The Suspicious Tale Of The Arizona Deputy Shot By Drug Smugglers

[pampango]

Source: TPM Muckraker

The much-hyped account of an Arizona sheriff's deputy attacked by border-crossing drug smugglers is being questioned, months after the fact.

On April 30, one week after Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signed her state's controversial new immigration bill into law, a gun battle reportedly took place in a remote western part of Pinal County, Arizona, between a lone sheriff's deputy and a well-armed group of suspected drug smugglers. The deputy, Louie Puroll, was shot just above his left kidney, but survived, and his assailants were not found, despite an extensive search. The story spread quickly, was reported by major media outlets and was held up by border hawks as proof that Mexican drug violence was spilling into the country.

But an exhaustive article published in the Phoenix New Times last week challenges the official story of what happened in the desert that day, and the Sheriff's office -- led by Paul Babeu, who has ridden this story and his appearance in John McCain's "danged fence" campaign ad to national prominence -- has now reopened its investigation of the case.

The arguments of a number of pathologists provide the most provocative part of Rubin's report. Rubin asked several experts to analyze photographs taken of Puroll's bullet wound. They told Rubin that the torn flesh in the picture looked like a close-contact wound, not one made by a shot fired from 25 yards away, as Puroll had claimed.

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/09/the_suspicious_tale_of_the_arizona_deputy_shot_by_drug_smugglers.php

[Brother Buzz]

1. He shot himself in the foot and missed?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Nothing is true!

:tinfoilhat:

[SargeUNN]

3. The Sheriff involved is a political animal and extreme

I call him sheriff baboon and have met and talked with him. He is truly a right wing extremist and talking to him I quickly saw that. He has even gone so far as to call the Obama Gov't. was an enemy to the nation. I think he went further but don't remember exactly. He is trying to raise funds to buy a more powerful arsenal for the office even though his county is close to Phoenix hours away from the border. When I heard him speak was at a Jeff Flake Town Hall (which really was a pep rally) and after hearing him speak and talking to him, I went on the air at KXXT the next day trying to alert listeners to this guy.

From what I have found out he is a politician that has little law enforcement experience and needed an elected position to run for the next office so he ran for Sheriff. It seems he and Arpaio are close and support each other. He is truly a danger.

[Matariki]

4. Machete! Life imitates art?

[cyndensco]

5. Guess now instead of the black guy doing it,

the border-crossing drug smugglers did.

[SoapBox]

6. This whole thing smelled bad from the beginning...

[sinkingfeeling]

7. This story ran last night on ABC News.

[HuckleB]

8. TPM links to the original, lengthy story at the end.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2010-09-23/news/pinalcchio-renowned-forensics-experts-say-a-pinal-county-deputy-s-high-profile-tale-about-getting-shot-after-encountering-drug-smugglers-doesn-t-add-up/