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On May 3rd two sheriffs deputies shot and killed a Veteran of the Vietnam war, in his own home. Local press coverage, up to today, has been pretty one-sided in deference to the deputies. Today the murdered man's son got to have his say and I'm livid about it. I hope that by bringing it here, it can gain some traction nationally. I'm going to start by posting some snippets of today's story, then link a chronology of coverage as the story unfolded. Deputies didn't identify themselves to slain vet, son says<SNIP>Saturday, May 07, 2005
By Ken Kolker
Copyright 2005, The Grand Rapids Press
SARANAC -- Fred Bletz would not have known the men with flashlights and guns in his house were deputies when he awoke in the dark late Tuesday and pulled his own handgun, just before he was shot and killed, said his son, Zachary Bletz.
Deputies were at the home to arrest Zachary Bletz, 28, on a bench warrant. Zachary Bletz said Friday he stood between his father and the two Ionia County sheriff's deputies when one of the officers fired the fatal shot.</SNIP><SNIP>'I sensed the tension'
Bletz said he was leaving with the deputies in his slippers when one of them told him to go back inside for a pair of shoes.
Bletz said he was walking back into the house when he felt nudging from behind. Both deputies had their guns drawn, he said.
"I asked if they had a warrant" to be in the house, but they kept following him inside, he said. "I told them, 'I'm not going anywhere.' I sensed the tension."
The deputies were greeted by the family's barking dog, Bletz said. Bletz said the house was dark, except for the beams from the officers' flashlights. The officers, still with their guns drawn, yelled for him to shut up his dog, he said.
Then Fred Bletz came out of his back bedroom with the gun.
Zachary Bletz said he stood between his father and the deputies, his arms stretched between them. They were no more than 6 feet apart, he said.
"I was like, 'Dad, Dad. It's OK.' And I'm telling them, 'It's my dad. It's my dad."
He said the deputies never identified themselves to his father as police. He doesn't recall if either of the deputies told his father to drop the gun, he said.
Suddenly, he said, he heard a shot, the first of several. He said he dropped to the floor, looked over at police, who were still standing, then over to his father. He said he saw his leg and heard him wheezing.
His mother, Kathryn, rushed out of the bedroom and turned on a light, he said. Deputies pushed her to the floor and handcuffed her, then led him and his mother to a patrol car, he said. He said deputies wouldn't let them back inside to be with his dying father. His sister, Heather, was not home, he said.</SNIP>Now for the chronology May 4 Vietnam veterans activist killed by police in Ionia County homeMay 5 Fatal shooting came after arrest; sheriff defends officer's actions as 'buy the book'May 6 Group denies threats to deputiesSo what we have is two bored sheriffs deputies serving an arrest warrant, for failure to appear, at 11:30 at night. They entered a home without a warrant to do so and shot it's occupant after failing to identify themselves to him. They then let the injured man bleed to death on his own floor This kind of shit needs to stop TODAY, without proper scrutiny it NEVER will. Jay |
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