It appears there was no home intrusion, despite the call to emergency services. And it looks like this guy was shot jumping out of his own home, while armed, by police who were unable to distinguish him from an intruder.
While not included in the little town tabloid, I'd love to know the cost of this fiasco to the tax payers, and the cost of the hospital bills for this guy's bum blasted elbow as well. The idiot apparently fired multiple rounds - or he AND his girlfriend did.
One more instance where personal firearms and alcohol don't mix well, and where an apparently awful lawful individual with a firearm is anything but safe for himself, or anyone else. These are NOT people we should regard with trust as being safe and secure with deadly weapons!
Yet another example of why we don't need stupid, gung-ho vigilante gun nuts with firearms complicating law enforcement doing their job.
From the Anchorage Daily News:
Questions still remain after confusing Wasilla shooting
WASILLA: One man shot as troopers answer 911 call for home invasion.Published: January 23rd, 2012 10:15 AM
Last Modified: January 23rd, 2012 10:16 AMA confusing situation Saturday near Wasilla began when a couple reported a home invasion by armed individuals and ended with the man shot in the elbow, Alaska State Troopers said Sunday.
But who shot the man and whether any outsiders in fact tried to break into the couple's home on Wolverine Avenue near Bogard Road remain open questions.As the situation developed, a trooper fired one round but it's not yet known if that's what hit the man, troopers said."There's a lot of pieces to put together here," trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.Here's what troopers know so far:Dispatchers received an initial 911 call just after 12:30 p.m. Saturday from Russell W. Tanner, 56. Both he and a 53-year-old woman told dispatchers of armed intruders, said trooper Capt. Hans Brinke, who commands the Mat-Su trooper detachment.When patrol troopers got to the residence, they heard shots fired inside. Within an hour of the initial call, they saw a man -- later determined to be Tanner -- leap from a second-story balcony with a firearm. At some point, a trooper fired a round.Troopers and medics took Tanner to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released for a gunshot wound to the elbow. He then was jailed on one count of misdemeanor weapons misconduct. Troopers say he was in possession of a firearm while under the influence but haven't released any details.
A woman in the house, Karen Walters, 53, also exited the house and was taken to the hospital, where she was treated and released for an undisclosed medical condition, Brinke said. He said he didn't know the relationship between Tanner and Walters but said it appears that they both live in the house. A Web post by troopers about the incident described the woman as Tanner's wife but didn't name her. Brinke said he didn't know if she just walked out the front door or if she got out another way.Troopers, including members of a Special Emergency Reaction Team -- the trooper version of a SWAT team, -- surrounded the home. Troopers had to make sure the residence was secure and didn't get in to sweep it until about 4:30 p.m., Ipsen said. Inside, troopers found firearms and evidence that shots had been fired. But they didn't find any signs of intruders or a home invasion, troopers said."At this time it is still unclear whether the injury to Tanner occurred within the home, or outside of the home when the state trooper fired," troopers said in an on-line post about the incident.The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is investigating. Its report will be routed to the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals.Under their policy for trooper-involved shootings, troopers are withholding the name of the officer involved for three days.
Then there was this follow up story to the incident, also from the Anchorage Daily News:
Trooper involved in Wasilla shooting is identified
Published: January 24th, 2012 06:30 PM
Last Modified: January 24th, 2012 09:08 PMAlaska State Troopers on Tuesday identified the officer who shot at a man Saturday near Wasilla.
Trooper David Eastwood-Kolezar, who has been in the job since May 2010, fired one round, according to troopers. He's assigned to the Palmer post. Russell W. Tanner, 56, suffered a gunshot wound to his elbow but it's not yet known if the round fired by the trooper resulted in the injury. Tanner had called 911 to report armed intruders.When troopers arrived at his Wolverine Avenue home, they heard shots being fired inside, then saw Tanner leap from a second story balcony carrying a firearm, according to a trooper report. But troopers said they didn't find evidence of a home invasion. The matter, including the actions of Eastwood-Kolezar, remains under investigation.
And this was the official press release by law enforcement regarding the incident:
Location: WasillaTwo words: Gun Nuts
Case Number: 12-6757
Type: MIWIV, trooper-involved shootingText: At approximately 1234 hours on 1/21/12, Mat-Com dispatch received a 911 call from a Wolverine Avenue residence from a Russell W. Tanner age 56. In communications with dispatchers Tanner and his wife both reported a home invasion by armed persons. Upon arrival on scene, troopers heard shots being fired from the within the residence. R. Tanner was then observed by Troopers leaping from a second story balcony carrying a firearm. An Alaska State Trooper fired one round. Tanner was contacted and evacuated from the scene by Trooper and medics to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released for a gunshot wound to his elbow. Tanner was then arrested and lodged into Mat-Su Pre-Trial for one count of Misconduct Involving Weapons 4th degree for possession of a firearm while under the influence. Tanner's 53-year-old wife exited the residence and was also evacuated from the scene by Alaska State Troopers and medics to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center where she was also treated and released for an undisclosed medical reason. Members of the Southern Special Emergency Reaction Team were called to the scene to search the residence for intruders.
Although a search of the residence did locate several firearms and evidence that several shots had been fired within the home the ensuing investigation did not find any evidence of a home invasion or that any intruders had been in the home. At this time it is still unclear whether the injury to Tanner occurred within the home, or outside of the home when the State Trooper fired. Investigation into the incident will continue by members of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and the investigative report will be routed to the Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals for screening to determine if additional criminal charges may be applicable. As is standard policy the identity of the Alaska State Trooper will be not be released until 1/24/12.
At best this incident sounds very confusing. The significant part that jumped out at me is the response time. The home owners called 911 dispatchers at 12:30 p.m. and Alaska's version of a SWAT team didn't enter/sweep/secure the home until 4:30 p.m. This demonstrates how law enforcement can take what is effectively an eternity to "secure" a home. Had real criminals been inside, they could have intimidated, beat, raped, and/or tortured the homeowners for hours at their leisure.
ReplyDeleteI think you are reading this wrong, Crunchie.
ReplyDeleteThe police showed up quite quickly, looking at multiple versions of this story, the police went inside later, after they had taken care of everything else, including the guy who got shot.
What is more interesting is the number of guns and that it appears there was no intruder, just the husband and wife shooting at each other, with the husband clearly being drunk in the middle of the day, which presumably contributed to the confusion over the non-existent intruder.
And that the cops couldn't distinguish the armed homeowner from a criminal, which is one of the problems that the police often assert is an additional difficulty for them with armed home owners and gun toting civilians at crime scenes.
But hey, you guys want us to trust the inherent goodness of people.........like these people...........not to screw up and commit stupid shootings.
Clearly, people are good......just not THAT good, all the time.
They do stupid shit like this, expensive shit, dangerous shit.
Which is why the rest of us have less faith in you gun owners and gun carriers than you want us to have. That faith and trust is not justified.