Greenville County Sheriff’s Deputy Shoots Innocent Homeowner Through His Front Door
BY Herschel Smith
5 years, 4 months ago
Here is the video. Watch it all.
Here is the local news report.
Again, the innocent homeowner was shot through his front door. Through his front door, while carrying a weapon because he thought he was under threat of home invasion.
The police will of course be the judge of their own kind. You be a better judge. In the end, God will be the ultimate judge.
On July 29, 2019 at 10:24 pm, Joshua Smith said:
There have to be consequences for the malevolence on the part of the officer. He opened fire indiscriminately into a strange, occupied home in the middle of the night, with zero knowledge of his target or backstop.
As stupid and narrow minded as this officer very probably is, that doesn’t account for his aggression, which he’s apparently failed completely to manage. That rises to a kind of malevolence in my opinion (or, at least extreme recklessness), and the assaulting officer should be held accountable.
There is also a background to all this RE: the Sherriff, Will Lewis, who has been indicted criminally for falsifying county records and accused of adultery.
More discipline and courage is the solution here, personal and corporate.
On July 29, 2019 at 11:04 pm, ambiguousfrog said:
Panic alarm from a cell phone app? Well that sucks.
On July 30, 2019 at 12:25 am, Longbow said:
This stupid Sheriff’s Deputy is lucky to be alive. He started a gun fight on a man’s door step. Had he faced someone with a more alert frame of mind and combative skills, he wouldn’t have survived the gun fight he initiated.
And fuck him… and his horse.
On July 30, 2019 at 1:28 am, Dan said:
Nothing will happen to the badgemonkey. The victim IF LUCKY will receive a check from the long suffering taxpayer and it will be
BUSINESS AS USUAL for till the next innocent person gets shot.
In other words JUST ANOTHER DAY in the Socialist States Of Amerika.
On July 30, 2019 at 3:01 am, Nosmo said:
I forget who said it initially, but the statement that police are a greater threat than criminals is true. There may be multiple criminals who pose a threat but once they’re dealt with the threat is over. Cops, on the other hand, always travel with their fellow gang members and receive benefits from the protection racket they operate.
It would be easy to suggest “don’t call the cops, deal with it yourself,” but in this case the victim didn’t know a phone app had called, and certainly didn’t expect a cop to start shooting through a closed and locked door at him.
The cop, of course, will skate free on this because “cop;” had he been “Joe Citizen” instead of “cop” he’d be looking at a very long jail term for attempted murder. And it wouldn’t matter which cop shot the homeowner or for what agency he worked, the operative word here is “cop.”
As for Will Lewis, he was voted in to replace Grandpa (Steve Loftis); Lewis was quoted in the Greenville News as telling his on-the-job mistress (Savannah Nabors) “don’t worry about it, you’re with the cops now” about having the sheriff’s office pay her hotel bill when she and Lewis shacked up on an agency funded trip. I’ve lost track of how many indictments Lewis is now under, but IIRC it’s over 10.
On July 30, 2019 at 4:13 am, Papa said:
Dare I wonder where in the groin zone the hit was?
Hopefully it wasn’t castration – by – cop.
That video was hard to watch.
Suffering in your own home due to the stupid of a “trained professional”.
On July 30, 2019 at 5:33 am, Aesop said:
The only suitable answer, knowing that TPTB will cover for Deputy Lackwitz, is for the homeowner to sue both the cell phone company and app provider for something in the 8-figure range, and pursue it to the hilt, as the proximate cause of the entire problem.
Then use the settlement to get rid of the stupid vanity windows beside the front entry, and upgrade the entry wall and door to something in the NIJ-IV range, at a minimum.
On July 30, 2019 at 5:37 am, Mark Matis said:
Then there is Andrew Lee Scott in Lake County:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/03/appeals-court-rules-officer-who-killed-man-in-his-own-home-cannot-be-sued.html
On July 30, 2019 at 11:07 am, Badger said:
How convenient that body-cam audio is delayed starting on these things from time of activation.
On July 30, 2019 at 12:52 pm, Mark Matis said:
And never forget that BATFE fired through the front door of the Branch Davidian compound during their first visit there. Of course, the FBI conveniently “lost” that door…
There are no good FedPigs. For long time now.
On July 30, 2019 at 1:26 pm, C. Hricik said:
All good points so far.
What struck me strongest is the PD is attempting to control the narrative with this video.
On July 30, 2019 at 1:39 pm, ExpatNJ said:
Look closely at Lt Ray Flood (PIO) and Capt Tim Brown as they speak in the video. Do I detect subtle smirks on their faces? Or, is that just my skewed perception?
Good idea to remove all glass windows surrounding exterior doors, and install a peep-sight instead, for better security.
‘ambiguousfrog’ –
Even better idea to replace any ‘smart’ phone with a ‘dumb’ flip-phone immediately.
On July 30, 2019 at 1:40 pm, Nosmo said:
Aesop (above) makes an excellent point RE: front door vanity windows and bullet-porous front doors. Unfortunately, most houses are plywood sheathing-over-studs, so making the front door highly bullet resistant isn’t a great deal of help because the adjacent wall won’t be.
The less than perfect solution may be, first, limit visibility into the house, then use good video equipment to observe what’s out front, use the video to stay away from the front door, and have an alternative means of accessing the front of the house. FYI, the inexpensive one-piece “video doorbells” require standing behind the door to see what the camera sees – not a good idea. Most of the video doorbell apps – Ring, etc. – have enough of a time delay establishing communication with their app on your phone that a lot can happen in those 3-8 seconds, and then what you’re seeing on the phone app is 2-4 seconds behind real time. The only realistic solution is 24X7 live video of the external entry with the display also on 24X7, camera and display on a battery backup, display at least several feet away from the door, and motion sensing lights aimed out front.
This homeowner was either substantially befuddled, or completely unaware of what was going on, probably both. I suspect that first, he didn’t expect a possible intruder to be the cops and second, didn’t expect the cops to shoot him. That could be any of us waking up from a deep sleep.
Live and learn. They ain’t Officer Friendly no more.
On July 30, 2019 at 4:32 pm, H said:
The only comfort, slim as it is, is that sometimes they’re also nearly as dangerous to themselves. Reading between the lines in the case where they executed an innocent couple in Dallas, it’s very likely they shot each other, as we’re pretty sure happened at Waco, although fatally there. And if the homeowner shot back, it might have been triggered by one of the home invaders starting the shooting by killing a dog 15 feet away at the edge of a room who was “charging” him.
On July 30, 2019 at 6:48 pm, Heywood said:
“Whoops!” There…I have you the LE explanation. Move along…nothing to see here.
On July 30, 2019 at 9:18 pm, Ned said:
Chickenshit bastard. Walked up and shot the guy inside his house.
Unbelievable. Any bets on whether or not this piece of shit keeps his job?
On July 31, 2019 at 5:51 am, Jay Dee said:
It’s my opinion that the quality of law enforcement has declined precipitously for two reasons.
First, the number of laws passed in the last quarter century has increased to the point where governments are struggling to find enough police officers to enforce them. Would we be better off to sunset about 90% of the laws on the books and try again? Quite possibly.
Second, the Peace Officers Standards & Training initiative sounded like a good idea but has deteriorated into a bureaucratic morass. The rule that amazes me is the upper limit for the IQ of police officers? That’s right. You can be too smart to be a police officer. Think that one through. As to training, most departments had far better training back in the bad old days before POST. The bad ones are comparatively easy to identify. Look into their jurisdiction’s budget. If the city, county or state budgets an expected income from law enforcement activities, they are no longer law enforcement but revenue enhancement officers (REOs).
On July 31, 2019 at 7:48 am, Mark Matis said:
Never forget. “Law Enforcement” only exist to:
1. Protect their Masters.
2. Protect their bruthas and sistas in Blue.
3. Generate revenue.
And this is true at ALL levels of “Law Enforcement”.
On July 31, 2019 at 9:46 am, revjen45 said:
1) See https://mountainguerrilla.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/tribes-and-tribalism-welcome-to-the-horde-part-two/
2) The Pigs HAVE to back each other up, right or wrong. An outlaw motorcycle gang functions on the same set of principles, for the same reasons.
3) I’m sure Mas Ayoob can explain why the cop was not only justified, but a hero, and the homeowner deserved what he got.
On July 31, 2019 at 9:58 pm, stumpwater said:
shot him and run. what a coward. not safe in your own home.
On July 31, 2019 at 11:27 pm, George said:
A coward with a deadly weapon at his disposal is a very dangerous combination.
On August 1, 2019 at 3:51 am, JFP said:
Heh, just noticed comments are disabled for the video. No balls anywhere in that town.
On August 1, 2019 at 4:38 am, Len Savage said:
If that cop were a soldier in the US military in Iraq or Afghanistan what would happen if he did that to a civilian over there?
(Yes, I know the answer I want you to look it up).
Why is doing that to a citizen here by a cop different?
There will come a point when tolerance runs dry… I pray that day does not come, but I fear it is closer than I am comfortable with.
On August 1, 2019 at 7:29 am, Ned2 said:
Gotta love those “smart” phones.
On August 1, 2019 at 11:20 am, Lineman said:
Guess he found out that glass doesn’t make good cover… People go around in code white and then act like shit shouldn’t have happened to them… Doesn’t matter who the thug is if your giving them an opportunity to ventilate you…
On August 1, 2019 at 12:59 pm, moe mensale said:
The homeowner was at a complete disadvantage because of the cop’s light. He was basically blinded. I don’t know how many lumens that light put out but once it hit his eyes he may have reflexively raised an arm to shield his eyes. Maybe the gun arm. And the cop fired. The video doesn’t clearly show this.
On August 1, 2019 at 2:45 pm, Lineman said:
Thugs will use whatever advantage they can won’t they… Seems safe to say people won’t play fair when they are trying to kill you..
On August 1, 2019 at 3:05 pm, JFP said:
According to USA Today video, the officer’s report initially said the homeowner opened the door and shot first. So he’s lied on his report.
On August 2, 2019 at 4:27 pm, Archer said:
“Professional Standards” (heh!) officer: “The individual who was shot was not charged with any crime and therefore his information and identity will not be released as part of this video.”
Except, you know, his f@#$ing STREET ADDRESS — 305 Eastcrest Drive in Greenville County (you can Google that and get the city, state, zip, approximate value of the home, how long they’ve lived there, etc., in about 2 seconds, and 2 more seconds on “street view” confirms it’s the same home as in the video) — and the make and model of his firearm. Hell, I’m surprised they didn’t display the serial number on the video!
A couple more disturbing points:
– Working with PII (personal identity information) in my professional life, I can attest that a person’s street address is considered confidential and identifiable, i.e. it pertains to and can be used to identify an individual. A good lawyer could make the case the LEOs violated multiple HIPPA laws in releasing this video; information on his sleeping condition (“I had my CPAP on”) and emergent condition (two gunshot wounds, groin and chest), along with his residential address, is now all public, probably against the man’s desires (and I doubt he signed a medical release form). A child could find this man’s name at this point.
– The homeowner claims they don’t have an alarm; the “panic” was revealed to be a medical alert. So why, instead of EMS, were the police responding with guns drawn? This is fundamentally no different from that scene a few years back when responding police shot an autistic (IIRC) young man having an episode, simply because police arrived before EMS and, being about as trained to handle medical and mental health crises as they are to handle dogs, panicked and pulled the trigger.
– This is to say nothing of the possibility of “Fauxnly Ones” (for those unaware, those are criminals who dress and act like police to gain victims’ trust — an increasingly-common home-invasion tactic). Just because the man pounding on your door at zero-dark-thirty is claiming to be police, doesn’t mean it’s true. Or that you’re safe (at zero-dark-thirty, the criminal might be safer).
I’m sure the video is an attempt to justify and explain their actions, but I’m feeling less trustful of police “professional standards” than before I watched it (and that’s saying something!). I did not see a gun through that window, pointed at the officer or not; the video was grainy and monochrome in the harshly-bright flashlight beam (a common but severe shortcoming of body cams). I barely saw the homeowner, and he was completely out of sight when the cop fired. If you or I pulled the trigger under those circumstances, it would be criminally negligent.
Regarding the camera itself, why would they field a camera that is designed to not record audio the whole time? Why that 30 seconds of silent film? And what would make the officer activate it after he stepped OFF the porch instead of before he rang the bell? That all sounds fishy to me….
As a PR move, I’d call the video a fail. Complete miss.
On August 3, 2019 at 3:38 am, Dan said:
To Archer: It’s HIPAA not Hippa….and it only applies to healthcare organizations, their employees and related industries such as insurance
companies. And just like the badgemonkey won’t be punished for
shooting the citizen the department that released the video that displays
the address etc. will also suffer no consequences for violating the mans
right to privacy.
On August 23, 2020 at 1:18 am, Ron said:
1) solid doors
a) the more resistant to ballistic threats the better
b) additional door securing devices (security bars, cross door bars)
2) no glass
a) do Not allow any visibility from outside
b) have a way to observe without being seen (security camera with monitor
away from door)
3) motion lights
a) lots
b) put up more
4) do not respond until you are sure
a) of the intruder’s identity (call 911 and report intruder / verify police action)
b) it is in your best interest to respond at all