Father says 18-year-old son murdered by Southport Police officer

[poncho]

BOILING SPRING LAKES, NC (WWAY) -- A Boiling Spring Lakes father says his son was murdered by police this afternoon.

Mark Wilsey says he called police when his 18-year-old, 90 lb. son had a screwdriver that he would not let go. But Wilsey says he never expected calling for help would end with son being shot and killed by someone sworn to serve and protect.

Wilsey says his son, Keith Vidal, had schizophrenia and was having an episode Sunday afternoon at their home on the 1100 block of President Road in Boiling Spring Lakes

He says his son had about a six-inch screwdriver and was threatening to fight his mother, so they called police to calm him down.

Wilsey says everything was under control until a third officer arrived, and the situation took a dramatic turn.

"Murder. They murdered our son for no reason," Wilsey said. "Everything was going good, then this fat cop from Southport walks in the room, walks around the corner, says, 'We don't have time for this. Tase that kid now. Let's get him out of here.'"

Wilsey says like any teenage boy, his son tried to run when he heard the word tase.

"The tasers hit him, he fell back. Two officers were on top of him. You know, he's got the little screwdriver. I mean, I would have went and got the screwdriver from him. I went to help, and I hear a shot,” Wilsey said.

Wilsey says he grabbed the officer so he could not shoot again.

"'What did you shoot my son for?'" Wilsey said he asked the officer. "(The officer said,) 'Well, I'm protecting my officers.' There was no reason for deadly force here."

Now Vidal's family is left mourning their loved one.

http://www.wwaytv3.com/2014/01/05/father-says-18-year-old-son-murdered-southport-police-officer#.UsoG3UDSGTU.facebook


Police group: Detective who fatally shot mentally ill teen acted justly

The North Carolina Police Benevolent Association laid out its version of what happened in Boiling Spring Lakes in a statement issued Wednesday, three days after Keith Vidal was killed.

The most salient part was its defense of a Southport police detective for shooting Vidal after, in its view, determining that the teenager posed a "deadly threat" to another officer. The professional organization represents both these officers but not a sheriff's deputy also at the scene.

"(The) detective ... employed authorized law enforcement action to stop the continuing threat of deadly harm to (the officer) and others," the Police Benevolent Association concluded.

The Southport detective's lawyer, W. James Payne, has told CNN affiliate WWAY that once investigations into the shooting are complete, "All folks -- everybody -- will conclude that the officers acted appropriately."

Payne elaborated to CNN on Wednesday night, claiming that his client fired after Vidal made multiple attempts to stab the other officer with a screwdriver. The other officer was wearing a bulletproof vest and was not injured.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/08/justice/north-carolina-teen-killed/

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Dads want to believe what dads want to believe.

Official accounts -- in other words, the accounts the barking moonbat who posted this story will instantly reject -- state that Vidal made repeated attempts to stab a police officer with a screwdriver.

CNN: Police group says detective who fatally shot mentally ill teen acted justly​

Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina (CNN) -- A North Carolina detective justifiably shot a schizophrenic 18-year-old because he believed another officer's life was in danger, a group representing police officers said, offering an account vastly different from that of the late teen's outraged family.

The North Carolina Police Benevolent Association laid out its version of what happened in Boiling Spring Lakes in a statement issued Wednesday, three days after Keith Vidal was killed.

The most salient part was its defense of a Southport police detective for shooting Vidal after, in its view, determining that the teenager posed a "deadly threat" to another officer. The professional organization represents both these officers but not a sheriff's deputy also at the scene.

Moonbats jump to their own predetermined conclusions without considering there are other accounts that aren't offered by emotionally distraught family members with an agenda.

 

[poncho]

Dads want to believe what dads want to believe.

Official accounts -- in other words, the accounts the barking moonbat who posted this story will instantly reject -- state that Vidal made repeated attempts to stab a police officer with a screwdriver.

CNN: Police group says detective who fatally shot mentally ill teen acted justly​

Moonbats jump to their own predetermined conclusions without considering there are other accounts that aren't offered by emotionally distraught family members with an agenda.

Yeah a 90 pound kid with a little screwdriver could put a really severe hurting on police officers with bullet proof vests, tasers and Glocks. While they have him pinned to the floor and properly double tased.

I totally understand why he was shot to death in front of his parents. We have to protect cops at all costs!

North Carolina Teen Shot and Killed by Cop While Two Other Cops Had Already-Tased Teen Pinned

".....Two Officers responded to the scene and started negotiating with Vidal. After about 10 mins the situation started defusing itself with Vidal becoming more rational. At that very moment an Officer From another Town Entered the residence and instructed the officers to stop talking and tase Vidal. As Vidal tried to flee into the bathroom adjacent to where he was standing the two officers simultaneously shot him with their tasers. As Vidal Collapsed backwards on to the floor the two officers jumped on top of the 5ft 3 100 lb Vidal to restrain him.. As Vidal’s Father tried to step in and grab the screw driver The Southport Police Officer that had instructed the other officers to use their tasers, moved between the father and the pile of people on the floor and said ” We don’t have time for this” And shot Vidal Once in the chest as the other two Officers held him on the floor. Vidal’s father then grabbed the officer as he was lining himself up for another shot."

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1072965

North Carolina detective indicted for killing mentally ill teenager

(CNN) -- The North Carolina detective who shot and killed a mentally ill teenager has been indicted by a grand jury on one count of voluntary manslaughter, the Brunswick County District Attorney's office said in a news release.

Bryon Vassey of the Southport Police Department was given until noon Wednesday to surrender. A judge set bail Monday night at $50,000.

"After I reviewed the case I found that a crime almost certainly did take place," District Attorney Jon David told reporters Tuesday. "It was a 'bad shoot.' A grand jury has agreed."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/04/justice/north-carolina-slain-teen/

Dads want to believe what dads want to believe.

Official accounts -- in other words, the accounts the barking moonbat who posted this story will instantly reject -- state that Vidal made repeated attempts to stab a police officer with a screwdriver.

Yeah we all know that part of police training is to render them incapable of lying by removing the part of the brain that would otherwise enable them to try to cover their own butts when they kill someone without cause.

Care to do some more barking now Mr. Authoritarian Moonbat?

 

[Don]

So already we have two different versions of what happened.

In the first version from the OP, the step-father said the third officer appeared and ordered the first two to taser the kid. In the other version, the step-father said the first two tasered the kid, and then the third cop showed up.

In the iReport story, the author says there are no hearsay statements in his report; yet, the fact that he wasn't there and was reporting what he heard from others, is the very definition of hearsay, isn't it?

Me, personally, based on the first story, the third police officer took control of a situation that was already under control, and escalated it unnecessarily. Based on the second story, it depends on the testimony of the first two policemen; if they thought the kid was actually posing a threat with the screwdriver (and let me tell ya, being stabbed with a screwdriver is *nothing* to sneeze about or laugh at), well ... I still think deadly force was unjustified. My question to the third officer would be, why didn't you get down there and attempt to restrain the suspect?

Deadly force should *always* be the last resort. This guy jumped several rungs of the "use of force" ladder pretty quickly.

 

[Revmitchell]

And yet by and large the majority of our police across the country are honorable men and women who do a fine job.

 

[poncho]

Southport Police Department Detective Bryon Vassey had no choice but to open fire on 18-year old Keith Vidal on Jan. 5 and was justified to do so, Vassey’s attorney James Payne said Wednesday.

“Detective Bryon Vassey exercised the only morally, legally justified duty of protecting the life of a fellow officer and that sadly (ended) the life of young Mr. Keith Vidal,” Payne said during a press conference.

Unlike at least one other officer at the scene who was carrying a nonlethal Taser, Payne said, Vassey’s only available force was his service-issued firearm.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20140205/ARTICLES/140209823?tc=ar

What else could he do? He left his taser home.

And yet by and large the majority of our police across the country are honorable men and women who do a fine job.

Introduction

This is the 2010 National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP) Police Misconduct Statistical Report. This report is the result of data captured from January 2010 through December 2010 by the NPMSRP consisting of reports that meet credibility criteria which have been gathered from multiple media sources throughout the United States. For more information about the NPMSRP, the process used to gather data on police misconduct, and other information about our reporting process please visit our FAQ page or About page. You can also review older statistical reports and ancillary reports here.

Summary

From January 2010 through December 2010 the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project recorded 4,861 unique reports of police misconduct that involved 6,613 sworn law enforcement officers and 6,826 alleged victims.

4,861 – Unique reports of police misconduct tracked
6,613 - Number of sworn law enforcement officers involved (354 were agency leaders such as chiefs or sheriffs)
6,826 - Number of alleged victims involved
247 – Number of fatalities associated with tracked reports
$346,512,800 – Estimated amount spent on misconduct-related civil judgments and settlements excluding sealed settlements, court costs, and attorney fees.

http://www.policemisconduct.net/statistics/2010-annual-report/

That's just one year. And that's just what got reported.

 

[Don]

From January 2010 through December 2010 the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project recorded 4,861 unique reports of police misconduct that involved 6,613 sworn law enforcement officers [Out of how many nationwide?] and 6,826 alleged victims.

6,613 sworn law enforcement officers -- Out of how many nationwide?

 

[poncho]

6,613 sworn law enforcement officers -- Out of how many nationwide?

That was reported or otherwise known about by a group that readily admits it doesn't have all the information it needs to make a conclusive determination for various reasons that are given in the article.

You ask that as if it were an acceptable amount of corruption among the police force. Is it?

 

[Don]

Well, now, that's veeery interesting....

The link provided does not give the total number of officers nation-wide, so a correlating percentage of officers guilty of excessive force is hard to draw a definitive number.

In the one chart that lists states, it pretty much comes out to about 5-6% of officers for each state have been reported for excessive force.

In the departments that have over 1,000 officers:
8% of New Orleans population are law enforcement. That equates to one officer for every 12 people. And the corresponding excessive force number equates to 5% for that law enforcement office.
Denver--.25% of their population are law enforcement officers; one officer for every 400 citizens; and their excessive force number equates to 4%.
Nashville: .24% of their population are law enforcement; one officer for every 426 citizens; excessive force number equates to 1.2%.

In the mid-range departments (500-999 officers):
Pittsburgh - 3% of the population are officers; 1 officer per 342 citizens; excessive force number equates to 6.4%.
Tulsa - 2.1% of the population are officers; 1 officer per 474 citizens; excessive force number equates to 5.2%
Mobile - 2.2% of the population are officers; 1 officer per 453 citizens; excessive force number equates to 1.5%

In the smaller departments (100-499):
Galveston - .27% of the population are officers; 1 officer per 370 citizens; excessive force number equates to 14.9%.
West Jordan UT - .1% of the population are officers; 1 officer per 1,040 citizens; excessive force number equates to 13.6%.

In the small departments (50-99):
East Haven CT - 1.8% of the population are officers; 1 officer per 561 citizens; excessive force equates to 56.9%.

Please note: The "officers per citizens" is a straight math equation, and is therefore incorrect. The actual number is quite smaller, because each department has officers who conduct administrative duties or otherwise are not involved in full-time protection of the public.

Statistics were not available on officer training programs. For example, why does East Haven CT have such a huge excessive force percentage, as compared to the much larger departments?

There is a section in the report that discusses prosecution of excessive force cases, showing an apparent correlation between higher excessive force reports and lower prosecutions of excessive force. This could directly tie in to the training aspect.
-----
Please note: The "law of unintended consequences" could most definitely apply! For example, requiring a national standardization of police training with strict oversight and assessment may actually result in fewer excessive force cases; BUT would necessarily be a stepping point towards nationalized police forces (similar to the Italian Carabinieri and French Gendarmerie).

But what's the alternative to allowing things to continue as they are? How do you *require* states to enact stricter training programs that ensure compliance with constitutional requirements, without standardizing that training nation-wide?

 

[Don]

That was reported or otherwise known about by a group that readily admits it doesn't have all the information it needs to make a conclusive determination for various reasons that are given in the article.

You ask that as if it were an acceptable amount of corruption among the police force. Is it?

Corruption? Or poor training? Or both?

I worked with some bad security specialist guys in my day; but if a case were to be made for them to be corrupt, it was because of poor training and lack of proper supervision.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

6,613 sworn law enforcement officers -- Out of how many nationwide?

803,396, according to WikiAnswers, which seems to be much more reliable that either Wikipedia or the barking moonbat websites you-know-who quotes from. That means that far fewer than 1% of police officers become the target of complaints, and that doesn't take into account that fully 95% of those complaints are totally unfounded. Ironically, a lesser percentage than the number of people who have gotten crosswise with the law, committing felonies during their lifetime. Those amount to about 1% of the total population. The number of officers targeted for complaint is less than 1/100th of a percent. So much for the "rampant" claims these clowns like to make.

 

[poncho]

Corruption? Or poor training? Or both?

I worked with some bad security specialist guys in my day; but if a case were to be made for them to be corrupt, it was because of poor training and lack of proper supervision.

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=92079

I lean more towards improper training by "government officials" and high ranking superiors that seem to have fallen victim to a form of post 9/11 paranoid schizophrenia.

Old Russian proverb "the fish rots from the head".

Half my family either are or were cops, some are cool some are total jerks. My next door neighbor is a cop. Nicest guy you'd ever want meet on duty or off. Then there are people like my younger brother who wanted to be a cop. He went to college and studied criminology. He hung out with the local police and started lifting weights and getting muscles and taking on a whole new personality. He looked down on everyone as if he were better and more entitled to respect than anyone else.

Luckily he never became a cop and started acting human again after awhile.

The point is some people shouldn't be cops. There are those who love to have power over others and these are the people that shouldn't be given authority over others. Better mental screening and hiring practices might be in order.

Look at how many sex offenders have found work with the TSA. Hey you love to be in charge and grope children all day? Join the TSA team!

 

[Gina B]

But what's the alternative to allowing things to continue as they are? How do you *require* states to enact stricter training programs that ensure compliance with constitutional requirements, without standardizing that training nation-wide?

Swift and severe consequences when a police officer dishonors the badge, and the same for anyone who covers up for him/her.

And the same for any officer who falsely accuses one of their own.

 

[JonC]

So already we have two different versions of what happened.

In the first version from the OP, the step-father said the third officer appeared and ordered the first two to taser the kid. In the other version, the step-father said the first two tasered the kid, and then the third cop showed up.

In the iReport story, the author says there are no hearsay statements in his report; yet, the fact that he wasn't there and was reporting what he heard from others, is the very definition of hearsay, isn't it?

Me, personally, based on the first story, the third police officer took control of a situation that was already under control, and escalated it unnecessarily. Based on the second story, it depends on the testimony of the first two policemen; if they thought the kid was actually posing a threat with the screwdriver (and let me tell ya, being stabbed with a screwdriver is *nothing* to sneeze about or laugh at), well ... I still think deadly force was unjustified. My question to the third officer would be, why didn't you get down there and attempt to restrain the suspect?

Deadly force should *always* be the last resort. This guy jumped several rungs of the "use of force" ladder pretty quickly.

I was thinking the same. Bringing a gun to a screwdriver fight may be overkill. I worked on a psych ward for several years, and instances like this were not uncommon - except that we didn’t shoot anyone. Three people should have been able to subdue and restrain a schizophrenic with a screwdriver…but, I wasn’t there so I really don’t know.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Swift and severe consequences when a police officer dishonors the badge, and the same for anyone who covers up for him/her.

Everyone has the right to due process, even if you don't like them.

And the same for any officer who falsely accuses one of their own.

What about the private citizen who makes a false accusation, which is what happens with aobut 95% of the complaints filed against a police officer?

 

[poncho]

Everyone has the right to due process, even if you don't like them.

Not according to all the democrats and republicans that voted in favor of the NDAA.

What about the private citizen who makes a false accusation, which is what happens with aobut 95% of the complaints filed against a police officer?

95% of the time? That's a big number can you prove it without being obnoxious?