Jury: Officers justified in fatally shooting Erik Scott outside Summerlin Costco

[Hazcat]

By Kyle Hansen (contact), Dave Toplikar (contact)

Published Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010 | 10:32 a.m.

A coroner’s jury has ruled the police shooting of Erik Scott was justified.

The jury of seven announced the unanimous decision at 5:29 p.m. after deliberating for about an hour and a half.

Scott was fatally shot by Metro officers William Mosher, Thomas Mendiola and Joshua Stark outside the Summerlin Costco store July 10.

Jurors were instructed to determine whether the shooting was justifiable, excusable or criminal. Coroner’s juries do not have to be unanimous in reaching their verdict.

Metro Police announced minutes after the verdict was read that Sheriff Doug Gillespie will meet with the news media at 10 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the Costco shooting and the inquest process.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/sep/28/erik-scott-inquest-day6/

More at link

[tombogan03884]

  I think I know who was actually drinking the stove cleaner Sledge mentioned in another thread

[r_w]

Knew that would be the outcome as soon as I heard the tox screen.

Those numbers were so high I would be looking into foul-play/poisoning of Scott. 

[ratcatcher55]

Stay tuned for the civil trial. The results maybe very different.

[r_w]

agreed.

winning a trial the easy way is getting the other guys evidence thrown out.

[Sponsor]

[mortdooley]

 One of the things I see in this tragedy is how gun shy so much of the public has become. The little worm employee that started the whole incident probably was frightened out of his tiny mind when he saw a firearm on another person.

 In the 1960s when I was growing up rifle racks were common in pickup trucks and they were often used to carry rifles and shotgun in plain sight without anyone being offended or frightened. Our shop class in high school taught firearm refinishing and it was nothing to see boys with  shotguns or rifles in some state of repair stored in their shop lockers.
 
I have talked to liberals who believe that if they had a firearm handy and lost their temper they would kill whoever was the cause of their anger. They also believe everyone else is the same way so a man with a holstered and improperly concealed firearm is an immediate threat. The so called facts of this case in the link sound like a free pass to frightened police that made a criminal mistake and an honest citizen confronted with few immediate right choices. Who knew about the only way out was to fall to the ground, spread his arms and legs and remain passive regardless of what was done to him?

[TAB]

Anyone have a link to the toxscreen? Or atleast some idea whats on it.


If he was intoxicated it would explain alot.



I have np with reporting a armed and intoxicated person. 

[Ichiban]

The Las Vegas Sun has several articles on the inquest.  Here's a sample:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/sep/27/detective-erik-scott-had-pain-medicines-several-do/

[Solus]

From that link, it looks like they talk a lot about what medications Scott had and what prescriptions he had but there is no mention of any drugs in his system at the time of the shooting.

Also, several witnesses state they saw him draw a gun in a threatening manner, but the physical evidence shows he was offering  his holstered weapon to the police as he had been commanded.

Because the witnesses who saw Scott as a threat also believe he was brandishing his weapon and they were all mistaken, I tend to put more credence  to those witnesses who did not perceive Scott as threatening.

I do wonder why no security camera evidence has been mentioned?

My take with the evidence I have heard is that the shooting, while occurring in a tense situation, was not justified. 

Scott may have had drug and alcohol problems and may have been abusive as has been reported, but that does not mean he deserved to be shot at Costco that day.

[Pathfinder]

The Las Vegas Sun has several articles on the inquest.  Here's a sample:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/sep/27/detective-erik-scott-had-pain-medicines-several-do/

Anyone do a tox screen on the cops? Or was that muffed like the cop's in Indiana who killed 2 motorcyclists by running over them - and walked away uncharged? I guarantee you there ain't a cop alive who could survive the kind of official character assassination investigation that Scott went through. None of us could. It is all part of the game, though, just to prove that three cops with guns drawn can kill one citizen and get away with it.

This recounting of the inquest stinks - DHS witness? Costco ninja wannabe? Plus the security video just happened to go bad?