Humanity Fails Again :(

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Toddler stomped to death in Stanislaus County
By Kelli Phillips
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched: 06/15/2008 05:45:52 PM PDT


Stanislaus County sheriff's investigators spent Father's Day trying to determine what led a 27-year-old Turlock man to pull over on a darkened country road, yank a toddler from the back seat of his truck and repeatedly kick and stomp the boy to death before the man was shot and killed by police.

"It's been a long day," Stanislaus County sheriff's Deputy Royjindar Singh said Sunday evening. "Just talking to officers and deputies who were out there and for myself being a dad, this hits home, especially on Father's Day. The way that infant died was inhumane."

On Sunday, deputies tried to establish the relationship between the 27-year-old man and the boy, who appeared to be between 1 and 2 years old, according to the Stanislaus County coroner's office. Coroner's deputies believe they know the boy's identity, but "due to the severity of his injuries making a visual identification is nearly impossible," Singh said. "That in itself tells of the brutality of this attack."

Police hope to contact family members today, Singh said, but it appears many live out of the area.

"We're trying to contact family members," he said. "Some of the key questions we're trying to answer is why this happened? What was going on before the suspect left? Where was he going? Where had he been? What was going on in his life that day?"

Investigators weren't releasing the suspect's identity pending notification of family.

Witnesses began calling 911 about


10:15 p.m. Saturday, reporting a man assaulting a baby on Bradbury Road near Blaker Road in a rural area several miles west of Turlock filled with cow pastures and dairy farms, a sheriff's news release said.

Horrified passers-by tried to intervene by yelling and pushing the infant's attacker, but the man pushed them away as he repeatedly kicked, punched and stomped the child against the pavement.

A Stanislaus County sheriff's helicopter was flying in the area and responded to the scene within six minutes of the first 911 call. Officers in the helicopter could see the suspect beating a child in the roadway and because patrol deputies were still several minutes away, they decided to land in a field near the man's vehicle, Singh said.

The helicopter's tactical flight officer, a Modesto police officer, ran toward the suspect with his gun drawn, but he was unable to reach the roadway due to an electric and barbed wire fence, Singh said.

"When the flight officer first contacted the suspect and tried to get him to stop, the infant was on the ground and the suspect was kicking and stomping the child," Singh said. "The officer demanded the man stop, but he just continued his assault."

The officer, who has not been identified, then shot the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The toddler was taken to Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson sent department employees an e-mail Sunday offering assistance to any staff member affected by the incident, Singh said.

"It does hit home, especially for the deputies with children and those officers in the helicopter that attempted to save the boy's life."

and some more info.........

URLOCK -- A crazed man parked on a dark country road Saturday night, took a toddler from the car seat in his pickup and beat the boy to death until a Modesto police officer, dropped on the scene by helicopter, shot the man dead, authorities said.

Passers-by calling 911 at 10:13 p.m. described a horrific scene on West Bradbury Road near the intersection of South Blaker Road in rural Stanislaus County, 10 miles west of Turlock. At least one tried to stop the 27-year-old attacker, who swung and slammed the toddler into the asphalt and stomped on him behind his parked four-door Toyota pickup.

"In the shadows and light it looked like he had hit an animal," said Dan Robinson, the chief of Crows Landing Volunteer Fire Department, who came upon the chaos on his way home from a late dinner in Turlock. "As we backed up again, I could see that he had blood on his arms. I could see that it was a small child."

Robinson, 52, jumped from his vehicle and confronted the man, who lunged at him. Robinson said the man wasn't screaming and wasn't loud, but was forceful, saying "demons" were in the boy.

"Give me the knife. Give me the knife," the man said as he grabbed for a pen in the fireman's front pocket.

"There was a total hollowness in his eyes," Robinson said, "like I could see right through to the back of his head."

A Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department helicopter, flown by a deputy with a Modesto police officer in the second seat, was on patrol in the Turlock area. It arrived six minutes after the first 911 call, said deputy Royjindar Singh, sheriff's department spokesman.

"The helicopter spotlights the scene and sees this guy just beating on this infant or baby in the middle of the road. I can't imagine what that looked like," Singh said.

The helicopter landed in a cow pasture and the Modesto police officer jumped out. He drew his service pistol and commanded the man to stop from about 10 feet away from behind a set of electric and barbed wire fences. When the man "continued to stomp the child," the officer fired, Singh said.

"They intervened to try and save that infant's life. They thought they could change the outcome of this thing," Singh said.

The officer's name, the number of times he fired and where the dead man was shot were not released Sunday. The officer was placed on paid administrative leave, which is departmental policy for all officer-involved shootings. He is 37, with more than six years in law enforcement, four of them with Modesto.

The toddler was rushed to Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities would not disclose the identity of the dead man or his relationship to the boy pending family notification. Singh said the boy was 12 to 24 months old, but DNA testing may be required to identify him because he was beaten beyond recognition.

"Our firefighter was doing CPR on the baby when I arrived," said Mountain View Fire Chief Kevin Blount, who was there shortly after the shooting. "It's never easy, but it's always harder with little children, especially in circumstances like this."

Confusion and spotty cell phone coverage had dozens of police scrambling through Ceres and Turlock until the location became clear. The violence, Singh said, was so graphic from the helicopter's bird's-eye view that there was no hesitation on the part of the officer, who shot the attacker dead after less than two minutes on the scene.

Dozens of law enforcement personnel, set up under giant spotlights, worked through the night trying to piece together what happened. The attacker and the little boy were traveling west, but his gold truck was parked in the wrong lane, facing oncoming traffic.

Modesto police, the Sheriff's Department and the Stanislaus County district attorney's office are investigating the officer-involved shooting. Sheriff's personnel are investigating the baby's death.

By Sunday afternoon, the detectives had cleared out.

Short rows of fresh planted corn lined one side of the road, cows were pastured in another. The helicopter rotors washed a big dirt circle into the green pasture. Two long, dark bloodstains streaked the road.

Neighbors mingled on the fence line of nearby Thomas Dairy asking the same questions as investigators: Was the attacker on drugs? Mentally ill? All of the above? Why did it happen here?

Isabelle Thomas, who lives a few hundred yards from the scene, was working at Emanuel Medical Center, a nurse in the surgical unit, when her son called her with word something bad had happened. Soon she heard of the little boy who died 500 yards from her front door.

"I couldn't go to sleep. I couldn't rest without seeing it and all that blood. I couldn't believe all that blood," she said.

Sunday morning, she watched a tow truck haul away the pickup. The inside cab, she said, was smeared with blood. A rosary swung from the rearview mirror.

"I've been here 53 years," said her brother, John Thomas, "and I've never seen anything like this. I've never seen anything like this before."

I dont know if I am more shocked to see what the guy did or the fact that the people watching did nothing

[Azalee]

That first story is so fucked. I don't like kids but good lord. ><;

[Dmitry]

I didn't read the second article but the first one said they tried to stop him by yelling and pushing him away. I'd commend the officer for trying to stop the guy though.

[Krye]

I can easily see how a baby could make somebody snap.

[Doombear]

As a father and a human... i honestly couldn't finish reading that ...

[Kuya]

Well then, that's ugh, umm. Yea.

[drwaffles]

Normally I don't feel emotional in the slightest reading horrific news stories about brutal attacks and such, but I actually welled up a little reading that. That is absolutely abominable.

[Brill Weave]

That is one of the most reprehensible things I've ever read in my life.

[Lordwafik]

I'm more annoyed at them wanting to investigate the officer involved shooting. Unless of course it's a mandatory procedure.

[Gregorio]

Normally I don't feel emotional in the slightest reading horrific news stories about brutal attacks and such, but I actually welled up a little reading that. That is absolutely abominable.

Likewise. I can usually read things like this and brush them aside...but wow this hit me kinda hard.

[Perfect Night]

I'm more annoyed at them wanting to investigate the officer involved shooting. Unless of course it's a mandatory procedure.

I'm pretty sure that it's mandatory procedure in most places in the US. I'd go as far to say they're probably happy the cop killed the dude.

[Slapper]

I'm more annoyed at them wanting to investigate the officer involved shooting. Unless of course it's a mandatory procedure.

I believe it is.

[Churchill]

meh who cares

[drwaffles]

Being indifferent and making sure everyone knows it makes you so fucking cool.

[Warudo Ecksu]

That story's absolutely horrid. I wonder where the mother was. Glad the cop shot him though.

meh who cares

Grow up.

[lamp]

I'm more annoyed at them wanting to investigate the officer involved shooting. Unless of course it's a mandatory procedure.

Also because how fucked up the justice system is, it wouldnt surprise me if this officer got sent down.

Made me very sad to read that post, that police officer deserves a medal imo.

[Correction]

I'm more annoyed at them wanting to investigate the officer involved shooting. Unless of course it's a mandatory procedure.

Also because how fucked up the justice system is, it wouldnt surprise me if this officer got sent down.

Made me very sad to read that post, that police officer deserves a medal imo.

You missed the part where it's standard procedure to put officers involved in a shooting on paid administrative leave while the investigation goes on. It's not like they're charging him with a crime or have him under suspicion for using excessive force. I'd think the cop would welcome the time off after having to kill a guy.

[Linliel]

meh who cares

And this is why you never get any.

[lamp]

I'm more annoyed at them wanting to investigate the officer involved shooting. Unless of course it's a mandatory procedure.

Also because how fucked up the justice system is, it wouldnt surprise me if this officer got sent down.

Made me very sad to read that post, that police officer deserves a medal imo.

You missed the part where it's standard procedure to put officers involved in a shooting on paid administrative leave while the investigation goes on. It's not like they're charging him with a crime or have him under suspicion for using excessive force. I'd think the cop would welcome the time off after having to kill a guy.

wow good for him, i guess he will take the time out to ponder over what he has witnessed, and realise he took a mans life (even that of a sicko's) some people never get over taking a persons life, no matter how horrid that scum bag may have been.

[elison]

Looks like Stanislav did it again.