http://www.al.com/news/index.s...ml#incart_river_home

One officer fired shots at the pit bull that hurtled out of the mobile home in Southaven, Miss., police said. The other officer fired at the person pointing a gun from behind the cracked front door.

They had been trying to serve an arrest warrant in an aggravated assault case at a mobile home in the neighborhood before the sudden explosion of gunfire Sunday night. When they surveyed the aftermath, they made a heart-dropping discovery: They were at the wrong home.

Ismael Lopez likely never knew why officers were at his door - or even that they were officers.

What authorities know is that the officers involved, who have not been named, were trying to serve an arrest warrant at the house. When they approached, the door was open a crack and the gun was aimed at them, authorities said.

"The officers began hollering 'Put the gun down! Put the gun down! Put the gun down! Put the gun down!' at which point that did not occur," District Attorney John Champion told the Commercial Appeal. "More than one shot was fired toward the door. There was a subject, a male subject, inside the residence that was killed as a result of this gunfire."

No one else was injured, and it's unclear if Lopez ever fired a shot at officers.

The district attorney stressed that Lopez, 41, didn't have a warrant out for his arrest or a criminal record.

"The deceased subject had absolutely no warrant for his arrest," Champion told Jackson, Miss., CBS-affiliate WJTV. "He wasn't wanted for anything at all. I want to make that abundantly clear at this point."

Lopez's family has hired a lawyer, and people close to him tried to reconcile how a kind mechanic with a penchant for helping those in need could meet such a violent end.

Family friend Jordan Castillo told the Commercial Appeal that Lopez was a native of Veracruz, Mexico, who had lived and worked in the United States for years. He had been a mechanic for the city of Bartlett and operated a small mechanic's shop across the street from his home. Castillo described Lopez as a father figure.

On Monday, Castillo showed reporters the broken railing on the front porch of Lopez's home and the three bullet holes in its front door.

"If you're shooting through a door in that manner, you don't know who's behind that door."

The family's attorney, Murray Wells told reporters the house officers should have gone to, had a large 'P' on the door.

"They should have never been on the property in the first place," he told the Commercial Appeal.

He also has disputed several aspects of the police department's account. He told Jackson, Miss., NBC-affiliate WMCA that Lopez didn't have a gun in his hand when he was shot and that neighbors and Lopez's wife, who had been in bed with him, didn't hear officers tell him multiple times to drop the gun.

According to Wells, Lopez's wife stayed in bed while he went to the door to see what was happening outside. That's when she heard gunshots. She ran to her husband, but by the time she reached him, he was dead.

As the investigation continues, Wells said the family was most concerned about not having Lopez's name marred by the violent way he died.

"They've been in that home for 13 years. The only time the police had ever been there was when they had been robbed," Wells told WMCA. "No criminal history whatsoever. A long-standing employee of the city of Bartlett, mechanic. Loved in the neighborhood."

Samuel Pearman, the man police were actually looking for on Sunday night, said they had also disparaged his name, according to WMCA. He went on Facebook Live saying the accusations against him were false.

"They made me out to be something I'm not," he said. "I haven't hurt her. She's the one who slapped me."

Lopez's shooting happened as U.S. police departments are under intense scrutiny for their use of lethal force, especially against minorities.

According to The Washington Post's Fatal Force database, 559 people have been shot by police this year. In 2016, 963 people were killed by police.

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Cleve Wootson wrote this for The Washington Post.

No knock warrants, asset forfeiture...

Things got to change!

"No one else was injured, and it's unclear if Lopez ever fired a shot at officers."

That would be easy to clear up.

There will be a substantial sum of money given to this guys family to make the issue go away. I would like to see those involved held accountable and like Snapping Twig, I think this shit has to change, but I am not holding my breath.

quote:

Originally posted by Snapping Twig:
No knock warrants, asset forfeiture...

Things got to change!

There is no indication that this was either a no-knock warrant, or asset forfeiture.

If the officers went to a house and were greeted by a man pointing a gun at them, which may or may not be what happened, it is hard to fault them for defending themselves.

If that is not what happened, it is hard to defend them from that fault.

We will see.

But do not confuse serving an arrest warrant with serving a search warrant. Nationwide, tens of thousands of arrest warrants are served every day. A few thousand dynamic search warrants on physical locations are served every week. A small percentage of those are truly no-knock.

quote:

There is no indication that this was either a no-knock warrant, or asset forfeiture.

If the officers went to a house and were greeted by a man pointing a gun at them, which may or may not be what happened, it is hard to fault them for defending themselves.

Yeah, not to mention the charging pit bull. Mobile home park in Southhaven, probably a little sketchy. All the facts are not out. I recall a case in which SWAT got the wrong house and the homeowner thinking it was a break in decided to clear the house with his AR 15. It is situations like this that all homeowners need to think about.

I didn't read, even in the police account, that they identified themselves as police officers, but rather shouted "put the gun down!"

So is that the new standard? Follow any "lawful" command, on your property, at any time, without proper identification? I know, I know, the facts will come out....

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
I didn't read, even in the police account, that they identified themselves as police officers, but rather shouted "put the gun down!"

So is that the new standard? Follow any "lawful" command, on your property, at any time, without proper identification? I know, I know, the facts will come out....

What if it had been the UPS guy? A Morman? The water meter guy?

You can't just point a gun at people because they are on your stoop. They can shoot back, you know. Cop or not.

And as perfect as everyone is, sometimes yelling shit like "Quit Resisting!" or "Police!" goes out the window when you're looking down the barrel of a gun and your lizard brain has taken over. Police...and everyone else...are not required to give a warning before using deadly force when they are looking down a barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
I didn't read, even in the police account, that they identified themselves as police officers, but rather shouted "put the gun down!"

So is that the new standard? Follow any "lawful" command, on your property, at any time, without proper identification? I know, I know, the facts will come out....

What if it had been the UPS guy? A Morman? The water meter guy?

You can't just point a gun at people because they are on your stoop. They can shoot back, you know. Cop or not.

And as perfect as everyone is, sometimes yelling shit like "Quit Resisting!" or "Police!" goes out the window when you're looking down the barrel of a gun and your lizard brain has taken over. Police...and everyone else...are not required to give a warning before using deadly force when they are looking down a barrel.

Why do you say the deceased pointed a gun? Whose word do you have on that?

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
I didn't read, even in the police account, that they identified themselves as police officers, but rather shouted "put the gun down!"

So is that the new standard? Follow any "lawful" command, on your property, at any time, without proper identification? I know, I know, the facts will come out....

What if it had been the UPS guy? A Morman? The water meter guy?

You can't just point a gun at people because they are on your stoop. They can shoot back, you know. Cop or not.

And as perfect as everyone is, sometimes yelling shit like "Quit Resisting!" or "Police!" goes out the window when you're looking down the barrel of a gun and your lizard brain has taken over. Police...and everyone else...are not required to give a warning before using deadly force when they are looking down a barrel.

You mean the gun that the family disputes was even in his hands? Maybe the same way nobody heard anything about putting a gun down? Hmmm.

BTW, this is in my town, and I know many of the officers in this area. Most are great guys. A few truly need to have another line of work. Either way, I wish it never happened, but I do pray that justice is done for both the family and (if they were at fault) the officers in the shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by Windhover:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
I didn't read, even in the police account, that they identified themselves as police officers, but rather shouted "put the gun down!"

So is that the new standard? Follow any "lawful" command, on your property, at any time, without proper identification? I know, I know, the facts will come out....

What if it had been the UPS guy? A Morman? The water meter guy?

You can't just point a gun at people because they are on your stoop. They can shoot back, you know. Cop or not.

And as perfect as everyone is, sometimes yelling shit like "Quit Resisting!" or "Police!" goes out the window when you're looking down the barrel of a gun and your lizard brain has taken over. Police...and everyone else...are not required to give a warning before using deadly force when they are looking down a barrel.

Why do you say the deceased pointed a gun? Whose word do you have on that?

The same article you read. Which leaves out a lot of information, like if there is video, or if police seized a firearm at the scene...

Whose word do you have that they didn't? Jesus Christ on a pogostick. We're guessing with what info we have presented. I already said if it's not what actually happened, it's not defensible.

See now, that's what I wanted you to come out and say. Your response to Slabside pre-supposed the gun-pointing.

Did I say the deceased did not point a gun? No. I merely challenged your presupposition. To be frank, though, I find myself being highly skeptical about the gun pointing. There are two people who could say for sure, the deceased and the police officer who did the shooting, and only one person is now left. And that person has every incentive to lie if the deceased did not point a gun.

You're absolutely right, it's too early to form any informed opinion. I would rather that we refrain from wild speculations, either way.

Right on track

quote:

According to Wells, Lopez's wife stayed in bed while he went to the door to see what was happening outside. That's when she heard gunshots. She ran to her husband, but by the time she reached him, he was dead.

She stayed in bed. So am I to assume this was at night or extremely early in the morning? Maybe dark out still?

How are any of you going to approach your door in that situation?

Unless I missed it, was there a time given of the shooting?

Po Po needs to leave folks alone. And if they can't, make damn sure they are at the right house. I mean, the dang postman can get it right.

quote:

Originally posted by jdmb03:
"No one else was injured, and it's unclear if Lopez ever fired a shot at officers."

That would be easy to clear up.

Not if it's been tampered with.... Might be able to check for GSR on the dead guy, though.

flashguy

quote:

I mean, the dang postman can get it right.

You must have superior mail service. LOL

However the circumstances this is happening more often than it should. I know everyone involved is human and prone to error, but it seems these "incidents" are happening far too often.

Even if he pointed a gun at the police, he wouldn't have pointed a gun at the police if they had been at the correct address in the first place.

There is no defense whatsoever for being at the wrong address and the homeowner killed as a result of it.