Officer Down: Questions, fears, in officer's death
This reporter was out of Berdoo Friday, instead following the tragic - and murky - case of a Rialto police officer who was shot and killed during a drug sweep Thursday.
By now most know that Officer Sergio Carrera Jr., 29, was killed when he was struck by a single bullet. Police have been almost completely mum on details.
Chief Mark Kling issued a very late press conference Thursday night in which he said the incident was not friendly fire.
However, sources have told the Sun that Carrera was killed by a bullet from a fellow officer's rifle.
The question now is how did it discharge? The Press Enterprise, citing sources who "know what happened," (i.e. police) is reporting that a SWAT officer wrestled with Jaranard Thomas and that during the struggle, Thomas grabbed the officer's rifle and it discharged, killing Carrera, who was standing a few feet away.
Obviously, if that version is true, one could expect murder charges against Thomas to stick.
But the Sun has heard from other sources, but declined to publish it today (this is a very sensitive story), that another officer was trying to secure the gun from the officer who was wrestling with Thomas when it discharged, striking Carrera.
If that version is true, murder charges against Thomas are still possible, with the argument being that his actions led to the wrestling match which led to the officer's death.
You can be sure this will be a very controversial story for a long time. Interesting to note: The PE led their strong, strikingly detailed story with: "Jaranard Thomas was ready for a fight when a Rialto SWAT team rushed into his apartment ..." a lede that strums a tone that reverberates throughout with the assumption that Thomas caused this officer's death. They may be right, or they may be wrong.
Thomas may or may not have been "ready for a fight," but he is also 5-foot-5-inches tall and, at 32-years-old, appears to have no criminal record. It looks like Thomas had no weapons. Police have notably declined to say whether drugs were found Thomas' home.
Not exactly the type of guy one would expect to take on a team of heavily-armed SWAT officers. In light of all those details, the "ready for a fight" lede looks all the more questionable.
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Stop defending this suspect. He gave a false name to police when arrested. He was identified as Kris Antonio Wiggins who is a fugitive from Mississippi wanted on drug charges. He is solely responsible for Rialto Police Officer Sergio Carerra's death. He will be charged with murder and will be punished accordingly upon conviction.
Yeah, Baby!
Stop defending this suspect. He gave a false name to police when arrested. He was identified as Kris Antonio Wiggins who is a fugitive from Mississippi wanted on drug charges. He is solely responsible for Rialto Police Officer Sergio Carerra's death. He will be charged with murder and will be punished accordingly upon conviction.
Posted by: Mark | October 21, 2007 12:02 AM
Looks like people are ready to lynch somebody ASAP because a cop got killed. This is sad, but if anything it looks at this point like police came in too aggressively like some commando team, started beaten on somebody and a gun went off.
an accident that was made possible by bad police work, probably.
Yeah, heaven forbid a bail-skipping crack dealer from out of state, already with 2 contacts with local law enforcement under his local alias ~ and who will ever know how many others, under who-knows-how-many-other aliases, besides? ~ be seen as anything but pure and clean and innocent... He has his right to a fair & speedy trial ~ and judgment by his peers ~ he will not be treated like our troops in Somalia... The System is in place, and the system works:
God Bless America, where even a crack dealing bail skipping good-for-nothing gets the same rights as anyone else.
I'll stop now, you must be in a rush to put some money on his books for the commissary card.
The system sure does have their way of conducting business,now-a-days, and it is sad to see people of higher authority get over just because of the titles that they hold. Despite this man's past,he's not a killer. I strongly feel that he is entitled to a fair trail. I seems that police rushed this guy, and didn't follow proper procedures while attempting to serve justice,in the event one of thier man was gunned down. Perhaps, officiers where trying to fire at him,who knows...........only the lord, and the officier that was present in the room? The fact remains...........who will tell the truth?
PROTECT THE INNOCENT! Yeah sure enough a sin is a sin there is no different level. Yeah he gave a fake name, yeah he lived in a so called bad neiborhood. That does not make him a murderer. Theres parts that are being covered up and protected. Theres things that are not being published by the media and the press. Before you call My friend a Murderer, educate yourself on this case its all over the internet. Put yourself in his shoe, that officer DID NOT die at the hands of Wiggins. Has anybody stop to think about what actions has been held against the real murderer.(a fellow swat team member)