25-year-old pointed shotgun at them in UP, cops say
The News Tribune
BY ROB CARSON
Staff writer
March 22, 2014
Both men were recently discharged from the Army, Troyer said. McLeod lived in the apartment with his girlfriend, who was not home at the time, the spokesman said.
A Pierce County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a 25-year-old former soldier late Friday after a confrontation in University Place.
The shooting happened about 11: 40 p.m. after two young men who apparently had been fighting came out of an apartment building in the 9800 block of 52nd Street West and one of them leveled a shotgun in the direction of deputies, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
“What happened is unfortunate, but you just can’t do that,” Troyer said Saturday.
Brian McLeod of University Place died at the scene. The county Medical Examiner's Office identified him Saturday evening.
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This is one of the comments left on the article
I served with Brian at Ft. lewis as we were both in the same Infantry company together. He was a great soldier and I always knew him to be a very humble and relatively quiet person, never being the impulsive type. I'm shocked and saddened by his death, it is unfortunate to see a fellow soldier who survived combat die on the very soil he took and oath to defend. His reported actions that night don't seem to reflect his calm and humble nature at all, however I can understand the effects of the psychological trauma he has been through as well as our instincts on what to do when someone points a weapon at you. "Muscle memory" as we say and are taught. No one in thier right mind wishes to be shot and killed and I can confidently say that I believe he wasn't in his right mind at that instant. My most sincerest condolences go out to his family and those who loved him. "Thundering Herd" R.I.P.
There were numerous inaccuracies involved with the reporting of this shooting, including the News Tribune stating that Brian lived with his girlfriend; they had been married several years. The more important discrepancies involve the account of what happened that night. The evidence shows that Brian may have been killed in his home, as there was a pool of blood near the kitchen. There were gunshot holes through the screen door and front door indicating that he may have been inside. Witnesses said they did not hear police announce themselves or tell anyone to drop a gun. When his wife arrived home, the police appeared to be wearing SWAT type gear and carrying large rifles. I think that police need to be held to a higher standard than the public and use only reasonable force. At a time when the state is out of control with economic sanctions on the poor and working class while it has a monopoly on violence and killing, people should come together and demand a citizens review of each officer killing. Less war coupled with a more equitable economic system could do wonders for the social conditions of ordinary people but it might also put a few sharpshooters out of business.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for reporting on the errors. It is very important that reporters get it right on anything but when it comes to all of these veterans being killed by police, they deserve much better.
ReplyDeleteI track their stories all the time and I know many did not have to happen.