Pierce Co. deputy wounded in shooting dies - KING 5 TV

Pierce County Deputy Kent Mundell was removed from life support this evening just after 5:00 PM. His wife was at his side and his passing was said to be quick and quiet. The family members of the man who murdered Deputy Mundell and wounded Deputy Housner responded admirably according to this report, saving a wounded Hausner by pulling him into another room and barricading the door, while the murderer's daughter struggled with him trying to get his gun away from him. Deputy Mundell is the sixth Peace Officer shot and killed in the line of duty in the past two months in King County and Pierce County. Were I a more forgiving sort I might say something else, but I cannot do other than wish that they find themselves in the deepest, most Dantesque level of hell.

The memorial service will be Tuesday, January 5 at the Tacoma Dome, at a time which is as of yet TBA.

Pierce Co. deputy wounded in shooting dies | KING 5 TV | Seattle News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | Local News

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Cop Killer Maurice Clemmons Shot to Death

Early this morning, despite a series of SWAT activities at locations police believed that Clemmons might attempt to hide himself, it appears that he was seen and identified by an officer on regular patrol.  When the officer of Seattle Police located the man who killed in cold blood four Lakewood Police officers, he was armed with the sidearm of one of the officers he’d killed. 

Assistant Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel, speaking to reporters this morning, indicated that a single officer noticed a stolen Acura left running along South Kenyan Street.  He approached the car, looked it over and returned to his patrol car to do the paperwork and arrange for the car to be transported.  As he sat in his patrol unit, the officer noticed in his side view mirror that a man was approaching him from behind.  The veteran patrol officer jumped from the car, ordered Clemmons to halt and put his hands up. Chief Pugel said that Clemmons began to ran. Unwilling to allow the four-time killer to escape, the patrol officer fired three or four rounds, killing Clemmons.

This photo, taken by Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com, shows several Seattle Police Officers looking at Clemmons body as it is loaded into an ambulance for transport to the medical examiner.  Trujillo and several of his colleagues probably worked almost without a break since Sunday morning, and have used Twitter to keep each other and some of us who follow them on that service up to speed on what each is seeing.

Troyer has said that Clemmons had told several relatives and friends to watch the news on Sunday because he was “going to kill a bunch of cops.”  Apparently none of them reported the threat, and the next morning Clemmons acted on it.  As suspected all day, Clemmons had been wounded in the torso, severely enough that Ed Troyer was somewhat surprised that he could get away. 

A relative treated the wound on Sunday night, before it was joined by three or four additional gunshot wounds when Clemmons approached the Seattle patrol officer from the rear, then ran when the officer spun around and saw him. 

Ed Troyer of the Peirce County Sherriff’s Department met with reporters early Tuesday morning.  According to Troyer, three arrests have been made for "rendering criminal assistance" to Clemmons in his flight. Additionally, a fourth person is being detained for assisting Clemmons in escaping from the Parkland area after Sunday's shooting.  Troyer also said he expects that an additional six or seven arrests will be made: "Some are friends, some are acquaintances, some are partners in crime, some are relatives," Troyer said. "Now they're all partners in crime."

Troyer said that family members were supplying Clemmons with cell phones, money and were working on getting him transported out of state.  Troyer has also said that Clemmons had attempted to draw his pistol when the SPD officer ordered him to stop and show his hands.

CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cliff Despeaux of the Seattle Times, who also must have been working since Sunday morning on this story (Despeaux tweeted that he began his day covering the Seattle Marathon on Sunday before the awful call came in and he headed to Parkland.  He worked most of the next 48 hours shadowing SWAT teams as they fanned out to cut Clemmons off from additional aid from family and friends.  The above photo is of the location where Clemmons was killed.  His twitter account was ‘tweeting’ steadily for both days.

Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar came to the site of where Clemmons was killed early this morning.  Farar said "I just want to thank all my brothers and sisters in law enforcement," he said. "I just can't say enough about what they've done in the last few days."

Update 1 (December 1, 2009)

Seattle Police Officer Benjamin L. Kelly has been identified as the officer who ended the criminal activities and life of the man responsible for killing in cold blood four police officers on Sunday, as well as a long string of assaults, armed robberies and most recently, charges that he raped a child.  "It was incredible police work. He's an incredible officer. He is nothing short of a hero, although he would bristle at being called that," according to  Seattle Police Officers Guild president Rich O'Neill.  He added that Officer Kelly values his privacy and doesn’t seek the limelight.

"I told him, 'You caught the suspect responsible for the worst police massacre in Washington state history. You need to take a deep breath and soak that in.' ", O’Neill added.  “He was alone, and was confronted by this guy, and knew it was him. "He wouldn't put his hands out, and to later find that he had the dead officer's gun on his person, one can only assume what he was approaching (Kelly) for". 

Seattle police have said today that it is believed that the scene, beginning with a stolen car parked with the hood up and motor running, certainly suggested an attempt by Clemmons to ambush another officer.  Assistant Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel has said Clemmons approached Kelly from behind, when Kelly noticed him  approaching, he jumped from the squad car to disarm and arrest Clemmons.  

Technorati Tags: Breaking News,Crime,Criminals,Seattle true crime,true crime,Lakewood Police Officers Ambushed,Maurice CLemmons

Four Police Officers Killed in Lakewood (Updated)

It is too early to say what the suspect’s motivation was for this ambush of four police officers south of Seattle in Lakewood.  This morning about 8:30 as the officers were preparing to go on duty, a man walked into the coffee shop and opened fire.  Killed were three men and one woman, from the Lakewood Police Department.  The officers identities have not been released pending notification of families.  The officers were in uniform, doing pre-shift paperwork on their laptops when the ambush began.  All were wearing their bulletproof vests.  Spokesman Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sherriff has said that it is not yet known if any of the officers were able to return fire. 

Investigators have tagged and towed a light-colored pickup truck they believe to be the getaway vehicle, and are pursuing multiple search warrants.  Troyer has said that police do not suspect gang involvement at this time, saying that it would be very unusual for gang members to call attention to themselves in this way.  Police were involved in a standoff in a residence a few blocks from the location at which the pickup was discovered about two hours after the shootings.   The suspect is described as a black male between 5’8 and 5’9, in his late twenties or thirties.  His facial hair is ‘scruffy’ and he was wearing a black coat and blue jeans.  Another man may have been with him and fled with the suspect in the white pickup later recovered. 

A $10,000 reward has been offered for information in the case.

Update 1 (November 29,2009)

Police have indicated that the suspect walked into the cafe, past the officers, who were all working on their laptops preparing for their upcoming shift.  The suspect walked to the counter and pretended to order.  He then opened his coat.  The barista saw his handgun and ran out the back door.  The man then turned and shot two officers at close range in the head.  As a third officer stood to bring a weapon to bear the suspect shot again, fatally wounding that officer.  Finally, the fourth officer was shot as that officer brought a weapon to bear.  Though officer was fatally wounded, the officer grasped the suspect and struggled with him to the doorway of the cafe.  It is uncertain if the officer died there of wounds inflicted as he or she rose from their chair, or if he or she was shot again in the doorway.  Investigators believe that the officer got off at least one, and perhaps several shots.  It is unknown if the suspect was hit.

Pierce County Sherriff spokesman Ed Troyer indicated that police are looking at an Arkansas man as a person of interest.  He is

Maurice Clemmons, and he has a long criminal record for armed robberies, assaults, child rape, assault on a police office.  He apparently has been seen in the area and fits the description.  Clemmons had been pardoned in 2000 after serving a fraction of his sentence of 95 years.  I am looking into the history of the pardon to see what convinced Governor Mike Huckabee to grant the pardon.  Clemmons was arrested and charged in Pierce County for third-degree assault on a police officer, and second-degree rape of a child.  He has not, to my knowledge, been identified as the shooter, but fits the description and his recent arrest for assaulting an officer makes him a person of interest.

The officers, an entire patrol squad of three officers and their sergeant, have been identified as Tina Griswold, Greg Richards, Ronald Owens, and Sergeant Mark Renninger.  More than a hundred officers responded to the radio call from dispatch, and many of them from surrounding jurisdictions were on their own time.  A motorcade of dozens of police cars and motorcycles with lights flashing escorted the officers remains to the medical examiner’s office.  They passed beneath a large American flag suspended from two ladder trucks – something I had hoped not to see again in the Seattle Area in my lifetime.  It has become necessary far too soon after the loss of Timothy Brenton. 

The founder of Cafe Forza, a man named Brad Carpenter, is himself a retired policeman.  He indicates that several of his staff that witnessed the attack are still meeting with police trying to recreate a timeline and diagram the events as they happened.  Needless to say, they are pretty upset and it has been painful for them to go through it in detail.  

Police are identifying video surveillance locations and analyzing surveillance videos for any leads they may hold.

Cafe Forza Lakewood, WA

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Police-officers-shot-78089882.html 

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/186610.asp

Local News | Four police officers shot to death in Lakewood in apparent ambush | Seattle Times Newspaper

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/78088192.html

Technorati Tags: Police officers shot,police ambushed,crime,criminals,murder,true crime,Seattle crime,Tacoma

Whacker Crimes on the Rise

I remember just after learning to drive there was a string of assaults committed against women driving at night near our suburban home.  Not only were the crimes brazen – the perpetrator selected his intended victims as they drove by. He would then would follow them to a less populated or traveled area before assaulting them.  All of that was bad enough, but the most chilling thing to me was the method the assailant used to gain access to these women.  He posed as a cop. 

Over the course of a summer the rumors flew, and police spokespersons confirmed that several such attacks were reported.  At first I thought they were just rumors, but after two or three attacks, police realized they had to warn the public and provide some guidance.  Police advised motorists who were uncertain about whether the man attempting to pull them over was indeed a sworn officer to drive to a public place such as a grocery store, police station, etc., before pulling over.  It was frightening to all of the girls in my drivers ed. class, and regardless of the guidance police offered they wouldn’t really begin to feel safe until the assailant was captured. 

Eventually the assailant was captured – in a decommissioned police patrol car which he had outfitted with lights in the front grill and siren.  We all breathed a sigh of relief, but I think it was some years before most of us stopped thinking about it when we saw a traffic stop.  When I went to college the next year, I was studying in the library one night when I remembered the series of crimes and got curious how often it happened.  Looking at microfilm and microfiche of newspaper articles around the country allowed me to get an idea, though it was much more time-consuming than Googling.  I found stories in Houston, Dallas, San  Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit, Tulsa and Sacramento in addition to the series in the Seattle area.  In fact, I found articles from all of those cities detailing crimes which had occurred just in the decade of the seventies.  It was the first time I gave thought to the phenomenon that would eventually come to be known as “Wackers” – people posing as cops.

Recently, this came back to mind as a result of the murder for which Christopher Monfort has been arrested.  He had sought to become an officer in Los Angeles, and had studied criminal justice back in Seattle before becoming somehow violently disillusioned with police – so disillusioned that he apparently tried to kill random officers in two separate planned attacks – the murder of officer Tim Brenton and wounding of Officer Britt Sweeny – as well as the attempt to kill or injure officers responding to a decoy arson at the city maintenance lot.  Monfort drove a decommissioned former police black Crown Victoria, a car commonly used in police service nationwide.  Monfort was angry and frustrated, he said, with police brutality.  He cited the deputy since dismissed and charged with assault on a teenage girl in a holding cell in the letter he left at the scene of the arson. 

Christopher Monfort’s Datsun, which was used in the murder of officer Brenton, and his black Crown Vic with spotlight (penned in by an SPD unmarked)

This behavior made me think of a coworker some years ago who was a real hardcore wacker.  He drove an ex-police car, had a ‘replica’ badge, handcuffs, black tactical clothing, gloves and boots consistent with tactical police teams, and spoke frequently about his firearm prowess and the times he had felt compelled to take some action to promote orderly society.  At the time I thought his behavior was kind of sad, in the way we all can be kind of pathetic when we insist on being something we aren’t.  Some of us have rather harmless ways to manifest this – like telling people what a ladies man we are, or how much we can bench, or how big the fish we catch were.  In his case, it was both sad and creepy.  Especially since Ted Bundy was in the news a lot then, while on trial in Florida.  Handcuffs in the trunk didn’t seem harmless after that.  As far as I know, the wacker I worked with really was harmless.  The case of Christopher Monfort reminded me of this, and again today the news of criminals posing as police officers to commit crimes made the news in Seattle.

Recently, a series of crimes in Seattle and Tacoma have involved perpetrators posing as cops.  Most have been property crimes, small and not-so-small.  One included robbery and rape.  Seattle television station KING’s Chris Ingalls reported today on this topic, and outlined a group of crimes that certainly seem to indicate that there are multiple criminals using this ploy right now in the Seattle area.  The report can be read here: KING 5 News: Police Posers.  The story also links to a website which discusses wacker events – crimes by police imposters committed around the country:  http://policeposers.com/. 

In addition to recommendations made when I was young  (drive to a well-lit, public place before stopping), police today recommend calling 911 on a cell phone to verify that the officer stopping you is indeed an officer.  If you’re being stopped by an unmarked car, you can request a marked police unit to respond and make the stop – Pierce County Police have suggested this in response to some serious robberies and a rape committed using an unmarked vehicle recently.

Technorati Tags: Cop Wannabe,Police Imposter,Crime,True Crime,Seattle Crime,Seattle True Crime,Christopher Monfort