Wrong Home Raid By U.S. Marshals
BY Herschel Smith
3 years, 2 months ago
TAMPA (WFLA) – A young Bradenton mother says she was in fear when she looked at her Ring App and saw armed men at her door.
Kada Staples says the men had their weapons pointed at her door and when she said hello, they ordered her to come out and said “we know he’s in there”.
The armed men were U.S. Marshals. Staples believes they were looking for a murder suspect, but they had the wrong apartment. At the time she opened her door and still didn’t understand what was going on.
“I cracked the door open and they pushed the door open and pushed me and my baby out of the way. They are holding us at gunpoint, screaming, there is a gun about a foot away from her face, ” said Staples as she held her three-month-old baby.
She said the U.S. Marshals kept saying,” We know Jamar is in there.”
“With that, they run in my apartment. There’s probably 6 or 7 of them out there with guns. 3 or 4 of them run into my apartment and are running around. They are still yelling at me that I’m lying,” said Staples.
She says she had been napping with her infant and was the only one inside when the Marshals soon realized their mistake.
“Then one of the guys in the hallway is like, wait, this is apartment and then said my apartment number and then kind of repeated it again and then they ran out and said, that’s the wrong apartment,” said Staples.
She says the Marshals left, but never even apologized for their actions or their mistake.
“No sorry, no nothing, they tell me, you’re good and another one said you’re fine,” said Staples.
She says when she called the U.S. Marshals Service to ask why officers had entered her apartment, she asked if they could provide a mental health counselor to help her deal with the anxiety brought on by the event.
She says a man on the phone told her to take melatonin and “get over it.”
In the end it would have been better if a U.S. Marshal had been shot and the homeowner exonerated of any wrongdoing. It’s the only thing that will convince law enforcement that they simply can’t do this sort of thing. That way, lives will be saved and everyone will be safer.
On October 27, 2021 at 10:21 pm, Chris said:
SCUMBAGS and Rope
Belong together
Who do these ah think they are? Good god.
On October 28, 2021 at 7:39 am, Fr. John+ said:
My God.
Sounds just like the KGB… oh, wait. Jews were behind that Bolshevik state, too!
Let’s go, Brandon.
On October 28, 2021 at 8:03 am, Michael (from Utah) said:
Although I don’t ever see it happening, ending qualified immunity and making all police officers personally liable for their actions would help as well.
They screw up, you sue them into bankruptcy and take everything they own.
I know, only in my dreams, but that’s one of the more pleasant dreams I have these days.
On October 28, 2021 at 9:22 am, Levi Garrett said:
I agree about both ending qualified immunity and innocent homeowners defending themselves in situations like this. A big problem with the second point is that upon shooting the first man or two through the door, his buddies aren’t gonna be happy. I don’t suppose the tail end of the stack is going to keep charging into the house as the men in front of them fall. You’re going to end up holed up in your home with with bad odds stacked against you. Once the shooting starts, I don’t see the cops reigning things in, backing off any time soon, or apologizing, even if they are at the wrong address. You’re going to need to channel your inner Josey Wales at that point. I’m all for defending your home from any invaders. It’s just that it’s going to be a crappy day for those put in that position. As you said, Herschel, that’s what it might take to stop this outrageous behavior.
On October 28, 2021 at 9:40 am, Gary said:
If you fire on them in such a situation they will kill you. One only need look at the recent history of the feds in action and virtually all of the alphabet agencies have a swat team. Remember the feds are here to help you (sarc).
On October 28, 2021 at 2:16 pm, ExpatNJ said:
Levi, Gary –
No more capitulating. Juries are increasingly-siding with citizens who were abused by PD. 2 examples:
Texas Grand Jury: No Bill for Russel King, who Shot … State Trooper
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2021/09/texas-grand-jury-no-bill-for-russel.html
MN: Man not Guilty in Self Defense case Against Police During Minneapolis Riots
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2021/09/mn-man-not-guilty-in-self-defense-case.html
And, in today’ world, it is ever more important not to blindly believe every one who comes to your door claiming to be police actually are police. That lady was lucky those armed home invaders were US Marshals. 2 more examples:
IN: Woman Shoots, Kills Armed Intruder who Claimed to be Police
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2021/10/in-woman-shoots-kills-armed-intruder.html
IN: Woman Shoots Intruder who Broke in, Claimed to be “Police”
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2021/09/in-woman-shoots-intruder-who-broke-in.html
It may be best to shoot first, and ask questions later. Your life could depend on it:
“Today, cops all over America, either the tacticool type who want to wear black shirts, khaki pants and drop holsters, or the sloppy and undisciplined ones who just don’t care, make it even more difficult to determine who is a cop and who isn’t. So to reiterate a point to cops everywhere: “You understand, don’t you, why you can’t just stand at our door and yell, “Police, get on the floor, now”, and us believe that you are who you say you are? We can’t believe it if you’re driving a car, standing at our doorway, or crossing paths with us on the roadside. We just can’t believe you, because it may be the last mistake we ever make.””
~ Herschel Smith, 04/21/2020, https://www.captainsjournal.com/2020/04/21/canadian-shooter-was-disguised-as-police.
On October 28, 2021 at 3:17 pm, Levi Garrett said:
ExpatNJ,
Thanks for the links. It’s good to know juries are making the right calls. I don’t plan on capitulating, should I ever find myself in that situation.
On October 28, 2021 at 3:19 pm, Stuart said:
“…convince law enforcement that they simply can’t do this sort of thing.”
That’s just the point. They can do this sort of thing. They do it every day and mostly with impunity – and they will murder you if you don’t obey fast enough.
On October 29, 2021 at 12:38 am, Jimmy the Saint said:
“In the end it would have been better if a U.S. Marshal had been shot and the homeowner exonerated of any wrongdoing. It’s the only thing that will convince law enforcement that they simply can’t do this sort of thing. That way, lives will be saved and everyone will be safer.”
Except that’s not how government works. We can’t kick your doors anymore? Ok, fine. Incendiaries and explosives through the windows it is, then. Less risk to the praetorians, more risk to the plebeians.
On October 29, 2021 at 10:09 am, ExpatNJ said:
October 29, 2021 at 12:38 am, Jimmy the Saint said:
“… Incendiaries and explosives through the windows it is, then…”
Metal bars or shutters on windows – capable of repelling “incendiaries and explosives” – have affirmative defense as anti-burglar devices to prevent illegal entry, not fortification/barricades to keep LE out. Doors and other entrances have other technologies. But, it is vital that occupants have a way to quickly release those security devices for emergencies or fire escape.
“It’s a bad neighborhood, judge.”
When a person is not engaged in activity (disregarding the “Three Felonies A Day” principle) that could justify an LE raid, that person has no reason to believe LE would ever execute any such raid. So, it is not unreasonable for that person to believe that an attempted forced entry by an unknown group with unknown intentions as an illegal armed invasion, not actual LE. A man’s home is his Castle. Full stop.
[You do what you want. This ain’t legal advice. You have to pay for that. YMMV.]
On October 30, 2021 at 9:58 pm, X said:
“In the end it would have been better if a U.S. Marshal had been shot and the homeowner exonerated of any wrongdoing.”
I agree. But in reality, they probably would have killed her baby and killed her — or, if she had survived, she would have been put on trial and sentenced to death by a jury of “law-abiding” Republican conservatives for shooting a “first-responder hero.”