Tigermike 3,041 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 3 Police Officers Shot to Death in Ala.By JAY REEVES Associated Press Writer June 17, 2004, 11:03 PM EDT BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Three police officers at a reputed "crack house" to make an arrest were shot to death Thursday, and at least two people were in custody. Gunfire erupted shortly after the officers arrived at the single-story dwelling converted into apartments in a low-income neighborhood, Birmingham Police Chief Annetta Nunn said. "This is something that seems unimaginable," Nunn said. Four officers had gone to the house to arrest Nathaniel Lauell Woods, 27, on a misdemeanor domestic assault warrant, Nunn said. The fourth officer was not hurt. Someone other than Woods apparently fired the fatal shots and was being questioned, Nunn said. She said at least one more person also was being questioned but declined to elaborate. Earlier, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale said five people, including Woods, had been taken into custody. Police were consulting with prosecutors on possible charges. Neighbors including Herman Harris said the building where the shootings occurred has a reputation as a "crack house." "They're all the time out back doing drugs," Harris said. City spokesman Brett Oates identified the slain officers as Harley Chisholm III, 40; Charles Robert Bennett, 33; and Carlos Owens, 53, who had been on the force for 26 years. Chisholm was hired in 1998, and Bennett had been a Birmingham officer since 2001. At least some shots appear to have been fired outside the house, in a neighborhood of modest, older homes. One of two police cars hauled away from the scene appeared to have a window shot out, and there was glass on the street where the car had been parked. After the shootings dozens of officers -- some wearing body armor and carrying shotguns and rifles -- swarmed around the house and went door-to-door in the neighborhood before the arrests were announced. Police searched an empty lot next to the house for evidence. String they laid out to reconstruct the trajectory of the bullets indicated that at least one shot hit the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses building across a narrow street from the rear of the home. The deaths marked the third time in just over a year that two or more police officers have been gunned down in Alabama. Two police officers and a dispatcher were shot to death at the police station in Fayette on June 7, 2003. On Jan. 2, two Athens policemen were shot in an ambush after they were called to a home. A suspect has been charged with murder in each case, and each has pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease or defect . LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueTiger 0 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Thats horrible. I wish there would have been a way to prevent that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texaubie 0 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 I saw an interview with Chief Nunn on CNN this morning. I did not think she represented the city very well. They asked her "why is violent crime increasing in Birmingham while it is decreasing most everywhere else in the country". Her reply was "I don't know why people commit violent crimes". Then they asked her "why have you had 2+ policemen killed in the line of duty 3 times this year in the state of Alabama". Her reply was "I don't know". Anyway, its a tragic event and she may have still been trying to absorb the loss. I just thought she should have come up with a better response to the questions by highlighting actions they are taking or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCTAU 3,336 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Wouldn't want to go in there showing force. That would be profiling. I feel the police should be protected and armed to the teeth any time they attempt to serve any violence related warrant. If you resist, you ask for a beating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny AU-92 0 Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Wouldn't want to go in there showing force. That would be profiling. I feel the police should be protected and armed to the teeth any time they attempt to serve any violence related warrant. If you resist, you ask for a beating. You are absolutely, positively right. Every felony warrant should be handled under the assumption that the suspect is armed and dangerous. Overwhelming force makes sure that crap like this does not happen. If it is considered overkill, too bad - maybe then the skells know that they don't stand a chance, unless it is a chance of getting blown away, and will be more likely to give up peacefully. We just had a similar case here in Houston - police went to get a guy on a minor felony warrant - there were three people in the house when they knocked on the door - two surrendered peacefully, and the third, who was the wanted guy, came out SHOOTING! He shot an HPD guy in both legs and in the chest - thank God the officer was wearing a vest and it saved his life. He is expected to make a full recovery. The a-hole got away, and turned himself in to a local black activist, who then handed him over to police with a lot of media fanfare, because the a-hole was afraid police would kill him... and that would be a bad thing how????? He SHOT a police officer!! bad guy = :biggun: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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