The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Texas => Topic started by: Sanguine on January 28, 2019, 11:37:32 pm
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Houston Police are responding to a report of several officers shot. The incident reportedly occurred about 5 p.m. near Harding St. and Fennell. There is also one suspect reported dead at the scene, according to HPD.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted, "We have had several officers shot please pray for officers on the way to the scene now more information to follow."
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted that 3 officers were reportedly shot.
Joseph Gamaldi, President of the Houston Police Officers' Union tells Chron.com that five officers were injured....
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/HPD-responding-to-report-of-several-officers-shot-13568491.php (https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/HPD-responding-to-report-of-several-officers-shot-13568491.php)
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Oh, no.
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Latest from Fox
https://www.foxnews.com/us/multiple-police-officers-injured-in-houston-shooting-officials-say (https://www.foxnews.com/us/multiple-police-officers-injured-in-houston-shooting-officials-say)
Prayers up
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Updated 3 mins ago
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) --
Several Houston police officers have been shot, according to HPD Chief Art Acevedo. The officers were reportedly serving a narcotics warrant.
Chief Art Acevedo
✔
@ArtAcevedo
We have had several officers shot please pray for officers on the way to the scene now more information to follow.
more
https://abc13.com/5-houston-police-officers-shot-according-to-hpd-union/5110369/
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyCT0SWWwAYSXgL.jpg)
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A suspect is down after five police officers were shot Monday afternoon in Houston, according to Houston mayor Sylvester Turner.
Houston police chief Art Acevedo confirmed the shootings, tweeting, “We have had several officers shot. Please pray for officers.â€
The Houston Police Department, in a tweet, said police were responding to a scene at 7800 Harding where “officers have been struck with gunfire following an encounter with a suspect.â€
The injured officers are en route to hospitals, the tweet said.
A tweet from the city's Police Officers' Union said one of the injured officers was flown to a hospital by helicopter.
https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/504991642.html (https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/504991642.html)
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Didn't this same thing happen in Houston a couple years ago?
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You may be referring to Dallas /2016
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_shooting_of_Dallas_police_officers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_shooting_of_Dallas_police_officers)
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You may be referring to Dallas /2016
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_shooting_of_Dallas_police_officers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_shooting_of_Dallas_police_officers)
Yes, thanks for the reminder.
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Five Houston police officers have been shot in southeast Houston. The officers were reportedly serving a narcotics warrant.
2 suspects were kilt dead.
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Apparently there were multiple shooters, one of which was killed. If 5 officers were shot, assuming not all officers were shot, then this must have been a fairly big police raid. The reports are not very specific.
How many shooters were involved.
How many officers were involved.
We don't know.
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And, it sounds like SWAT is trying to negotiate with someone(s) inside the house.
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Five Houston police officers have been shot in southeast Houston. The officers were reportedly serving a narcotics warrant.
2 suspects were kilt dead.
I hope the officers will be ok
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Five Houston police officers have been shot in southeast Houston. The officers were reportedly serving a narcotics warrant.
Life Flight was called to the scene. All the officers have been taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Two of the officers are in critical condition. The other three officers are listed as stable.
Houston police have confirmed one suspect is dead at the scene. SWAT officers are working to determine if anyone else is in the home.
https://abc13.com/5-houston-police-officers-shot-1-suspect-killed/5110369/ (https://abc13.com/5-houston-police-officers-shot-1-suspect-killed/5110369/)
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Five Houston police officers shot; 2 of 3 suspects dead
"I've just learned one officer was shot in the leg, one in the shoulder and one in the face," KHOU 11 News reporter Brett Buffington tweeted.
Two suspects are dead inside the house where officers were serving a warrant when gunfire broke out. Police are using a robot to search for the third suspect.
HPD and Harris County Sheriff's Office SWAT teams are still on the scene.
The shooting happened just before 4 p.m. in a residential neighborhood in the 7800 block of Harding. That's just a few blocks from Milby High School.
One neighbor said she heard about 15 shots.
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/five-houston-police-officers-shot-2-of-3-suspects-dead/285-d0743b30-9cf3-428c-a278-9d8ae8dc4e09 (https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/five-houston-police-officers-shot-2-of-3-suspects-dead/285-d0743b30-9cf3-428c-a278-9d8ae8dc4e09)
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This site is live
https://www.click2houston.com/news/several-officers-shot-in-southeast-houston-chief-says (https://www.click2houston.com/news/several-officers-shot-in-southeast-houston-chief-says)
Says two officers hit in the neck....
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Thanks, @Freya.
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According to a text I just received from an HPD officer, all of the officers are expected to pull through. Thank you Lord!
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According to a text I just received from an HPD officer, all of the officers are expected to pull through. Thank you Lord!
Yes, indeed! Thanks, Bigun.
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Yes, indeed! Thanks, Bigun.
:amen:
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According to a text I just received from an HPD officer, all of the officers are expected to pull through. Thank you Lord!
:0001: :amen:
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BKMK
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Any word on the perps?
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Any word on the perps?
Two suspects were killed in an exchange of gunfire, but Houston police have not released information on their identities.
According to HPD Chief Art Acevedo, the suspects are believed to have been trafficking black tar heroin.
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Two suspects were killed in an exchange of gunfire, but Houston police have not released information on their identities.
According to HPD Chief Art Acevedo, the suspects are believed to have been trafficking black tar heroin.
Hmmm. We know where that comes from.
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Hmmm. We know where that comes from.
We also know that those two won't be dealing anymore!
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We also know that those two won't be dealing anymore!
it's the politics of contraband....
it's the lure of easy money
it's gotta very strong appeal
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it's the politics of contraband....
it's the lure of easy, tax-free, money
it's gotta very strong appeal
Yep! And THAT is precisely why the good ole USA has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world! Take away the tax free part of the equation and it begins to lose its luster.
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it's the politics of contraband....
it's the lure of easy money
it's gotta very strong appeal
Well I'm sorry it went down like this
But someone had to lose
It's the nature of the business
It's the smugglers blues
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https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Five-police-officers-shot-in-Houston-504991222.html (https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Five-police-officers-shot-in-Houston-504991222.html)
Chief: Injured Houston officer shot 3 times in line of duty
Houston's police chief says one of four narcotics officers shot while serving a search warrant at a suspected drug house has been struck by gunfire two other times during his career.
Police Chief Art Acevedo said Tuesday that the 54-year-old police supervisor, whose name hasn't been released, was also shot in 1992 and 1997. Acevedo didn't provide details of the other shootings.
Acevedo says that the officer told him in a note that he had to go into the house Monday after his colleagues were shot because he knew his "guys were down."
Acevedo described the officer as "tough as nails."
He says: "The only thing bigger than his body, in terms of his stature, is his courage."
Four of the officers were shot and a fifth suffered a knee injury.
Acevedo says two of the officers who were shot were hit in the neck by gunfire and are in critical but stable condition.
The other three officers are in stable condition and are expected to make a full recovery.
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Houston police had previously bought black tar heroin at the home, Chief Art Acevedo said Tuesday. When a narcotics unit raided the house, officers swiftly came under fire, and a pit bull charged the first officer through the door, he said.
When Monday afternoon's raid was over, two suspects were dead and five officers were injured, four of them suffering gunshot wounds.
The first officer fired a shotgun blast, killing the dog. Suspect Dennis Tuttle, 59, initially retreated but returned with a .357 Magnum, shooting the officer in the shoulder, the chief said. ...
Acevedo and Michelle McNutt, chief of trauma surgery at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, provided updates on four of the officers, explaining that the family of the fifth officer has requested no information be released:
• The 54-year-old who "heroically made the entry" was shot in the face and required surgery. He is recovering, but the facial trauma team will have to perform more operations in the future.
• A 50-year-old sergeant who suffered a gunshot wound to the face required no surgery. The officer, who has 25 years on the force, is stable and will be released later Tuesday or Wednesday.
• Another 50-year-old sergeant, a 27-year veteran, who suffered an knee injury is recovering and will be released later this week.
• The first officer through the door, a 33-year-old, was shot in the shoulder and has been released. The officer has 10 years on the force.
• The last officer, whose family requested privacy, is in stable condition. Acevedo said he was concerned about the officer, who is "in a really tough fight" and "needs prayers." ...
More (https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/29/us/houston-police-officers-shot/index.html)
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HPD chief Acevedo IDs suspects, gives update on injured officers
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Acevedo-offers-update-on-injured-officers-13570124.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Acevedo-offers-update-on-injured-officers-13570124.php)
Acevedo identified the dead as Rhogena Nicholas, 58, and Dennis Tuttle, 59. Property tax records indicate Tuttle is the owner of the house.
Outside the house in Pecan Park early Tuesday, neighbor Daniel Ramirez said a couple had lived at the home for a while.
Ramirez said the man who lived there often walked his dog. He didn't see the woman as much.
The couple kept to themselves, Ramirez said, adding that he didn't see many visitors there.
At the news conference Tuesday, Acevedo recounted the incident and added more details about it.
The first officer entered the house about 5 p.m., armed with a shotgun. He shot and killed a pit bull that lunged at him, the chief said.
At the same time, Tuttle, armed with a .357 Magnum revolver, came around from the back of the house, opened fire and struck the officer in the shoulder, Acevedo said. The officer fell on a sofa in the living room. At that time, Nicholas reached over the officer and made a move for his shotgun, the chief said.
A backup officer shot at Nicholas, hitting her, Acevedo said.
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HPD chief Acevedo IDs suspects, gives update on injured officers
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Acevedo-offers-update-on-injured-officers-13570124.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Acevedo-offers-update-on-injured-officers-13570124.php)
The SOB couldn't even wait for the bodies to get cold!
Acevedo pushes elected officials for gun reform
https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Chief-Art-Acevedo-pushes-elected-officials-for-13570809.php?utm_campaign=hchronfb&fbclid=IwAR0qHaeQSAJ2COiwvykzQEbW9uC8GBNesiFPE3CHazdu1gJnoETfQLu185w (https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Chief-Art-Acevedo-pushes-elected-officials-for-13570809.php?utm_campaign=hchronfb&fbclid=IwAR0qHaeQSAJ2COiwvykzQEbW9uC8GBNesiFPE3CHazdu1gJnoETfQLu185w)
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Who believes making drugs legal will make it less rather than more likely that police will enter harms way?
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The SOB couldn't even wait for the bodies to get cold!
Acevedo pushes elected officials for gun reform
https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Chief-Art-Acevedo-pushes-elected-officials-for-13570809.php?utm_campaign=hchronfb&fbclid=IwAR0qHaeQSAJ2COiwvykzQEbW9uC8GBNesiFPE3CHazdu1gJnoETfQLu185w (https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Chief-Art-Acevedo-pushes-elected-officials-for-13570809.php?utm_campaign=hchronfb&fbclid=IwAR0qHaeQSAJ2COiwvykzQEbW9uC8GBNesiFPE3CHazdu1gJnoETfQLu185w)
From article:
"I would express my personal frustration at lawmakers that know we have a public health epidemic in this country we call gun violence,"
How did this POS ever become chief? He is saying guns are a threat to public health?
Guns decrease the risk of being hurt, not increase it. It allows the most vulnerable in our society to defends themselves against those who wish harm.
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Who believes making drugs legal will make it less rather than more likely that police will enter harms way?
Raises hand!
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The SOB couldn't even wait for the bodies to get cold!
Acevedo pushes elected officials for gun reform
https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Chief-Art-Acevedo-pushes-elected-officials-for-13570809.php?utm_campaign=hchronfb&fbclid=IwAR0qHaeQSAJ2COiwvykzQEbW9uC8GBNesiFPE3CHazdu1gJnoETfQLu185w (https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Chief-Art-Acevedo-pushes-elected-officials-for-13570809.php?utm_campaign=hchronfb&fbclid=IwAR0qHaeQSAJ2COiwvykzQEbW9uC8GBNesiFPE3CHazdu1gJnoETfQLu185w)
Idiot. Black Tar Heroin is also illegal. Gun bans (and any others) only impact the law abiding.
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That's a pretty watery substrate to launch a gun control campaign from.
The perps (according to the Fox article) has two shotguns, a .22 rifle, and"another rifle" in the house. (I guess they didn't count the .357 the officers were wounded with, unless it was a lever action rifle).
These (allegedly) aren't even the guns the Communists want to ban for most Americans (We heard you Sen. Feinstein, and we see you as the total gun grabber you are).
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Just so you know, there were no drugs found in that house and the people who died had lived there for more than 20 years.
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Just so you know, there were no drugs found in that house and the people who died had lived there for more than 20 years.
So let's see....
Timeline.
Door breached.
Dog attacks first one in.
Dog shot.
Dog owner shoots who shot the dog. (Dog is first line of home defense).
Police shoot people in house, who shoot back.
Hmmmm.
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Just so you know, there were no drugs found in that house and the people who died had lived there for more than 20 years.
Yes, something seems a bit off here.
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Just so you know, there were no drugs found in that house and the people who died had lived there for more than 20 years.
He may have been in back bedroom on the computer when he heard his dog react and get shot...first instinct is to grab your weapon if you can.
GD no-knock warrants....
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He may have been in back bedroom on the computer when he heard his dog react and get shot...first instinct is to grab your weapon if you can.
GD no-knock warrants....
Yep. Bad outcome all around.
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Any word on the perps?
HPD chief Acevedo IDs suspects, gives update on injured officers
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Acevedo-offers-update-on-injured-officers-13570124.php#photo-16843463 (https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Acevedo-offers-update-on-injured-officers-13570124.php#photo-16843463)
(https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/00/20/13/16843463/3/1024x1024.png)
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I'm starting to get a feeling things were not what we are told they were....
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Just so you know, there were no drugs found in that house and the people who died had lived there for more than 20 years.
That is not what this article says.
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,349531.msg1904210.html#msg1904210 (http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,349531.msg1904210.html#msg1904210)
They recovered marijuana and a white powdery suspect, either cocaine or fentanyl, after the firefight. They also recovered two 12-gauge shotguns, a 20-gauge shotgun, a 22-caliber rifle and a second rifle.
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That is not what this article says.
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,349531.msg1904210.html#msg1904210 (http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,349531.msg1904210.html#msg1904210)
They recovered marijuana and a white powdery suspect, either cocaine or fentanyl, after the firefight. They also recovered two 12-gauge shotguns, a 20-gauge shotgun, a 22-caliber rifle and a second rifle.
Cops would never plant evidence when shit goes south. Just say'n.
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Cops would never plant evidence when shit goes south. Just say'n.
I will choose to first believe the police to begin with, rather than the other way around.
Did you happen to read the article which indicated that one person opened fire with a .357 mag on one cop while the other tried to get the shotgun from him?
Think that was also a setup, I suppose.
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I will choose to first believe the police to begin with, rather than the other way around.
Did you happen to read the article which indicated that one person opened fire with a .357 mag on one cop while the other tried to get the shotgun from him?
Think that was also a setup, I suppose.
The cop shot first with the .357 Mag had already shot the dog. How were these officers dressed? Plainclothes? Battle rattle? Uniforms?
How well did they identify themselves?
Or did they bust in like a home invasion, shoot the dog, and the residents defend themselves?
I still have some questions, and I tend to give the police the benefit of the doubt.
(And what is a white powdery suspect?)
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I will choose to first believe the police to begin with, rather than the other way around.
Did you happen to read the article which indicated that one person opened fire with a .357 mag on one cop while the other tried to get the shotgun from him?
Think that was also a setup, I suppose.
Narcotic cops are suspect. Long history of questionable tactics.
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I will choose to first believe the police to begin with, rather than the other way around.
Did you happen to read the article which indicated that one person opened fire with a .357 mag on one cop while the other tried to get the shotgun from him?
Think that was also a setup, I suppose.
First thing I read was..."undercover officer".
IOW, not in uniform or SWAT gear.
He entered the house with a pumped shotgun intending to put that barking pit-bull down. I'll bet he never yelled "POLICE"! "GET DOWN"!
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First thing I read was..."undercover officer".
IOW, not in uniform or SWAT gear.
He entered the house with a pumped shotgun intending to put that barking pit-bull down. I'll bet he never yelled "POLICE"! "GET DOWN"!
Right. Not readily identifiable as police, if undercover, a crew who would blend in on the streets.
Which may have appeared to the (now deceased) suspects as a home invasion.
No big drug bust, no pile of cash (AKA "drug money"), no dealer quantities.
That raises some questions.
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I'm starting to get a feeling things were not what we are told they were....
The woman that was shot was unarmed. She had no weapon and never fired a shot. She reacted to the officer who shot her dog by grabbing at him. That's what got her shot. She was shot because she was pissed some unknown person entered her home and shot her dog. The guy then, seeing his dog and his woman shot dead, began defending his home. And he was killed.
The story is that they were serving a warrant. But really? You couldn't just stake out the house, wait for them to go somewhere and pull the car over? I question whether this whole "Call of Duty" scenario was necessary at all. Especially since there were only two people in the home and no heroin was found.
Were the homeowners given a free chance to simply walk out and come in peacefully? Sounds like they were not. Also, they were killed over a suspicion. They were suspected of dealing heroin. We don't even know if they would have been convicted.
Very very, bad intelligence on the part of the Cops. If they deployed a dozen or more Cops to serve this warrant, they must have been expecting a house full of people. But no. There was one unarmed woman sleeping on the couch. And the guy was in the back doing whatever he was doing. This was hardly a crack house or even a drug house by far. The Cops obviously had no idea at all what was happening in that house. They must have not been watching the house at all. This thing smells bad to me.
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I'm not a fan of Art Acevedo, but I'm going to hold my fire until we know more.
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The woman grabbed for the shotgun because she was unarmed and some guy just shot her dog. If some guy burst into your home with a shotgun and fired, any one of us would have grabbed for it. Because you know damn well that you are next.
The .357 came after the fact, after the Police had already opened fire.
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I'm not a fan of Art Acevedo, but I'm going to hold my fire until we know more.
I can't stand the POS but will follow your lead none the less. I will say, however, that Art Acheveto has proven himself to be much more an activist than a police chief!
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As this story unfolds, some things just "don't seem right".
The dead couple in the house had no prior arrests.
No drugs were found inside the house.
Some info in this thread:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3723879/posts (http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3723879/posts)
(yes, I know where it's from, if you don't wish to "dirty yourself" by going there, don't. But there are some interesting posts...)
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I will choose to first believe the police to begin with, rather than the other way around.
I'm with you on this.
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I'm with you on this.
While that is my first instinct, it would not be the first time that some CI got a few bucks for a fix and the police got bad intel. Plainclothes undercover guys (dressed to blend with the riff-raff) might take on the appearance of a home invasion.
Break down the door, shoot the dog, and it's on. Especially in a stand your ground/castle doctrine State.
If the police did not identify themselves, what could have been a relatively tame bust for some grass and whatever the powder was, turned into a blood bath, quite possibly unnecessarily.
No priors? Lived there 20 years and stayed off the radar?
A little grass, some powder? no cash stash, no heroin, no marketable quantities, no paraphernalia? Two dead and five wounded? Doesn't make sense--not that life always does.
Something doesn't set right, from the accounts given. YMMV
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While that is my first instinct, it would not be the first time that some CI got a few bucks for a fix and the police got bad intel. Plainclothes undercover guys (dressed to blend with the riff-raff) might take on the appearance of a home invasion.
Break down the door, shoot the dog, and it's on. Especially in a stand your ground/castle doctrine State.
If the police did not identify themselves, what could have been a relatively tame bust for some grass and whatever the powder was, turned into a blood bath, quite possibly unnecessarily.
No priors? Lived there 20 years and stayed off the radar?
A little grass, some powder? no cash stash, no heroin, no marketable quantities, no paraphernalia? Two dead and five wounded? Doesn't make sense--not that life always does.
Something doesn't set right, from the accounts given. YMMV
I get what you're saying...and we won't know exactly what all was found in there for a few days.
Weed and guns make it a felony...if the powder turns our to be something like Meth or Fentanyl that just makes it worse.
I know that in the SOP for some police departments...if they are doing a raid like this...depending on the type of dog the SOP is to shoot it if it comes at you. Drug dealers are known for using Pitbulls...Rotweilers and other large breed dogs to guard their drug houses.
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I get what you're saying...and we won't know exactly what all was found in there for a few days.
Weed and guns make it a felony...if the powder turns our to be something like Meth or Fentanyl that just makes it worse.
I know that in the SOP for some police departments...if they are doing a raid like this...depending on the type of dog the SOP is to shoot it if it comes at you. Drug dealers are known for using Pitbulls...Rotweilers and other large breed dogs to guard their drug houses.
I get what you are saying, too.
But white powder can come off a donut, lots of people who don't even do drugs have pit bulls and rotties (to guard their stuff, and be the family pet). That should have been tested on the spot, and could have been (you see the little kits on Live PD and other police shows all the time--you'd think someone on a drug raid would have one.)
It sounds like the house didn't have anywhere near the traffic you would associate with a drug house--usually lots of people who come and go at all hours. (Druggies don't run a normal clock.)
If it was a 'bad' shoot would the PD guys plant a baggie? I don't know. I'd hope not, but it won't bring back the suspects anyway.
There may be background on these folks, social media stuff, etc. that we just don't see, that may have justified the tactics.
I don't know--and if people are in CYA mode, we may never know.
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While that is my first instinct, it would not be the first time that some CI got a few bucks for a fix and the police got bad intel. Plainclothes undercover guys (dressed to blend with the riff-raff) might take on the appearance of a home invasion.
Break down the door, shoot the dog, and it's on. Especially in a stand your ground/castle doctrine State.
If the police did not identify themselves, what could have been a relatively tame bust for some grass and whatever the powder was, turned into a blood bath, quite possibly unnecessarily.
No priors? Lived there 20 years and stayed off the radar?
A little grass, some powder? no cash stash, no heroin, no marketable quantities, no paraphernalia? Two dead and five wounded? Doesn't make sense--not that life always does.
Something doesn't set right, from the accounts given. YMMV
The article makes it clear that Undercover police had bought heroin from that location.
I would not say that is 'staying off the radar'.
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Cops would never make shit up to boost arrest figures.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/11-people-freed-jail-after-florida-deputy-allegedly-falsified-narcotics-n964586 (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/11-people-freed-jail-after-florida-deputy-allegedly-falsified-narcotics-n964586)
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Police identify powder recovered in deadly drug raid
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/houston/article/Powder-found-in-police-raid-identified-13578839.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/houston/article/Powder-found-in-police-raid-identified-13578839.php)
Three days after the botched drug raid that left two residents dead and five officers wounded, authorities identified the unknown powder they found at the scene of the bloody bust.
The Thursday news conference revealed that the powder was cocaine, perhaps answering one of the nagging questions raised after the Pecan Park raid targeting a pair of alleged heroin dealers.
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Police identify powder recovered in deadly drug raid
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/houston/article/Powder-found-in-police-raid-identified-13578839.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/houston/article/Powder-found-in-police-raid-identified-13578839.php)
You mean to tell me that a UC drug unit didn't have one of those little test kits that patrol cops carry to test stuff they find in the car after a vehicle stop (As seen on TeeVee!, Cops, Live PD, and other shows)?
They should have known one way or the other within 10 minutes.
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You mean to tell me that a UC drug unit didn't have one of those little test kits that patrol cops carry to test stuff they find in the car after a vehicle stop (As seen on TeeVee!, Cops, Live PD, and other shows)?
They should have known one way or the other within 10 minutes.
They probably knew before they planted it, which was right after they realized how bad they screwed up.
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A video of interest:
http://youtu.be/9XmflR0MWXc (http://youtu.be/9XmflR0MWXc)
A bit choppy at first, but listen to the difference in addresses and keep watching.
7815 HARDY Street v. 7815 HARDING Street
(the following is from TOS):
"The average house with typical 60 year old couple car in the drive way was 7815 Harding street. The known drug house with security cameras, bars on windows was 7815 Hardy street."
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A video of interest:
https://youtu.be/9XmflR0MWXc
A bit choppy at first, but listen to the difference in addresses and keep watching.
7815 HARDY Street v. 7815 HARDING Street
(the following is from TOS):
"The average house with typical 60 year old couple car in the drive way was 7815 Harding street. The known drug house with security cameras, bars on windows was 7815 Hardy street."
There does seem to be some underground chatter that the copes went to the wrong house. So far it is not being presude as a possibility by the legal organ of Harris county... the Hocron.
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There does seem to be some underground chatter that the copes went to the wrong house. So far it is not being presude as a possibility by the legal organ of Harris county... the Hocron.
Of course not! And it never will be pursued by them!
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A video of interest:
https://youtu.be/9XmflR0MWXc
A bit choppy at first, but listen to the difference in addresses and keep watching.
7815 HARDY Street v. 7815 HARDING Street
(the following is from TOS):
"The average house with typical 60 year old couple car in the drive way was 7815 Harding street. The known drug house with security cameras, bars on windows was 7815 Hardy street."
Damned right it's of interest @Fishrrman! Thanks a ton!
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HPD officer connected to deadly raid, shootout relieved of duty
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/HPD-officer-connected-to-deadly-raid-shootout-13598143.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/HPD-officer-connected-to-deadly-raid-shootout-13598143.php)
Houston Chronicle by St. John Barned-Smith , Jay R. Jordan and Keri Blakinger 2/7/2019
A Houston police officer has been relieved of duty in light of "ongoing questions" stemming from a botched drug raid that left a couple dead and five officers wounded, police said Thursday.
It's not clear what role the officer played in the Jan. 28 bust at 7815 Harding, but law enforcement sources said his suspension comes amid a probe centered on questions over whether the sworn affidavit used to justify the no-knock warrant may have contained false information.
It's not clear if the two developments are connected.
"I know that in addition to the officer-involved shooting itself, many have questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the search warrant," Chief Art Acevedo said Thursday in response to news of the officer's suspension. "All of these questions are part of our ongoing criminal and administrative investigations."
Instead of "releasing piecemeal information," he said, the department will report findings once they've wrapped up the internal investigation. He declined to identify or release any details about the officer in question, and did not specify whether the investigation would focus on the possibility of false information in the affidavit.
"When an officer-involved shooting occurs at HPD, we consider it a legal and moral obligation to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances leading up to and resulting in the officer-involved shooting," he said. "There is a lot of speculation as to the circumstances regarding this officer-involved shooting at 7815 Harding Street, but we urge everyone to let the investigation take its proper course and proceed to conclusion."
More at link
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@Elderberry Thanks. I know some questions have been raised, and in light of possible confusion over the street name (Harding or Hardy?) for the raid, I'm glad to see they are at least investigating. We'll see what develops. The Houston Chronicle has said I have read my last free article, so I'm glad you posted what you did.
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@Elderberry Thanks. I know some questions have been raised, and in light of possible confusion over the street name (Harding or Hardy?) for the raid, I'm glad to see they are at least investigating. We'll see what develops. The Houston Chronicle has said I have read my last free article, so I'm glad you posted what you did.
@Smokin Joe
When that happens to me, I can usually get in by opening a private browsing window in Firefox.
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@Smokin Joe
When that happens to me, I can usually get in by opening a private browsing window in Firefox.
@Elderberry Thanks for the tip! That worked.
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Thanks, @Elderberry. Too many questions on this one.
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@Smokin Joe
When that happens to me, I can usually get in by opening a private browsing window in Firefox.
Yep. Just go Incognito.
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@Elderberry Thanks. I know some questions have been raised, and in light of possible confusion over the street name (Harding or Hardy?) for the raid, I'm glad to see they are at least investigating. We'll see what develops. The Houston Chronicle has said I have read my last free article, so I'm glad you posted what you did.
Clear browser history. Then refresh the link.
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Clear browser history. Then refresh the link.
Thanks!
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At first, I was inclined to believe the HPD version.
As more is coming out, I'm not so sure anymore.
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At first, I was inclined to believe the HPD version.
As more is coming out, I'm not so sure anymore.
I got some really bad vibes about it from day one.
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I got some really bad vibes about it from day one.
They should know by now. Accevato is stalling... My gut tells me they are burring more dead bodies than just the homeowners. Something is rotten in the Astrodome..
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I got some really bad vibes about it from day one.
Something smelled off from the start, once the details started trickling in.
No evidence supporting a dealer in residence except for some CI, and CIs have been known to get it wrong.
In a castle doctrine state, kick down the door dressed like hood rats (plainclothes, not uniforms), and shoot the dog--if the people inside can, they will mount a defense. Especially if they don't know it is the police.
Dealers would have marketable quantities of drugs, paraphernalia, and cash. None of those were mentioned as being found.
It took days to get analysis of the white powder, when they do it on "Cops" and "Live PD" in 5 minutes. You gonna tell me a drug raid team doesn't have a test kit? Someone could have been eating powdered mini donuts and watching TV--those leave white powder all over, especially on the coffee table around the bag.
The more I learn, the more this sounds like a screwup.
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Bigun wrote:
"I got some really bad vibes about it from day one."
Yup.
This was "a bad raid" from the start.
Two innocent people are dead for defending their home against what they thought to be a home invasion.
Sorry for the cops who got shot, but they weren't acting in good faith.
(I stand behind that statement).
EVERYTHING the police did STINKS in this one.
And when the facts finally come out, that will be proven.
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I heard on the radio today that everything is going to be investigated thoroughly.
He says they owe to the wounded officers and the family of the deceased.
Repeated that 4 weapons were found ( but didn't mention what they were, if they were legally purchased or stolen, etc.).
Related that 28 grams of weed and 1.5 grams of cocaine were found.
This appears to be more of a personal use situation, not a dealer.
He said nothing else.
Yep, something went dreadfully wrong here, and he is hearing it from the community.
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28 grams of weed? That is less than an OZ.
Boy they brought down the kingpin with that bust. They must be so proud.
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28 grams of weed? That is less than an OZ.
Boy they brought down the kingpin with that bust. They must be so proud.
Right, personal use, not bringing down the cartel.
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I heard on the radio today that everything is going to be investigated thoroughly.
He says they owe to the wounded officers and the family of the deceased.
Repeated that 4 weapons were found ( but didn't mention what they were, if they were legally purchased or stolen, etc.).
Related that 28 grams of weed and 1.5 grams of cocaine were found.
This appears to be more of a personal use situation, not a dealer.
He said nothing else.
Yep, something went dreadfully wrong here, and he is hearing it from the community.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/HPD-officer-connected-to-deadly-raid-shootout-13598143.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/HPD-officer-connected-to-deadly-raid-shootout-13598143.php)
They also found two 12-gauge shotguns, a 20-gauge shotgun, a .22-caliber rifle and a second rifle — but no 9mm handgun described in the warrant.
No evil black rifles. Looks like a hunter's small collection.
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The story changed. First, it was reported that they were serving a warrant. Later, it was reported to be a raid on a drug house. It is never explained why nobody had eyes on the house. If they were watching the house, they would have known only two people were home. Also, they could have simply waited for them to leave to go somewhere and simply pull the car over to take away the home advantage. The whole Ghestapo raid show was entirely unnecessary.
The amount of drugs found is so small, they could have easily have been planted (or not) to justify the raid.
The officers who were injured may 'recover' but that doesn't mean that they will not face lifelong debilitation. I would hate to find out that I risked my life and almost died over a blunt and a blow of coke.
This incident is the result of an incompetent, trigger-happy Police department which did not independently verify (with their own eyes on) information they received from an anonymous source. Instead, they went in shooting right off the bat. There is no indication that they ever gave the homeowners a chance to simply come out and surrender.
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If the CI that the cops relied upon is smart, he would become invisible.
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If the CI that the cops relied upon is smart, he would become invisible.
True.
Today, I am left wondering if the CI even exist.
Demoralizing.
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SCOTT HENSON QUESTIONS HOUSTON POLICE NARCOTICS RAID.
Eleven unanswered questions about the botched police raid in Houston
By Scott Henson Grits for Breakfast February 2, 2019
http://barkgrowlbite.blogspot.com/ (http://barkgrowlbite.blogspot.com/)
Four officers were shot and two suspects and their dog are dead after a botched narcotics raid in Houston. Friends and family of the deceased say they were innocent victims. Obviously, I hope all the officers recover. But having watched this play out in the press for several days, Grits has questions.
Here's the background: According to the search warrant, police claimed they sent a confidential informant into the home who had assisted in 10 or more prior investigations, all of which had led to arrests and seizures. They searched the CI, gave him cash, and allegedly watched him go into the home in question. He came out with brown heroin in a bag, telling police he'd seen many other bags of heroin and a 9mm pistol. The officers placed the home under surveillance until they could get a warrant.
Problem is, they found no bags of heroin. There was no 9mm pistol. But when the narcotics unit (not a SWAT team) entered the home at five in the afternoon, announcing themselves as the battering ram broke the door down, there was an angry pit bull facing them that an officer immediately killed with a shotgun blast. At that, one of the homeowners returned fire, and an intense gunfight occurred.
The homeowners didn't have a 9mm, but they did have shotguns and a .357 Magnum, and they responded to the home invasion the way many gun owning Texas homeowners brag they would. Maybe they were violent criminals trying to kill police, but they could also have been unwitting victims of a lying informant who didn't understand who had broken down their door and shot their dog.
That's the first question: Were these people heroin dealers? The available evidence says no, and regrettably, they're not around to defend themselves against the allegation. Their neighbors told reporters they almost never had visitors, and their friends and family adamantly deny the charge. Cocaine was allegedly found on the scene, but one bag, at user levels. And the multiple bags of brown heroin and 9mm weapon alleged in the search-warrant affidavit were nowhere to be found.
So the second question is: Where did the informant get the heroin? Police claimed they followed best practices, searching the informant beforehand and watching him go in and out. The couple couldn't have moved it because police had the house under surveillance. And they'd have seen if there'd been enough customers for all the volume to deplete. So if the informant brought back heroin, where did it come from?
Third question: Is it plausible that this couple would sell smack to a CI sent to their front door whom they'd never met before? Something there doesn't add up.
Fourth question: Will the Conviction Integrity Unit at the Harris County District Attorney's Office now review those 10+ cases using this informant in the past? If he lied about this couple selling heroin, what else might he have lied about?
Fifth question: HPD claimed they raided the home for safety reasons because they knew there was a gun inside (even though they had bad information about that; there was no 9mm). But given the outcome, was it really safer? It was 5 p.m., so they were awake. Mightn't the outcome have been better if they'd just knocked on the front door?
Sixth question: Should police use "dynamic entry" to execute search warrants every time there's reportedly a gun in the home? There are probably guns in half the homes in Texas! Relatedly, if you're afraid someone might shoot at you when you break down their door, why not just wait outside for them to come out? The house was already under surveillance.
Seventh question: Were these narcotics officers sufficiently trained to perform a dynamic entry? There's a subsidiary question: why wasn't a SWAT team used? After his wife and dog had been killed, the husband, a Navy veteran with no criminal record, snuck out the back and opened fire on the officers from behind, the Houston Chronicle reported. This was a basic tactical error - someone should have been manning the back door. Also, such raids are frequently conducted pre-dawn to minimize the chance suspects will be awake and shoot back. This one was performed at five in the afternoon. So did these narcotics cops just not know what the hell they were doing?
Eighth question: Could they have raided the wrong house? The search warrant affidavit says police watched the informant go into the house and come out with drugs, then watched it until they raided it. But what if that's a lie? What if the informant merely told an officer the address of the house, and got it wrong? Otherwise, where is the heroin?
Ninth question: How much was the informant paid for this service? What is this person's background? How much was s/he paid in the past, and for what services? An officer vouched for the person in the search warrant affidavit, what was their relationship? It's okay to tell, the person can never be used as an informant again.
Tenth question: Chief Art Acevedo said neighbors thanked police for taking out a known drug house. But reporters interviewed every neighbor they could find and everyone said these were quiet people who seldom had visitors, loved animals, and kept to themselves. Why weren't those grateful neighbors corroborating the chief's claims to reporters?
Eleventh question: Why does Fox and Friends give union boss Joe Gamaldi a platform? The guy's a blowhard.
MORE: On Twitter, someone suggested another excellent question: "Who shot who?" It was said the wife was shot when she lunged for a downed officer's shotgun after her dog had been killed. Does that mean she was unarmed at the time and the husband did all the shooting? Were any of the police injured by friendly fire? Who shot who is an excellent question.
More at link
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An article on the topic that includes other "no-knocks" gone bad in Texas (see esp. the "Henry Magee" incident in 2013): https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/a-no-knock-raid-in-houston-led-to-deaths-and-police-injuries-should-police-rethink-the-practice/ (https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/a-no-knock-raid-in-houston-led-to-deaths-and-police-injuries-should-police-rethink-the-practice/)
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HPD Chief Acevedo says narcotics cop committed likely crime by lying in affidavit for deadly raid
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-police-shooting-affidavit-confidential-13620120.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-police-shooting-affidavit-confidential-13620120.php)
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said an undercover narcotics officer involved in a deadly botched drug raid will likely face criminal charges as questions about the case continue to emerge.
"There's a high probability there will be a criminal charge," Acevedo said Friday after a police affidavit into an ongoing investigation was filed raising questions about the integrity of the Jan. 28 drug bust.
"We will take as much time as it takes to get to the bottom of this," Acevedo said.
He said prior cases handled by Officer Gerald Goines will be reviewed, and the entire narcotics unit will face an "extensive audit" of their practices.
Houston police have been unable to find the confidential informant behind the drug buy that set off a deadly narcotics raid last month, according to the warrant affidavit signed last week.
More at link.
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HPD Chief Acevedo says narcotics cop committed likely crime by lying in affidavit for deadly raid
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-police-shooting-affidavit-confidential-13620120.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-police-shooting-affidavit-confidential-13620120.php)
More at link.
A LOT more. (From the link above):
In the original warrant - the one used to justify the raid - Goines wrote that he watched the buy and, along with Bryant, identified the substance as heroin. But when investigators went back to talk to Bryant, he admitted that he'd actually retrieved two bags of heroin from the center console of Goines' car, at the instruction of another officer.
Things didn't add up...
We smelled a rat...
Pretty damning, that.
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The murdered two innocent people. But no one will go to jail.
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The murdered two innocent people. But no one will go to jail.
So far, that's the way it looks. Maybe not 100% innocent, maybe they were and the evidence was planted after the fact. But definitely not actively dealing Heroin, or they'd have found some.
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They either got the wrong address
or they got bad information
or they were all just Rambo gun nuts looking to make their bones for a medal. And they wound up getting several officers disabled, and two innocent civilians killed.
Or, all three are true.
No matter what they say or 'find', there was no reason at all to kill these two people. That is murder. The civilians just acted the same way any of us would have done, to defend from an armed invasion by unknown assailants.
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They either got the wrong address
or they got bad information
or they were all just Rambo gun nuts looking to make their bones for a medal. And they wound up getting several officers disabled, and two innocent civilians killed.
Or, all three are true.
No matter what they say or 'find', there was no reason at all to kill these two people. That is murder. The civilians just acted the same way any of us would have done, to defend from an armed invasion by unknown assailants.
That's most of the way it looks so far from here, too.
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I've lived in this State long enough to realize You don't f*ck with the Cops, learned that the hard way.
Waco v 1.0, a Fed job, taught the locals, Waco v 2.0.
I had it much better in Louisiana cause they were mostly non-existent, not so in my little German Town, small trade off.
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Houston police officer in drug raid had previous allegations against him
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-police-officer-in-drug-raid-had-previous-13621276.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-police-officer-in-drug-raid-had-previous-13621276.php)
Even before the deadly drug raid that left two civilians dead, Houston Police Officer Gerald Goines had a troubling history of allegations against him.
The undercover case agent in the Jan. 28 Pecan Park raid had been involved in multiple shootings, racked up a smattering of written reprimands, faced several lawsuits and is currently accused of fabricating a drug deal then lying about it in court to win a conviction against a man who has long maintained he’s innocent, according to a Houston Chronicle review of internal police records and court documents.
Through it all, the longtime narcotics officer consistently racked up glowing reviews and praise from supervisors who called his work “impressive†and wrote that he set a “good example for new officers in the squad,†according to police records. Last month, as Goines lay in the hospital after the gun battle, Chief Art Acevedo praised his courage, describing the 54-year-old sergeant as “strong as an ox†and “tough as nails.â€
But on Friday, Acevedo offered a very different narrative. Now, he said, the veteran officer — who’s still in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the neck — could face criminal charges after investigators realized they couldn’t find the informant reportedly behind the undercover buy used to justify the no-knock warrant.
Law enforcement experts say that’s indicative of a unit without sufficient oversight, where repeated complaints and lawsuits don’t lead to any apparent internal review.
“The number and type of incidents should be a red flag for any police organization to go back and look at exactly what happened in any and all of the incidents,†said Larry Karson, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Houston-Downtown.
The Chronicle typically does not publish the names of undercover officers, but Goines was publicly identified Friday after the release of recent court documents.
Previous drug buys questioned
Previous allegations surfaced about Goines in at least two drug buys, with the officer accused of lying under oath and mishandling drug evidence, and questions arising about his use of a confidential informant.
One of those cases — which stems from a decade-old drug bust — is still winding its way through the appeals process, as attorneys for 63-year-old Otis Mallet argue that he’s innocent and was wrongfully convicted as the result of the case agent’s alleged misconduct.
The 2011 conviction stemmed from a drug bust three years earlier, when Goines met up with Mallet’s brother at a house on Danube Street for an undercover buy. Goines planned to make a crack bust with $200 of police money, which he allegedly handed over to Mallet’s brother, Steven, according to court records.
Afterward, he said, he watched the man go over to Mallet, who plucked something out of a can in his truck and handed it over in exchange for the cash. Then Steven returned with the score: a quarter of crack, records show.
Goines was the only witness to the alleged deal. After he drove away, backup officers swooped in to make the arrest, seizing a can containing crack cocaine from behind the house next door. When the case made it to trial, Goines testified in court that he watched Mallet take the can from his truck and put it by the neighbors’ house while police were arresting his brother.
More at link
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Law enforcement experts say that’s indicative of a unit without sufficient oversight, where repeated complaints and lawsuits don’t lead to any apparent internal review.
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Earlier I posted that I doubted that the informant existed.
Yesterday, the news came out that they could not find the informant who purchased heroin there.
They are saying now that the buy never happened.
Yet, why were this people targeted?
Who on the no knock warrant team was after them?
(No knock warrants.....)
Or, were they merely pawns, just serving the warrant that some higher up sent them to do, a higher up that had an issue with these people?
Perhaps, was it all just a huge mistake, mistaken identity, and the cops didn't know these people from Adam?
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Earlier I posted that I doubted that the informant existed.
Yesterday, the news came out that they could not find the informant who purchased heroin there.
They are saying now that the buy never happened.
Yet, why were this people targeted?
Who on the no knock warrant team was after them?
(No knock warrants.....)
Or, were they merely pawns, just serving the warrant that some higher up sent them to do, a higher up that had an issue with these people?
Perhaps, was it all just a huge mistake, mistaken identity, and the cops didn't know these people from Adam?
If I were a close relative of either of the people the cops took out in this I would be hiring a really good civil lawyer about right now.
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When the story first came out, on the day it happened, I thought,"My God, what are these crazy people doing, shooting at cops?"
A few days later, when they released the identities of the victims, that's when I started to get the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but I still thought there was a possibility the couple may have been guilty.
Now, no way, it is nothing but a mess.
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If I were a close relative of either of the people the cops took out in this I would be hiring a really good civil lawyer about right now.
Just think how big this would have been blown up in the media if the victims of this police incompetence were of color, there would be accusations of a police execution, racism at the least. But since the victims were just two White people..........no biggy. 9999hair out0000
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Just think how big this would have been blown up in the media if the victims of this police incompetence were of color, there would be accusations of a police execution, racism at the least. But since the victims were just two White people..........no biggy. 9999hair out0000
You would be hearing about it 24/7 nation wide!
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A video of interest:
http://youtu.be/9XmflR0MWXc (http://youtu.be/9XmflR0MWXc)
A bit choppy at first, but listen to the difference in addresses and keep watching.
7815 HARDY Street v. 7815 HARDING Street
(the following is from TOS):
"The average house with typical 60 year old couple car in the drive way was 7815 Harding street. The known drug house with security cameras, bars on windows was 7815 Hardy street."
I think this is the most likely reason for the whole thing. They simply went to the wrong house.
Which emphasizes what I have always said, 'Why was no one watching the house?' They should have known how many people were home and what was going on there before any raid of this type. And the overkill(no pun) of it is suspicious. It smells like these officers were jumping at the chance to be in the 'armed raid' for career reasons. They wanted it in their file. That's why so many officers were involved. They thought it was going to be nothing, just a quick and easy raid.
You would think with that many officers some of them would be watching the backdoor. Nope. You would think they would have all the officers 'in place' before the raid started. Nope. You would think they would have an idea of how many suspects were in the home and have a general idea of the activity level. Nope.
They just did a Rambo and burst in shooting. "Shoot um all and let God sort it out", doesn't work very well in this type of situation. Now the Cops are facing criminal charges, mostly from just the utter incompetence and negligence of the raid. Some of them may go to jail, but the people they killed over a blow of coke and a blunt, are dead forever.
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All of this goes right to the top as to responsibility.
The police leadership failed in monitoring its cops and the process used to deploy.
As a minimum, Acevedo should be fired.
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All of this goes right to the top as to responsibility.
The police leadership failed in monitoring its cops and the process used to deploy.
As a minimum, Acevedo should be fired.
ABSOLUTELY!! But it will never happen with the current "leadership" of Houston in place! They LOVE their political activist/police chief.
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ABSOLUTELY!! But it will never happen with the current "leadership" of Houston in place! They LOVE their political activist/police chief.
I hear Israel from Coward County is available. He'd fit right in with Harris Co.
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Cops lied, people died. Here’s how HPD can restore Houston’s trust [Editorial]
Houston Chronicle 2/16/2019
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Cops-lied-people-died-Here-s-how-HPD-can-13622823.php? (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Cops-lied-people-died-Here-s-how-HPD-can-13622823.php?)
You lie, you die.
That’s been Art Acevedo’s mantra ever since he became Houston’s police chief over two years ago. It’s a warning to his 5,200 sworn law enforcement officers that dishonesty and dirty policing will not be tolerated.
But last month’s disastrous drug raid that claimed the lives of a husband and wife of 21 years reminds us that when cops violate sacred trust, more than their careers are at stake.
In this case, cops lied, and people died.
Dennis Tuttle, a 59-year-old Navy veteran, and Rhogena Nicholas, 58, were shot dead, along with their dog, by Houston Police Department officers in a chaotic, violent no-knock raid that never should have happened.
Soon after the raid, which left five officers injured when the couple fired back, some Pecan Park residents claimed the deceased couple were longtime residents who didn’t deal drugs.
Police secured the no-knock warrant based on a confidential informant’s drug buy. But investigators are unable to locate the informant who claimed a “large quantity†of drugs packaged for sale inside the house. Officers found little more than a half-ounce of marijuana and 1.5 grams of cocaine.
More at link.
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I'm still trying to get a handle on this.
I see:
Police secured the no-knock warrant based on a confidential informant’s drug buy. But investigators are unable to locate the informant who claimed a “large quantity†of drugs packaged for sale inside the house.
and also:
Suspicions of foul play were all but confirmed late Friday when Acevedo announced that an internal investigation had found that the search warrant used to justify the raid was falsified.
and:
What’s more, undercover officer Steven Bryant, who Goines had claimed witnessed the drug buy and identified the product as heroin, later told investigators he retrieved two bags of heroin from Goines’ car and had not seen them purchased by any informant.
So the bottom line is that there was no CI buying anything here, the lie to obtain the search warrant was that there was a CI involved?
(I'm asking because I've seen other commentary saying that "a CI lied...")
Do I have this straight now?
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Houston Police Department responding . . .
Wait, I haven't gotten past this part yet. I can literally take days for Houston police to show up after a 911 call.
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I'm still trying to get a handle on this.
I see:
and also:
and:
So the bottom line is that there was no CI buying anything here, the lie to obtain the search warrant was that there was a CI involved?
(I'm asking because I've seen other commentary saying that "a CI lied...")
Do I have this straight now?
@EdJames
From what I have been able to gather from local news reports, if there ever was a CI involved he has now disappeared and no one can find any official record of the alleged input.
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Update!!! Big town hall meeting in Houston last night
Many calling for Acevedo's head.
https://www.click2houston.com/news/acevedo-at-town-hall-no-knock-warrants-to-cease-he-wont-step-down (https://www.click2houston.com/news/acevedo-at-town-hall-no-knock-warrants-to-cease-he-wont-step-down)
@EdJames
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Photo of the two victims:
(https://s16-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https:%2F%2Fpatch.com%2Fimg%2Fcdn20%2Fusers%2F22893546%2F20190129%2F010828%2Fstyles%2Fraw%2Fpublic%2Fprocessed_images%2FShooting%2520Suspects-1548785308-7733.jpg&sp=a585f95364fcd342cab8b9a55cfc32d9)
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Town hall meeting with the chief yesterday.
The people were pissed.
Chief says no more no-knock warrants unless it is an extreme circumstance, and he's reviewed it.
Who, if anyone, reviewed this last one?
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Town hall meeting with the chief yesterday.
The people were pissed.
Chief says no more no-knock warrants unless it is an extreme circumstance, and he's reviewed it.
Who, if anyone, reviewed this last one?
I suspect that no one reviewed it. Goines prepared the application and the judge issued the warrant, no other oversight.
Since the legitimate need for a no-knock is extremely rare, the Chief should be responsible for reviewing and approving the necessity for any of them.
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What he said doesn't matter.
Dead people tell no tales, unless you have really good CSIs and an honest Coroner.
He has a bunch of loose cannons covering their asses right now.
You have police busting down a door in plain clothes going in shooting over a warrant issued over a drug buy that did not exist by a CI that did not exist.
If they aren't selling or sitting on quantity, why would these people even suspect the police would come knocking? Home users are about as low profile as it gets in the drug world, an end point in the supply chain, and if they aren't having problems, causing a ruckus, misbehaving in general, they shouldn't even be on the radar. Neighbors have all seemed to be on good terms, so it isn't even an anonymous tip (and none has been mentioned) so that rules out 'swatting'.
Apparently, innocence was never presumed, and perjury used to obtain the warrant.
Why the false pretenses? Where is the motive to break down these people's door?
What is the history between them and the people on the raid?
Is this a bad address or is there something else going on?
Take the badges away from the people breaking down the door, and we would all be lauding the couple for defending their home. Completely unprepared, elderly couple wounds 4 of 5 attackers in home invasion, two seriously, before succumbing to their own wounds. Sad outcome, but an impressive defense.
We've seen how police 'secure the scene' before allowing or calling in EMS, and reaching for a phone might be all the justification needed to put another round into the condemned for 'reaching for a weapon'.
This smelled funny to start with, but after a couple of weeks, it reeks.
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Harris County DA to review 1,400 cases that embattled narcotics officer Gerald Goines worked on
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Harris-County-DA-to-review-1-400-cases-that-13631373.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Harris-County-DA-to-review-1-400-cases-that-13631373.php)
The Harris County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday it has launched a review of more than 1,400 criminal cases that narcotics officer Gerald Goines worked on during his 34-year career at the Houston Police Department. The review includes 27 cases that are currently pending in court.
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Harris County DA to review 1,400 cases that embattled narcotics officer Gerald Goines worked on
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Harris-County-DA-to-review-1-400-cases-that-13631373.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Harris-County-DA-to-review-1-400-cases-that-13631373.php)
What a freakin' mess.
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Goines Going Gone.
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Goines Going Gone.
Sure looks that way.
(Well played, sir. Well played)
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Sure looks that way.
(Well played, sir. Well played)
Thank you my man!
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FBI opens civil rights investigation into botched Houston drug bust, police chief says
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-chief-mayor-and-DA-set-to-speak-on-13630749.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-chief-mayor-and-DA-set-to-speak-on-13630749.php)
The FBI has launched an independent civil rights investigation into the conduct of officers involved in the botched no-knock drug raid that left two people dead and five officers wounded, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Wednesday at a City Hall press conference.
The probe is the latest aftershock after last month's deadly drug raid, which left two people dead, thrown the Houston Police Department into turmoil, and sent city and county leaders scrambling to contain a burgeoning scandal.
At the news conference, Acevedo said HPD's criminal investigation into the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas last month would continue, even as he outlined new policies that he said would avoid future fatalities.
"We as a police department have uncovered some malfeasance, we've taken it seriously, and we're not just looking at what's front of us, not just what's at the end of our nose," Acevedo said. "We have cast a wide net to make sure we identify any problems, most importantly procedures and methods so we can avoids things like this in the future."
More at link above.
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Harris County DA, Houston PD And A State Lawmaker Are Looking Into Problematic No-Knock Raids
http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/harris-county-da-houston-pd-and-a-state-lawmaker-are-looking-into-problematic-no-knock-raids/ (http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/harris-county-da-houston-pd-and-a-state-lawmaker-are-looking-into-problematic-no-knock-raids/)
---Also, Houston Democratic lawmaker Harold Dutton proposed a bill in the Texas Legislature this week that would curb no-knock raids. Barned-Smith says the bill would require SWAT teams to wear body cameras – something those in the Houston raid didn’t have.
“It would also require data collection about these kinds of raids from departments,†Barned-Smith says. “[And] it would require they be conducted only in situations where officers believed there was an imminent threat to either an officer’s life or to someone else’s life.â€
And Barned-Smith says a gun in someone’s home wouldn’t be a justification for a raid, according to the bill. In Texas, that’s significant because many families have firearms.
“That, too, was one of the main issues that was in the search warrant that led to this raid,†he says. “The officer alleged that his confidential informant saw a pistol.â€
More at link above.
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Suddenly, no mention about the alleged heroin buy by the CI. Nor the 'massive amounts of heroin the couple was supposedly dealing. Nor the officer getting the heroin out of the console in the other offier's car.
The whole pretense of the raid was over drugs, and the possession of guns was only cause for the style of the raid in that context, but the entire bit about heroin was a fabrication: none was bought, none was found.
These weren't errors, unless they had the wrong address, they were lies under oath (perjury) to obtain a warrant which was invalid, to violate the 4th and 5th Amendment Rights of the deceased, who defended themselves against people they may not have even known were police, breaching their door and shooting their dog, for starters. Police have no requirement to administer first aid to the people they wound, and that leads to the likelihood they bled out from wounds long before anyone considered obtaining EMS for them (which would have preferentially medically stabilized and transported the police officers first, anyway, most likely).
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Suddenly, no mention about the alleged heroin buy by the CI. Nor the 'massive amounts of heroin the couple was supposedly dealing. Nor the officer getting the heroin out of the console in the other offier's car.
The whole pretense of the raid was over drugs, and the possession of guns was only cause for the style of the raid in that context, but the entire bit about heroin was a fabrication: none was bought, none was found.
These weren't errors, unless they had the wrong address, they were lies under oath (perjury) to obtain a warrant which was invalid, to violate the 4th and 5th Amendment Rights of the deceased, who defended themselves against people they may not have even known were police, breaching their door and shooting their dog, for starters. Police have no requirement to administer first aid to the people they wound, and that leads to the likelihood they bled out from wounds long before anyone considered obtaining EMS for them (which would have preferentially medically stabilized and transported the police officers first, anyway, most likely).
Agree on all counts! I think the address they were supposed to go to was on Hardy Street rather than Harding Street!
Error 404 (Not Found)!!1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XmflR0MWXc#)
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This is a case where not only should people be fired but also be found guilty of murder and go to prison.
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This is a case where not only should people be fired but also be found guilty of murder and go to prison.
I tend to agree that at a minimum, whoever obtained the warrant under false pretenses and materially contributed to obtaining that warrant should face the music. Had that not been done, two people might yet be alive, not to mention the wounded police on the raid. If the case can be made for the officers who thought they were on a legitimate raid, not one under false pretenses, that's different, but at least two knew better and should face charges.
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Just glad this does not seem to be going away any time soon. Apparently this raid was so egregious, such an absurd event, it is causing a nationwide outcry. These two private citizens just coincidentally happened to be White. If they had been any other race cries of 'racism', brutality, and lawsuits, would be raining across America by now.
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Just glad this does not seem to be going away any time soon. Apparently this raid was so egregious, such an absurd event, it is causing a nationwide outcry. These two private citizens just coincidentally happened to be White. If they had been any other race cries of 'racism', brutality, and lawsuits, would be raining across America by now.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Case agent at center of botched Houston drug raid released from hospital
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Case-agent-at-center-of-botched-drug-raid-13634685.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Case-agent-at-center-of-botched-drug-raid-13634685.php)
The wounded case agent at the center of the botched Pecan Park drug raid has been released from the hospital, his lawyer confirmed Thursday.
Initially Houston police Chief Art Acevedo lauded the veteran undercover officer. But on Friday, local media learned of a new search warrant seeking more information about officers' actions in the case, and Acevedo pulled together a hastily called press conference to announce that Goines would likely face criminal charges.
"We know that there's already a crime that's been committed," Acevedo said then. "It's a serious crime when we prepare a document to go into somebody's home, into the sanctity that is somebody's home."
More at link above.
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What a freakin' mess.
It was not just him.
It was his supervisors as well.
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It was not just him.
It was his supervisors as well.
That's what I get, too. A high bust/conviction rate, makes the brass happy, and not so finicky about how it's done as long as the results look good. Somewhere in the system there was a willingness to look the other way, and this has become institutionalized. Now that the lid is off, someone is going to get thrown to the wolves.
But the problem I have is the whole anonymous snitch thing goes pretty hard against the right to face your accuser. The words of someone the accused may not know, have never heard of, who may not even know the accused (mistaken identity, or hearsay) are taken as gospel, Any thing can follow from that from having children taken away to having your door kicked in at all hours and being shot for trying to defend your home against an unknown assailant. One pissy neighbor can get you killed.
I also take issue with calling this a "botched drug raid", about like calling Fast and Furious a "botched gun tracking" operation or a 'botched sting operation'. If something is done on false premises, it is an illegitimate action, not 'botched'. Saying it went wrong, instead of it was wrong, gives the action an undeserved air of legitimacy from the start. This sure appears to have been conducted under false pretenses, an egregious violation of 4th and, ultimately, 5th amendment Rights, and other enumerated Rights under the Constitution.
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Harris County sheriff revises policy on no-knock raids as lawmaker pushes for statewide restrictions
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Harris-County-sheriff-revises-policy-on-no-knock-13638258.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Harris-County-sheriff-revises-policy-on-no-knock-13638258.php)
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is revising its no-knock raid policies in the aftermath of a deadly raid in Houston in which two people were killed and five Houston police officers were injured.
The move comes as Houston Democratic lawmaker Harold Dutton this week filed proposed legislation that would limit the use of SWAT teams and increase oversight of the departments that often use the raids to execute routine search warrants.
“I’ve never been a fan of no-knock raids because of the danger that it creates for police officers and the person that’s in the home,†Dutton said.
The bill would require agencies to equip SWAT teams with body cameras and institute policies designed to limit raids to situations involving an “imminent threat†of serious bodily injury to civilians or officers. The mere presence of a weapon wouldn’t be enough to qualify for SWAT assistance.
No-knock raids have become a ubiquitous, but increasingly controversial, tool of SWAT teams across the country over the last three decades. Questions about their use resurfaced after the botched drug bust in Houston last month that left the homeowners, Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicolas, dead.
After the raid, Chief Art Acevedo announced that Gerald Goines, the veteran narcotics officer who led the operation, will likely face criminal charges for apparently lying in the search affidavit, which was the basis for the operation, and announced major policy changes in how his department handles raids and narcotics investigations.
Jason Spencer, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said Friday that after reviewing its policies, the sheriff’s office has decided to equip warrant and raid teams with body cameras and require that any no-knock raids receive written authorization from the department’s top leadership.
Spencer said the policy review won’t necessarily translate to a change in practices, since the office rarely uses the unannounced searches. Since the start of 2017, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office has carried out only two no-knock warrants, he said.
Time for change?
State lawmakers considered taking up the topic of SWAT reform last legislative session, but didn’t make it a priority. Last month’s deadly raid — and the revelations that emerged in its aftermath — have shifted the conversation, Dutton said.
“This was the last domino falling,†he said. “I had thought about it last session but we didn’t do anything.â€
The fallout continues from the Jan. 28 drug raid at the home on Harding Street in Pecan Park, which threw the Houston Police Department into turmoil and sent city and county leaders scrambling to contain the burgeoning scandal. In addition to a criminal investigation by local officials, the FBI has launched a civil rights investigation into the police department’s handling of the case.
More at link above.
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2nd drug case involving embattled Officer Gerald Goines dismissed in the 'interest of justice'
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/2nd-drug-case-involving-embattled-Officer-Gerald-13642869.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/2nd-drug-case-involving-embattled-Officer-Gerald-13642869.php)
A second felony drug case involving an embattled Houston police narcotics officer already under investigation was dismissed Monday, this time in the "interest of justice."
The move comes less than a week after the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced plans to review more than 1,400 cases connected to Officer Gerald Goines, the case agent accused of lying about the undercover heroin buy used to justify a no-knock raid that left two people dead.
Of the hundreds of Goines' cases slated for review, 27 were active at the time of last week's announcement - including one that's already been dismissed. Since then, prosecutors have agreed to bond in two other cases and on Monday morning moved to toss a case against Treveon Cornett.
The 24-year-old was arrested last year after police allegedly caught him with less than a gram of narcotics.
From the start, Cornett said the drugs - a small amount of crack cocaine - weren't his, according to defense attorney Deborah Keyser.
More at link
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2nd drug case involving embattled Officer Gerald Goines dismissed in the 'interest of justice'
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/2nd-drug-case-involving-embattled-Officer-Gerald-13642869.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/2nd-drug-case-involving-embattled-Officer-Gerald-13642869.php)
So now, due to a lawless officer who was not properly supervised, real drug pushers are likely to win freedom, releasing these criminals onto the streets?
At a minimum, his supervisors all the way up Acevedo should be shown the exit door. In the interest of public safety, they cannot be trusted.
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So now, due to a lawless officer who was not properly supervised, real drug pushers are likely to win freedom, releasing these criminals onto the streets?
At a minimum, his supervisors all the way up Acevedo should be shown the exit door. In the interest of public safety, they cannot be trusted.
In the process, police spotted Cornett sleeping in a broken-down car, where he'd gone to get away from the noise, his lawyer said. He didn't own the vehicle and didn't know about the trace amount of drugs inside, he maintained, but still police charged him
Sleeping in the car, with trace amounts of drugs inside (which he claimed to know nothing about--and may well have not known about) does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is or was a "drug pusher". It amounts to what the police call "Constructive possession", the idea that 'you are there, it is there, therefore it must be yours', which can be a fallacious argument, but still lands a lot of people in jail.
A little baggie with a small rock would be easy enough to palm or plant, in the event someone wanted to up the bust numbers, but it is likely as well that someone else used the vehicle to consume drugs in and left a baggie corner with some residue in it. I can see throwing the case out. If the guy is a real druggie, they know who he is and will likely pick him up later, anyway. If not, he'll be clean.
I'm not saying that real, serious cases aren't going to get the fallout from this, they will, and there is a chance that some real good police work will go down the tubes over the taint from this one cop--provided he is the only one in the unit so tainted. If he isn't acting alone (and he may not be) the scope of that fallout will possibly be considerably broader.
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Probe of cases from Houston officers in deadly raid expanded
https://www.wacotrib.com/news/ap_nation/probe-of-cases-from-houston-officers-in-deadly-raid-expanded/article_22ebe361-e4ce-5e79-a905-837644ea944c.html (https://www.wacotrib.com/news/ap_nation/probe-of-cases-from-houston-officers-in-deadly-raid-expanded/article_22ebe361-e4ce-5e79-a905-837644ea944c.html)
Houston-area prosecutors are expanding a probe into past criminal cases to include more than 2,000 linked to two city police officers involved in a deadly January drug raid.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office announced Monday that it will review more than 800 cases involving Officer Steven Bryant, who was relieved of duty after the raid on a home that left five officers injured and two residents dead. Thirty of the cases are pending before a court.
These are in addition to more than 1,400 cases already under review and represent broadening fallout from the raid that has also prompted an internal police investigation and an FBI probe.
More at link.
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Probe of cases from Houston officers in deadly raid expanded
https://www.wacotrib.com/news/ap_nation/probe-of-cases-from-houston-officers-in-deadly-raid-expanded/article_22ebe361-e4ce-5e79-a905-837644ea944c.html (https://www.wacotrib.com/news/ap_nation/probe-of-cases-from-houston-officers-in-deadly-raid-expanded/article_22ebe361-e4ce-5e79-a905-837644ea944c.html)
Worse and worse.
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When was the last time HPD had a nonpolitical police chef?
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I lived in Houston back when they elected their FIRST Lesbian, Kathy Whitmire. that's when it went downhill quick after James McConn (R) got caught screwing the pooch on the city wide Cable deal. It certainly prepared me for moving back to Nawlins (more corrupt) in 89, now with a side of David Duke.
I love the Texas Hill Country even though we have our fair share of liberalism, lesbians and general screw~ups.
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I lived in Houston back when they elected their FIRST Lesbian, Kathy Whitmire. that's when it went downhill quick after James McConn (R) got caught screwing the pooch on the city wide Cable deal. It certainly prepared me for moving back to Nawlins (more corrupt) in 89, now with a side of David Duke.
I love the Texas Hill Country even though we have our fair share of liberalism, lesbians and general screw~ups.
After living in Houston in the 70s, I lived in New Orleans at the same time as you(actually the North Shore, but worked on Poydras). You are right it had an eerie feeling that one had to choose which of the corrupt politicians to vote for. I recall it was the one time in my life I ever voted for a Democrat as Eddie Edwards got my vote for Governor rather than giving it to Duke.
The similarity with you ends there, though, as I grew up in Austin but would never live near there again. Just too many people, expensive and frankly, over the long term I believe they will have a significant problem with access to water to take care of the burgeoning population. Now I just go there to visit family, especially during March when the bluebonnets will be popping out.
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Worse and worse.
Yeah, and what must now be happening is the serious investigation both internal and external going on has diverted a lot of the Houston PD's attention towards those instead of focusing on its primary mission of protecting its citizens and fighting crime.
For that reason alone, Acevedo should step down for the benefit and morale of citizens.
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Houston police narcotics officer under investigation after deadly raid set to retire
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-police-narcotics-officer-under-13671579.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-police-narcotics-officer-under-13671579.php)
A Houston narcotics officer under an internal police investigation following a botched January drug raid is retiring, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Steven O. Bryant put in his paperwork this week while under investigation following the shooting deaths of two residents in an unannounced raid of a Pecan Park residence in south Houston on Jan. 28. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing more than 800 criminal cases brought by Bryant during his 23-year career. Sources said his last day is Friday.
HPD officials relieved Bryant of duty as questions mounted about his actions leading up to the drug raid, in which a team of officers burst into a house at 7815 Harding St. after obtaining a no-knock search warrant. A gunbattle ensued, and police killed homeowners Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. Four officers were hit by gunfire, and a fifth officer was injured.
Two other narcotics officers, including a longtime partner of Goines, have quietly retired from the department in recent weeks, including one who is under investigation for an unrelated matter, according to police documents and sources. Each officer had more than 20 years experience with the department.
More at link
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Houston police narcotics officer under investigation after deadly raid set to retire
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-police-narcotics-officer-under-13671579.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-police-narcotics-officer-under-13671579.php)
Getting the hell out of Dodge seems to be the way this kind of thing is handled nowadays!
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Getting the hell out of Dodge seems to be the way this kind of thing is handled nowadays!
Seems the play is to retire fast before you get canned or worse...and lose your accumulated benefits.
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Seems the play is to retire fast before you get canned or worse...and lose your accumulated benefits.
Yep! If things were right in the world, people on public payrolls who are under active investigation wouldn't be allowed to do that until the investigation is cleared.
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Yep! If things were right in the world, people on public payrolls who are under active investigation wouldn't be allowed to do that until the investigation is cleared.
Yep!
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As Houston police scandal widens, the stakes couldn’t be higher [Editorial]
Houston Chronicle March 9, 2019
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/As-Houston-police-scandal-widens-the-stakes-13675018.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/As-Houston-police-scandal-widens-the-stakes-13675018.php)
Who keeps Houston safe from crime, from violence and greed? When our cars are stolen or when drugs show up at our neighborhood schools - whom do we call, whom do we turn to for safety and justice?
A lot of people. But for those of us in the city, it starts with the more than 5,000 sworn officers at the Houston Police Department, the nation’s fifth largest, and expands from there: The Harris County prosecutors, the judges, jailers and sheriff’s deputies, too.
Here’s a more difficult question and, given the scandal that has rocked the HPD since January, a more urgent one: Who, or what, keeps law enforcement safe?
When it comes to the police, especially, the biggest factor keeping them safe in a dangerous job is not their training, not their gear, not even the laws that make it a serious crime to harm them - as critical as those are. It’s the belief held by the people they serve that they are the good guys and they’re on our side.
Most of us believe that law enforcement officers are there for us when we need them. We believe most are honest, brave and trustworthy. That trust is the reason we comply and cooperate with them, report crime to them, run to them instead of running away.
Without that trust, none of us is safe - not the citizens, not the police.
That’s why the fallout from the disastrous Pecan Park drug raid is such a crisis for our city.
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As Houston police scandal widens, the stakes couldn’t be higher [Editorial]
Houston Chronicle March 9, 2019
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/As-Houston-police-scandal-widens-the-stakes-13675018.php (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/As-Houston-police-scandal-widens-the-stakes-13675018.php)
What is hurting crime stoppers in Houston right now is all the attention the police leadership is placing on defending themselves with this episode - rather than using the energy to better stop crime.
Diversions kill.