SWAT Raid Takes Down Innocent Marine in Tucson - Granite Grok

SWAT Raid Takes Down Innocent Marine in Tucson

Too stupid to knock and show a badge, too incompetent to shoot straight.

May 5th, a SWAT team broke down the door of a Marine at home in Tucson, where Jose Guerena Ortiz had heard a commotion outside and grabbed his rifle for self-defense. Showing the admirable restraint which was not exercised by the police, Guerena did not fire, but the SWAT team riddled him with bullets anyway. Demonstrating that their lack of resraint was exceeded only by their incompetence, they loosed off 71 bullets, but only 22 hit their target – and you thought drive-by gang shootings were dangerous!

But six months after the May 5 police gunfire shattered a peaceful morning and a family’s life, investigators have made no arrests in the case that led to the raid. Outraged friends, co-workers and fellow Marines have called the shooting an injustice and demanded further investigation. A family lawyer has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the sheriff’s office. And amid the outcry in online forums and social media outlets, the sheriff’s 54-second video, which found its way to YouTube, has drawn more than 275,000 views.

Jose Guerena Ortiz, center, is shown on his bunk in this 2005 photo provided by fellow Marine William Moore while deployed at Camp Korean Village FOB in Iraq with Marine Wing Support Squadron 371. Guerena was shot and killed at his house in Tucson, Ariz. May 5, 2011 by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department said its SWAT team was at the home because they suspected Guerena of being involved in a drug-trafficking organization that specialized in ripping off smugglers. The SWAT team fired 71 times, riddling Guerena 22 times, while his wife and child cowered in a closet. (AP Photo/William J. Moore)

The general tone of comments on the thread was complete outrage, and several suggested that if there had been a couple of his Marine buddies in the house, the sheriff would be hiring himself a new SWAT team – and they wouldn’t miss their targets!

Here’s my 2c:

f you have a search warrant, #$%$ KNOCK and say so.
If you burst in to an innocent man’s home like a gang, expect to be shot at.
I am just sorry that none of the SWAT team died for their stupidity – the lack of police injuries shows that, although armed and terrified, the victim showed restraint (his safety was still on) – shame the police did not. Don’t get me wrong – criminals who shoot police in the line of duty deserve the death sentence, but this was not a case of a criminal attacking a police officer, it was a case of armed thugs breaking into an innocent man’s house.

Look – I live in a small town and know my local police – if they show up with a warrant (highly unlikely) I’ll co-operate, but if someone breaks down my door without showing me a warrant and a badge, I’ll assume they are a criminal, and would shoot in self defense, and so would most innocent people.

Our government needs to end these stupid armed raids except where a known dangerous criminal is holed up and shock and awe is the only reasonable approach.
Just remember, you police chiefs and sheriffs, the 4th amendment guarantees freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures – is it too hard to knock first and show that you have a warrant? Oh, don’t forget your oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, too.

Time for some citizens to execute no-knock raids on their police chiefs. and haul their sorry behinds into a citizens’ court to answer for crimes against their communities.
Listen – we support your efforts to fight crime, but we don’t support badly thought out raids on innocent civilians. It is time that we the people held our local governments to account.
Do you know the real reason that citizens are armed? It is to discourage tyranny – sure sounds like some discouragin’ is needed!

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