"When I saw this guy, like, pointing me at the window (she makes a 'gun' gesture) so I got scare, and I got, like 'Please don't shoot, I have a baby.' So I got my baby and I put my back into the window and I tell Jose 'Jose, wake up!"Vanessa had more reason than most to be afraid. Two members of her sister-in-law's family, Cynthia and Manny Orozco, were murdered last year during a criminal invasion of their Tucson home.
Jose, a formerly-serving-Marine and two time combat veteran, grabbed his rifle and confronted the home invaders. Jose did not raise his weapon or point it at the invaders, he did not even take the safety off. One of the assaulters fired a shot, then the rest opened fire with their military-style weapons. He was shot at least 60 (edit: 22) times in seven seconds, with 71 shots being fired in his direction. His wife rushed into the room and says she heard him moaning before one of the black-clad figures grabbed her and dragged her out of her home.
The invaders were members of the Pima County Sheriff's Department SWAT Team.
They had a warrant (which is sealed from the public). They were looking for drugs. They found nothing illegal.
Paramedics arrived on scene two minutes after the shooting and were not allowed into the home for 1 hour and 14 minutes while SWAT searched the house with a remote-control robot. Jose Guerena died at the scene.
The justification for the no-knock home invasion? A vehicle from the residence followed a detective's car for an unspecified distance.
This is why no-knock warrants are a Very Bad Idea. When The SWAT team entered the Guerena's home, they were yelling 'search warrant'. They were dressed in 'tactical' uniforms with POLICE emblazoned on them. Criminals will, and have, conducted the same types of raids wearing the same types of clothing and play the part of police until the family is tied up. Then they torture their victims for the location of valuables. Often the invaders ensure that no witnesses remain.
This in only possible because police are entering homes in the same way.
No-knock warrants must be stopped for the sake of everyone's safety, citizen and police.
(Hat tip to William Grigg, Tamara K.)
1 comment:
This is an urgent call-out to all Oath Keepers, all veterans, all patriotic police officers, all Americans who cherish our liberty and our Constitution, and to all liberty leaders and patriotic organizations to join us in Tucson, Arizona this Memorial Day, May 30, 2011 to take a stand in defense of our Constitution, which our war dead fought to defend, and to take a stand against the egregious policy of using SWAT teams to serve search warrants on veterans and gun owners with no violent criminal history.
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/05/21/oath-keepers-to-rally-in-tucson-on-memorial-day-over-death-of-young-marine-veteran/
Post a Comment