Guard Opens Fire Outside Walter Reed

[BurtWorm]

But don't worry, the guard wasn't a military employee. Just a private contractor.


:patriot:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070620/walter-reed-shooting/

MARTY NILAND | June 20, 2007 07:41 PM EST | AP


WASHINGTON — An armed security guard fired at least 10 shots at another guard during an argument outside a busy entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center early Wednesday, police said. No one was hurt.

"This was rush hour on a busy thoroughfare. There were cars and pedestrians in the line of fire," said police Cmdr. Hilton Burton. At least two parked cars across the street were hit.

The guard who was fired upon ran to a nearby house to call police. The other guard, Dwan Thigpen, 34, of Fort Washington, Md., was arrested and charged with assault with intent to murder. He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday, police said. Police and jail officials did not know whether Thigpen had an attorney.

A Walter Reed surveillance video of the shooting shows two civilians ducking to avoid the gunfire, Burton said. It also shows the two security guards arguing, and a third guard trying to break up the altercation.

...

The guards worked for Vance Federal Security Services, said Joe Gavaghan, a spokesman for the company, which contracts with Walter Reed. Vance is "cooperating with authorities investigating this incident," said Gavaghan, adding that the company could not provide additional details.

...

[NMDemDist2]

1. Holy Chit!!

:wow:

[DS1]

2. One probably emailed a few too many LOLcat pictures to the other's cellphone

:D

[Dhalgren]

9. How could anyone get mad about that!?

;-)

[redqueen]

3. contractors...

can we stop privatizing everything now?

please?

[SpiralHawk]

5. "Just following the lead of Dickie 5 Deferments Cheney" - Guard

"If the chickenhawk republicon president-of-VICE can do it, then all Americans can do it"

- Guard

[China_cat]

13. Can we stop the bullshit of calling them 'contractors' now?

The truth is that they are mercenaries. Hired killers. The ones who were too nuts for the Marines or the Army. No one should be shocked by the fact that they do what they were hired for.

[merh]

19. No, the security guards assigned to walter reed and

the military bases around the nation (yes, private security guards are manning the gates of our us military bases) are not mercenaries.

They are really rent-a-cops. It's frightening how little they are paid, how little they are trained and how silly they look in their rent-a-cop uniforms.

Gov monie to private corporations to make cronies wealthy and to ensure the coiffers fo the RNC are never empty.

x(

[krispos42]

22. At the local airport near me, kids from the Civil Air Patrol...

assist visitors whenever the airport is doing an air show or other public event.

The kids are 10, 12, MAYBE 14....

Dressed to the nines. Uniforms crisp and sharp, hats properly aligned, belts clean and straight. Spines ramrod-straight, boots neatly laced and clean. They are unfailingly polite, and make me have to fight to not call them "sir".

I get the feeling that if those kids were guarding something and had to shoot, they wouldn't miss.

Why aren't 'professional security' guards guarding a military installation as professional as these kids?!?

[IChing]

26. This is a para-military organization Vance Int. is also used in strike breaking

[Recursion]

27. Meanwhile, Marine security detachments that used to guard naval stations...

... are getting cut left and right for cost-saving, with the result that a whole lot of guys I know in the security forces MOS had to switch jobs and/or got caught by up-or-out in a frozen occfield. In English: we were downsizing the security job occupational field, with the result that nobody in there could get promoted. But if you aren't promoted by the end of an enlistment, you can't re-enlist without switching to a new job (think FMJ: "0300: Infantry. Congratulations, Pile, you made it"). Meanwhile, these contracts always end up going over price and costing much more than the better-trained and more-professional security detachments cost, but when a program has to justify its expenses it only has to justify the original budget, not the actual amount it costs.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

28. POINT IN FACT,...'make cronies wealthy'. Don't forget the avoidance of responsibility,...

,..for both the 'employee' and the victims of profiteering paramilitary regimes.

PRIVATIZATION of a military force intended to PROTECT THE PEOPLE,...is a default evil to both the people and the ideal of democracy.

[mediaman007]

4. Wow! I hope there's never an issue where one these guys HAS to shoot

someone, because his aim isn't very good. Nine shots and all he could hit was a couple of parked cars.

[seemunkee]

6. He was pissed that the guy called him retarded

and then missed with all 10 rounds.

[ThomCat]

7. If this doesn't bring some attention to our use of private security

firms, then I don't know what will.
x(

[Recursion]

8. Well, thank God nobody was hit, but... umm.... 10 shots?

How much are we paying for armed guards who can't hit anything with 10 shots?

[ThomCat]

11. Seriously.

I'm arthritic, and I'm sure I'm still a better shot than that.

[lpbk2713]

10. Follow the money trail ....

it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn *Vance Federal Security Services* is a subsidiary of Halliburton.

[BurtWorm]

12. OT: I hope, if there is a hell, when Limbaugh goes there he's forced to watch your signature gif

for eternity.

:evilgrin:

[lpbk2713]

14. Now there's a good Thought for the Day

I wouldn't wish Parkinson's on even a full fledged asshole like OxyRush though.

[IChing]

15. Thigpen, an Iraqi war veteran

Thigpen, an Iraqi war veteran, was charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and faces a court hearing Thursday, police said. The name of the other officer wasn't released.

"He was messing with (Thigpen) and called him retarded," D.C Police Fourth District Comdr. Hilton Burton said. "The suspect didn't take kindly to it."

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/06/20/walter_reed_guard_fires_shots/3195/

[IChing]

24. Vance Federal Security Service background - the guy worked for this group

"Vance was founded and until recently run by Chuck Vance,
a former Secret Service agent who at one time was married
to Gerald R. Ford's daughter. Vance used his Secret Service background
in security and investigation to specialize in providing security during labor disputes.

From the strikes at Pittston Coal, to Caterpillar, to Detroit Newspapers, if there was violence on the picket line of a high-profile strike, it was most likely provoked by the maladjusted ex-soldiers, angry cop wanna-be's, and CIA rejects who wear the jack-boots of Vance's Asset Protection Team."

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vance_International

This is a subsidiary company of Vance



One of the most active strike-breaking firms is Vance Security, founded by Charles Vance, ex-son-in-law of ex-President Gerald Ford. Vance's agents were deployed against striking Greyhound drivers in the late 1980s and served as shock troops for the Pittston Coal Group, Inc. in its protracted and bitter battle with the United Mine Workers.

Vance runs a rent-a-mercenary operation which recruits through ads in Soldier of Fortune and offers its agents training in the use of firearms, Mace, and riot batons. An ad in the 1986 Gung-Ho Yearbook, a paramilitary magazine, was aimed at those of you who have military backgrounds who are interested in $100-a-day, all-expenses-paid work. The company offered a refresher course in the use of firearms should things get completely out of hand.

The Asset Protection Team, a Vance subsidiary, runs an ad which features a jack-booted security agent equipped with a riot shield, club and helmet. A brochure guarantees guards will arrive with all the personal equipment necessary to handle all levels of violence.
http://mediafilter.org/caq/CAQ54p.police.html

[Canuckistanian]

16. Oh, yeah, gunfire outside a military hospital

I'll bet the patients with PTSD appreciated that.

[MidwestTransplant]

17. Patient: "I am hearing gunfire again." Doc: "Shit, me too. Maybe I contracted PTSD."

[krispos42]

20. "Shit, me too." ROFL

I almost sprayed pizza on my laptop!

[Hubert Flottz]

18. Sounds like the guy passed his good Bushie test with flying colors.

When you hire nobody but loyal BushBot backwash, you takes your chances.

[SpiralHawk]

25. "Another loyal republicon kool-aid drinking minion" - Commander AWOL

"I mean, with a Deserter pretending to be commander in chief, you
really can't blame this guy, can you?"

- Commander AWOL

[BlooInBloo]

21. Was probably hired *especially for* his willingness to shoot Americans.

[Rosemary2205]

23. 10 shots - no one hurt = these guys can't shoot worth a damn.

I'm really glad no one with injured but damn - how bad a shot is that security guard???