It’s rare for me to post an entire story before making my commentary but this is a very unusual story with some strange circumstances.
Was suspect killed by Dallas cop a crime victim?
DALLAS — Police say an off-duty Dallas officer shot and killed a suspect Monday afternoon near Interstate 20 and Bonnie View Road.
It happened around 1:30 pm. The suspect has been identified as Desmond Luster, 45.
“I was pulling in and I heard shots,” said truck driver Igor Moukin. “Four at least… like boom, boom, boom, boom.”
But before getting caught in the path of an officer’s bullet, many witnesses said Luster may have started as the victim of another crime.
He lived in a home on nearby Shadow Creek Drive. Neighbors say two juveniles broke into his house Monday afternoon. Luster ran the would-be-thieves out, and as they fled, he got into his car to chase them down.
Witnesses said he also had a weapon — and used it.
“The dude in the Dodge was shooting at the suspect,” said witness Byron Johnson. “He shot, like, two times at him.”
Dallas police said the uniformed officer — who was working at the Flying J truck stop — was alerted to nearby gunfire, and spotted a person running in his direction. He took that person into custody.
“While the officer had the individual detained, a second person driving a Dodge pickup truck jumped the curb driving toward the officer at a high rate of speed,” said police spokesman Maj. Jeff Cotner. “The officer perceived the speed and direction of travel of the vehicle as a threat to himself and his detainee.”
Cotner said that driver was taken to Baylor University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
No officers were injured.
Police are still connecting the dots from the possible home invasion to the officer-involved shooting. SOURCE
OK, anyone that knows me or anything about me already knows this; I am a Second Amendment guy, a gun owner, a shooter and I am seriously in favor of the Castle Doctrine and standing my ground.
That said; Desmond Luster was as wrong as wrong can be when he got into his personal vehicle and attempted to chase down the *burglars* that had invaded his home. Luster was even MORE wrong to be popping off rounds at these suspects as he chased them, the Castle Doctrine gives you all the authority you need to remove the threat as long as the threat in IN your home or on your property, it does NOT allow for any authority to chase them down in a vehicle and shoot AT them once OFF of your property.
Make NO mistake; I understand the motivation and I understand the frustration Luster felt at being robbed but once the robbers, burglars, whatever you want to call them cleared his property line it was, by LAW, all over for Luster’s part.
The Officer that shot Luster was merely defending himself from a threat to his life. When Officer Aaron Tolerton, a six-year veteran of the Dallas Police Dept. fired on Luster it wasn’t about Black or White, it was about not knowing what in the hell the man driving the pickup was doing or why he was doing it, it was all about a viable threat to the life of Officer Tolerton and that threat becoming an even bigger threat in fractions of a second.
For those that don’t know; a vehicle speeding towards you IS interpreted as a threat to your life and as such, deadly force would be, or should be totally appropriate.
As a side note; on the local DFW news last night Luster’s mother was making a tearful statement about what a good man her dead son was and how SHE is now entitled to some compensation for his death at the hands of that mean old DPD officer that shot her *poor boy* down when he was only trying to get back what was rightfully his.
Yes indeed, pure *victim mentality* and *what can I get out of it* mindset.
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I agree, but….with all the laws how can one not break one? For instance half a dozen times I’ve lifted a postage stamp off a envelop after I messed up the address, to use on new envelop, sticky stilled worked. But that’s against the law. ( I read that along the way, can’t document).
Anyway we citizens got to ride the mules in DC and make them listen and do right. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2sBqmu5eSc
OK, that’s it — Hands in the air, you’re under arrest…. LMAO
Well then they will have to shoot me in the chin, not the top of me head. 🙂
http://iranpoliticsclub.net/politics/obama-abdullah/images/Barack%20Obama%20arrogance.jpg
As you explained the threat to the officer he was within his right to defend himself against what he perceived as a threat to his life or the life of another…That said you can count on someone somewhere asking the question if the officer made himself a target by standing in the middle of the road wavering his arms trying to stop the car…it is a stupid hypatical question but it will be asked..One of my guys was dragged by a suspects vehicle after my officer reached in to shut off suspects vehicle and the idiot took off dragging the officer who was able to fire two rounds into the vehicle while he was being dragged……Well sure enough people were saying it was all the fault of the officer because he created the threat which was nonsense.
There will be people claiming the same issue that DPD officer created threat..the officer is not clairvoyant and had no idea what had happened. He responded to what his senses were telling him nothing more..
It is just too complicated now to be an officer. To much demand is being placed on the officers post Ferguson. The officer will be now more likely be KIA because now he is stopping to think about it instead of allowing your training to kick in and react to a situation…
Maybe I am wrong…but it’s just my opinion from my experience..
Someone might ask but if they do I’m calling em on that BS, it’s wrong on every level…
Interesting how the mother now wants compen$ation. Her son may have been a good man but he made a bad mistake that cost him his life. I wonder what makes her believe she’s entitled to compen$astion?
Maybe because she’s a Libturd Obama supporter??
I read your take on this Fred and agree with you. When emotions are high, common sense and good judgement seem to be thrown by the wayside. This Luster fellow let rage replace reason and he paid the ultimate price for his anger. The officer was making a split second decision based on his training and experience.
Vigilante street justice rarely turns out like the movies and this is a case in point. Law enforcement officers lose their lives much too often on the street because of precious milliseconds wasted trying to assess the situation. This situation was already volatile before Luster arrived on the scene, barreling down on Tolerton who had only a split second to make a decision that probably saved his life.