Monday, February 16, 2015

Beanbag No Fun For WWII Vet in Illinois

"Police officer acquitted in 95-year-old’s beanbag gun death" by Don Babwin, Associated Press  February 05, 2015

MARKHAM, Ill. — A suburban Chicago police officer was acquitted Wednesday of felony reckless conduct for killing a 95-year-old World War II veteran by shooting him with a beanbag gun at close range.

Park Forest Police Officer Craig Taylor was charged after the 2013 death of John Wrana. Cook County Judge Luciano Panici said there was nothing criminal about Taylor’s actions and that the officer did ‘‘what he was trained to do.’’

That's the problem.

The basic disagreement in the case was whether Taylor was justified in firing a weapon, at close range, that prosecutors said fires beanbags at 190 miles per hour. Wrana died from internal bleeding caused by the beanbags.

Taylor, 43, was one of several officers dispatched to the facility where Wrana lived after a staff member reported that Wrana had become combative with emergency workers.

Wrana threatened the officers with a knife, and when an attempt to Taser him failed, Taylor fired the beanbag gun.

95-year-old f*** must have been in great shape.

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Related: Boston Cops Playing Beanbag 

Not all the time:

"A man involved in a car accident in Stoughton wielded a knife while attacking a responding police officer and was shot by the officer on Thursday, authorities said. “A knife was drawn, the officer was assaulted [and] the officer returned fire, shooting the suspect once in the chest,” Stoughton Police Chief Paul Shastany said, standing blocks from where police loaded at least one vehicle onto a tow truck."

I dunno; something about that just doesn't read right. 

"Chelsea man shot by police is arraigned in hospital" by Rebecca Fiore, Globe Correspondent  February 13, 2015

A Chelsea man was arraigned in his hospital bed Thursday afternoon on multiple charges after being shot by police during a confrontation, Suffolk prosecutors said.

Igor Peulic, 32, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, and assault with a dangerous weapon, the office of District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

At 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, Chelsea police officers heard gunshots near the Chelsea Walk Pub. Witness statements, surveillance images, and other sources indicated that Peulic had allegedly fired several shots at an empty vehicle, prosecutors said. No one was injured.

Police followed Peulic, on foot, from Broadway to Fifth Street and onto Chestnut Street, where additional officers responded. After Peulic ignored officers’ commands to drop his weapon, one officer shot him in the abdomen, Conley’s office said.

Peulic was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is being treated, according to the district attorney’s office.

Suffolk prosecutors and State Police are investigating, and the Chelsea police’s critical incident review team will conduct a separate examination.

Chelsea District Court Judge Matthew Nestor set Peulic’s bail at $25,000.

Peulic will return to court on March 11.

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Also see:

Hyde Park man faces murder, assault charges

Man killed in Jamaica Plain ‘was trying to change his life’