Thankfully no one was killed or injured. Very close call. Pucker factor high. Homeowner actually works for sheriff's office. This happened about a mile or 2 from my son's house.



https://www.wbir.com/article/n...54-99b1-4364ff28a04f

Family reacts to body cam video of deputy-involved shooting at their home
"Something needs to change where innocent people should not be shot at."

POWELL, Tenn. — Newly released body cam video shows the moment a Knox County Sheriff's deputy fires at a homeowner armed with a gun.

No one was hurt and no charges are pending.

But after watching a press conference about the case earlier today the homeowners reached out to 10News to share their experience.

The family and the sheriff's department agree on the basic facts of this case, but the family is concerned about the actions of that deputy during his first day on the job.

On January 4th, a family member accidentally set off the home's security alarm. KCSO was sent to check on the home after getting an alert from that triggered alarm.

Body cam video shows the sheriff's deputy trying to ring the doorbell before going around back.

The doorbell is broken, the family says, and he does not try to knock on the front door.

"About that time we hear the door knob start to jiggle, some noise at the door," said Eric Ludwig, who lives there with his parents and sister.

He and his sister were were in their den when they heard a noise at their backdoor.

"The blinds were down halfway so they could actually see pant legs," said their father and homeowner Jason Ludwig. "So my daughter screams, that's where you hear the screaming, they think someone is breaking in the house."

"I didn't know it was an officer," said Eric. "I thought it was a guy trying to get in and get to us. That's what made me go pull my pistol."

Ludwig said he opened the door with the gun, found another man with a gun in his backyard, and then heard a gunshot.

"You can see here where the bullet came through the glass, through the wall," said Jason Ludwig.

WBIR legal analyst Don Bosch looked at this case and the actions of Eric Ludwig.

"If you don't know it's a police officer, have no reasonable expectation that the police are coming to your house or would be in their lawfully, and you discharged a weapon you're probably not in trouble," said Bosch.

That's what happened.

The Ludwigs don't blame the deputy but do question whether he was too quick to pull trigger.

"If he'd announced he was an officer when he got here, I would have never pulled my pistol," said Eric.

"I've been a strong supporter of any police officers," said Jason."The only thing that's changed me is I think there needs to be a different type of training. Something needs to change where innocent people should not be shot at."

Sheriff Spangler said at a press conference Friday the department will include this body cam video in future training, but he stands by the actions of his rookie officer.

"It's a great training tool, it absolutely is, because it tells you how quick that happened and how fast it can happen to anybody out there," said Spangler.

The man shot at in this case also works for the sheriff's department.

The Ludwig family says they have no plans to take any legal action against the deputy or the department.

Thank God neither was hurt.

That being said, I never would have exited that house with a gun. If I was inside, and saw someone outside my house. I would be armed, but would be in a safe position calling the police to come check it out. That would have resolved the matter safely in this scenario unless the officer found an unlocked door and came in unannounced, which hopefully he wouldn't.

quote:

Originally posted by ubelongoutside:
Thank God neither was hurt.

That being said, I never would have exited that house with a gun. If I was inside, and saw someone outside my house. I would be armed, but would be in a safe position calling the police to come check it out. That would have resolved the matter safely in this scenario unless the officer found an unlocked door and came in unannounced, which hopefully he wouldn't.

That is what we were taught. Before entering/exiting a room, you yell: friendlies coming in/out. The message is confirmed or denied and you proceed. You just don't barge in/out.

Who has a home security alarm that does not notify them when the alarm is activated? Homeowner would have to had turned the alarm off at the panel or get a call from the alarm company verifying the alarm, right?

The sheriff office gets the alarm call and obviously has a delay before the deputy arrives. Does the homeowner do anything to cancel the false alarm?

The officer did everything right in my book. Attempted contact at front door with no results then goes and to jiggle door handles as every officer does on an alarm. Guy jumps out with a gun and actually had the jump on the officer.

If you have an intruder attempting to gain entry to your house, arm yourself, move to a secure area, get the police on the phone, explain what the hell is going on and please send reinforcements, and then start shouting that you are armed and will use your firearm to defend yourself.

If the bad guy attempts to enter your secure area, use such force as is necessary.

If the police show up, confirm it's the police by talking with 911 operator, then do what they tell you.

Just one question. Was it literally the deputy’s “first day on the job,” or first day not riding with a TO?

The deputy could have knocked and announced himself at the front door. I understand not wanting to alert the potential criminals to your presence, but I wonder what he would have done if he had found the back door unlocked. Was he going to enter unannounced?

Now, on to the home owner. He is an idiot and lucky to be alive.
He did not call 911.
He did not take advantage of a relatively secure position and gave up any tactical advantage he had by opening the door.
He also appeared to point his gun at the deputy.

It is important to remember that your gun is NOT the most effective weapon you have. Your brain is, so why not use it?

I put the onus of this near-tragedy entirely on the homeowner.

First of all: An alarm system that doesn't notify the occupants it's gone off? Hell, mine not only fires-up a siren, but sends a text message and email, and a notification to the app installed on both phone and tablet. That's in addition to the monitoring center getting the alert. Who then calls us before calling police.

Thinks there may be a bad guy at the door, so flings it open with gun in hand?

And without calling 911?

That homeowner is damn lucky that deputy is a poor shot. He's even more lucky it wasn't a bad guy ready to greet him in a similar manner.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Who has a home security alarm that does not notify them when the alarm is activated? Homeowner would have to had turned the alarm off at the panel or get a call from the alarm company verifying the alarm, right?

The sheriff office gets the alarm call and obviously has a delay before the deputy arrives. Does the homeowner do anything to cancel the false alarm?

The officer did everything right in my book. Attempted contact at front door with no results then goes and to jiggle door handles as every officer does on an alarm. Guy jumps out with a gun and actually had the jump on the officer.

Son and Daughter are at home and trip alarm. Fathers cell is contact number for alarm. Father isn't home, doesn't answer cell phone. Alarm company calls father's cell gets no answer, dispatches police. This happened to us, with different people involved.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
If you have an intruder attempting to gain entry to your house, arm yourself, move to a secure area, get the police on the phone, explain what the hell is going on and please send reinforcements, and then start shouting that you are armed and will use your firearm to defend yourself.

If the bad guy attempts to enter your secure area, use such force as is necessary.

If the police show up, confirm it's the police by talking with 911 operator, then do what they tell you.

In my planning I've decided to not call out if I'm in a secure position, lest I lose the advantage of surprise. Given this situation if the officer came in my back door unannounced I would have known it was an officer before he ever saw me as I could have seen him without him spotting me.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
I put the onus of this near-tragedy entirely on the homeowner.

First of all: An alarm system that doesn't notify the occupants it's gone off? Hell, mine not only fires-up a siren, but sends a text message and email, and a notification to the app installed on both phone and tablet. That's in addition to the monitoring center getting the alert. Who then calls us before calling police.

Thinks there may be a bad guy at the door, so flings it open with gun in hand?

And without calling 911?

That homeowner is damn lucky that deputy is a poor shot. He's even more lucky it wasn't a bad guy ready to greet him in a similar manner.

+1

You get an alarm system, hook it up to call 911 if activated. You’ve created a contract with expectations of police to respond when it goes off.

If the deputy had been doing some random knock and talk and gone to the back door, it’d be an entirely different conversation. Homeowners own this one.

quote:

Originally posted by ubelongoutside:

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Who has a home security alarm that does not notify them when the alarm is activated? Homeowner would have to had turned the alarm off at the panel or get a call from the alarm company verifying the alarm, right?

The sheriff office gets the alarm call and obviously has a delay before the deputy arrives. Does the homeowner do anything to cancel the false alarm?

The officer did everything right in my book. Attempted contact at front door with no results then goes and to jiggle door handles as every officer does on an alarm. Guy jumps out with a gun and actually had the jump on the officer.

Son and Daughter are at home and trip alarm. Fathers cell is contact number for alarm. Father isn't home, doesn't answer cell phone. Alarm company calls father's cell gets no answer, dispatches police. This happened to us, with different people involved.

Regardless of who does or does not answer the call back from the alarm company the people inside the house know they set off the alarm right? And what happens when you set the alarm off? Police come.

Both of these guys worked at the same sheriff's department.
Remind me not to go there.
Both used bad tactics and judgement.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
And what happens when you set the alarm off? Police come.

They should, anyway.

Many people, though, have very strange ideas about alarms.
Some years ago a local construction contractor had a number of clients who gave his people access to their houses or businesses when they weren’t there. Quite frequently the below average IQ employees would set off alarms when they entered the buildings. They would then call Dispatch and say, “Hey, I set off the alarm by accident, but it’s just me so you don’t need to send anyone to check. It’s all okay.” Yes, really.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:

quote:

Originally posted by ubelongoutside:

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Who has a home security alarm that does not notify them when the alarm is activated? Homeowner would have to had turned the alarm off at the panel or get a call from the alarm company verifying the alarm, right?

The sheriff office gets the alarm call and obviously has a delay before the deputy arrives. Does the homeowner do anything to cancel the false alarm?

The officer did everything right in my book. Attempted contact at front door with no results then goes and to jiggle door handles as every officer does on an alarm. Guy jumps out with a gun and actually had the jump on the officer.

Son and Daughter are at home and trip alarm. Fathers cell is contact number for alarm. Father isn't home, doesn't answer cell phone. Alarm company calls father's cell gets no answer, dispatches police. This happened to us, with different people involved.

Regardless of who does or does not answer the call back from the alarm company the people inside the house know they set off the alarm right? And what happens when you set the alarm off? Police come.

No, actually. If alarm is cancelled in a certain window of time dispatch isn't even notified. If outside of that window then dispatch is notified they then call primary, and secondary numbers. If someone is reached they ask if you want police. If no one is reached they automatically send police.

played the video in slow motion

the homeowner raises his gun and aims right at the officer



bad move.

Homeowner should have been shouting from inside the house

We had quite a go-round a couple of years ago here on the forum, over a resident answering the door with a gun in his hand and pointing it at a cop and being shot.

Generally it is ill advised to point a gun at anyone unless you have a legal justification to use deadly force.

Being in your home does not change that.

Answering the door with a gun in your hand is a different act from pointing a gun at another human.

After seeing that freeze frame, I'm with the officer on this one. There's just too little time for discernment beyond gun pointed in his direction. Tough first day. I honestly don't know how you LE members do it every day. Much respect. Now that one of the Jr DFs is looking into a law enforcement career, I am extra sensitive to this stuff.

Officer should have been announcing his presence repeatedly while outside the house.

quote:

Originally posted by Monk:
Officer should have been announcing his presence repeatedly while outside the house.

SOP everywhere I've worked was to cover the front/rear and either do a walk around and then knock at the front door, or knock at the front door as the side/front are being checked by the officers walking to the rear of the residence.

The walk-around/check are done quietly, so as to surprise anyone breaking in. You don't want to bang on the front door or ring the doorbell until you have the back yard covered, in case bad guys go running out the back.

If a door is found to be unsecure, or window, etc., then you loudly announce before going in to search for any badguys.