Reply #140: You know what's cooler?

[TheMadMonk]

And you managed to completely miss the part where the article says the cops came to search for missing PS3's. For this they do need a warrant.

But let's be charitable to the cops. Let's assume the paper got that wrong, and they were there to arrest him.

The reported accounts, have Strickland answering the door, possibly being a bit panicky when it turns out to be the cops. His dad's a lawyer, and he's been in a bit of trouble before, so he's probably got a fairish (though possibly incomplete) idea of what his rights are and what the cops responsibilities are in that situation. So he demands to see a warrant and when they can't deliver, refuses to step outside where they can arrest him sans warrant.

(Can someone tell me if the cops in Wilmington can enter a person's home to enforce an arrest warrant sitting on a desk somewhere and not physically in their hand?)

Next words are exchanged and things get heated. (It's quite possibily about here that the dog starts up.) The cops bust the door down and a few seconds later Strickland and his dog are dead.

Alternatively, the cops busted the door down and Strickland gave them a mouthful. (Again, this is the likely point for the dog to enter the fray.)


Most of the above is in the reported accounts and for the purpose of the exercise I will assume them to be a close facsimile of the truth, with some speculation based upon my admittedly limited knowledge of the law in the US.

So why the fuck didn't the cops just wait for that warrant? Strickland wasn't going anywhere and sending a PS3 (which they may or may not have been entitled to look for) around the S-bend is not exactly easy, if at all possible.


My turn to assume. It was getting close to shift change and the cops were pissed at being mouthed off at by a punk kid. The let their emotions get the better of them and acted excessively. Strickland's dog doesn't like this invasion of its territory and let's the cops know it in no uncertain terms.

The cops are now faced with a threat which is pretty much of their own making and use their guns. Killing the dog and Strickland.


If my speculation is even remotely close to the truth of the matter, those cops should have the book thrown at them.

Further, no matter how "in the right" they were, unless there was a clear and present danger, they still deserve to have their arses royally reamed. Their actions, leading up to the shooting were not necessary, even if they were permissible.