06/12/11 - VCDL Update 6/12/11

Post by **allingeneral** » Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:57:58

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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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1. Justifiable killings rise in Virginia and the nation
2. Franklin County deputy accused of killing ex-wife, shooting trooper
3. York woman robbed at bank's night drop
4. Pharmacist foils robbery at Walgreens, gets fired
5. Man who led ring that smuggled guns from Virginia to NJ sentenced to 12
years in prison
6. Who needs a gun at work?
7. One small victory
8. Who needs a gun sitting on the porch in Lynchburg?
9. Why you need to keep your guns clean
10. Why you need a gun when walking the dog
11. Who needs a gun at the car wash?
12. New gun store in Fredericksburg

**************************************************1. Justifiable killings rise in Virginia and the nation**************************************************

Roy B Scherer emailed me this:

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Rather interesting front-page article in this morning's paper. There are already over 60 comments on the website, and it offers an opportunity for Letters to the Editor.

=46rom the Richmond Times-Dispatch: http://tinyurl.com/3t3894u

By Mark BowesMay 29, 2011

The number of justifiable killings committed by police and private citizens has been trending upward over the past decade, rising in 2009 to their highest levels in more than a dozen years in both Virginia and the nation.

There are no definitive answers to what is causing more law-enforcement officers and individuals to use deadly force in dealing with crime. But some criminologists say changing attitudes about the circumstances in which lethal force can be used in self-defense situations might be a driving factor.

Changes in self-defense laws in numerous states have made it more permissible to use deadly force in defense of oneself and others, crime and law-enforcement analysts say. And increasingly permissive gun laws have made it more likely that people are armed while in public and they might be more willing to use such weapons as a result, they say.

"It's never been easier to be armed, and the laws of self-defense have never favored private individuals as much as they do now," said Jay Albanese, a criminologist and a professor of criminal justice studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. "So if you combine those two, you're likely to get more people shooting in self-defense, or at least believing they're in self-defense.

The uptick in killings by police may also reflect changing attitudes on the streets, where officers have felt more threatened by well-armed offenders, analysts say. The number of officers killed in the line of duty rose 26 percent from 2002 to 2007, then fell two consecutive years before rising again in 2010. The 2011 count is up 4 percent through May 1.

The 413 killings by police nationwide that were ruled justifiable in 2009 were the most since 1994, FBI statistics show. And the 262 killings by private individuals ruled self-defense were the most since 1997. National numbers for 2010 are not yet available.

With some variations, the numbers for both categories have been trending upward since about 2000.

Interestingly, the national rise in justifiable homicides has occurred as violent crime levels have dropped. The estimated U.S. violent crime level total in 2009 was 5.2 percent below the 2005 level and 7.5 percent below the 2000 level, according to the FBI.

A similar trend can be seen in Virginia, where 117 people have died in justifiable killings by police and 95 by private individuals between 1990 and 2010, according to an analysis of state and federal crime statistics by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Guns were used in 94 percent of the deaths.

The 10 killings by police in 2009 that were ruled justifiable in Virginia were the most since 1996, the data show, and the 11 killings by private individuals in 2009 were the highest since at least 1990.

Preliminary state data for 2010 show decreases in both categories, but the five police killings and the eight citizen killings for that year remain above the historic average for the past decade.

Richmond has recorded the highest number of justifiable killings by private citizens in Virginia since 1990 15. Six of those occurred in the past two years.

Behind Richmond, the cities of Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News and Virginia Beach rank second through fourth in self-defense killings by citizens over the past 20 years. Newport News and Virginia Beach tied for fourth place with seven each.

Richmond ranks third statewide in justifiable killings by police, with nine.. Norfolk had the most, with 14, followed by Virginia State Police with at least 12.

Chesterfield County police are tied with Fairfax and Prince William counties with six killings each over the past 20 years, while Henrico County police had four killings during that period, the data show.

**************************************************2. Franklin County deputy accused of killing ex-wife, shooting trooper**************************************************

A Franklin County deputy apparently drove his marked vehicle to another jurisdiction, publicly murdered his ex-wife with a rifle, then shot and wounded a Virginia State Police officer during a pursuit.

Having been in law-enforcement I can say that such an event is even more disturbing to the police than it is the general citizenry. There are strong feelings of betrayal, anger, disbelief, embarrassment, and frustration by fellow officers.

I suppose as a CHP holder, I feel those same emotions when I hear of the equally rare event of a CHP holder committing some dastardly crime.

What makes this event really unusual is the use of a marked police vehicle while publicly murdering someone in broad daylight! Did the officer really think he was going to get away with this? (He didn't - Officer Agee is in a hospital with life-threatening wounds.)

Our condolences to the family of Jennifer Agee. We wish State Police Sgt. Brannock a speedy and full recovery from his injuries for his brave actions while pursuing an armed, very dangerous, and desperate murderer.

=46rom WSLS-10: http://tinyurl.com/6ly7bn9

May 30, 2011

A Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy stands accused of a shooting rampage that ended with his ex-wife dead, and a Virginia State Police trooper shot.

Roanoke City Police say the shootings began around 11:30 a.m. Police Chief Chris Perkins said investigators believe that Franklin Co. Deputy Jonathan Agee, 32, of Boones Mill, followed a truck being driven by his ex-wife, Jennifer Agee, 30, of Salem, into the Williamson Road Sheetz, across from the Roanoke Civic Center.

Chief Perkins said a witness told officers that Deputy Agee stepped out of his marked Franklin County patrol cruiser, took out a rifle, and fired multiple shots at Jennifer Agee, while she was outside of her pick-up truck.

Perkins said Deputy Agee then got back in his patrol car, and sped off before Roanoke Police arrived.

Roanoke Police then contacted State Police, and issued a "Be On The Lookout" (BOLO) alert for Deputy Agee, and his patrol cruiser. Roanoke Police have a warrant out for Agee on a murder charge.

State Police Superintendent Colonel Steven Flaherty says Sergeant Matthew Brannock spotted Deputy Agee headed west on Route 460 in Montgomery County. Col. Flaherty said when Sgt. Brannock turned around to get behind Deputy Agee's cruiser, Agee turned on his lights and sirens, and kept going west on Rt. 460.

Agee eventually drove onto Interstate 81 northbound, at the Christiansburg exit (exit 118), State Police said. Sgt. Brannock chased Agee, until Agee stopped about one-mile south of the Ironto exit ramp (exit 128). Col. Flaherty said that's where Agee shot and wounded Sgt. Brannock, around 11:48 a.m.

State Police say Agee then got back in his car, and drove to the Ironto exit. Additional State Police troopers converged on the scene, surrounded Agee at the off-ramp, and eventually shot and wounded Agee.

EMTs took both Sgt. Brannock and Deputy Agee to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. State Police say Agee's injuries are considered life-threatening, while Sgt. Brannock is expected to survive.

"The focus of investigators right now is piecing together the exact sequence of events leading up to both shootings," said Col. Flaherty. "This is a difficult day, needless to say, for Virginia's law enforcement community."

Franklin County Sheriff' Ewell Hunt said in an e-mailed statement that Deputy Agee was off-duty at the time of the shootings. Sheriff Hunt added that Agee has been suspended without pay, and that he has been charged with unlawful use of a Franklin County police vehicle.

Hunt said Agee had been with the Sheriff's Department since April of 2004.

"We are shocked and saddened by today's tragic events. We ask that you keep the families of all involved in your prayers," said Sheriff Hunt.

The shootings forced the closure of I-81 northbound between Christiansburg and Ironto for most of the afternoon and evening. State Police re-opened I-81 northbound shortly before 7:00 p.m.

Col. Flaherty added that two State Police troopers who were involved in the takedown of Agee have been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with State Police policy. The State Police shooting investigation team is overseeing the investigation into the shootings off of I-81.

Sgt. Brannock served in the U.S. Air Force, and joined Virginia State Police 13 years ago, according to the agency. Brannock is a native of Martinsville, and covers the areas of Craig County, Floyd County, Montgomery County, and Roanoke County for the Salem Division of State Police.

**************************************************3. York woman robbed at bank's night drop**************************************************

A VA-ALERT reader emailed me this:

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=46rom the Williamsburg Yorktown Daily: http://tinyurl.com/3rv8225

May 30, 2011

A woman was robbed Saturday morning as she tried to make a deposit at an upper York County bank.

York-Poquoson sheriff's investigators say a woman drove up to the night deposit drawer at the Bank of America at 1801 Richmond Road around 9:50 a.m. and was approached by the suspect, who demanded the money she was going to deposit. The victim told police the suspect held something in his hand as he demanded the deposit bag, although she could not tell what it was. After several demands that she give up the cash, the woman complied and the suspect took off on foot towared the Wendy's on Richmond Road.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned black male with short hair, approximately 6'- 6'2" tall and a medium athletic build. He wore a tan shirt, dark pants and dark athletic shoes. He also had what appeared to be a black nylon stocking pulled over his face.

Police were able to obtain images of the robbery from a bank surveillance camera that was trained on the victim's car.

**************************************************4. Pharmacist foils robbery at Walgreens, gets fired**************************************************

John Hoffmeister emailed me this:

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=46rom AOL.com: http://tinyurl.com/3nqyns6

By Lisa Johnson MandellMay 26, 2011

If an employee at your store foiled a robbery and saved the lives of customers and workers alike by firing a concealed weapon he was licensed to carry, would you:

A. Promote him and give him a raise.

B. Honor him as a hero and give him a bonus.

C. Unceremoniously fire him.

A Walgreens in Benton Township, Mich., chose 'C' recently, by letting night-shift pharmacist Jeremy Hoven go for firing a handgun during an armed robbery, causing masked gunmen to flee.

The Herald-Palladium reports that when Hoven saw a robber waving a gun running down the aisle towards him, he first tried to call 911, but there wasn't enough time. Before he knew it, the robber had jumped over the counter and was pointing a 9mm pistol at him, holding it gangster-style.

At that point, Hoven pulled out his own concealed gun and fired three to four shots -- whether or not he made contact has not been reported, but Hoven says the gunman tried to fire back, and his gun failed. At that point, he and another robber fled the store.

Hoven reports that he is not aware of any official Walgreens' policy prohibiting employees from carrying concealed firearms at work. And after reviewing the security video footage, law enforcement authorities note that Hoven appears to have done nothing illegal. Meanwhile, Hoven's attorney is investigating the possibility of filing a wrongful termination lawsuit. [PVC: I hope Walgreens loses big time.]

**************************************************5. Man who led ring that smuggled guns from Virginia to NJ sentenced to 12 years in prison**************************************************

50 guns illegally sold to criminals = 12 years for bad guy.1 gun = 7 years for good guy last year who didn't break any NJ laws while transporting a firearm, but was railroaded by a bad judge.

Looks like bad guys get a good deal in NJ.

Board member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:

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=46rom The Republic: http://tinyurl.com/3th78c2

By Associated PressMay 31, 2011

TRENTON, N.J. A New Jersey man who led a network that smuggled guns from the Eastern Shore of Virginia to Trenton has been sentenced to 12 years in state prison.

Thirty-year-old Trayle Beasley of Trenton pleaded guilty in April to being a leader of a firearms trafficking network. He was sentenced Tuesday.

Beasley admitted he arranged to smuggle approximately 50 guns into New Jersey. The state Attorney General's Office said he resold them to drug dealers and gang members.

Prosecutors said guns linked to Beasley have been used in at least two homicides in Trenton, including the shooting death of a 13-year-old girl at a block party in June 2009.

Two other men indicted with Beasley have pleaded guilty to illegal weapons possession charges. Two other are awaiting trial.

**************************************************6. Who needs a gun at work?**************************************************

Bill Hine emailed me this:

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=46rom BBC News: http://tinyurl.com/3ar7rx4

June 2, 2011

Arizona shootings: Five killed in Yuma County

An elderly man shot and killed five people in Yuma County in the US state of Arizona before taking his own life, officials said.

Carey Hal Dyess, 73, killed lawyer Jerrold Shelley, who represented Dyess' ex-wife in their 2006 divorce.

In addition, Dyess shot and wounded a friend of his ex-wife, a police official told the Yuma Sun newspaper.

"This is not a random act," Yuma Police Chief Jerry Geier told reporters. "These victims were targeted." 'Sorely missed'

The shooting spree occurred Thursday morning over a stretch of Arizona desert about 20 miles (34km) north of the Mexico border.

Judge Andrew Gould told reporters Mr Shelley was preparing to retire after decades in law.

"He was one of the best attorneys that this county has ever seen," Mr Gould told reporters.

"He was a great family man He loved his wife very much. He's going to be very sorely missed."

The first shooting took place about 0500 local time (1200 GMT). That victim was in critical condition in hospital, police said.

About four hours later, Dyess entered Mr Shelley's law office, ordered an administrative worker to take cover, then shot and killed the lawyer.

The other four killings took place in and around the city of Yuma.

Dyess killed himself about six hours after the first shooting, officials said.

Police said they would release more details as the investigation proceeded.

**************************************************7. One small victory**************************************************

Roy B Scherer emailed me this:

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Philip -

** I hereby report a small, but significant, victory! **

You may recall, when the Mad Mayors came to Richmond, you reported in VA-Alert 5/3/11 that "CBS Channel 6's coverage looked more like an advertisement written by Bloomberg himself, having NO balance whatsoever."

You commented on that lack of balance at their website, as did I. Our comments, and those of others, were posted on WTVR's web site.

After some more badgering, WTVR finally responded. Turns out it WAS a press release from Bloomberg!

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Dear Mr. Scherer,

Thank you for your correspondence. We appreciate your e-mail and your vigilance.

Regrettably, the story you referenced was posted on our website but was not authored by a member of our staff. That's against our policy and the story has been removed from WTVR.com

Our policy is to author our own stories and to attribute story details to the sources who provide those details to CBS 6 News.

In the rare instance where a story originates from a news release, then the story details are supposed to be *clearly* attributed to the entity which sent the news release to CBS 6 News.

Thank you for calling this important matter to our attention.

As for your concern that we don't read or respond to viewer comments on our stories; we attempt to monitor and read all of the comments on our website and on our Facebook pages. On some days, on some stories, we may receive hundreds of comments on our combined interactive media sites. While we try to read all of them, sometimes we miss a comment or a question.

Thank you again for your vigilance and for your e-mail.

Most Sincerely,

Bill AndersonNews DirectorCBS 6 WTVR-TVRichmond, VA

**************************************************8. Who needs a gun sitting on the porch in Lynchburg?**************************************************

John Hoffmeister emailed me this:

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=46rom The News & Advance: http://tinyurl.com/3z8bzaa

June 3, 2011

Two robbed on porch of Lynchburg home

Two people were robbed at gunpoint while sitting on the front porch of a Lynchburg home early this morning, police said.

Police went to the 400 block of Warren Avenue around 2:15 a.m., where the victims told officers they were sitting on the porch when a man approached them, showed a gun and demanded money.

The suspect forced one of the victims into the home before running on foot towards Wingfield Avenue with money and property.

Neither victim was injured, police said.

The suspect is described as:

* a black man, * 18 to 25 years old, * about six feet tall, * weighing 160 pounds, * of average size and build, and * wearing dark clothing.

**************************************************9. Why you need to keep your guns clean**************************************************

I have often thought that by keeping my carry gun clean, it would be proof that it had not been fired should there be a case of mistaken identity. Turns out it is a good idea.

Dale Hawley emailed me this:

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Here's yet another good reason to keep your guns very clean....proof of innocence grin.

=46rom Newsleader.com: http://tinyurl.com/3sltl44)*

By Brad ZinnJune 1, 2011

LYNDHURST A man who called 911 claiming a neighbor had fired gunshots at him was arrested Tuesday afternoon after he spit on sheriff's deputies, according to an arrest report.

Steve Baber, 50, of Lyndhurst is charged with being drunk in public and assault and battery.

Capt. Glenn Hanger of the Augusta County Sheriff's Office said deputies and Virginia State Police responded to Brittany Lane in Lyndhurst around 3:30 p.m. Hanger said the man accused by Baber of firing gunshots was cleared of suspicion after deputies checked his two handguns. "They were extremely clean," Hanger said.

Neighbors questioned by authorities also noted they didn't hear any gunshots.

Baber eventually became unruly, spitting on deputies and refusing orders. After being handcuffed he continued kicking at officers, and nylon restraints were deployed, according to Hanger

Baber is free while awaiting trial on the misdemeanor charges.

**************************************************10. Why you need a gun when walking the dog**************************************************

EM Pete Clark emailed me this:

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=46rom Loudoun County Alerts: http://tinyurl.com/yl26gxg

June 2, 2011

Suspect Brandishes Firearm After Being Confronted by Lansdowne Man During Larceny from Open Garage

Loudoun County, VA: The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is investigating a larceny from a garage that ended with the suspect brandishing a firearm.

A resident was walking their dog in the 43700 block of Riverpoint Drive in Lansdowne around 11:50 p.m. when they observed an unknown suspect wearing a motorcycle helmet in the garage of a neighbor's home. The resident confronted the suspect who then fled on foot. The resident gave chase and at one point the suspect turned around and brandished a firearm. The suspect ran to a black pick-up truck driven by another unknown male and fled from the scene.

A motorcycle helmet, a leaf blower and a weed wacker were taken from the garage.

**************************************************11. Who needs a gun at the car wash?**************************************************

Chris W Mitchell emailed me this:

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=46rom ABC7 News Denver: http://tinyurl.com/6da6q89

By Alan GathrightJune 1, 2011

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo -- A would-be robber wielding a knife got a surprise when the victim pulled a handgun, Colorado Springs police said.

The attempted robber ran away, police said.

The incident happened just after 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Power Wash at 3730 Randall Drive, police said.

A man was sitting in his car, which he had just finished washing.

Another man walked up, pulled a knife on the victim and demanded his money, police said.

"The victim reached for what the suspect thought was a wallet, but was actually a semi-auto handgun," a police report said. "The victim pointed his gun at the suspect, who immediately fled on foot."

The robber ran into an open space area, and officers using a tracking dog were unable to find him, police said.

The robber was described as a Hispanic man who was about age 25. He was last seen wearing baggy blue shorts and a dark T-shirt.

**************************************************12. New gun store in Fredericksburg**************************************************

EM Robert Herron emailed me this:

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=46rom Fredricksburg.com: http://tinyurl.com/6k4nhjl

By Bill FreehlingMay 31, 2011

Spotsylvania County-based firearms dealer SSG Tactical is opening a 3,750-square-foot retail store at the Westwood Office Park off State Route 3 in Fredericksburg, said Chris Waller, a commercial real estate agent who handled the lease negotiations for Cushman & Wakefield Thalhimer. The company will sell firearms and related accessories at the store, and will also provide firearms-related classes there (range-related instruction will be elsewhere).

SSG frequently attends area gun shows and has an active website, but this will be the first retail location for the company in its 20-year history. SSG is currently building out the storefront and expects to open sometime in July, Waller said.

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