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Friendly Fire Possible?
smokinggun
Member Posts: 590 ✭✭✭✭
Report: California Officers Issuing Federal Warrant Were Unprepared for Hostile SuspectThe Associated Press Published: Sep 2, 2001SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - Confusion among officers involved in an armed standoff may have led to the shooting not only of the suspect but of a fellow lawman, The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. An investigation into Friday's shootout with James Allen Beck has raised the question of whether Beck fired the bullet that killed Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Hagop "Jake" Kuredjian or whether the officer mistakenly was hit by a fellow law enforcement officer. "I am quite sure that is something we're going to look into, because it's not clear he was shot by Beck," sheriff's Sgt. Paul Patterson told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday. The standoff began Friday morning when federal officers and sheriff's officials tried to serve a search warrant at Beck's home in an upscale section of this city 22 miles north of Los Angeles. Autopsy results Saturday showed Kuredjian died of a single gunshot wound to the head. He had been struck while crouching behind an SUV parked on the street four houses down from Beck, the Times reported. Beck, a convicted felon, was alleged to have impersonated a U.S. marshal and be building a weapons cache. As authorities approached, Beck began shooting at officers from the U.S. Marshal's office and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Kuredjian arrived a few minutes after the shooting started and was hit almost immediately while trying to provide gunfire as cover to fellow deputies pinned down in the fusillade, the Times reported. The exchange of gunfire startled neighbors, especially those who saw officers firing at the wrong house. "I hollered out the window, 'You're shooting at the wrong house!'" said one neighbor, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity. "They must have heard us or something, because I could hear one of the deputies say, 'Is it the house with the Explorer?' And another guy says, 'No, the one next to it.'" Homes on either side of Beck's house were riddled with bullet holes, including one where a couple and their 30-hour-old newborn cowered. "Three bullets came through the (front) window, the master closets and into the master bathroom," said Phil Lombardi, the baby's father. He described how he, his wife and baby, took cover in a second floor bathroom. "It was very traumatic. My wife wasn't coping with it. I was trying to comfort her with the newborn child," he said. The total number of rounds fired was unclear and authorities would not give an estimate. "It was a very extensive gun battle. We have to wait to see what was collected at scene," sheriff's Sgt. Patterson said. The three-hour exchange ended after tear gas projectiles were shot into Beck's house and a fire erupted. Flames quickly engulfed the home, burning it to the ground. But authorities were still unclear how the fire began. "It's probably going to be a little more difficult, because of the extent of the fire," Patterson said. "They'll have to sift through evidence to determine how the fire was actually started." Investigators discovered a body believed to be Beck's. But the coroner's office said an autopsy would not be conducted until Tuesday, at the earliest. An AK-47 and AR-15, a shotgun, a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol, handguns and ammunition were collected from the ashes. AP-ES-09-02-01 2327EDT
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Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who dont.
Better to have and not need, than need and not have.