this moment they don't have him, and so there's no actual knowledge of his condition.

[Zan de Man]

Why the hell would you bail someone on a child rape charge?

[sinterest]

Originally Posted by Zan de Man

Why the hell would you bail someone on a child rape charge?

Ask Mike Huckabee who did approve his release. Don't expect to see much about this story on FOX as Huck is a commentator there.

[R Lance]

Huck didn't bail him on rape charge. but was dumb to release him earlier

[donquixote99]

Oh, don't throw the child rape at Huckabee. That's a charge from this year. What Huckabee did was commute his sentence back in 2000 (which was either 65 or 95 years, different sources have it different). That clemency was apparantly because he was only 17 during his big crime spree back in 1991, when he got the big sentence. Then he was back in prison in 2001 for armed robbery, but he got paroled again (not the Governor this time, just 'the system'). Then I don't know the whole record, but he was in jail in July on the child rape charge and other stuff, there was some no-bail warrant from Arkansas, but that was cancelled for some reason, he had high bail, but he eventually dug up $15,000 and got a bondsman to pledge the rest of $150,000, and got out. And afterwards comes the current infamous murders.

He's still on the loose as of now, apparently....

[Dawildman]

Originally Posted by Westerner

Whomever did this, destroying the lives of four men and their families, needs to be executed.

How about the shit head who released him from an Arkansas prison? Believe his name is Mike Huckabee.
Yes, lets try Huckabee first.

If you want to execute them both its fine with me. So long as due process is followed.

But as for dead cops? They knew what they were getting into when they signed on the job. Most people in law enforcement are corrupt anyway. I only know of maybe one decent cop.

So fuck 'em i say. Another one bites the dust. I won't miss these cops. Just too bad for their families.

[Westerner]

Originally Posted by Dawildman

But as for dead cops? They knew what they were getting into when they signed on the job. Most people in law enforcement are corrupt anyway. I only know of maybe one decent cop.

So fuck 'em i say. Another one bites the dust. I won't miss these cops. Just too bad for their families.

Here are photos of the four police officers that were killed. They look like smiling likeable people. I was going to say you are incorrigible and unworthy of respect Dawildman. I was shocked to see you might actually have a shred of humanity. You did say, "too bad for their families." Without that comment, I would have totally written you off wild man.

Deadly Lakewood Police Shooting - FOXNews.com

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by Dawildman

How about the shit head who released him from an Arkansas prison? Believe his name is Mike Huckabee.
Yes, lets try Huckabee first.

If you want to execute them both its fine with me. So long as due process is followed.

But as for dead cops? They knew what they were getting into when they signed on the job. Most people in law enforcement are corrupt anyway. I only know of maybe one decent cop.

So fuck 'em i say. Another one bites the dust. I won't miss these cops. Just too bad for their families.

I think you've managed to offend just about everyone this time, DW, one way or another.....

[Dawildman]

If there is anyone present whom I'v failed to offend I apologize.

True, mine was a harsh response. However ALL humans are both innocent AND guilty. When someone signs on as a cop (like a couple friends of mine) their community of associates becomes limited. They exist in a fantasy world of "good guys" (them) and the "bad guys" or everyone else. It's that simple.

Few cops gets promoted because they prevented a crime. He gets a raise and promotion for arrests and convictions. Whether the people were doing anything morally wrong is irrelevant. So it can be seen the automatic conflict of interest:

More crime means more cops. More judicial hiring and more prisons.

Same as the Pentagon which LOVES WAR!.

So its about time that these naive people who join law enforcement wake up and stop being public enemy number one.

We need safe schools
End to the drug wars
Environmental protection
Good wages
Health care
funding of the arts and music
and God knows what else.

But this country does not need even one more police officer or enlisted armed forces member.

Take a look around you: Two fucking wars and a domestic agenda of rape and ruin. largely caused by a right wing mentality that build prisons and feeds itself first at our expense.

So fuck those cops that were whacked. Fuck 'em! I know that they didn't deserve it, and I ain't gonna toast a beer or roast marshmallows to their deaths. But they knew that their game was crooked.

The devil just finally took out his due.

[elalumno]

This case is an example of how poorly managed our judicial system is. A violent offender like clemmons is set free by a clueless politician only to reoffend and commit more and more violent acts. Then innocent people are locked up for a long time while prosecutors hid, hinder and collude to prevent appeals and evidence.

As to dacowardman, his response is totally expected and he shows he is no different from clemmons.