Derek Carlile
A former Marysville police officer, who was fired last year after his 3-year-old son fatally shot his 7-year-old sister with the officer’s handgun, may get his job back.
An arbitrator this week determined that the city should rehire Officer Derek Carlile, 32, 0f Camano Island, according to his former lawyer, David Allen. Carlile was fired in May following an internal investigation into the March 2012 shooting that left his daughter, Jenna, dead.
The city indicated Carlile would be reinstated. “The City is prepared to carry out the arbitrator’s ruling and bring him back to a Police Officer position in the Marysville Police Department,” the city said in a statement.
It wasn’t immediately known whether Carlile would return to the department.
According to Snohomish County prosecutors, Carlile left his loaded .38-caliber revolver in the family’s van with their four children unattended while he and his wife stepped outside to chat with a friend in Stanwood. While the parents were out of the vehicle, the boy climbed out of his car seat, retrieved the gun and fired, killing the girl.
Prosecutors charged Carlile with manslaughter, saying he was criminally negligent for leaving the gun where his son could reach it, but a jury was unable to reach a verdict. Prosecutors decided not to retry Carlile and asked a judge to dismiss the charge, saying they did not believe they would be able to find a jury that could reach a verdict.
Fortunately he had a government employee's union to go to bat for him. I happen to agree with the comment made by one of his former coworkers. We had a similar case in which a child dies as the result of negligent storage. The parent pled guilty because he knew he was in the wrong.
ReplyDelete"However, another law-enforcement officer — a member of the team that investigated the shooting — said that while many investigators felt sorry for Carlile, most did not believe he could any longer be an effective law-enforcement officer.
“What kind of example can he be?” said the detective, who asked not to be named. “Who sees the devastation of a careless moment more often than a police officer? Who knows more about how dangerous a gun can be?”
"Who knows more about how dangerous a gun can be?”
DeleteApparently not this cop , or he would not have left a loaded gun available to small children.
Would you elaborate on that? Why wouldn't he ever be effective again?
DeleteMy interpretation of the statement is that with his negligence causing the death of an innocent, he would lose any semblance of professional credibility.
ReplyDeleteHe should have his guns taken away and unable to buy more.
DeleteIf he had been convicted of the charges, then he would have become a prohibited person. The criminal justice system has spoken.
DeleteI'm sure you think it's just fine he will be able to continue to be a cop. Your judgement on what makes a good cop. WOW
DeleteYou are incorrect Anon. However, I have to respect the decision of the court. A similar event happened here in Minnesota recently and the gun owner pled guilty.
DeleteAs I pointed out above, somehow he has also been cleared to get his job back through arbitration required by his union. Even though his coworkers aren't looking forward to that possibility.
Sometimes things don't work as intended. But overall, we have the best system around. Similar debated outcomes involve Zimmerman and OJ Simpson.
Love the way you stand up for killers. No surprise given your criminal statements an this blog.
Delete