Standoff, shooting in League City

[seamusTX]

On Monday, June 30, relatives of a 63-year-old man who lived in an apartment at 1455 Louisiana Ave. in League City contacted building management because "he had been acting strangely." The manager called police before attempting to enter the apartment. When police arrived, the man started shooting inside the apartment. He then began smashing furniture and other items and throwing them out the window. After a two-hour standoff, a police marksman shot the man once, with fatal results.

http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewc ... 2b5861b7f6

Money quote:

“Nothing ever happens around here,� [a resident] said. “It’s real quiet and peaceful. Everybody goes to work, comes home and goes to sleep.�

- Jim

[anygunanywhere]

I am glad no one else was injured in this situation.

I hope the officer endures no long term mental issues resulting from his doing his duty.

League City is blessed with a very fine, professional police department.

Anygunanywhere

[Pinkycatcher]

I am glad no one else was injured in this situation.

I hope the officer endures no long term mental issues resulting from his doing his duty.

League City is blessed with a very fine, professional police department.

Anygunanywhere

That really has to be one of the hardest mental jobs, to be a marksman, because you definitely see the suspect, and you're not in immediate danger because they are fairly far away.

[Rokyudai]

Tragic for all parties involved. Thankfully no one else was killed in the building.

[WildBill]

Tragic for all parties involved. Thankfully no one else was killed in the building.

I have never read an article where apartment residents were asked how much rent they were paying. Maybe the reporter wanted the newspaper readers to know that incidents like this can happen in "good neighborhoods"?

[mrvmax]

I am glad no one else was injured in this situation.

I hope the officer endures no long term mental issues resulting from his doing his duty.

League City is blessed with a very fine, professional police department.

Anygunanywhere

Off topic, but I would disagree with LC having a fine PD. I only saw two of their officers, but they were less than honest. I was on a jury in Galveston County where they were trying to charge some lady with assault to the officers (in reality she was cuffed and pulled away from them while they walked her down the hall at the PD and the officers said this was assault). A long story short, the two officers stories did not match up and we let her off. The DA asked us (the jury) why we let her off. When we explained he told us that the officers were just trying to "teach her a lesson" (his words, I couldn't believe he was admitting this to us). Apparently her son was a trouble maker and she was too so the LC PD decided to trump up some charges and waste taxpayer dollars trying to get back at her. I was furious when the DA told us this. That is my impression of the LC PD. A small minority gives the whole PD a bad name.

[seamusTX]

I have never read an article where apartment residents were asked how much rent they were paying. Maybe the reporter wanted the newspaper readers to know that incidents like this can happen in "good neighborhoods"?

That was my impression.

- Jim

[HerbM]

I am glad no one else was injured in this situation.

I hope the officer endures no long term mental issues resulting from his doing his duty.

League City is blessed with a very fine, professional police department.

Anygunanywhere

That really has to be one of the hardest mental jobs, to be a marksman, because you definitely see the suspect, and you're not in immediate danger because they are fairly far away.

It would certainly be hard or impossible for many or most people, see On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman (this is not a ptsd heavy, liberal/pc, nor bleeding heart screed -- neither does it glorify the subject -- it focuses on what is known scientifically, historically, and from the experiences of training troops for war or other deadly situations.)
http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psycholog ... 027&sr=8-1

I strongly recommend reading this book for anyone who carries a firearm and who claims they will use it to shoot a criminal attacker -- or who is concerned they might fail to do so (when necessary) either.

Snipers are self-selecting, as the training and evaluation for military and police snipers selects and trains, for being able to rationalize the necessity of the act. This does not necessarily mean that snipers 'don't care', but the ones who care 'too much' generally quit when if they cannot do this. Being an ethical sniper doesn't need to be any harder than stopping a criminal who is about to kill one of your loved ones. The criminal made the decision, the sniper is merely the tool.

Everyone who is (fairly) accurate with a firearm, even on paper, is a marksman. A sniper is trained to shoot at specific (human) targets, usually from distance and/or from concealment.

[seamusTX]

The word sniper does in fact mean what you said, but it has acquired an unfortunate negative connotation. I tend to avoid it.

- Jim

[HerbM]

The word sniper does in fact mean what you said, but it has acquired an unfortunate negative connotation. I tend to avoid it.

- Jim

The word sniper has virtually always had a good and bad connotation, good if he (or she) is own your side of the battle, the epitome of evil if the sniper is an enemy who kills your buddies.

There really is no other word that captures the essence and the correct nuances of the job, for the military or the police.

Everybody who joins he army gets a "marksmanship" badge (or better, sharpshooter, and expert) -- very few even train as snipers, nor ever meet one.

[seamusTX]

Follow-up, but little real information: http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewc ... f5e61e4772

The sniper was put on two weeks' paid leave. The case will be presented to the grand jury without charges. Both are S.O.P.

- Jim

[anygunanywhere]

I am glad no one else was injured in this situation.

I hope the officer endures no long term mental issues resulting from his doing his duty.

League City is blessed with a very fine, professional police department.

Anygunanywhere

Off topic, but I would disagree with LC having a fine PD. I only saw two of their officers, but they were less than honest. I was on a jury in Galveston County where they were trying to charge some lady with assault to the officers (in reality she was cuffed and pulled away from them while they walked her down the hall at the PD and the officers said this was assault). A long story short, the two officers stories did not match up and we let her off. The DA asked us (the jury) why we let her off. When we explained he told us that the officers were just trying to "teach her a lesson" (his words, I couldn't believe he was admitting this to us). Apparently her son was a trouble maker and she was too so the LC PD decided to trump up some charges and waste taxpayer dollars trying to get back at her. I was furious when the DA told us this. That is my impression of the LC PD. A small minority gives the whole PD a bad name.

I have heard the same about Friendswood PD.

Every interaction I have had with LCPD has been pleasant and extremely professional, even when I was the object of the call.

Maybe the troublemakers ought to stay out of League City.

Anygunanywhere

[mrvmax]

I am glad no one else was injured in this situation.

I hope the officer endures no long term mental issues resulting from his doing his duty.

League City is blessed with a very fine, professional police department.

Anygunanywhere

Off topic, but I would disagree with LC having a fine PD. I only saw two of their officers, but they were less than honest. I was on a jury in Galveston County where they were trying to charge some lady with assault to the officers (in reality she was cuffed and pulled away from them while they walked her down the hall at the PD and the officers said this was assault). A long story short, the two officers stories did not match up and we let her off. The DA asked us (the jury) why we let her off. When we explained he told us that the officers were just trying to "teach her a lesson" (his words, I couldn't believe he was admitting this to us). Apparently her son was a trouble maker and she was too so the LC PD decided to trump up some charges and waste taxpayer dollars trying to get back at her. I was furious when the DA told us this. That is my impression of the LC PD. A small minority gives the whole PD a bad name.

I have heard the same about Friendswood PD.

Every interaction I have had with LCPD has been pleasant and extremely professional, even when I was the object of the call.

Maybe the troublemakers ought to stay out of League City.

Anygunanywhere

I would prefer that the Police were honest, why try and trump up charges and then waste taxpayer money? If the PD cannot follow the law then they need another profession. I hope that this being only 2 officers that the rest are not the same but it made me wonder. Especially since the DA had no problem with it.

[anygunanywhere]

I would prefer that the Police were honest

So would I.

Anygunanywhere

[agbullet2k1]

I showed my wife this story yesterday morning. This morning I saw her taser hooked to the charger, her pepper spray in her purse, and once she left, I checked under the matress, and the Glock was gone for the first time since I gave it to her. Seems like it struck a nerve with her. This was less than a half mile from our place.