100 shots was determined justified force by Central Florida Grand Jury.

[The Backlash Cometh]

Grand jury: Deputies were 'justified in the use of force' in Torey Breedlove case

A grand jury this afternoon ruled that deputies' use of force was justified when they shot and killed Torey Breedlove in a hail of more than 100 bullets earlier this year.

Some of Breedlove's family members were in the courtroom on the 23rd floor of the Orange County courthouse as Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar read the determination.

The grand jury found the nine deputies did not act criminally on Jan. 5, Lamar said while reading the panel's finding.

"The grand jury found the deputy sheriff's were justified in the use of force in the attempt to make an arrest of Torey Breedlove," the State Attorney said this afternoon.

Breedlove's sister, Tiffany, and another family member were in court when the decision was read. She sat motionless as Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry accepted the grand jury's decision

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-torey-breedlove-grand-jury-verdict20100916,0,138949.story

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Well, he did apparently try to run over them with his car.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Allegedly. They also stalked him.

"In the early-morning hours of Jan. 5, deputies trailed Breedlove for several hours before boxing him into a parking space at the gated apartment complex on Hiawassee Road. Deputies said Breedlove tried to run them over, and that's when they opened fire, officials said that day."

Listen, I took a Criminal Justice class once taught by a prosecutor from Orange County. The man did little to give a balanced view of Criminal Justice. It was all one sided. To fill in gaps of time to make up for his lack of teaching material, he would entertain the kids with anecdotes. He told us of the time that the police were working together with another law enforcement agency (Don't remember which one.) They had different procedures, but didn't know it when they stopped a suspect just like in the article. The suspect was in the car and one law enforcement agency told the suspect to keep his hands on the steering wheel. The other law enforcement agency from another side of the car told him to raise his hands. The suspect raised his hands and was shot dead.

Now, you would think that was bad enough, but the prosecutor-teacher laughed thinking it was funny. When nobody laughed with him his comment was, "Well, he was a drug dealer."

This guy they just killed had a past record of auto theft. What if he wasn't the guy that stole the car that was the subject of this event? Wouldn't that constitute what the police did an assassination?

[foxfeet]

2. Because 99 would have been insufficient?

Still, bad form to try to run over anyone.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. That's according to the police.

In the early-morning hours of Jan. 5, deputies trailed Breedlove for several hours before boxing him into a parking space at the gated apartment complex on Hiawassee Road. Deputies said Breedlove tried to run them over, and that's when they opened fire, officials said that day.

[tularetom]

3. Even accepting the fact that deadly force was called for

What does it say that trained deputies were unable to dispatch this guy with a single shot. Or 5. Or even 10.

These guys fire thousands of rounds at the range every year. And they still need 100 shots to stop him?

The grand jury may not feel they acted criminally but it appears they panicked.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. In for a penny, in for a pound.

If I were going to shoot somebody in self defense, I'd probably empty the whole clip.

I think it's standard police training to shoot multiple times.

If there's an issue here, I don't think the number of shots are the issue.

[Riftaxe]

11. Each Deputy only fired ~half of their magazines

at someone trying to run over them with a car, that does not seem excessive. As far as one shot kills...I would urge you to think more upon that when sober.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. They followed this man for a good while.

As police officers from a department with a bad track record on racial issues, I would hold them accountable for pretending they didn't know how he would respond if they cornered him and approached him while he was still in the car.

They must have had cameras on the man, so why not produce the cameras so we can appraise how they handled the situation?

[gratuitous]

7. The tip off is that this was grand jury

As if the district attorney's office is going to present a condemnatory case against the police officers it has to work closely with every single day. Not. Bloody. Likely.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. If there wasn't a NAACP, there would be no justice for black americans.

That's my conclusion. BTW, the NAACP branch in Orlando isn't as up on civil rights issues as other NAACPs. Their leader seems more bent on compromise and cutting deals rather than digging up data to make a good argument.

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. Maybe the cops were trying stop the SUV by getting it bogged down in the lead.

Crazy.

[Ignis]

10. K&R

What mad, bad craziness this whole incident was. :(

But let's face facts: This case was decided before it went to the jury, and the racial element can't be overlooked. (If you think that's immaterial, I welcome you to visit the OC sometime.)

And really, 100+ bullets to take down an unarmed suspect? :puke:

Some of the bullets hit nearby apartments, including the bedroom of a first-floor unit where children slept.

Great shooting, guys. :eyes: