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NUT case with a gun

Hammer

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Sadly, this is what can happen if someone with mental illness gets control of a firearm.
I feel for all those who experienced a loss.
I'd point out that the shooter had a criminal record and a history of mental illness.
Some on this board wonder why I might get charged up and ready to call a cop when a person who shows signs of mental instability is in proximity to a firearm....
People get hurt, and there's no taking it back
 

David.Car

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This article has a little more : http://www.komonews.com/news/27789174.html

"ALGER, Wash. -- Officials say a single gunman arrested Tuesday evening after a chase and shootout on Interstate 5 is suspected in the slaying of a Skagit County sheriff's deputy, five civilians and the wounding of two others, including a Washington State trooper.

080902_isaac_zamora_sm.jpg

State Department of Corrections officials identified the man as Isaac Zamora, 28, who had served a six-month Skagit County jail sentence for drug possession. Zamora was released Aug. 6 and was under community supervision by Corrections officers, spokesman Chad Lewis said.

Lewis said Zamora reported to his community corrections officer as scheduled and passed drug and alcohol tests. He was next scheduled to meet with his corrections officer on September 10, Lewis said.

Zamora's mother said she had tried repeatedly to get help for her son, whom she described as "desperately mentally ill."

"I would have rather that he would have taken it out on me. I would rather that they would have had to exterminate him, than to kill innocent people. I know that sounds extraordinary because he's my dear son, but it wasn't worth all those lives," Dennise Zamora told KOMO News.

"He destroyed the life and family of a lady that came to our rescue," she said. "Our lives will never be the same, just like all the other people, and there's no way for me to reach out to them.

"It was very apparent that he was very disturbed," said neighbor Shirley Wenrick. "The mother has tried for a long time to get them to lock him up and help him. "I've seen him running out in the field after rabbits and I said 'what are you doing?' And he said 'I'm going to get the rabbits and I'm going to kill them. I'm going to rip the skin right off of them.'"

Dennise said her son has been suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome ever since the family's home burned down 12 to 14 years ago, and the symptoms have only worsened over the years. She said he had recently begun sleeping in the woods and breaking into a neighbor's home.

"I told the neighbors to call (police). They need to document it in case we could use it to commit him or something," she said.

And with one such call began Tuesday's violence, investigators said.

Sgt. Robert Goetz with the Everett Police Department said the incident began when the deputy responded to a disturbance call regarding an unwanted, possibly armed guest at a home in the 19800 block of Silver Creek Drive in Alger, Wash. at 2:19 p.m.

While investigating the shooting, the deputy was led to a home in the 19300 block of Bridle Place. At 4:15 p.m., the sheriff's office learned the deputy had come under fire.

When the deputy later failed to respond to radio calls from sheriff dispatchers, other deputies went to home and found her shot to death. Another person was also found shot to death in the home.

"Skagit County has suffered a terrible tragedy today," Skagit County Chief Deputy Will Reichardt said at a news conference Tuesday night. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all of the victims."

Officials identified the slain deputy as 40-year-old Anne Jackson. She joined the sheriff's office in 2002 as an animal control officer and became a deputy in 2005.
At about the same Jackson was found dead, deputies learned the driver of a motorcycle had been shot at a nearby Shell gas station. He was taken to United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley and was expected to survive.

Minutes later, a Washington state trooper in the area spotted the suspected gunman's car and chased him south on Interstate 5. Officials said the man was shooting wildly from his vehicle while speeding down the interstate at more than 90 mph.

A bullet grazed the arm of Trooper Troy Giddings while he was trying to position himself in front of the fleeing gunman in an attempt to stop him. The 42-year-old trooper drove himself to United General Hospital where he was treated and released.

An innocent motorist caught in the gunfire was killed near milepost 238.

The chase finally ended near Mount Vernon when the suspected gunman exited the interstate, pulled into a police station where he was taken into custody about 4:30 p.m.

080902_shooting_rampage_sm.jpg

Isaac Zamora is placed into custody in Mount Vernon, Wash. (AP Photo/Skagit Valley Herald, Scott Terrell)

Sue Baker was pulling out of a parking lot to drive home when the man stopped his truck near her vehicle.

"All of a sudden he pulled into the driveway and cop cars started pulling in front of me, pulling around me, pulling everywhere. They're all whipping out their guns," she said.

"When he got out he put his hands behind his head and when he laid down he put them straight out in front of him."

At 5 p.m. the owner of a home in the 19500 block of Silver Creek Road -- the street to which Jackson had initially responded -- returned from work and found two construction workers shot to death. Another person was found shot to death on a street in the vicinity, but the exact location was not known.

Investigators said at least two others suffered minor injuries during the shooting rampage. The other victims have not been identified.

More than 100 investigators from the state patrol, Skagit County Sheriff's Office, FBI, Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, Everett Police, Mount Vernon Police, and other agencies have converged on the various scenes and cordoned off large areas around the shooting locations.

Late Tuesday, Gov. Chris Gregoire said she is calling for an independent review of Zamora's criminal history and supervision.

"Due to the gravity of the situation, I am calling for an independent, third party review led by Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs President Colleen Wilson, and a prosecutor to be appointed by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys," Gregoire said in a written statement. "I will be directing them to look into how this case was handled and provide an initial report to me within ten days."

Detectives have set up a tip line and are asking anyone with information about the shootings to call 360-419-3257."
 

Carnivore

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What a shame!!

I'd Hang the little S.O.B. it's apparent that he was in complete control of his faculties and knew exactly what to do once he stopped at the police station and surrendered..

Appears to be a whole bunch of Murder and manslaughtercharges to me.
 

joshmmm

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Carnivore wrote:
What a shame!!

I'd Hang the little S.O.B. it's apparent that he was in complete control of his faculties and knew exactly what to do once he stopped at the police station and surrendered..

Appears to be a whole bunch of Murder and manslaughtercharges to me.

Actually, all will be Murder charges... at the very least the slaying of the officer will be aggravated murder... The other's are all part of a common criminal plan--what plan, who knows, but murder is the charge when someone dies accidentally while you are committing a felony---seeing as some people died accidentally while he was trying to kill others---this is a clear cut case of murder, not manslaughter...

He is very smart to have surrendered at the sheriff's office... Can you imagine how tough it would be to have to arrest this guy instead of shooting him??/
 

Carnivore

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joshmmm wrote:
Carnivore wrote:
What a shame!!

I'd Hang the little S.O.B. it's apparent that he was in complete control of his faculties and knew exactly what to do once he stopped at the police station and surrendered..

Appears to be a whole bunch of Murder and manslaughtercharges to me.
Actually, all will be Murder charges... at the very least the slaying of the officer will be aggravated murder... The other's are all part of a common criminal plan--what plan, who knows, but murder is the charge when someone dies accidentally while you are committing a felony---seeing as some people died accidentally while he was trying to kill others---this is a clear cut case of murder, not manslaughter...

He is very smart to have surrendered at the sheriff's office... Can you imagine how tough it would be to have to arrest this guy instead of shooting him??/
HERE HERE !!
 

jarhead1911A

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What i dont get is how the law can say a cops life is more valuable than a civilians life? If you kill a person who isnt a cop you get out in 20 years, If you kill a cop you never get out.....

and people say the law is fair. I think not.
 

Triple Tap

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Its the simple fact of killing an authority figure that gets the time. This would be to keep the county from falling into Anarchy. I dont think it is a value issue of a persons life. This includes Judges, Politicians, LEO, and such.
 

joshmmm

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jarhead1055 wrote:
What i dont get is how the law can say a cops life is more valuable than a civilians life? If you kill a person who isnt a cop you get out in 20 years, If you kill a cop you never get out.....

and people say the law is fair. I think not.

almost all killings are committed for a reason... wether it is a good reason or not determines the sentence... the best reason, self-defense, warrants no sentence. Accidental killings result in manslaughter charges, what degree and length of sentence based on how careless/reckless you were in killing someone. Murder comes in when you intend to kill someone, 2nd degree murder is typical, with a 10-15 year sentence, when a person kills someone in the heat of the moment, without much provocation. (bar fights, road rage knifing, etc.). First degree murder is when you supposedly have a cool head and go out to kill someone. This is typical when someone chooses to kill a spouse, or seeks revenge, etc. Depending why you did it, the sentence can vary greatly... if you are avenging your child's rape, you likely will receive a small sentence (if any)... if you are going out and killing someone simply because he cut you off in traffic 5 days ago, you get the harshest sentence.

What we have here is a case of aggravated first degree murder. In WA, only the most heinous cases are aggravated (and only aggravated murder can result in the death penalty.) Aggravated murder can be charged no matter who you kill. It is based on the why and how. If you kill an off-dutypolice officer in a bar fight you will not be charged with aggravated first degree murder. However, when you kill someone in a heinous way or for heinous reasons, you are charged with aggravated first degree murder. It is quite simple really.

So, you may then be asking, why is killing an officer so bad... simple, the person's job is to apprehend criminals. There are three main theories of punishment, all of which justify automatically raising the killing of an officer in the line of duty to the highest level.

1- deterrent effect--we don't want criminals to think they can just kill an officer and get a light sentence--society needs the police to apprehend dangerous criminals and the police should be protected as much as possible--if deterrence helps reduce the risk of injury/death, then great!

2-retribution-- as a society we value the officer's going out and arresting criminals. It hurts all of us when one of them is injured. As a society, we like retribution... it makes us feel better. Individually, this would be like revenge, but collectively, it is retribution. We need to elevate our sense of revenge when someone kills an officer, just the same as we did when that nutcase shot up the Jewish Federation.

3--incapacitation-- someone so brazen to kill an officer is probably a pretty dangerous person we don't want on the streets... therefore, we need to ensure they are kept off indefinately... therefore, only aggravated first degree murder ensures a life sentence and/or the death penalty... those are the only two sentences available after a conviction for aggravated first degree murder in WA.
 

joshmmm

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Triple Tap wrote:
Its the simple fact of killing an authority figure that gets the time. This would be to keep the county from falling into Anarchy. I dont think it is a value issue of a persons life. This includes Judges, Politicians, LEO, and such.

Just to follow up on my previous post (this was posted after I started on mine, thus not read until after my post).

Aggravated first degree murder only requires special circumstances. This INCLUDES the people mentioned above. It ALSO includes hate crimes, crimes that shock the conscience, etc. The specific wording of the statute (RCW 10.95.020) is:



person is guilty of aggravated first degree murder, a class A felony, if he or she commits first degree murder as defined by RCW 9A.32.030(1)(a), as now or hereafter amended, and one or more of the following aggravating circumstances exist:

(1) The victim was a law enforcement officer, corrections officer, or firefighter who was performing his or her official duties at the time of the act resulting in death and the victim was known or reasonably should have been known by the person to be such at the time of the killing;

(2) At the time of the act resulting in the death, the person was serving a term of imprisonment, had escaped, or was on authorized or unauthorized leave in or from a state facility or program for the incarceration or treatment of persons adjudicated guilty of crimes;

(3) At the time of the act resulting in death, the person was in custody in a county or county-city jail as a consequence of having been adjudicated guilty of a felony;

(4) The person committed the murder pursuant to an agreement that he or she would receive money or any other thing of value for committing the murder;

(5) The person solicited another person to commit the murder and had paid or had agreed to pay money or any other thing of value for committing the murder;

(6) The person committed the murder to obtain or maintain his or her membership or to advance his or her position in the hierarchy of an organization, association, or identifiable group;

(7) The murder was committed during the course of or as a result of a shooting where the discharge of the firearm, as defined in RCW 9.41.010, is either from a motor vehicle or from the immediate area of a motor vehicle that was used to transport the shooter or the firearm, or both, to the scene of the discharge;

(8) The victim was:

(a) A judge; juror or former juror; prospective, current, or former witness in an adjudicative proceeding; prosecuting attorney; deputy prosecuting attorney; defense attorney; a member of the indeterminate sentence review board; or a probation or parole officer; and

(b) The murder was related to the exercise of official duties performed or to be performed by the victim;

(9) The person committed the murder to conceal the commission of a crime or to protect or conceal the identity of any person committing a crime, including, but specifically not limited to, any attempt to avoid prosecution as a persistent offender as defined in RCW 9.94A.030;

(10) There was more than one victim and the murders were part of a common scheme or plan or the result of a single act of the person;

(11) The murder was committed in the course of, in furtherance of, or in immediate flight from one of the following crimes:

(a) Robbery in the first or second degree;

(b) Rape in the first or second degree;

(c) Burglary in the first or second degree or residential burglary;

(d) Kidnapping in the first degree; or

(e) Arson in the first degree;

(12) The victim was regularly employed or self-employed as a newsreporter and the murder was committed to obstruct or hinder the investigative, research, or reporting activities of the victim;

(13) At the time the person committed the murder, there existed a court order, issued in this or any other state, which prohibited the person from either contacting the victim, molesting the victim, or disturbing the peace of the victim, and the person had knowledge of the existence of that order;

(14) At the time the person committed the murder, the person and the victim were "family or household members" as that term is defined in *RCW 10.99.020(1), and the person had previously engaged in a pattern or practice of three or more of the following crimes committed upon the victim within a five-year period, regardless of whether a conviction resulted:

(a) Harassment as defined in RCW 9A.46.020; or

(b) Any criminal assault.
 

Hammer

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This just gets more complicated.
The "accused" went to school with my daughter.
There are other acquaintances among the wounded and deceased.
A sad deal just gets sadder with more info.....
 

joeroket

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jarhead1055 wrote:
What i dont get is how the law can say a cops life is more valuable than a civilians life? If you kill a person who isnt a cop you get out in 20 years, If you kill a cop you never get out.....

and people say the law is fair. I think not.
The law and people may say this but the fact of the matter is that they are wrong. People do not automatically get life in prison for killing an officer.
 

scoobydoo6906

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This is just an other tradgety that could have been stopped alot sooner if somebody with a gun and willing to use it was near by. I hope they don't waste the space at the state prison long what that dude. "The accused" yeah sure lol wishfull thinking
 

joeroket

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scoobydoo6906 wrote:
This is just an other tradgety that could have been stopped alot sooner if somebody with a gun and willing to use it was near by. I hope they don't waste the space at the state prison long what that dude. "The accused" yeah sure lol wishfull thinking
There was someone with a gun and probably willing to use it. Unfortunately she was a victim also.

Now if everyone was armed then I would have to say it would have ended differently.
 

Bear 45/70

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joeroket wrote:
jarhead1055 wrote:
What i dont get is how the law can say a cops life is more valuable than a civilians life? If you kill a person who isnt a cop you get out in 20 years, If you kill a cop you never get out.....

and people say the law is fair. I think not.
The law and people may say this but the fact of the matter is that they are wrong. People do not automatically get life in prison for killing an officer.
I thought we still executed murdering scum balls in this state.
 

joeroket

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Bear 45/70 wrote:
joeroket wrote:
jarhead1055 wrote:
What i dont get is how the law can say a cops life is more valuable than a civilians life? If you kill a person who isnt a cop you get out in 20 years, If you kill a cop you never get out.....

and people say the law is fair. I think not.
The law and people may say this but the fact of the matter is that they are wrong. People do not automatically get life in prison for killing an officer.
I thought we still executed murdering scum balls in this state.
Unfortunately only the ones that are convicted of 1st degree murder and that the prosecutor decides to seek the death penalty and the jury agrees.

Not all persons convicted of first degree murder are sentenced to death. Hell not all persons who kill an LEO in the line of duty get charged with 1st degree murder.
 
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