Man Charged With Capital Murder For Killing Officer in No-Knock Raid

[Themius]

Come the fuck on, don't start this shit.

But it's true, and it's part of the justice system. We know full well that the justice system treats people differently depending on race. We know full well that grand jury's treat people differently based on how well they empathize with the person.

This is one of those cases where we have another case that is exactly the same and see two amazingly different outcomes.

1) Portrayed as happy family man who loves daughter - Grand Jury says, no trial

2) Portrayed as criminal, mug shot from the shooting used in most media (despite both having mugs hots for this crime) - Facing death.

[Saft]

They should take the informant into custody instead. I think it's insanity that they actually perform no-knock raids because a random just tells you that said person deals drugs. Apparently they only found items indicating drug use.

He shouldn't be charged because any law abiding person just doesn't expect to be raided by SWAT in the middle of the night

[Very Tired]

In this charge and similar cases, knowing nothing else surrounding the circumstances, I would only drop the charges if the guy had nothing to hide in his home and the raid was a bad tip. If not and he was hiding something illegal, throw him in the pen.

[Themius]

They should take the informant into custody instead. I think it's insanity that they actually perform no-knock raids because a random just tells you that said person deals drugs. Apparently they only found items indicating drug use.

He shouldn't be charged because any law abiding person just doesn't expect to be raided by SWAT in the middle of the night

http://reason.com/reasontv/2014/02/1...ll-80-year-old

An informant led to this, saying they sold meth.

[AndaliteBandit]

In this charge and similar cases, knowing nothing else surrounding the circumstances, I would only drop the charges if the guy had nothing to hide in his home and the raid was a bad tip. If not and he was hiding something illegal, throw him in the pen.

No drugs were found in this guy's case, but marijuana was found in the similar case Themius mentioned where the guy wasn't charged.

http://reason.com/reasontv/2014/02/1...ll-80-year-old

An informant led to this, saying they sold meth.

A deputy allegedly lying about an informant's reliability led to a flash bang being tossed in a toddler's playpen. The guy they were looking for wasn't even there, didn't live there anymore.

[Dethh]

When you shoot someone, for any reason, you should be charged. This does not necessarily mean you spend any time in jail or that the DA wont just drop the charges if it is clearly self defense.

I disagree because no matter what happens in the long, run that charge whether dismissed or dropped is still on your record.

[I Push Buttons]

I am more surprised that he shot four cops and then walked out of there alive... How did that happen?

[ddsad2212]

In this charge and similar cases, knowing nothing else surrounding the circumstances, I would only drop the charges if the guy had nothing to hide in his home and the raid was a bad tip. If not and he was hiding something illegal, throw him in the pen.

Tipped for drugs of which there was none. Even then if it was personal use I could not in any respect agree with this.

[-aiko-]

I am more surprised that he shot four cops and then walked out of there alive... How did that happen?

That was my first thought as well...

[Polarthief]

And saying that they're police really doesn't mean much, because anyone like the Blue Light Rapist can just say they're police.

"Hello, I'm a police officer. Here's my badge *flashes a fake police officer badge/ID* and here's my warrant *shows a fake piece of paper*. I'm coming into your house now."

I could go and do this to my neighbors right now if I wanted to. Guess what I'm not? A police officer.

Regardless, perhaps no-knock raids should... idk, not happen? Unless there's complete, 100%, uncontested, certainty?

In this charge and similar cases, knowing nothing else surrounding the circumstances, I would only drop the charges if the guy had nothing to hide in his home and the raid was a bad tip. If not and he was hiding something illegal, throw him in the pen.

Perhaps anonymous tips shouldn't be counted as "probable cause for no-knock raids".

[Caliph]

Only in Texas do you have such idiocy.

[Dhrizzle]

I don't agree with a lot of the gun policies in the US, but if the state allows an individual to use lethal force in a home-defense situation I can't see how they can charge them in this situation or understand why they have police tactics that can lead to this sort of situation.

[GG you got me]

Not surprising he gets a trial. If he's convicted it will be surprising.

As I understand it, Marvin had been arrested a dozen times before and surrendered peacefully each time the cops identified themselves. He obviously thought he was being attacked by other criminals, something which happens with a lot of frequency in his circle.

completely agree with this

- - - Updated - - -

Regardless, perhaps no-knock raids should... idk, not happen? Unless there's complete, 100%, uncontested, certainty?

Perhaps anonymous tips shouldn't be counted as "probable cause for no-knock raids".

None of this even addresses the shooting incidents like this that have happened when the police simply showed up at the wrong address. No knock raids are bad policy for police departments. Unless it's a national security issue and the raid is being performed by the Feds, it just simply shouldn't be a practice.

[Brubear]

I'm sorry but no-knock raids need to be stopped. The countless examples of the wrong house being raided, officers dying because they raided the wrong house and the person defended themselves, officers dying because they raided the right house but the person defended themselves because they thought they were intruders instead of police, they countless bystanders (like the 19-month old injured by a flash bang in the article someone posted earlier) being injured, including in raids at the wrong address.

The amount of violent criminals apprehended in no-knock raids can't be large enough to make up for the many, many ways they've gone wrong.

[s_bushido]

If you're going to have these self-defense laws on the books, and live in a culture where guns are seemingly so prevalent, breaking into someone's house while they're sleeping without announcing yourself is fucking insane. How can they possibly justify charging him with a capital offense?

[darkwarrior42]

The amount of violent criminals apprehended in no-knock raids can't be large enough to make up for the many, many ways they've gone wrong.

I agree. Even at a base, conceptual level, they're a bad idea.

Advantage: The people you're raiding don't know you're coming, so you have the element of surprise and they can't run or arm themselves ahead of time.
Disadvantage: You have no time assess the situation, attempt a peaceful resolution, or ensure your information is accurate before potentially causing irreparable harm.

No-knock raids always risk collateral damage; in a military setting, that's a risk you can sometimes deem acceptable in the pursuit of your mission, but for a civilian law enforcement agency there is no excuse for that. The point of the agency is to enforce the law and protect the public, and the core foundation of our system is "Innocent until proven guilty"; that is to say, better to see a guilty man walk free than to see an innocent man wrongly imprisoned. These raids fly in the face of that ideal, and create risks of collateral damage that have no place in a standard police operation.

(There are isolated situations where I could see them being acceptable, but they are limited strictly to situations where there is a known threat, and you know exactly who you're talking about. Not "this guy on the corner a couple blocks over says he thinks this guy lives here" know, but "We have court-approved surveillance on this place, we have seen them taking weapons in and out, and we can hear them in there right now.")

Generally speaking I support the police, and I don't think they deserve a lot of the negative attention brought against them as a whole, but no-knock raids are absurd.

Edit: Then again, this is Texas, where retribution and vengeance matter far more than justice... based strictly on their track record for law enforcement.