As seen in previous posts, the cops protect the prosecutors and the prosecutors return the favor, perpetuating a cycle of abuse and corruption.
Mississippi Prosecutors Defend Cops Who Killed Innocent Man In Wrong House Raid
Mississippi cops killed a totally innocent person while serving a warrant on the wrong house, but the DeSoto County District Attorney John Champion is already lobbying public opinion in favor of the police officers who made a fatal mistake.
He’s saying that officers shot at a dog and killed Ismael Lopez.
Lopez and his wife Claudia Linares were sleeping peacefully at home when the officers arrived.
Ismael Lopez went to answer the door and shortly thereafter fell to the bullets fired by an officer from the Southaven Police Department at the age of 41, right at the front door of his mobile home.
Police bullets pierced his front door.
He died.
The Lopez family retained lawyer Murray Wells who firmly says that the police shot an unarmed man, and that the cops have a strong incentive to lie in order to avoid prosecution.
DeSoto County District Attorney John Champion wouldn’t even admit that officers went to the wrong house, but he did claim that Ismael Lopez was armed, according to The Commercial Appeal:
The statement that the officers went to the wrong address echoed a similar comment the day before from a local prosecutor, John Champion, who said the officers may very well have been at the wrong house. Champion said Monday that two officers were at the scene and that a pit bull dog burst out of the house, prompting one of the officers to shoot at it. Then a man pointed a gun at officers through an open door, Champion said. The officers repeatedly warned him to put the gun down before one of them opened fire. The attorney representing the family said Lopez, a gun owner, did not have a gun in his hand when he was shot, and that the law firm would do its own investigation to learn what happened.
Now that DA Champion is finished defending the officers, it will be his government job to prosecute the cops once the family’s criminal complaint is initiated.
Southaven officers had the right address on their warrants and both houses had visible address markers, when they made their raid in the exurban area just south of Memphis, Tennesee.
The Southaven officers went to the wrong house anyhow and killed the innocent auto mechanic, leaving his family saying that they will pursue Lopez’s killer to the fullest extent of the law.
They were searching for Samuel Pearman who posted a video claiming innocence onto Facebook which was broadcast on the local news, which you can see below.
Instead, they killed an unarmed man.
The Lopez family’s lawyer Murray Wells was unequivocal in condemning the cops incompetence, and putting key facts on the record in an interview with WMAC:
“Someone didn’t take the time to analyze the address. This is incredibly tragic and embarrassing to this police department that they can’t read house numbers.”
He also said that Claudia, who was the only one on the property who could not be held responsible for shooting Lopez, did not hear any commands or instructions being given. In addition, Wells said Lopez never pointed a gun at the officers. “There was a gun on the premises, but the man did not have the gun with him when police shot him,” he said.
“They’ve been in that home for 13 years. The only time the police had ever been there was when they had been robbed,” Wells said. “No criminal history whatsoever. A long-standing employee of the city of Bartlett, mechanic. Loved in the neighborhood.”
Ismael Lopez can’t be brought back, and his widow Claudia Linares is going to face an uphill climb seeking justice since the initial remarks portend a fight with the Desoto County District Attorney as he plays criminal defense lawyer for the Mississippi cops who shot and killed her spouse.
It’s unknown if there are meaningful police recordings of the encounter yet, and the officers’ identities remain secret.
http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2017/07/26/mississippi-cops-kill-innocent-man-in-wrong-house-raid/
Remember this case?
A bunch of armed and violent criminals invaded a home and killed an innocent man. Since they were cops though, the killers are free to walk the streets, one of them still working as a cop. No matter what someone does, crime or no crime, young or old, black or white, the cops will still find a way to justify the killing. You don't even have to do anything wrong to be killed. This man was at his house at night and had done nothing wrong and yet he was shot at the back of the head in his home from criminals who were not supposed to be there.
Cops Go to Wrong Home, Execute Innocent Man With Bullet to Back of His Head—No IndictmentSouthaven, MS — One year ago, police responding to a call of domestic violence went to the wrong home and killed an innocent husband. Now, TFTP has just learned that the officers involved in the killing will not be charged.
The officers were brought to a grand jury by District Attorney John Champion who attempted to get them indicted on charges of homicide. However, the grand jury irresponsibly failed to return an indictment.
“The grand jury was given all of the evidence and they decided not to indict,” Champion said. “From my perspective, the case is closed at this point.”
“Everything about this is wrong. I am outraged. Shame, shame on the police department, shame on the DA. Mr. Champion, shame on you. You need to retire,” Pastor Rolando Rostro, Lopez family advocate, said.
In July of 2017, Ismael Lopez and his wife were the only ones home when Ismael heard his dogs barking, so he took a look outside to see what was going on. Seconds later, he would be shot and killed by people who claim to protect society. Police had no right to be there and had gone to the wrong address.
The Southaven Police Department admitted officers went to the wrong house that fateful night. According to police, they were trying to serve a warrant for domestic assault to Samuel Pearman—who lives 36 feet away from Lopez’s home.
Police claim that when Lopez came to the door, he pointed a gun at them. However, multiple bullets were fired through the closed door and Champion admitted that the autopsy showed Lopez died from a gunshot wound to the back of the head.According to WMC 5, three officers were at the scene, but only one of them opened fire. That officer fired six total shots—two at a dog that ran out of Lopez’s house toward the officers and four into the house. The bullets went through Lopez’s front door; one hit him in the back of the head. Lopez’s dog was grazed by a bullet.
“I do not believe [the officers] identified themselves at the door,” Champion said.
Champion said Lopez was pulling the gun away from the direction of the officers when the officers opened fire. He said he did not want to speculate about how it happened, but he thought Lopez could have been shot in the back of the head while he turned away from the officers, reports WMC 5.
None of the officers were wearing a body camera nor was any of the incident recorded on dash camera.
An attorney for the Lopez family says they are now planning to file a civil suit against the department.
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/no-indictment-cops-wrong-home-kill-man/
