Four Officers Gunned Down in Ambush

[LoungeMachine]

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]

Wow!!

[FORD]

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.

[FORD]

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[standin]

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]

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]

I smell drug gang retribution. That part of Washington is the drug capitol of the northwest. It's a real dung hole.

[FORD]

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]

That's true. However, it has become common practice that gang members enter into the military specifically for military training.

[Igosplut]

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]

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.

[FORD]

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]

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?

[FORD]

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.

[FORD]

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.......



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