View Full Version : Four Officers Gunned Down in Ambush
LoungeMachine
11-29-2009, 01:30 PM
WTF???????????
4 police officers killed in Wash. coffee shop
Sheriff's official says at least one gunman walked in and opened fire
msnbc.com news services
updated 10 minutes ago
PARKLAND, Wash. - Four police officers were shot and killed Sunday morning as they sat in a coffee shop Sunday morning in what sheriff's officials described as an "ambush."
The officers were in the cafe at a strip mall in the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood with their laptop computers, preparing for their day shifts, when one or two gunmen walked in and opened fire, Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.
"This was a targeted, selected ambush," Troyer said, adding that customers and baristas were in the Forza Coffee shop at the time but no one else was shot at or injured.
Authorities were searching for the gunmen, and nearby McChord Air Force Base was put on alert.
A $10,000 reward was being offered for information leading to those responsible.
Brad Carpenter, the founder of Forza Coffee, told NBC News that all his employees were accounted for. A retired police officer himself, Carpenter started Forza in 2002 and now has 21 stores, primarily in the Tacoma area.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34194122/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
standin
11-29-2009, 01:42 PM
Wow!!
Fucking MSNBC can't tell the difference between Lakewood and Parkland??
It's definitely in Parkland though. Seems to be one suspect. How does one guy kill 4 cops without a single round fired back at him? This is really fucked up.
<object height="288" width="470"><param name="movie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" value="http://www.king5.com/v/?i=78092477" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.king5.com/v/?i=78092477" AllowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" height="288" wmode="transparent" width="470"></embed></object>
standin
11-29-2009, 02:54 PM
Damn, freaking "terrorist" no matter who, what they are.
I wonder what's going on up there that this kinda "message" was being sent.
Drug war?
Were they nosing around something?
Organized crime related?
Human trafficking?
What Seattle shooting?
What other shootings around the country?
What on Earth could be the motive other then intimidation?
A PTSD soldier?
Nitro Express
11-29-2009, 03:29 PM
Fucking MSNBC can't tell the difference between Lakewood and Parkland??
It's definitely in Parkland though. Seems to be one suspect. How does one guy kill 4 cops without a single round fired back at him? This is really fucked up.
Easy. Ambush them.
Nitro Express
11-29-2009, 03:33 PM
I smell drug gang retribution. That part of Washington is the drug capitol of the northwest. It's a real dung hole.
Obviously this is someone who knew what they were doing. I don't think some little gang puke could pull this off. If you can just walk into some hole in the wall coffee shop and waste 4 trained and armed police officers before they can fire a single round in defense, odds are you have some sort of training yourself.
standin
11-29-2009, 05:07 PM
That's true. However, it has become common practice that gang members enter into the military specifically for military training.
Igosplut
11-29-2009, 06:38 PM
That's true. However, it has become common practice that gang members enter into the military specifically for military training.
That's true, there are a lot of 'em taking advanced shooting courses also...
Kristy
11-29-2009, 06:39 PM
I smell drug gang retribution. That part of Washington is the drug capitol of the northwest. It's a real dung hole.
Sounds more of a personal vendetta done in a mob style execution than an ambush. Whoever the perps were they not only knew who their targets were but also habits and hangout.
Gov. Issues Statement On Slaying Of Lakewood Officers
Posted: 11:51 am PST November 29, 2009Updated: 2:00 pm PST November 29, 2009
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov. Chris Gregoire issued the following statement on the shooting of four Pierce County police officers:
I am shocked and horrified at the murder of four police officers this morning in Pierce County.
Our police put their lives on the line every day, and tragedies like this remind us of the risks they continually take to keep our communities safe. My heart goes out to the family, friends and co-workers of these officers, as well as the entire law enforcement community.
I offer whatever support is needed to the Pierce County Sheriff in their search for the perpetrator of this terrible crime.
-----------------------------------------------
Atty General's Statement On Murder Of Lakewood Officers
Posted: 1:12 pm PST November 29, 2009Updated: 1:58 pm PST November 29, 2009
Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna issued the following statement Sunday:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the police officers murdered today in Lakewood,” McKenna said.
“This outrageous act of violence against our brave protectors is a direct assault on the safety of our entire community. I have directed all of the criminal justice resources of this office, including our Homicide Investigation Tracking System and HITS Unit criminal investigators, be made available to those conducting the investigation into these assassinations. Our prosecutors and investigators stand ready to help bring those who committed this murderous act to justice.”
sadaist
11-29-2009, 07:19 PM
A retired police officer himself, Carpenter started Forza in 2002 and now has 21 stores, primarily in the Tacoma area.
21 stores in 7 years. Pretty impressive on a retired police officers pension.
I smell drug gang retribution. That part of Washington is the drug capitol of the northwest. It's a real dung hole.
On the take?
21 stores in 7 years. Pretty impressive on a retired police officers pension.
Oddly enough, I never heard of the Forza chain before today. Probably because I don't go to Pierce County much these days. Or drink much coffee.
Still, coffee is big business in this region, and if the guy's cutting into Starfucks' domination of the market, more power to him.
Well, it appears we have a suspect. And if this is the guy, I think you can kiss Mike Huckabee's political career bye-bye.......
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2009/11/29/2010385656.jpg
Sunday, November 29, 2009 - Page updated at 06: 02 PM
Maurice Clemmons, man wanted for questioning, has long criminal history
By Seattle Times staff
Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing of four Lakewood police officers this morning, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.
Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protestations of prosecutors.
"This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said Sunday night when informed that Clemmons was being sought in connection to 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 eight felony charges in all out of 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. 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 then 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-Gazzette.
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.
Cop killing baby raper? Nice move, Huckafuck :mad:
Seshmeister
11-29-2009, 09:12 PM
Innocent until proven guilty Ford?
Without knowing the details it's kind of crazy that an 18 year old can end up being sentenced to a combined 108 years for robberies?????
It seems to be a US/UK legal thing that thefts against property are often punished more than violence against people. I think that traces back to who makes the laws. If the underclass are cutting each other up and smashing each others heads in that's nowhere near as bad as them stealing something from the rich.
No wonder your jails are full. And then 108 becomes 11?
It's all a bit nuts, as is this guy by the sounds of it...
Well, the next question, obviously, is how a guy with a rap sheet as long as his arm, and documented mental health issues was able to buy a gun.
Since this was the Tacoma area, I wouldn't be surprised if it was another cash under the table, skip the background check that he wouldn't have passed, illegal sale from Bullseye guns, the same place where the recently deceased John Allen Muhammad bought his Buckmaster rifle.
As to how he got 108 years for robbery.... the fact that he was a black man in Arkansas probably had a lot to do with it.
http://media.komonews.com/images/091129_lakewood_officers_fi.jpg
Mayor: Slain Lakewood officers were 'dedicated, selfless'
By KOMO Staff
LAKEWOOD, Wash. - The four officers who were shot and killed at a Lakewood coffee shop Sunday morning were all members of the original Lakewood police force, said Lakewood Mayor Douglas Richardson.
They were identified as:
• Sergeant Mark Renninger, 39, with thirteen years of law enforcement experience. He is survived by a wife, two daughters and a son.
In a statement issued Sunday, the family said: "Mark was a professional, dedicated police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice. More importantly, he was a loving and devoted father, husband and family member who will be missed by many."
Renninger grew up in Bethlehem, Pa., and came to Washington state after he joined the military, family members said.
• Officer Ronald Owens, age 37 with twelve years of law enforcement experience. He is survived by a former wife and a daughter.
• Officer Tina Griswold, age 40 with fourteen years of law enforcement experience. She is survived by her husband and two children.
• Officer Greg Richards, age 42 with eight years of law enforcement experience. He is survived by a wife and three children.
Hundreds of police vehicles take part in a procession to honor the fallen officers Sunday night.
Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar publicly identified the four slain police officers after an extensive and very difficult notification process.
"All four of our slain officers had been with this department since it started five years ago. Sergeant Mark Renninger and Officers Ronald Owens, Tina Griswold, and Greg Richards were police veterans when they started and all have been outstanding professionals.
"This is a very difficult time for our families and our officers. The families will have many challenges ahead of them and we ask that their privacy be respected. Please keep our families and Lakewood Police in your prayers.”
Richardson and Neiditz said all four transferred to Lakewood as commissioned law enforcement officers from other jurisdictions when the police force was formed.
"Their dedication and selfless service contributed immensely toward the successful creation of the Lakewood Police Department," the statement said.
"Today we have four fewer officers from our force of one hundred commissioned officers. They will be sorely missed. Support from other law enforcement agencies has been very responsive and deeply appreciated."
The four officers were shot and killed as they were preparing for their shifts at the Forza Coffee Co. shop at 11401 Steele St. South.
A lone gunman shot the four uniformed officers as they were working on their laptop computers, then fled the scene.
Richardson and Neiditz called it the "most tragic event in Lakewood’s fourteen years as a city."
"We lost four of our finest in a shocking, heartbreaking, and senseless murder. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with the families and colleagues of these innocent victims during this extraordinarily difficult time."
Those interested in supporting the families of the slain officers are welcome to make a donation through the Lakewood Police Independent Guild (LPIG) Benevolent Fund at PO Box 99579, Lakewood, WA 98499. Please visit their website for more information visit www.lpig.us.
OK, I realize a joke here may be inappropriate, but seriously, a donation to an organization called "LPIG"?? What genius came up with that one?
Igosplut
11-30-2009, 06:39 AM
Well, the next question, obviously, is how a guy with a rap sheet as long as his arm, and documented mental health issues was able to buy a gun.
Since this was the Tacoma area, I wouldn't be surprised if it was another cash under the table, skip the background check that he wouldn't have passed, illegal sale from Bullseye guns, the same place where the recently deceased John Allen Muhammad bought his Buckmaster rifle.
WHY do you automatically assume that he bought the gun legally??? Or should I say through legal channels???
You obviously have NO idea how easy it is to get illegal guns on the street. It's much easier to buy a gun off the street, than take the chance of getting caught trying to go though legal FFL dealers who would be prosecuted to a FAR stricter laws (for selling) than the guy who tried to buy the gun under false pretenses in the first place.
Igosplut
11-30-2009, 06:52 AM
And it sounds like their having an armed standoff with him right now. And he's wounded or dead...
standin
11-30-2009, 07:46 AM
WTF?
Troyer said they've detained some people who helped Clemmons. "It was a long trail to get here. We had different people and different people that have helped him and other vehicles that have been used and tracking it all down, this is where we (were) led and we have determined that he has in fact been shot and that he is, in fact, our suspect. We are not looking for anybody else, he is not a person of interest, he's our suspect."
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Police-officers-shot-78089882.html
The child rapist cop killer had people helping him. :outrage:
WTF going on up in Seattle?
Seattle police: Suspect in slaying of officer is 'lone domestic terrorist'
November 8, 2009 12:05 a.m. EST
CNN) -- A suspect in the shooting of a Seattle, Washington, police officer is also believed to be behind the bombing of four police cars, Seattle Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said at a press conference Saturday.
Christopher Monfort, 41, remained hospitalized in serious condition after being shot by officers during a confrontation Friday.
"This man, from everything that we can tell, appears to be a lone domestic terrorist," Pugel said.
Monfort was in custody at the hospital, but no charges had yet been filed, a Seattle police spokeswoman told CNN. Charges could be filed as early as Monday, she said.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/07/washington.police.shooting/index.html
sadaist
11-30-2009, 08:37 AM
• Officer Ronald Owens....He is survived by a former wife and a daughter.
Former wife? Does that mean she will be getting the insurance money? I just can't figure being survived by a former anything. Seems odd. And why didn't they just say "ex-wife"? Not sound nice enough I suppose.
Fuckabee: "Don't blame me, the parole board did it!11!!1!"
"The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and Washington State. The murder of any individual is profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within.
Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990, making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers."
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?fa=News.View&News_id=a9c58e43-9675-4da0-9567-674110678ef8&Label_id=&Year=&Month=
Obviously this is someone who knew what they were doing. I don't think some little gang puke could pull this off. If you can just walk into some hole in the wall coffee shop and waste 4 trained and armed police officers before they can fire a single round in defense, odds are you have some sort of training yourself.
Upon further review, it appears at least one of them might have fired back after all.........
Suspect in Lakewood police slayings wounded, may be dead
SEATTLE, Wash. – A tense standoff with a suspect in the slaying of four Lakewood, Wash., police officers gunned down in a suburban coffee shop, continued at a Seattle house early Monday. The suspect is wounded and possibly dead, police said.
Police used a loudspeaker, flashbangs and what appeared to be tear gas on a building in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood early Monday where suspect Maurice Clemmons was believed to be located.
Clemmons, 37, was shot and wounded during the attack on the four officers Sunday morning, police said, Police said he was apparently shot in the "trunk" of his body and that witnesses and people who have had contact with Clemmons say he had been trying to treat the wound himself. It was unclear what his condition was, or if he was even in the building.
Clemmons has an extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas, including aggravated robbery and theft. He has also recently been arrested and charged in Pierce County for assault on a police officer and for rape of a child. After hours of calling Clemmons a "person of interest," Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ed Troyer declared Clemmons a suspect early Monday.
Troyer confirmed early Monday that the gunman who killed the officers was wounded by one of them, saying one of the officers struggled out the door and fired his gun at the attacker.
"We are no longer using the word person of interest, he is a suspect," Troyer said. "We do believe that he has been shot and he has a gunshot wound and it occured during the incident and that one of the Lakewood police officers managed to shoot him."
Troyer said they've detained some people who helped Clemmons. "It was a long trail to get here. We had different people and different people that have helped him and other vehicles that have been used and tracking it all down, this is where we (were) led and we have determined that he has in fact been shot and that he is, in fact, our suspect. We are not looking for anybody else, he is not a person of interest, he's our suspect."
Troyer went on to say that medics are "standing by and we don't know how we're going to find him. He may be deceased from this gunshot wound, but that's yet to be determined."
Officers surrounding the house shone lights on the house and called out to Clemmons by name, saying: "Mr. Clemmons, I'd like to get you out of there safely. I can tell you this, we are not going away." Authorities in the region have been seeking Clemmons in the Sunday morning shootings of four Lakewood officers, about 30 miles from the Seattle house.
There was no audible response from the house. Police spokesman Jeff Kappel had earlier said police weren't sure anyone was inside, and refused to comment on the negotiator's tactics.
Hours earlier, police cruisers surrounded streets in the neighborhood of 32nd Avenue and Yesler Way in the search for Clemmons. At that time, several law enforcement sources said they believed they had Clemmons pinned down in the neighborhood.
Traffic has been detoured for several blocks in each direction. Police say residents in the area should stay inside and lock their doors.
The four officers were with the 100-member police department of Lakewood, which adjoins the unincorporated area of Parkland, where the shootings took place. They are Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39; Ronald Owens, 37; Tina Griswold, 40; and Greg Richards 42.
The officers were in full uniform and wearing bulletproof vests, sitting in Forza coffee shop near 116th Street and Steele Street on the east side of McChord Air Force base at about 8:30 a.m.. They were preparing for their shift when the suspect walked in, went up to the counter as if to order coffee, then turned and opened fire.
Troyer called it an "ambush."
"They had marked police cars, marked uniforms, there were other people inside the facility, they weren't shot, wounded or hurt or even aimed at, just the police officers were," said Troyer.
It wasn't clear whether the officers even had time to draw their weapons to return fire, Troyer said.
"This was more of an execution. Walk in with the specific mindset to shoot police officers," Troyer said.
"We have no motive at all," Troyer said. "I don't think when we find out what it is, it will be anything that makes any sense or be worth it."
Two employees and a few other customers were in the shop during the attack. All are being interviewed by the Pierce County Sheriff's investigators.
"Some are in shock. They are very upset," Troyer said. "They are the ones who are going to put together for us how this happened."
The Forza Coffee Shop, part of a popular local chain, is in a small retail center alongside two restaurants, a cigar store and a nail salon.
Forza Coffee issued a press release, saying their "prayers go out to the family and friends of these officers in the face of this horrific tragedy."
"The cold-blooded ambush that took place at the Steele Street Forza Coffee House in Parkland," the release said.
Forza said a donation area will be established at each coffee house.
"It is Forza's goal to help the families of those who lost their lives during this difficult holiday season, and into the new year as they struggle to reconstruct their lives in the year ahead," said Rich Jennings, Forza owner.
Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor said "this is an example of the danger that police officers and deputy sheriffs and state troopers face every day."
"The person or people who did this not only harmed us they harmed the good that we can do in the community. They harmed the good that we work to do every day in the community," he said.
"We've lost people that we care about, we've lost people I'm sure the good people in the community care about as well," said Pastor.
Police later discovering a white pickup truck abandoned in a supermarket parking lot, matching the description of a possible getaway vehicle. That truck is registered to Clemmons.
Troyer said they are looking to see if there is any surveillance cameras that may have caught the suspect on video.
A $120,000 reward is being offered for information. Tiplines - for tips only - are (253) 591-5959 or (866) 977-2362.
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said she was "shocked and horrified" by the killings.
"Our police put their lives on the line every day, and tragedies like this remind us of the risks they continually take to keep our communities safe," she said in a written statement. "My heart goes out to the family, friends and co-workers of these officers, as well as the entire law enforcement community."
The President of the Lakewood Police Independent Guild, Brian D. Wurts, issued a statement, calling the murders a "cold blooded assassination."
"As I write this I am numb. We were dealt a nasty blow, good men and women I have had the honor of knowing for years are senselessly gone. There is no way to comprehend it, to validate it, or to make sense of any of it. You cannot understand evil like this, as a community we must form a solid bond against criminals and hold them accountable. I know my members and can say with certainty that as a group we will remain professional and will continue to work to protect those of you we have taken an oath to protect. If you know a cop tell them how much you appreciate them, it truly keeps us going. Please pray for these officers and their families. All of them had significant others and children who are left behind," he said.
Wurts said a benevolent account has been established for the families of the officers.
Send donations to LPIG Benevolent Fund at PO Box 99579 Lakewood, WA 98499.
"I will personally make sure it goes where it is intended. May God bless you four who are in a place so much better than this; you are some of the finest professionals I have ever known. God bless our community today," Wurtz said.
Little Texan
11-30-2009, 04:47 PM
Huckleberry can deflect the blame all he wants, but the fact remains that if he hadn't pardoned the guy back in 2000, he would still be behind bars and those 4 cops would still be alive.
Goodbye Huckleberry 2012 Presidential run.
Guitar Shark
11-30-2009, 04:57 PM
A Washington superior court judge also released him on BAIL recently, so Huckabee is not the only one under intense scrutiny.
LoungeMachine
11-30-2009, 05:03 PM
A Washington superior court judge also released him on BAIL recently, so Huckabee is not the only one under intense scrutiny.
Granted, but had Huckabee NOT commuted the sentence, he never would have BEEN in Washington State to begin with.
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc is what I believe you sharks call it.
I agree there is plenty of blame to go around, and this is a tragic execution of 4 innocent cops, but I can't help but wonder WHY THE FUCK this guy was ever let out of ARK.
LoungeMachine
11-30-2009, 06:04 PM
NOT in this thread you two......
I have no qualms about deleting any off-topic BS in a thread this serious.
Nickdfresh
11-30-2009, 06:55 PM
Both of you get the fuck out of this thread!! I'm sick of your feuding threadjack shit! I know it's just a silly thread on a rock board, but I and the posters in this forum shouldn't have to put up with shit like this with the subject matter of four murdered police officers and nine children missing one of their parents!
Now fuck off both of you, or I'm dumping every post you make in this forum!!
LoungeMachine
11-30-2009, 06:55 PM
Real classy, thome.
LoungeMachine
11-30-2009, 06:56 PM
Screw them, I closed it until further news comes out.
LoungeMachine
11-30-2009, 09:48 PM
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h6HGmTEc_kIALqJfG0r_WSGGFGZgD9CA7PFG0
Spokesman: Suspect in officers' death still alive
(AP) – 30 minutes ago
SEATTLE — A sheriff's spokesman says authorities in Washington state believe the man sought in the slaying of four police officers is still alive and has been aided by a network of friends and family.
Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said Monday night that police have questioned several people who have provided assistance to Maurice Clemmons since the Sunday morning shootings. Troyer says investigators now think Clemmons is on his own.
Officers have said they believe Clemmons was shot in the abdomen during the attack on the officers at a coffee shop in the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood.
Troyer also says police are certain Clemmons was in a Seattle house late Sunday night, but was able to flee before police could contain the area. Police staked out the house overnight before SWAT team members determined early Monday that Clemmons wasn't there.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
SEATTLE (AP) — Using search dogs and going door to door, hundreds of police intensified the hunt Monday for the man wanted in the coffeehouse killings of four officers after a SWAT team came up empty-handed in a raid on a house where he was thought to be holed up.
The realization that the suspect had not been cornered after all further rattled people in the Seattle area, many of them unnerved by the thought of a mentally unstable killer in their midst.
Police canvassed the neighborhood around the Seattle house and fanned out across the city, looking for any sign of Maurice Clemmons, 37. Authorities posted a $125,000 reward for information leading to his arrest in the Sunday morning shooting rampage.
The manhunt came as authorities in two states took heat for the fact that Clemmons was allowed to walk the streets despite a teenage crime spree in Arkansas that landed him a 95-year prison sentence. He was released in 2000 after then-Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence.
"This guy should have never been on the street," said Brian D. Wurts, president of the police union in Lakewood, where all four slain officers worked. "Our elected officials need to find out why these people are out."
Police said they are not sure what prompted Clemmons to assassinate the officers as they worked on their laptop computers at the beginning of their shifts. He was described as increasingly erratic in the past few months and had been arrested earlier this year on charges that he punched a sheriff's deputy in the face.
Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told the Tacoma News-Tribune that Clemmons indicated the night before the shooting "that he was going to shoot police and watch the news."
Authorities said the gunman singled out the officers and spared employees and other customers at the coffee shop in a suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle. He then fled, but not before he was apparently shot in the torso by one of the dying officers.
Police later learned he may have been holed up at the house in Seattle. After an all-night siege in which they tried to get him out using loudspeakers, explosions and a robot sent into the house, a SWAT team stormed the place and discovered he was not there. Police would not say who lived at the house or whether it was someone Clemmons knew.
It was not clear whether he slipped past police, left before they arrived, or was never in the house at all, but Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel said there was evidence Clemmons at one point was on the property. He would not elaborate.
Police spent the day frantically chasing leads, visiting hundreds of locations as they followed up on tips, at one point cordoning off a park where people thought they saw Clemmons. They also alerted hospitals to be on the lookout for a man seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.
University of Washington officials alerted students by e-mail and text messages to an unconfirmed report that Clemmons might have gotten off a bus on or near the campus about three miles from the home.
Investigators also examined the coffee shop for clues. Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Dave McDonald said that authorities found a handgun carried by the killer, along with a pickup truck belonging to the suspect with blood stains inside.
"He was very versed with the weapon," Troyer said earlier. "This wasn't something where the windows were shot up and there were bullets sprayed around the place. The bullets hit their targets."
Killed were Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42.
Clemmons has an extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas, dating back to his teenage burglary and robbery spree. Huckabee's decision to commute his sentence could create a "Willie Horton" problem for the Republican former governor if he runs for president again in 2012.
During the 1988 White House campaign, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis was criticized after Horton, a killer serving a life sentence, robbed and raped a woman while on a weekend furlough from prison.
On Sunday, Huckabee issued this statement on his Web site: "Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state."
In seeking leniency from Huckabee, Clemmons wrote the parole board that he was a "misguided fool" when he committed the crimes and "learned through the school of hard knocks to appreciate and respect the rights of others."
Huckabee cited Clemmons' youth in granting the request. But Clemmons quickly reverted to his criminal past, violated his parole and was returned to prison. He was released again in 2004.
Clemmons was charged in Washington state earlier this year with assaulting a police officer and raping a child, and investigators in the sex case said he was motivated by visions that he was Jesus Christ and that the world was on the verge of the apocalypse. But he was released from jail after posting bail with the assistance of Jail Sucks Bail Bonds.
Documents related to those charges indicate a volatile personality. In one instance, he is accused of punching a sheriff's deputy in the face. In another, he is accused of gathering his wife and young relatives and forcing them to undress.
"The whole time Clemmons kept saying things like trust him, the world is going to end soon, and that he was Jesus," a Pierce County sheriff's report said.
Neighbors said Clemmons had surveillance cameras installed along the bushes in front of his house, and had mostly kept his blinds shut since he was accused of throwing rocks through the windows of his neighbors' cars and houses earlier this year.
Neighbor Ken Dietiker said he initially thought Clemmons' cameras were there to prevent crime. "But now I'm starting to think he's just paranoid," he said.
Dietiker said he was frustrated to learn about Clemmons' record and releases from custody.
"There were all these indicators. Who didn't see them?" he asked. "That's what I want to know."
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Manuel Valdes in Seattle, Rachel La Corte in Tacoma, George Tibbits in Seattle, Andrew DeMillo and Jill Zeman Bleed in Little Rock, Ark., and photographers Elaine Thompson in Seattle and Ted S. Warren in Parkland, Wash
standin
11-30-2009, 10:06 PM
A sheriff's spokesman says authorities in Washington state believe the man sought in the slaying of four police officers is still alive and has been aided by a network of friends and family.
Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said Monday night that police have questioned several people who have provided assistance to Maurice Clemmons since the Sunday morning shootings. Troyer says investigators now think Clemmons is on his own.
That makes me so angry. Those dysfunctional people need to be put under the jail for a few years.
Helping a child raping cop killer :vomit:
Here's the "statement" from "Jail Sucks Bail Bonds". Quite possibly even lamer than HuckaFuck's excuses..........
STATEMENT REGARDING THE SHOOTINGS IN LAKEWOOD...
It was with great sadness we learned of the shootings in Lakewood on Sunday morning. I
want to be clear that had we known Clemmons was capable of such a heinous crime we
never would have posted this bond. Almost all the people who work in this office have
previous law enforcement, fire service and/or public safety experience. We would NEVER
purposely put anyone, especially law enforcement into harms way. We had no way of
knowing this monster would commit such crimes.
Clemmons has no felony convictions in the state of Washington that we are aware of, he has
been charged with several crimes; Rape of Child 2nd, Assault 3rd, and several counts of
Malicious Mischief. He was held in July as a Fugitive from Justice (I assume for the Arkansas
matter) but that was dismissed for an unknown reason. We had no knowledge of his criminal
history or convictions in Arkansas. In July he posted bond with another bond company in
Seattle on these same charges. In September he was returned to custody by DOC for a
parole violation (unknown what the violation was). In November he was given a mental health
evaluation by Western State Hospital to evaluate his competency to stand trial. Shortly after
they determined he could, Pierce County set his conditions for release and bail. The other
bond company exonerated him off their bond on November 12th, 2009, we are told for
non-payment or failure to follow contract. We posted bond on November 23rd. As a
requirement of the bond, given the charges and size of the bond, we required Clemmons to
be on a GPS bracelet and to check in weekly and also to have two co-signers and put up a
piece of property as collateral. We met with Clemmons twice during the week of the 23rd,
once when he was released and again on the 24th. Nothing at that time seemed out of the
ordinary. None of the people co-signing for him said anything about his mental status or
previous convictions in Arkansas, which again, we had no knowledge of or really any way of
knowing about. We were also not aware he had been notified that he was facing a life
sentence here in Washington as well, if convicted of the Rape of Child case (the only reason I
am aware of this is from reading a report on it). Had we known this, we would not have
posted this bond. Had we known Clemmons was telling people he was "Jesus" or that the
"world was going to end" soon and to "watch the news", we never would have posted this
bond.
We are working with law enforcement and providing them with any information on this case
they request. We are also working our own information sources for any information we can
provide law enforcement. I pray for the families involved in this tragedy, for the safety of the
community, and for swift and profound justice in this matter.
http://www.becausejailsucks.com/
Little Texan
12-01-2009, 02:31 AM
Bullshit. That bail bonds place would post bin Laden's bond if the money were right.
Yeah, pretty much what I was thinking. It's in Chehalis, so it's probably a two bit hick operation. I'd say whoever wrote that statement probably has an 8th grade education at most.
hideyoursheep
12-01-2009, 05:12 AM
Does capital punishment exist in Wash.?
ULTRAMAN VH
12-01-2009, 07:48 AM
Suspect in Wash. Police Killings Shot Dead
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
AP/Pierce County Sheriff's Department
SEATTLE — DEVELOPING: A sheriff's spokesman in Washington state says Seattle police have fatally shot the man suspected of gunning down four police officers.
Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says Maurice Clemmons was shot and killed early Tuesday in a Seattle neighborhood. Authorities suspected Clemmons of killing the four officers at a coffee shop Sunday morning in Lakewood, a suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle.
Troyer says Seattle police found Clemmons after Pierce County authorities supplied addresses of possible hiding spots.
Police have said they aren't sure what prompted Clemmons to shoot the officers as they did paperwork on their laptops. Clemmons was described as increasingly erratic in the past few months.
Seshmeister
12-01-2009, 08:27 AM
Does capital punishment exist in Wash.?
If you kill a cop everywhere has a death penalty if they get the opportunity...
Hardrock69
12-01-2009, 08:31 AM
YAAAAAY!
The WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT IS DEAD!!!!
:happy0158::appl::happy0065::jumping0041::happy64: :rockit2::rockit::killer::rockon::beers8:
Lakewood police shooting suspect killed by Seattle police officer in South Seattle early this morning
By Jennifer Sullivan, Mark Rahner, and Jack Broom
Seattle Times staff reporters
Maurice Clemmons, the suspect wanted in the slaying of four Lakewood police officers, was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer in South Seattle early this morning.
Clemmons, who was armed with a handgun taken from one of the officers he is accused of killing, was standing outside in the 4400 block of South Kenyon Street when he was confronted by a South Precinct patrol officer. He refused commands to stop and was shot by the officer about 2:45 a.m.
According to Seattle Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel, the officer, who's been with the department seven years, was on patrol when he came upon a car that had been reported stolen. The car was running.
The officer was in his patrol car processing the stolen vehicle report when he noticed a man was approaching the patrol car and recognized him as possibly being Clemmons, Pugel said.
"He ordered the person to stop. He ordered the person to show his hands, that person would not show his hands, and also began to run away counter-clockwise around the vehicle."
The officer again told him to stop, and he wouldn't comply, Pugel said.
The officer then fired several rounds at Clemmons.
It was unclear whether the man displayed a weapon before he was shot.
The man has been identified as Clemmons.
The officer was not injured.
A check of the serial number on the handgun found on Clemmons showed that it belonged to one of the Lakewood police officers, Pugel said.
It's not known for sure, but there's no indication that Clemmons has any connection to residents on the block where he was killed, Pugel said.
Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar arrived at the scene a few hours after the shooting to express relief and appreciation for the work that has been done by law enforcement agencies throughout the area since Sunday's shooting.
"I just want to thank all my brothers and sisters in law enforcement," he said. "I just can't say enough about what they've done in the last few days."
He said the families of the dead officers have been notified of Clemmons' death.
"What went through my mind mostly was ... we can close the page on this and we can get our people together and start the healing process," he said.
Jessica Breznau, who lives near the shooting scene, said she came outside after the shots were fired and saw police.
"One of the policemen took me aside and said, 'Let me tell you what's going on.' He was kind of emotional and he said, 'This is the guy who shot the people in Lakewood. He's gone.' "
Breznau said the officer told her that Clemmons had a gun.
The officer who shot Clemmons is assigned to the Seattle Police Department's South Precinct.
Sylvester Dennis, 50, lives in the area where Clemmons was killed and walked to scene before 5 a.m.
"Sounds like he got what he deserved. Those were police officers, man. You just can't just go around killing people," said Dennis, a truck driver who has lived in the area since he was 11.
Clemmons has been the focus of a manhunt since Sunday morning when he is accused of killing four Lakewood police officers in a coffee shop in Parkland.
Numerous people have helped Clemmons since the Sunday shooting and active investigations are ongoing into their role.
"We expect to have up to six or seven people in custody by the day's end."
Police said that allies of Clemmons had helped treat his gunshot wound, given him cellphones, money, and were in the process of helping him leave the state. Officers detained a sister of Clemmons who they think treated the 37-year-old suspect's gunshot wound.
Troyer said this morning that several people who had been helping Clemmons have been arrested. Among them is a man described as a getaway driver who drove Clemmons from the scene where the four officers were killed.
Police believe people close to Clemmons have misled officers, and Troyer said anyone helping him could face charges. Clemmons' sister wasn't in custody late Monday, and her name wasn't released.
Authorities said the gunman singled out the Lakewood officers and spared employees and other customers at the coffee shop in Parkland, a Tacoma suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle. He then fled, but not before he was apparently shot in the torso by one of the dying officers.
Killed were Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42.
Police said they aren't sure what prompted Clemmons to shoot the officers as they did paperwork on their laptops. Clemmons was described as increasingly erratic in the past few months and had been arrested earlier this year on charges that he punched a sheriff's deputy in the face.
Troyer said that Clemmons indicated the night before the shooting "that he was going to shoot police and watch the news."
Police surrounded a house in a Seattle neighborhood late Sunday following a tip Clemmons had been dropped off there. After an all-night siege, a SWAT team entered the home and found it empty. But police said Clemmons had been there.
Police frantically chased leads on Monday, searching multiple spots in the Seattle and Tacoma area and at one point cordoning off a park where people thought they saw Clemmons.
Authorities found a handgun carried by the killer, along with a pickup belonging to the suspect with blood stains inside. They posted a $125,000 reward for information leading to Clemmons' arrest and alerted hospitals to be on the lookout for a man seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.
Information from Seattle Times staff reporters Mark Rahner and Jack Broom and The Associated Press is included in this report
Satan
12-01-2009, 10:41 AM
And now, he's mine.........
Any requests for tormenting this fucker? http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/teufel/d010.gif
standin
12-01-2009, 11:41 AM
Yes, ...
if you would ...
ask God to terminate the ability of his gene pools to make more of that dysfunctional family.
It's a little out of your job description, but a recommendation from you might go aways to terminating that genetic line.
lesfunk
12-01-2009, 04:37 PM
And now, he's mine.........
Any requests for tormenting this fucker? http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/teufel/d010.gif
Shove a living snake up his ass.
hambon4lif
12-01-2009, 05:41 PM
And now, he's mine.........
Any requests for tormenting this fucker? http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/teufel/d010.gifActually I do.....
When Jessie hits Seattle (and I'm sure he's en route as we speak), lock him in a room with that fuck for an hour.
That'd be enough to bring out remorse in even the most heartless of killers.
sadaist
12-01-2009, 05:52 PM
YAAAAAY!
The WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT IS DEAD!!!!
:happy0158::appl::happy0065::jumping0041::happy64: :rockit2::rockit::killer::rockon::beers8:
This makes me so happy. Now we will not spend a dime feeding, housing, providing medical care, etc... to this fuck. Not to mention the money spent on a trial. Plus, from what I understand anyways, this guy may have been treated like a hero in prison.
Plus, from what I understand anyways, this guy may have been treated like a hero in prison.
Maybe not....
He may have killed 4 cops, but he also raped a child. Pedobears don't make many friends in prison. Just ask Jeff Dahmer, or that priestophile from Boston who met a similar fate. Satan has their current phone numbers.
GO-SPURS-GO
12-01-2009, 06:06 PM
And now, he's mine.........
Any requests for tormenting this fucker? http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/teufel/d010.gif
Well your unholiness, if he "really" was mentally ill, then please cut the dude some slack.
Nitro Express
12-02-2009, 01:12 AM
Obviously this is someone who knew what they were doing. I don't think some little gang puke could pull this off. If you can just walk into some hole in the wall coffee shop and waste 4 trained and armed police officers before they can fire a single round in defense, odds are you have some sort of training yourself.
I use to be a firearm instructor and we aren't talking about target shooting here. Anybody willing the pull the trigger could do 4 cops not expecting to be shot at close range no problem. Also, I shoot with cops and not all of them are that great with a pistol. Some are and some aren't. Many cops view their firearm as a necessary evil and do the minimum training and others are experts. Street cops are not FBI agents who are very good with their firearms.
You also have to remember the shooter has the jump on them. After the first shot, the deafening noise and blast of the gun kicks in the adrenaline and causes the body to freeze. This buys more time to finish them off.
Hardrock69
12-02-2009, 09:52 AM
Hey Satan, put him in the 'extra-extreme' pit of torment. I leave the specifics up to you, as you have only had since the creation of the human race to figure out the best ways to torment humans, and are therefore THE expert.
ULTRAMAN VH
12-09-2009, 07:49 AM
Memories of four Lakewood officers bring tears, laughter
Moving tributes to the four slain Lakewood police officers were delivered by co-workers, friends and their children at today's memorial service the Tacoma Dome.
By Seattle Times staff
MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Police and fire vehicles line-up along 112th Street SW headed to McChord Air Force Base early Tuesday morning for the memorial procession for the four slain Lakewood Police Officers.
The four fallen Lakewood officers
Memories of four Lakewood officers bring tears, laughter
Lakewood Police Officer Ronald Owens was always smiling
Lakewood Police Sgt. Mark Renninger was devoted to family, dedicated to police work
Lakewood Officer Tina Griswold was a 'ball of fire' in a tiny package
Officer Gregory Richards: Loving family man was 'the golden boy'
View In Attendance in a larger map Moving tributes to the four slain Lakewood police officers were delivered by co-workers, friends and their children at today's memorial service at the Tacoma Dome.
Austin Richards, the 16-year-old son of Greg Richards, said his father viewed his job as an honor despite the stresses inherent to law-enforcement work.
"He didn't become more hardened or angry, just more thankful," Richards said. "I guess you could say he didn't see the point in anger."
In moments heart-wrenching and funny, Michael Villa described Sgt. Mark Renninger tracking a suspect without the help of a K-9 unit, twice guessing correctly which way the suspect had fled.
"I remember thinking, 'Who is this guy? We don't need a K-9 unit. We have the man tracker on our crew,' " said Villa, now the assistant police chief in Tukwila.
Tina Griswold was described by her friend as being a dedicated mother, good cook and as tough an officer — pound-for-pound — as could be found. "The fastest way to break up a bar fight was to throw Tina in the middle of it," said Pamela Battersby, Griswold's friend.
Ronnie Owens' sister, Ronda LeFrancois, remembered her brother hamming it up in high school, break dancing on the kitchen floor and singing Barry Manilow songs.
"You could never go anywhere with Ronnie without someone knowing who he was," said LeFrancois. Owens, she said, had been looking forward to watching his young daughter's first basketball season.
After a 20-minute video full of snapshots of four officers' childhoods, weddings, family moments and on-the-job events, Gov. Chris Gregoire said the state would honor their memory by continuing to support law enforcement.
"We will remember them today. We will remember them always. We owe these children — all nine of them — a future that is safe and secure," said Gregoire.
The eulogies were delivered on a stage surrounded by four flag-draped caskets and a crowd of nearly 20,000 law-enforcement officers, who watched mostly in silence, except for moments of applause and laughter.
The memorial service began as officers from around North America crisply saluted the families — including the nine children — of the slain officers as they were seated for a service expected to last more than three hours.
The memorial was preceded by a procession of about 2,000 law-enforcement vehicles, red-and-blue lights flashing, that began at 10:05 a.m. It crawled along a somber, 10.3-mile route from McChord Air Force Base to the Tacoma Dome.
The procession, which took three-and-a-half hours, was so sprawling that the tail end was still at the base at 1:30 p.m., a half-hour after the memorial was scheduled to begin. The service began more than an hour later than planned.
Gregoire had called it "the darkest day in the history of law enforcement in Washington."
The enormous contingent represented more than 300 agencies and thousands of law-enforcement officers, among them an estimated 600 from British Columbia, 100 each from Chicago and New York, and others from Boston, Bozeman, Mont., Salem, Ore., and every corner of Washington state. FBI Director Robert Mueller planned to attend.
One of last vehicles in the procession, from the Delta Police Department near Vancouver, B.C., flew Canadian and U.S. flags side by side.
Lakewood police Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Gregory Richards and Ronnie Owens were gunned down by Maurice Clemmons on Nov. 29 at a Pierce County coffee shop. It was the worst attack on law enforcement in the state's history.
About 19,200 law-enforcement officers had been anticipated at today's memorial, making it the biggest such event in state history.
Bryan Tearson, assistant chief of Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, said planning for the memorial began at about 10 a.m. Nov. 30, little more than 24 hours after the shooting. He said more 100 police, fire, emergency-management and public-works staff from around the Puget Sound were involved in planning.
With so many law-enforcement and political leaders gathered, there were extensive security preparations, including sweeps of the Tacoma Dome beginning last night. Heavily armed SWAT team members patrolled the perimeter of the arena, while camouflaged snipers were in position on the roof.
After leaving McChord Air Force Base under a bright, sunny sky, the long line of cars stopped at the Lakewood police station, where several hundred people gathered outside in 23-degree cold. A large American flag hung from crossed fire ladders erected by the University Place Fire Department.
"We're here to respect the officers and to show our support," said Everett police Officer Gregory Sutherland, 37, a 15-year veteran who was waiting to join the procession. "There's a real sense of commonality, even with people you don't know. Because of the profession, this is the ultimate sacrifice these guys made."
The procession was joined there by a motorcade of hearses and limousines carrying the fallen officers and their families as well as four Lakewood police cruisers, each with a black band over the front door in the officers' memory.
Hundreds lined a stretch of South Tacoma Way in the punishing cold to observe the funeral procession. Some held flags others held signs, officers saluted as cars passed, some people took photos and videos, some stood with their hands over their hearts and some stood and wept quietly. Officers touched their hands to their car windows as they passed.
Roxanne Clouse, barely able to speak without weeping, said she "wanted to be a part of this, support the ones who are here and let them know they all matter. I'm here to feel the cold for those that can't."
The sight of the four hearses brought home the tragedy for some of the onlookers. Eileen Melberg, who works at a law firm along the route, said seeing the flag-draped coffins made her gasp. "This isn't a picture. This is a person who should still be alive."
Josh Warner, a military police officer from Fort Lewis, said he used to have coffee with Renninger and Owens. Owens, he said, responded earlier this year to a domestic-violence call involving a family friend and spent hours helping her fill out paperwork.
"He was the kind of officer who would go above and beyond," Warner said. "They will be missed very much."
Across the street from the McChord gate where the procession began, Jerome Wahl, 33, sat with a table of coffee and cookies for officers and a 4-foot sign reading, "Comfort Design supports the Lakewood Police Department and their families."
"I live in the area; I do all my shopping in Lakewood," said Wahl, service manager for the window and door company across the street. "We appreciate the Police Department in everything they do and we are deeply saddened by this tragedy that happened right here in our back yard."
Seattle Times staff writers Marc Ramirez, Jack Broom, Lynn Thompson, Christine Clarridge, Maureen O'Hagan, Mark Rahner and Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.
Hardrock69
12-09-2009, 10:49 AM
I saw a piece on the news about this. Thousands of people lined the streets of Tacoma to pay their final respects. I surely would have been there if I had lived in the area.
BITEYOASS
12-09-2009, 12:10 PM
This scumbag is dead and so is Huckabee's political career! YIPEE!!!
I saw a piece on the news about this. Thousands of people lined the streets of Tacoma to pay their final respects. I surely would have been there if I had lived in the area.
This memorial went on literally all day too. And it was (and is) fucking cold here right now. Just finally broke single digits - a whole 11 degrees at the moment.
At least these people froze their asses off for a good cause. And the memorials aren't done yet............
The Bob Rivers Show with Bob Spike and Joe (http://www.bobrivers.com/#v0c0i11955)
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.