Cameraman shot and armed robber killed during gun fight which took place during filming of reality police show 'Cops'

[flowers]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2735460/Cops-TV-crew-member-shot-armed-robber-killed-gun-fight-took-place-filming-police-Nebraska.html

A cameraman from the long-running TV show 'Cops' was shot last night during a filmed gun-fight which ended with police killing an armed robber.

The shoot-out unfolded after police patrol cars responded to a back-up call in relation to a raid taking place at a Wendy's restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska, just after 9pm.

Both the robber, wearing a black hoodie and white bandana, and the cameraman were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center with potentially life-threatening injuries, USA today reports.

[flowers]

TV Cameraman Shot and Killed
While Taping Shootout

http://www.tmz.com/2014/08/27/cops-cameraman-shot-filming-shootout-omaha-police/

A cameraman for the TV show "Cops" was shot while covering a shootout between Omaha police and an armed robbery suspect ... and sources close to the production tell TMZ the photog has died from his injuries.

Officers -- with the "Cops" crew in tow -- responded to a call at a fast food restaurant Tuesday night and found an armed robbery in progress. Police say shots were fired and 2 people were hit -- the cameraman and the suspect.

In police radio transmissions, you can hear cops call for backup during the shootout. One of the officers says, "We've got a 'Cops' cameraman hit ... white male ... he's not conscious ... he's slightly breathing."

While there's been no official word about the camerman's condition ... sources have confirmed that he died. Police say the robbery suspect was pronounced dead Tuesday night at the hospital.

[Atomic Cow]

The usual people will be along to blame the cops without even knowing what happened.

Did the crewman get himself into the line of fire by accident?  (I've seen more than once on the show the cops tell the crew to get back/out of the way for their own safety.)

Was he struck by a ricocheting round?  If that's the case, it is a tragic accident.  Some types of rounds tend to ricochet more than others.  (I've heard from several ex US military personnel that 9mm has a higher tendency to ricochet than other rounds and most police use 9mm.)

Was he wearing his body armor like the crew is supposed to do?

Way too much unknown right now to blame the cops, as the usual people will do regardless.

[mystery-ak]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cops-crewmember-shot-by-police

ByBRENDAN JAMESPublishedAUGUST 27, 2014, 5:44 PM EDT

Police shot and killed a crewmember of the show "COPS" who was filming an attempted robbery on Tuesday night, according to Omaha police.

Sound technician Bryce Dion was killed by "friendly fire" by police responding to a local Wendy's, police chief Todd Schmaderer said in a press conference Wednesday.

The robbery suspect -- later revealed to have been wielding an airsoft rifle, a type of recreational gun that fires non-lethal plastic pellets -- was also shot and killed by police fire.

"COPS" had been filming in Omaha since June. Dion and the show's cameraman were embedded with the police unit and followed the officers at the scene Tuesday night, according to police.

Schmaderer said the "very dramatic video" captured by the show's crew will serve as evidence in the investigation of the officers involved in Dion's shooting.

"The video footage was recovered and is evidence in the investigation," Schmaderer said.

He added that in his view, the "COPS" footage justified the officers' conduct on the scene.

"Based on our viewing of the footage, the officers had no choice but to respond in the way they did," Schmaderer said.

[EC]

Body armor is a handy bit of kit - but it's not perfect. Doesn't cover your legs, for starters, and you bleed out fast if you take one to the leg. You are way more likely to survive a body shot than an upper leg shot.