Woman, 92, killed after starting a gunfight with narcs

She wounded three but didn't kill any of 'em. Guess she'd gotten a bit rusty since Annie Oakley first taught her how to slap leather.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2006/11/22/2445657-ap.html

I'm curious, however, about this bit:

As the plainclothes Atlanta police officers approached the house about 7 p.m., a woman inside started shooting, striking each of them, said Officer Joe Cobb, a police spokesman.

Assistant Chief Alan Dreher said the officers had a legal warrant and "knocked and announced" before they forced open the door. He said they were justified in returning fire when they were fired upon.

So, does anybody else doubt that these cops, apparently already under fire while approaching Ma Barker's hideout, honestly "knocked and announced" before kicking the door in and blowing the old lady away?

Hey, guys, it might have helped if you had sent UNIFORMED officers to do the job, so as not to unduly freak out Calamity Jane.

 

"Knocked and announced."
Copspeak.
This one reeks of a bad warrant.

 

Kinda poor reporting there...what specifically was the charge or reason for the warrant? I mean, I know it supposedly was drugs, but can't we maybe delve a little deeper? Cops insist they had the right house, but I'm thinking B.S. on a 90+ woman being a dealer.

 

Ya think?

 

Stories like this are absolutely mind-boggling.

92-year-old grandmother in a high-crime neighborhood has her door broken down, panics, and grabs her gun. The outcome is totally predictable, and the only incredible thing is that it doesn't happen more often.

This will keep happening until a leader with guts tells the cops that they can no longer play Rambo.

This guy has written extensively on paramilitary police raids, and he keeps a blog on the topic: http://www.theagitator.com/archives/cat_paramilitary_police_raids.php

His thoughts on "knock and announce":

As I've mentioned in discussing previous raids, from the perspective of the people inside, "knock-and-announce" warrants are really no different than no-knock warrants. The whole reason police use dynamic entry tactics is to take the suspect by surprise. You don't take someone by surprise by loudly announcing your presence, then giving them time to answer. If this case is like many others, compliance with the announcement requirement in the warrant was at best perfunctory. The announcement was likely brief, and probably done simultaneously with efforts to take down the door. That a 92-year-old woman wouldn't have heard or comprehended that it was a police raid isn't at all surprising.

 

This is sad, but you guys might want to wait to pass judgment.

 

Grandma could be a drug kingpin and I would still argue there are better ways to execute a warrant. It would require more time, effort and perhaps a little surveilance, and it wouldn't allow cops to get their jollies by busting down a door, but it would be a lot safer for everyone involved.

 

I don't think they'd get a warrant without some type of evidence, i.e., surveilance, undercover buy, etc.

Granted, the person typing the warrant could've typed the wrong address or something, but let's not cry foul until we know exactly what happened.

 

Not passing judgement, but I think the story left a lot to be desired, and the way it WAS written casts some questionable light on the cops.

 

Oho. You say "drugs," and you can get a warrant for almost anyone.
They get a warrant on the wrong person, kick in the door, and kill the person.
Happened in Boston with a aged minister.

 

Not saying that's not what happened. Just want to see what the investigation turns up, that's all. Let's save our "out of control cops" comments until we KNOW what happened.

 

She was dealin' her old stank.