Officer cleared after going to wrong address, shooting innocent grandpa in his garage

[damnedifIknow]

FORT WORTH, TX — An elderly man was slain in his own garage because police “inadvertently began searching” the wrong address while investigating a burglary call. Spotting a man who appeared “standoffish” in his own garage, police opened fire, killing a 72-year-old grandfather. After months of investigation, the officer has been cleared and is back on the streets."

*Officer Hoepnner claims that when he spotted Mr. Waller, he identified himself and commanded the homeowner to drop his gun. According to the police narrative, Waller was hesitant to comply with commands of the strangers. After momentarily setting his gun down, Waller allegedly “freaked out” and “lost it” and picked the gun back up and assumed a “ready” stance, aiming his pistol at police officers. Hoepnner opened fire.

The senior citizen was struck multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. His slanted driveway was stained with a trail of his blood and his distraught wife had to be taken to the hospital for emotional distress.

The loss was devastating to the community. “They are just a nice retired couple, that loved working in their yard, having family over, and grandkids,” said Becky Haskin, a neighbor who knew the Wallers.

“I think he panicked,” Haskin said to the Star-Telegram. “He just unloaded his gun in rapid fire. That’s what I heard. It woke me up. I thought it was in my back yard — just rapid fire, one right after the other, in succession. There wasn’t any hesitation.”

The burglary alert across the street was a false alarm.

http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/jerry-waller/

[Dawson Leery]

1. It is hard to feel empathy for those cops

who fall in the line of their "duty" when they act like this.


http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Indiana-law-lets-citizens-shoot-at-police-3612347.php

[damnedifIknow]

3. I guess we will never hear the grandfathers side of the story

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Of course the cop walks.

[Egalitarian Thug]

4. Yay cops! They executed him, and got a vacation for for their trouble. n/t

[lpbk2713]

5. To protect and to serve.

Yeah, right.

[Logical]

6. Cops get away with murder all the time. nt

[SamKnause]

7. Killer cops

Oh that was rich.

He was not pro police.

They blinded an elderly man with their flashlights.

They were at the wrong address.

No sirens were used.

They did not turn on the lights of their police car.

They did not activate their lapel microphones.

This was murder.

I don't care how you spin it.

This was murder.

The standard defense; the officer felt threatened.

Murder, out and out MURDER !!!!!!!!!!

[sakabatou]

8. Disgusting

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Ya just gotta love this, and I mean that in no way seriously;

“…the whole entire time I’m giving commands, “Drop the gun, drop the gun, drop the gun.” “And he’s not dropping it and he had this attitude towards us that…it was almost an attitude of, you can’t tell me to drop my gun.” “You know what I mean?” “Like who are you to telling me to, you know what I mean.” “He kind of had an attitude kind of very hostile towards us…”

“I’m pretty sure I told you this; but I wanna reiterate that he…umm, his…his attitude towards us was very malicious.” “It…it was not, pro-police at all.” “ He did not seem happy that, that we were there.”

…if someone who…who…who…is….you get someone out there who would follow the gun laws; and…and that understands that a police officer is telling you this, that you’re not gonna sit there and hold the gun still; cause….I mean like…it’s almost as if he was challenging me.” “And the fact…the reason I say that is I mean, his….the way he stood; I mean…I mean his comments as in, ‘why’…” “ You know like, what…what person in their right man…mind would ask a peace officer…a, a law enforcement officer…’why’ …when he tells you and give you verbal commands that we’re being serious…, drop the gun, you know. Your law abiding citizen is not going to tell… going to ask you, why.”

The way he talks to me is a very stand-off attitude.” “ You know…you know when he say, get…get the light outta my eyes, it wasn’t please sir; get the light outta my eyes.” “Hey, can you please get the light outta my eyes.” “It was, get the light outta my eyes!” “You know, it was real standoff, like…you know…”

Now that I think back on it and you know, had all this time to think on it. I think his intentions as soon as he walked out that door and saw me and he didn’t want to put the gun down, I firmly believe that he was trying to find a point and time where…when…when he could shoot me at when…when…when it was the most beneficial time for him to shoot me.”

Yeah. Of course. Cops show up on this mans property for no reason, yelling and carrying on and it's the PRIVATE CITIZEN who is wrong.

And dead.

Cops are out of god damned control in this country.

[Downwinder]

16. If the Cop's statement is valid,

he should have assisted suicide charges against him.

[defacto7]

19. That is one sick minded cop

and utterly stupid. And this is what they put a badge on? And this is what a judge would let loose back into the streets? Nothing in the old west.. or US history is as degenerated or cowardly as the kind of acts we are seeing committed by some officers in this country just by sheer number of acts. But I hold the judges responsible. They are the enablers of this level of incompetency.

Civilization is truly devolving.

[Scootaloo]

29. This IS civilization

I'm sorry, I know it's a pretty terrifying thing, after years - decades - of pro-civilization indoctrination... but the idea of civilization is actually pretty fucking horrible both for us and for everything around us.

That the courts protect the mercenaries is hardly surprising, since the mercenaries are required for the protection of all those judges' palatial feifs. civilization!

[defacto7]

38. "pro-civilization indoctrination"

You've got a point there. Really we have no civilization. So saying "this IS civilization" seems a play on words meaning we are at zero and going down.

[Scootaloo]

39. Actually, not quote what i meant, but it'll do

I'm not in the mood for primitivist sociology at the moment

[defacto7]

41. It's late here too.

Have a beer!

[ManiacJoe]

10. The outcome is as to be expected

if the police version of events is accurate. Unfortunately, that version is all we have.

Grandpa disarmed himself at the orders of the cops.
Grandpa then rearmed himself and pointed a gun at the cops.
Clear case of self defense for the cops according to the version of events by the cops.

Since the family seems to dispute the cops version of events, it would be nice to hear their version.

[ManiacJoe]

15. Can we get an English translation?

[ManiacJoe]

21. Thanks for the translation.

We = everyone but you.

If you have any info that helps with the conversation, please add it. Everyone knows that the story from the cops leaves a lot to be desired.

[Logical]

25. Well, we means him and I Einstein! Get it now? nt

[Logical]

28. Ok, I get it....

Banging your head against things has made your posts make no sense! Got it!

[A HERETIC I AM]

33. I'm out.

[ManiacJoe]

34. Sorry I missed it.

Post #26 was not that bad, though you might have felt silly after my response to it. No harm done from my perspective.

[A HERETIC I AM]

35. I feel passionately about this subject.

Abuse by the police has touched very close to home for me.

I do not like the vast majority of police officers because, it is my experience, too many of them are like the officer in question and the distance from smiling officer friendly to beating your head in or shooting you can be measured with a micrometer.

When I am passionate about a subject I get riled up.

When I get riled up, I type things I shouldn't.

I also completely run out of patience for others.

It is at those times I should just close DU and go watch a comedy clip on YouTube.

So here we are.

[ManiacJoe]

36. Passion is good. Riled up, probably not so good.

Been there, done that. I have gotten good at waiting and rereading before I hit the send button when a break is needed.

[damnedifIknow]

42. I'm the same way

I just have become sort of numb when it comes to this subject but completely understand where you're coming from.

[jsr]

11. Hanlon was caught lying in an arrest affidavit:

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/29/5524097/grand-jury-declines-to-indict.html

Hanlon’s credibility had been questioned because he was fired in October on allegations that he provided false information in an arrest affidavit stemming from a traffic stop Aug. 9.

[damnedifIknow]

13. More from your link

But a neighbor, former Councilwoman Becky Haskin, said it’s clear that Hoeppner was not well-trained and that the city “should step up and put some closure on this.”

“Nothing is going to bring Jerry back,” said Haskin, who was among those testifying before the grand jury. “But someone needs to apologize to this family. It’s an accidental death at the hands of an untrained police officer.”

[defacto7]

20. apologize?

We all know the value of the apology fad these days.

[damnedifIknow]

24. And he's back on the streets

A former councilwoman testified that he is not trained. WTF?

[Scootaloo]

30. "I apologize, to all those who may have been offended..."

[defacto7]

40. May I offer an eternal raspberry to that apology...

.
ThpThpThpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthpthp to eternity.

[ManiacJoe]

14. What is the possibility of the Grand Jury testimony being made public?

[Rex]

17. Sure he did. Like I am going to believe a pig.

I think someone 'freaked out' and 'lost it', but it was NOT Mr. Waller.

Sadly we will only have the testimony from one person. The other is dead.

[defacto7]

22. Maybe that's one of the reasons it's become such a

popular act.

"Sadly we will only have the testimony from one person. The other is dead."

[ohheckyeah]

23. Does the ACLU

every get involved in suing these assholes?

[MysticHuman]

31. I am at a loss for words....

What has our country evolved too? I used to trust our police... I can't say that anymore.

Fuck it.... fuck it all...

MH

[kcr]

37. That is outrageous.

Not only not charged, but back on the streets. That cop is dangerous.