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Owensboro KY LEO chasing bad guy shot by homeowner in fenced yard

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October 11, 2018, 01:16 PM
Sigmund
Owensboro KY LEO chasing bad guy shot by homeowner in fenced yard
"As the officer was checking a fenced-in area at 522 Hathaway, the homeowner of the residence shot at Officer Morris striking him."

Does KY allow a homeowner to shoot someone in his back yard?

https://www.owensborotimes.com...nfirms-officer-shot/

KSP identifies officer in morning shooting

by The Owensboro Times
24 hours ago

UPDATE:

Around 6:30 a.m. this morning, Kentucky State Police Post 16-Henderson was notified by Owensboro Police Department (OPD) of a shooting involving an OPD officer. OPD authorities requested KSP investigate the incident related to the shooting.

The preliminary investigation revealed that around 5:30 a.m. this morning, Owensboro Police Officer Zachary Morris, 23 of Owensboro, responded to a call of a suspicious person possibly breaking into parked vehicles in the area of Hathaway and 6th Street in Owensboro.

Morris arrived in the area and observed a person matching the description. The suspect fled on foot and Morris gave chase.

Officer Morris lost sight of the fleeing suspect behind some houses in the 500 block of Hathaway Street. As the officer was checking a fenced-in area at 522 Hathaway, the homeowner of the residence shot at Officer Morris striking him.

Officer Morris was wearing a ballistic vest but was struck in the lower abdominal area. He is at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital recovering from emergency surgery and is in good condition.

Morris is a two-year veteran of Owensboro Police Department and is assigned to patrol.

At this point, KSP’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is helping detectives determine what role participants had. The homeowner was detained for questioning and no charges have been filed.

All other events leading up to this incident is being investigated by Owensboro Police Department Criminal Unit.

————————————————————————————————————-

DEVELOPING: Owensboro Police Department has confirmed that at approximately 6 a.m. this morning, officers responded to a call for a suspicious person. Shots were fired at the 500 block of Hathaway Street and an officer was shot in the process. The officer was transported to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, where he was taken to surgery. His condition is unknown at this time. The family has been notified. OPD is currently interviewing suspects and the case is still under investigation.
October 11, 2018, 01:28 PM
jljones
No, rules of deadly force do not allow you to shoot someone for merely being in the yard.




www.opspectraining.com

"It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it works out for them"



October 11, 2018, 01:36 PM
slosig
Seems like a good argument for one light switch inside the house that turns on enough floods to make the backyard look like day. Regardless of what the law says, I wouldn’t like to shoot a cop and I’d rather light up a dirtbag with lumens first. Best case it scares him off and no shots are required. Worst case, him well lit, hopefully with lights in his eyes, seems like a better target. YMMV.
October 11, 2018, 01:37 PM
Aeteocles
Dark. Guy with gun poking around your fenced in yard. Possibly two guys.

Really really good reason to have a weapon light on your home defense weapon.
October 11, 2018, 01:41 PM
old rugged cross
glad the officer is going to recover.



"Practice like you want to play in the game"
October 11, 2018, 01:42 PM
kz1000
Stay in the damn house. Arm yourself but call 911 to report commotion.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Yidn, shreibt un fershreibt"

"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."
-Bomber Harris
October 11, 2018, 01:52 PM
jljones
quote:
Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Dark.


No, it’s light enough to see at 0600.

However, it was raining yesterday morning.




www.opspectraining.com

"It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it works out for them"



October 11, 2018, 02:04 PM
MikeGLI
I thought this was going to be a video of KY LEO chasing a bad guy, a bad guy who happened to be shot by a homeowner.




NRA Life Member
Steak: Rare. Coffee: Black. Bourbon: Neat.
October 11, 2018, 02:09 PM
bigdeal
quote:
Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Dark. Guy with gun poking around your fenced in yard. Possibly two guys.

Really really good reason to have a weapon light on your home defense weapon.
'Or', a good reason to have the 500w flood lights I have on all four corners of the house. Turns night to day and makes it possible to id who's there before anything escalates further.


-----------------------------
Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter
October 11, 2018, 02:10 PM
SBrooks
quote:
Originally posted by kz1000:
Stay in the damn house. Arm yourself but call 911 to report commotion.


It takes about 15 minutes for police to respond where I live. At least it did the one time we called. I suppose we could luck out and one would be driving around on our corner of the county...

Anyway. the only use they'd be is for whatever after action reports are needed.

I would probably just use flashlight if needed and yell at them to identify themselves or GTFO. While holding the gun at a low ready in strong hand..


------------------
SBrooks
October 11, 2018, 02:23 PM
sigmonkey
Never get out of the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were goin' all the way...




"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
October 11, 2018, 02:54 PM
bwl5
There was a reply in the article from somebody who claims to be the ex wife of the homeowner involved in the shooting. She said

"The news has not told the whole story. This happen at my son's house and his dad-my ex lives there. My ex heard something going on in back yard and stepped out ti see what was going on and thank you but he was shot a twice and he shot back. I am sirry for tge family but thus cop dud not even announce he was a cop and shot at someone in their own yard. The bews needs to tell the whole story"

Since there was reportedly no charges filed,there might be merit to this.
October 11, 2018, 02:57 PM
Mars_Attacks
If he shot at the homeowner and the homeowner returned fire, the grand jury better find no reason to charge.


____________________________

Eeewwww, don't touch it!
Here, poke at it with this stick.
October 11, 2018, 03:04 PM
Rick Lee
quote:
Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
If he shot at the homeowner and the homeowner returned fire, the grand jury better find no reason to charge.


I agree, but I'd then move far away. That police dept. will be out to get that homeowner.
October 11, 2018, 04:50 PM
mark_a
I'm a fool for good weapon mounted lights. But, I also like to have an independent light to check things out with.

You step out on your porch in poor lighting and light a cop up with a weapon mounted light and if the officer can make out the shape of a gun you are going to get shot at. And, he will be properly defended (I hope). Not saying I agree but the officer has a pretty high expectation that he is not going to be confronted by an armed homeowner. Add that to the fact that he was probably a bit amped up from chasing a dude and you are smoking a cigar standing in a pool of gas.

Better to ID the target without pointing a gun if possible.

And yes, I should be able to walk around in my yard anytime I want to with any weapon I want to but... This is real life, crap gets messy sometimes.


Now, if it turns out the officer shot first then it is still the responsibility of the homeowner to properly ID the target before he shoots. I will be curious to see if the "but he shot first" defense counts for anything.
October 11, 2018, 04:57 PM
bwl5
quote:
Now, if it turns out the officer shot first then it is still the responsibility of the homeowner to properly ID the target before he shoots. I will be curious to see if the "but he shot first" defense counts for anything.


Properly ID that the you are shooting the person who just shot at you. Just because they are a police officer doesn't take away your right to self defense.
October 11, 2018, 04:59 PM
Strambo
quote:
Originally posted by mark_a:

Now, if it turns out the officer shot first then it is still the responsibility of the homeowner to properly ID the target before he shoots. I will be curious to see if the "but he shot first" defense counts for anything.


While being shot at? Just in case the person in the yard shooting at you right this moment "might" be a cop?

Okay...care to test that theory even with Sim rounds (never mind bullets)?

If you are being shot at, on your property, and can see the person shooting at you enough to hit them (he obviously could), well, I think first using a light to get positive ID while under fire is a bit much to expect...

I have weapon lights and handheld backups. So, let's take it a step further, bullets come inbound, you hit your weapon light and light up the cop shooting at you simultaneously prepping the trigger. [PAUSE]

What now? What now in this nano-second you realize the person trying to kill you is a cop? You don't have an "I'm not a burglar, but a homeowner" uniform on for him to ID do you?

Run? (take multiple bullets in the back?), Yell you're the homeowner, but get pumped full of rounds before that message gets through his adrenalized state? What?

The cop failed to get positive ID, it is on him (assuming the info we have is true).




“People have to really suffer before they can risk doing what they love.” –Chuck Palahnuik

Be harder to kill: https://preparefit.ck.page
October 11, 2018, 05:02 PM
c1steve
Most likely the cop did not fire at the homeowner. If anyone did, it would have been the car burglar. I bet the woman's opinion/story is very inaccurate. she may be parroting what her ex told her.


-c1steve
October 11, 2018, 05:10 PM
sigfreund
As usual in these incidents only incomplete information is currently available and therefore drawing any conclusions tells us much more about the people offering up opinions based on that incomplete information than it does about the actions of either the homeowner or police officer.

One thing that is incontestable, however, is that there have been several well-documented incidents in which police officers have shot residents on their own property for no other reason than that the resident was observed to be armed, and sometimes only because the resident appeared where the officer expected a suspect to be. In fact, a few years ago a Colorado officer killed a fellow officer merely because the victim looked somewhat like the suspect being sought and showed his head unexpectedly over a fence.




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
October 11, 2018, 05:11 PM
280nosler
quote:
Originally posted by jljones:
quote:
Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Dark.


No, it’s light enough to see at 0600.

However, it was raining yesterday morning.


I don't know where you are located, but sun rise on 10/10 in Owensboro, KY was 6:53, and at 5:30 (when the shooting happened) it is considered Astronomical Twilight. It was actually considered "night" until 5:25AM. Adding rain to the mix, means that it was probably considered dark far longer. With lack of light, most people can not see 10-15 feet. Sounds like the homeowner could be in some shit. The fenced in yard looks to be 30x40 feet, and has a few trees.