Elderly Woman Shot & Killed By Hearne Police Officer

[TexasProgresive]

Source: KBTX

HEARNE - A 93-year-old woman is shot and killed by a police officer at her home in Hearne.

Pearlie Golden, known in the neighborhood as Ms. Sully, was pronounced dead Tuesday night at St. Joseph Hospital. The elderly woman was rushed there after being shot by a male officer at her house on Karney Street. Multiple witnesses tell us she was shot at least five times.

Hearne police are not ready to say whether Golden was armed or why the officer felt threatened.

"All I know is that they were called out here,” said Robertson County District Attorney Coty Siegert. “They were dispatched out here to address the situation. Again, I'm not sure exactly what that situation was, but it was not a random encounter."


Read more: http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Hearne-PD-Officer-Involved-Shooting-leaves-Elderly-Woman-Injured-258213801.html

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This is Hearne, TX

[Hestia]

1. Like the cops in PB killing a 107 y/o man in his bed - they felt "threatened"

[theHandpuppet]

2. Frankly...

If you can't figure out how to address a situation involving a 93 year old lady without shooting her full of holes, you don't belong in law enforcement.

[billhicks76]

3. Police State Is Here

The 1% have armed these Neanderthals to the teeth hoping to keep the population down and either in jail or dead. Every day there are more and more stories of cops killing unarmed people or pets. Twenty years ago they would get fired or go to jail. Now nothing happens. Just like in other countries there will be a breaking point and there will be serious consequences. It will not be fun for anyone on either side to be living here then.

[TxVietVet]

7. In the small and medium sized Texas towns,

policemen may come from all around Texas. Some of these Barney Fifes may have gotten in trouble in another small town, told to tender his resignation, move on to the next. Consequently, we have some armed idiots on our police forces. Barney, with no brains, a gun, badge and thinks he's gonna save Texas is not a good deal. Lot's of them have a head full of conservanazi bu$hit and that makes them more prejudiced and idiotic.

[TexasProgresive]

11. That's the same scenario churches and schools did with pedophiles.

To limit (not) scandal they quietly ask the problem priest, youth director, band director, coach, teacher, etc. to quietly resign with a recommendation. And voila! the problem is not theirs anymore. It is disgusting.

Oh and Hernia (Hearne) is probably the bottom of the barrel for miscreant cops.

[jwirr]

14. Don't forget to add all the disabled people they either abuse or shot. This is rediculous. What

level of training do these police have?

[randys1]

27. Bingo

The Koch Bros have no intention of being in the same line YOU are for an organ transplant and they have no intention of EVER being in any danger whatsoever if that means shooting and killing innocent people left and right.

Wake me up when you all have had enough and then tell me what to do and I will do it.

[nilesobek]

34. Yes, no rule of law encourages lawlessness.

They aren't listening now but if there are revenge killings against these cops, like what happened in Seattle, they will have to brace for the blowback.

It took over 5 years to convict that Spokane cop who murdered the disabled guy.

[TBF]

4. This is digusting -

also Hearne is not back woods just for the benefit of non-Texans who may see this story and wonder if it was out in a very isolated area. It is in the College Station area between Houston/Dallas.

[toddwv]

5. Shot her 5 times....

What the serious fuck...

[Scruffy Rumbler]

6. Was she Aging while Black?

It seemed a predominately white police force in an AA community.

My heart goes out to Ms. Sully, her family and her community.

Thanks, TexasProgresive.

[taotzu]

8. Right Wing Death Panels

The NRA and the repubs are always telling us about the death panels being setup by the ACA but have forgotten to mention that they are introducing these death panels through the use of every police dept. in the country. I can't wait to hear what they say about this one. 93 yrs old and gunned down like a dog in the street. ( PATHETIC )

[DFW]

9. I can't wait to hear what deadly threat was posed by a 93 year old woman

Shot five times? What was she brandishing, a howitzer?

[tanyev]

10. Crap. We drive through there every time we go visit my mom.

Here I've been worrying about the speed trap in Bremond.

[TexasProgresive]

12. My advice when driving through Hearne

Make sure all lights on the vehicle are operational and give them no reason to stop you. Be white, be mail, drive a mile or 2 under the speed limit.

[TexasTowelie]

37. Watch out for the speed trap in Calvert too.

I see a cop there about 75% of the time. BTW, I was stopped in Bremond on the return trip from my mother's funeral back in 2000. The cop let me off since I still had the flowers from the funeral in my front seat.

[tanyev]

38. Calvert, too, huh?

Thanks. Got my first ticket ever in Bremond last year after 33 years of driving. Grumble, grumble.

[Stuart G]

13. About 100 miles northwest of Houston...nt

[Hulk]

15. Out of control...

Stand your ground, damned gun happy cops. Can't back away from a 95 year old woman; must draw and shot to kill.

I have become so disillusioned with police over the past five to ten years. Out of control. Can't back out the door. Have to shoot to kill; just like the old west. Can't back away and talk with an old or handicapped person in these situations. MUST shoot to kill. Thugs.

Sorry to say, this is so very similar to what happened with me years ago with my Catholic faith. Little by little, the hypocrisy and brutality are eroding the respect I once held so firm to.

I'm ashamed ...too often. How do you support an institution that has the responsibility for protecting the public when they are seen beating, shooting and abusing the same nearly every day in a different story??

[truebrit71]

16. How in the world does an armed polite intelligent gentleman find a 93 year old woman a threat?

What in the fucking, fuck America??????

[L0oniX]

17. Was she armed with a deadly cain? Terrorist suspect? Needed 5 bullets to take her down?

One incident like this IS too much. We're not asking for perfect cops and you don't have to be perfect to keep from killing grandma. There can't be any reasonable excuse for this murder.

[heaven05]

18. no excuse, NOT ONE

for committing murder like this. 93 years old? A threat? To an armed murderer with a badge, I guess so. on edit: a threatening black 93 years old woman shot by white police officer. Threatening is operative word here. God, this country is a RW hell hole now policed by murderers. free democracy my ass, more like democrazy.

[frylock]

19. fuck tha police

[herding cats]

20. Second fatal shooting for officer in two year career on force

Robertson County District Attorney Coty Siegert said officer Stephen Stem, who has been with the Hearne Police Department for about two years, shot the woman on Pin Oak Street. Stem has been involved in at least one other shooting while on duty in Hearne, according to a Jan. 3, 2013, article in The Eagle.
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/authorities-investigating-shooting-of--year-old-woman-by-hearne/article_59c2fd9c-8e69-5b3b-8b52-714f00f38863.html

I'm not sure if this is relevant to this situation, but I found this interesting.

[OnlinePoker]

21. Same officer was involved in another fatal shooting in late December 2012

At approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 30, officers of the Hearne Police Department responded to a disturbance call at the Columbus Village Apartments on Riley St. in Hearne. Dispatch advised officers of reports that three subjects were allegedly seen in a white colored vehicle firing a gun. Officers arrived on the scene and located the vehicle and subjects matching the description given by dispatch. Officer Stephen Stem was involved in a shooting that resulted in the death of one subject. Family members have identified the deceased as 28-year-old Tederalle Satchell. A gun was recovered from the scene that did not belong to law enforcement.

http://www.robconews.com/articles/2013/05/09/officer-stem-cleared-and-returned-duty

[2banon]

23. Robertson County News copy error..

three subjects were allegedly seen in a white colored vehicle firing a gun.

was that supposed to be "white vehicle" and "colored" suspects? or colored vehicle and white suspects?

Either way, using the term "colored" in either instance is rather odd.

[nobodyspecial]

24. Or we could think BOTH of these news items are a tragedy.

Some people can think in more than black and white.

[Ash_F]

28. The kid will go to prison for life or be put to death.

Let's see what happens to this scumbag.

[christx30]

33. Naaa.

Cops are an abusive, criminal gang. This guy won't face any kind justice for this. There will be an "investigation" for the crime. He'll be aquitted, just like the assholes that murdered Kelly Thomas.
If they want to be thought of as a benefit, they need to stop doing crap like this. And they need to clean house. Far too often, bad cops are able to rely on "good" cops to cover for them. All of these people should be fired and arrested for the crimes they commit. Until this happens, there will be no trust.

I direct you to #mynypd

[The Second Stone]

25. Old biddy should have armed herself if she wanted to sit quietly in her own home

and taken lots of practice at the range. She probably just lost in a wild west shoot out.

[Comrade Grumpy]

26. This is a town with a history of bad, discriminatory policing.

https://www.aclu.org/drug-law-reform/wake-aclu-civil-rights-lawsuit-settlement-african-americans-affected-texas-drug-task

In Wake of ACLU Civil Rights Lawsuit Settlement, African Americans Affected by Texas Drug Task Force Scandal Call for Reconciliation at Town Meeting

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June 2, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [e-mail]

HEARNE, TX -- At a community meeting tonight, African American residents in this rural community of 5,000, where the American Civil Liberties Union recently settled a major civil rights lawsuit against agents of a federally funded regional narcotics task force, will meet with local and state officials to discuss ways to work together to reform drug law enforcement in Robertson County, where Hearne is located.

"These federally funded drug task forces are on their way out," said Will Harrell, Executive Director of the ACLU of Texas. "What happened in Hearne and in Tulia is happening all over Texas. Tonight's meeting will be a chance for the community to seek out real solutions and alternatives to this problematic system of drug law enforcement."

The ACLU and Robertson County announced on May 11, 2005 the settlement of the ACLU's lawsuit, Kelly v. Paschall, against the county, agents of the Drug Task Force, and the District Attorney. The details of the settlement are confidential, but both sides stated that they were satisfied with the outcome. Representatives from both the ACLU and the county plan to attend tonight's meeting.

The lawsuit arose from the arrest of almost 15 percent of the town's young, black male population on felony cocaine charges in a drug raid conducted on November 2000. The arrests were made based on the uncorroborated word of an unreliable confidential informant who later recanted his testimony. Seven people arrested pled guilty before the District Attorney ultimately dismissed charges against the plaintiffs in the ACLU's lawsuit.

Tonight's community meeting comes at a time when state and federal policymakers are closely scrutinizing the $800 million federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program, which funds the operation of regional narcotics task forces nationwide. Texas' annual Byrne grant was reduced from $31.6 million in 2004 to $22.7 million in 2005 and President Bush has proposed eliminating the program entirely next year.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee introduced federal legislation last week that would prohibit states from spending Byrne grant money on drug task forces unless they adopt laws that prevent people from being convicted solely on the word of an informant or law enforcement officer. In addition, Texas passed a bill this legislative session that requires supervision and oversight of regional narcotics task forces by the state's Department of Public Safety.

"Even with the promising legislation passed here in Texas, the truth is that these task forces are systemically flawed," said Harrell. "They cannot operate in a way that comes close to administering fair and even-handed law enforcement. Task forces need to go. Period."

[RebelOne]

29. Same thing happened here in Atlanta.

I can't find the original story, but the woman was in her late 80s or early 90s, and cops broke into her house on a drug bust. But they had the wrong house. The woman had a rifle or shotgun and the cops killed her. I think one of the cops is now in jail and two others had been fired. Just recently, her family received a large amount of money from a law suit they had filed for wrongful death.

[Octafish]

30. May be second fatal shooting involving that particular officer of the law.

Hearne officer involved in shooting of elderly woman was also involved in 2012 fatal shooting

TheEagle.com

EXCERPT...

Stem's other shooting incident occurred in late-2012 and involved the death of a 28-year-old man, The Eagle reported.

In that incident, Stem was responding to the Columbus Village Apartments for a report of a white vehicle with three passengers that had been seen shooting near "a large group of people in the parking lot," the article said. Stem and at least one other officer arrived on scene and found the car with three people inside; shortly after, Stem was involved in a fatal shooting that left Tederalle Satchell dead.

Stem was cleared by a grand jury in May 2013 and returned to active-duty, according to the Robertson County

SOURCE:

http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/hearne-officer-involved-in-shooting-of-elderly-woman-was-also/article_59c2fd9c-8e69-5b3b-8b52-714f00f38863.html

Guy had back-up.

[SoCalMusicLover]

31. Another Responsible Gun User

Guns were one of God's greatest inventions. A regular thinning of the herd device, that helps control the population. God has plenty of ways to take lives, but this is like a bonus opportunity to let humans do the work of time and age.

[DirkGently]

32. The article says she was supposedly waving a gun around.

police responded to a 911 call Tuesday evening about a lady waving a gun around, outside a home on Pin Oaks Street. When Officer Stephen Stem arrived, he asked Pearlie Golden to “put down the weapon and then ultimately fir(ed) his own sidearm, wounding Miss Golden.”

That doesn't decide things either way, but they do seem to be saying the threat was "waving a gun around."

[Beaverhausen]

35. What do you mean doesn't decide either way?

He shouldn't have shot her 5 fucking times for 'waving a gun around.' Period.

[DirkGently]

36. That is a ridiculous statement.

The call was that she was waving the gun. The article goes on to say she was ordered to put it down.

So whereas the OP says no threat was mentioned, the facts in the article actually say the person shot had a gun and was ordered to put it down, presumably before being shot.

People waving guns in the presence of police or anyone else might be justifiably shot. The number of shots is not relevant. Other facts we don't know might be though. Was she just wandering around, loosely holding a gun? Did she draw down on the cops? Did she threaten them?

Any way you slice it, it's far from a clear cut case of overreaction by the police.