Dallas officer kills man after mistaking his apartment for her own

[juiceweezl]

OMG, Gasser! The fact that she shot him had nothing to do with her being a cop. Yes, that probably got her the extra days before being arrested, and we'll see how the trial plays out. However, she was off duty. It could have been anyone that did what she did. It could have been someone like my wife. She is a school teacher. Her dad is sick and has been in the hospital. She is about to go see him. Play the scenario out to where she is a single woman living in a complex like that. She logs 14 hour days to get her classes ready for the sub, flies halfway across the country to spend hours with her mom and dad, stresses over it all and doesn't sleep. After 3 or 4 days, she catches the last flight back to DFW. After landing, she gets to her car then drives home. It's late, she's a zombie, and she takes her gun from the car to carry back into the apartment. She could easily have then done exactly what happened in this case. I travel for a living and I have tried to open the wrong door in the hotel multiple times. Myself and coworkers have all had someone open the door and start to walk into our own room before too. It's why we keep the door chain/bar flipped.

I think LEO's should be held to a higher standard when on duty or behaving as a LEO. Otherwise, they're citizens just like you and I. That being said, no LEO should get preferential treatment in a situation like this. She should have been arrested almost immediately, and everything should proceed as if she were a citizen -- no special treatment. By your reasoning about her not ever being a LEO, 98% of the people who have firearms shouldn't be allowed to have them including you.

[ceyko]

Then you would deserve anything that happened to you.

I'd probably promptly be completed after kicking a curb or something and breaking a toe. It would have to be done in between work, kid stuff, late work, chores around house and sleeping as well.

Imma tear some shit up!

[dcs13]

Gasser, THATS wa awesome. Good laugh over coffee..

[TexasDevilDog]

Can I say beyond a reasonable doubt that she knew she was in the wrong apartment? Nope therefore can’t throw book at her. At least that’s how I would argue it. Maybe he got aggressive and she thought she had no choice who knows. Bad deal all around

Let's assume she thought she was in her apartment. Shooting in the dark at an unknown target, that is reckless. She had time to draw her weapon and shout commands but not time to hit the light switch?

This is not murder. She did have fore thought of killing someone.

[black50]

I think she will be acquitted using...of all things...castle doctrine.....its ironic I know. She THOUGHT...at least based on the facts we know at the moment....that she was in HER home...she was defending herself in HER home "in her mind". She saw a person...in the dark..inside her home...she did not have a duty to retreat under castle doctrine. Now this could all change drastically if witnesses come forward with evidence proving otherwise. The red doormat will probably become significant evidence for the prosecution to use to establish that she SHOULD have known it wasn't her home...but depends on the jury. This is going to be a HUGE HUGE case before its over with. Her life is over. If she is acquitted I agree that the protests will be big and violent. They may get that way regardless. I would NOT want to be a police officer in Dallas.

Thought this was pretty far fetched but sure enough they mentioned the castle doctrine defense this morning on the radio...made me think of your post

[Jose]

OMG, Gasser! The fact that she shot him had nothing to do with her being a cop. Yes, that probably got her the extra days before being arrested, and we'll see how the trial plays out. However, she was off duty. It could have been anyone that did what she did. It could have been someone like my wife. She is a school teacher. Her dad is sick and has been in the hospital. She is about to go see him. Play the scenario out to where she is a single woman living in a complex like that. She logs 14 hour days to get her classes ready for the sub, flies halfway across the country to spend hours with her mom and dad, stresses over it all and doesn't sleep. After 3 or 4 days, she catches the last flight back to DFW. After landing, she gets to her car then drives home. It's late, she's a zombie, and she takes her gun from the car to carry back into the apartment. She could easily have then done exactly what happened in this case. I travel for a living and I have tried to open the wrong door in the hotel multiple times. Myself and coworkers have all had someone open the door and start to walk into our own room before too. It's why we keep the door chain/bar flipped.

I think LEO's should be held to a higher standard when on duty or behaving as a LEO. Otherwise, they're citizens just like you and I. That being said, no LEO should get preferential treatment in a situation like this. She should have been arrested almost immediately, and everything should proceed as if she were a citizen -- no special treatment. By your reasoning about her not ever being a LEO, 98% of the people who have firearms shouldn't be allowed to have them including you.

Well said and I totally agree!

[jewozzy]

Exactly how smart do you think you have to be to fool a court appointed attorney or a low man on the totem pole district attorney? The only jury I ever set on where the attorneys were not government peons was in a civil asbestos claims case, the attorneys on both sides of that case were as bright as the sun.

I guess in the lower courts it's possible but I've never seen it. I worked the largest caseload felony court in Dallas for a while and have been the bailiff on dozens of murder cases. Some where they went for the death penalty (which will be similar style of jury selection to this case due to the overwhelming coverage even though death penalty will not be an option) and I've never once seen an attorney that couldn't pick the people out that were obviously biased going into the case. Hell I think in every single one of them they ask for a show of hands of people that either a) dont think they can be impartial b) already have a notion in their mind of whether they automatically agree with state or defense c) have had something similar happen in either their life or a family member/close friends life.

[CexMashean]

Is anyone surprised that SVO claims he would LIE to sit on jury?

SVO, being ok with LYING doesn't just seem normal to anyone else?

[Gasser64]

OMG, Gasser! The fact that she shot him had nothing to do with her being a cop. Yes, that probably got her the extra days before being arrested, and we'll see how the trial plays out. However, she was off duty. It could have been anyone that did what she did. It could have been someone like my wife. She is a school teacher. Her dad is sick and has been in the hospital. She is about to go see him. Play the scenario out to where she is a single woman living in a complex like that. She logs 14 hour days to get her classes ready for the sub, flies halfway across the country to spend hours with her mom and dad, stresses over it all and doesn't sleep. After 3 or 4 days, she catches the last flight back to DFW. After landing, she gets to her car then drives home. It's late, she's a zombie, and she takes her gun from the car to carry back into the apartment. She could easily have then done exactly what happened in this case. I travel for a living and I have tried to open the wrong door in the hotel multiple times. Myself and coworkers have all had someone open the door and start to walk into our own room before too. It's why we keep the door chain/bar flipped.

I think LEO's should be held to a higher standard when on duty or behaving as a LEO. Otherwise, they're citizens just like you and I. That being said, no LEO should get preferential treatment in a situation like this. She should have been arrested almost immediately, and everything should proceed as if she were a citizen -- no special treatment. By your reasoning about her not ever being a LEO, 98% of the people who have firearms shouldn't be allowed to have them including you.

So let me get this straight. You'll correct me if I'm wrong here, cause maybe I'm not reading your reply correctly, but I think that I am.

You're saying that if your wife (or insert average non cop citizen here)...

If your wife had gone home and her key didn't work, and she couldn't get in, and she heard someone rustling around, (or if they yelled to her to fuck off) she would have broken the door down and started shooting? She'd have gone rambo and the thought in her head would have been something along the lines of "Fuck this, nobody breaks into my house!!"

And what she would not have done, is realize that someone was apparently in her house, possibly robbing her, and stepped away and called the police. Hell even left with all haste and drove to the police station. When it could have been several people in the house for all she knew, all possibly armed.

[juiceweezl]

So let me get this straight. You'll correct me if I'm wrong here, cause maybe I'm not reading your reply correctly, but I think that I am.

You're saying that if your wife (or insert average non cop citizen here)...

If your wife had gone home and her key didn't work, and she couldn't get in, and she heard someone rustling around, (or if they yelled to her to fuck off) she would have broken the door down and started shooting? She'd have gone rambo and the thought in her head would have been something along the lines of "Fuck this, nobody breaks into my house!!"

And what she would not have done, is realize that someone was apparently in her house, possibly robbing her, and stepped away and called the police. Hell even left with all haste and drove to the police station. When it could have been several people in the house for all she knew, all possibly armed.

Based on what we know (what's in the affidavit, not what some anonymous source says in media), she gained entry to the apartment she thought was her own. Everything you just type is based on something not in the affidavit. The trial will determine everything else. Changing those facts, or what we know as facts as of now, affects everything. Base your comments on the affidavit or you're no better than any liberal spouting off.

[Murph Tang]

Its a sad tragedy for both and their families.

I'm sure more info will come as the Texas Rangers finish their findings.

[Strychnine]

Its a sad tragedy for both and their families.

I'm sure more info will come as the Texas Rangers finish their findings.

Hey! Asshole! If you're not gonna jump to conclusions based on what Ferris' best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with a girl, then you can fuck right outta here!

[The King]

Exactly how often do you think police officers are the defendant in a criminal case? I'll clue you in, it hardly ever happens. It is so rare that it is not even worth mentioning so I didn't partially because I've never set on a jury where a police officer is the defendant. I'm an activist and I actively seek out being seated on a jury for my own personal reasons. Most people get pissed when called for jury duty but I get excited. Don't worry though, I've never let anyone off that is a true danger to the world based on my own assessment of them. I did give lady probation once for delivery of a controlled substance when she brought a kilo of cocaine to some undercover officers in a drug buy stashed in a box of Frosted Flakes. I laughed so hard when the officer said that's where she had the dope stashed that I fell out of my seat.

In the future if I'm on a jury for a gun charge I doubt I would convict the person unless they had gold teeth. See what I mean about being a bigot?

Speaking for myself as well as probably many others in this thread, it is doubtful that anyone worries at all about anything you have done or might claim to have done through BS internet postings.

Now the gold teeth part...that there's funny no matter who ye' are.

[Jose]

So let me get this straight. You'll correct me if I'm wrong here, cause maybe I'm not reading your reply correctly, but I think that I am.

You're saying that if your wife (or insert average non cop citizen here)...

If your wife had gone home and her key didn't work, and she couldn't get in, and she heard someone rustling around, (or if they yelled to her to fuck off) she would have broken the door down and started shooting? She'd have gone rambo and the thought in her head would have been something along the lines of "Fuck this, nobody breaks into my house!!"

And what she would not have done, is realize that someone was apparently in her house, possibly robbing her, and stepped away and called the police. Hell even left with all haste and drove to the police station. When it could have been several people in the house for all she knew, all possibly armed.

As far as I know (and read) there were no signs of forced entry. Again as far as I know, it was some sort of electronic key similar to what you see in hotels so it's hard to tell if it's wrong or right. Hell even some of my regular house keys will work on the wrong door on my house but just not turn right. Again from what we understand, the door was not closed and/or ajar so it not technically locked and she thought she was entering her residence.

Just pointing out a few differences from what you are saying and what they are saying occurred.

[Jose]

hey! Asshole! If you're not gonna jump to conclusions based on what ferris' best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with a girl, then you can fuck right outta here!

lol!