2013 America (and Friends!) Gun Violence Thread No Plows Allowed!

[archibaldcrane]

I came here to see if another story had been posted but I saw your post. I'm so sorry to hear about it. Was it at night and maybe the cops didn't see he was in the line of fire? Or do you think it was negligence? Either way I guess it's still really terrible.

He arrived with the cops in the same car - two cops and him and the cameraman. I'm sure it was a chaotic situation (and there's video of it that we'll probably never see) but clearly a cop was firing at the robber without taking care not to, ya know, shoot civilians around him.

The fact that the robber didn't even have a real gun is just a dick punch too far.

[archibaldcrane]

Here's a pretty comprehensive article describing what happened: http://deadline.com/2014/08/cops-spi...obbery-825551/

UPDATE, with Omaha police chief news conference: “This was a friendly-fire situation. It was an officer’s round that struck Mr. Dion,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said at a news conference that just wrapped, discussing the shooting death of Cops crew member Bryce Dion last night during police response to a robbery at a Wendy’s restaurant. The suspect was brandishing a pellet gun.
“Like I said earlier, his gun was an Airsoft gun and looked and sounded like it was real. It was a pellet gun,” Schmaderer confirmed. Many Airsoft weapons appear identical to their real counterparts, and the police chief said it produced a muzzle flash and recoil that made it look real to officers. Schmaderer said Dion got caught in the http://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress....1&h=202&crop=1gunfire when he became stuck in the vestibule and the officers were not aware he was there. Dion was wearing a ballistic vest, but the bullet “came in under his left arm and slipped in between the vest, where there is an open area.” Local media have reported 30 shots were fired by officers responding to the scene. Schmaderer declined to confirm that because, he said, “it is the subject of a grand jury investigation.” But he added the reporters “inference” is that the number of shots fired by the three police officers who went into the restaurant was excessive, “and I don’t believe it was.” He vehemently denied suggestions the hail of bullets suggests the police were showing off for the Cops camera.
“Any criticism is unmerited. The grand jury will see this video, and I’m confident they will come to same conclusion,” he said of the footage the Cops crew had shot at the scene, which he said has been turned over to authorities for the investigation.
The police chief had asked Cops to come to town to follow his officers this summer. In June, local media reported he hoped the TV show’s taping of his force in action would improve relations with the community. When asked about that today, he replied, “We had some rough times, and we had an issue that occurred about a year and a half ago.” He said he’d asked the reality series to spend the summer with his force “to put a period on the past and show how professional and adept we are.”
John and Morgan Langley attended the news conference — they’d just flown to town and came straight to the news conference.

“Bryce been with us seven years, and he really is one of our best,” John Langley said during the news conference. Dion, who had recently been promoted to sound supervisor, “was a very talented guy and he did something he loved and was passionate about. We’ve been very fortunate over the years that we’ve never had an incident like this. Unfortunately this happened and we’re dealing with it and it’s a very sad day for us.”
PREVIOUS: Bryce Dion, a longtime crew member of reality TV series Cops, has died after being shot while filming for the show Tuesday night. It happened during a standoff between police and a robbery suspect at a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant in Omaha, NE.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragedy, and our main concern is helping his family in any way we can,” said this morning in a statement. “Bryce Dion was a long-term member of the Cops team and a very talented and dedicated person. We mourn his passing. An investigation is ongoing and we are cooperating with local authorities.” Spike TV, the current network home of the long-running show, referred emails to Langley Prods.
PREVIOUS, 9:30 AM: NBC’s Omaha affiliate WOWT reported this morning, “Gunfire on Dodge Street Tuesday night left a robbery suspect dead, and law enforcement sources tell WOWT 6 News Wednesday morning the Cops television show crew member critically wounded has died.”
The crew for the long-running series was with police who responded to the armed robbery call around 9:20 PM local time, The Omaha World-Herald reported, adding that the show crew had been filming in the city for much of the summer. The paper described the restaurant’s windows as being riddled with bullet holes from the gunfire.
According to various press reports, Omaha Deputy Police Chief Dave Baker said the robbery suspect held a clerk at gunpoint and demanded cash before walking outside to find police waiting. Shots were fired, and the robbery suspect was wounded, as was the crew member. Both were taken to the Nebraska Medical Center, where the suspect was pronounced dead Tuesday night.
Cops debuted in March 1989, created by John Langley and Malcolm Barbour, and ran for more than two decades on Fox. Camera crews followed police, federal agents, etc., without narration. Spike TV picked up the show after its Fox run; on its website, Spike describes the series as “the seminal reality ride-along show that forever changed the TV landscape,” and “provides unprecedented access into the daily lives and work of police officers, constables, and sheriff’s deputies from around the country.”

[Eticket]

Fuck man. Sorry.

[Melena]

Bleh, that fucking sucks Archi

[Kiehl]

Just heard this on the news. Sorry for your loss Archi.

[Headspace]

Do people who film these shows make decent money or some kind of hazard pay? Benefits and life insurance?

[archibaldcrane]

Very good pay (100k/year+) and per diem on top of it when on the road. Not sure about benefits, although he's been with that company for so long that it's entirely possible he was getting benefits (most of the time audio and camera guys aren't at a single company for half a decade+)

[archibaldcrane]

The only other time a COPS worker was shot that I can tell was an accidental discharge of a shotgun in 1998 that ricocheted off the ground and struck a cameraguy in the leg - but fairly superficial injuries in that case (and yes, a cop shot him there too).

It's just ridiculous - there's so many ways Bryce lives here with an awesome story - gets shot in the vest or the leg or the arm or even in the chest through his armhole but it's not fatal...and he has the horrendous luck to not only catch a bullet from a cop, but that it misses his vest and kills him on the spot. I mean, fuck.

[Ksandra]

Is there a difference between this thread and the cops thread anymore?

(not going to merge, just find it sad so many cop stories are getting posted in here now.)

[6souls]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nation...826-story.html

You're missing the best part of that story, besides an image of the little murderer, the name of the shooting range.

http://bulletsandburgers.com/

Spoiler: show

[archibaldcrane]

Is there a difference between this thread and the cops thread anymore?

(not going to merge, just find it sad so many cop stories are getting posted in here now.)

When I originally posted about my friend, I thought the robber shot him so I posted it here. Feel free to mod this into the cops thread if you like.

[Xno Kappa]

Guy who shot the girl dead for knocking on his front door at 4:30am got 17 years. Not sure if this was posted anywhere.

http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-area-m...054747650.html

[BaneTheBrawler]

i think it was posted when he was convicted, but the sentence is new.

[Nephlite]

Sorry bout your loss, archi.

Dunno the full story yet but it seems like he was definitely caught in the crossfire. Damn shame for an airsoft...

[archibaldcrane]

Thanks. Yeah, the cops were unloading on the suspect as he ran past Bryce on the way out of the restaurant. 30 shots fired, he caught one of them.

[Qalbert]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/f...lling-26272173
"Loud Music Killing" guy got a life sentence

[Ghost_Wheel22]

Considering the guy already got sentenced to 60 years earlier this year for attempted murder on the other three passengers this doesn't affect much other than vindication for the family and guaranteed his only way out of prison is in a box.

[Niiro]

It sends a message that you can't shoot people just because they're brown and doing something you don't like in public then try and claim you felt threatened.

(a message that will be largely unheeded, but it's something)

[Zeb]

It sends a message that you can't shoot people just because they're brown and doing something you don't like in public then try and claim you felt threatened.

(a message that will be largely unheeded, but it's something)

unless you have a badge

[Nephlite]

It sends a message that you can't shoot people just because they're doing something you don't like in public then try and claim you felt threatened.

(a message that will be largely unheeded, but it's something)

FTFY

unless you have a badge

Cancelled by proxy. Move along, nothing to see here.