First let me start by saying that I, in no uncertain terms, condemn what the subject of the news story below has done.
If the suspect is proven guilty, he deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law.
Second, I do not perceive or treat law enforcement personnel as the "enemy", they are fellow citizens doing a tough job under very trying conditions and most do that job well. Those few who are bad deserve to be rooted out and punished in accordance with the law but that some are bad shouldn't diminsh or tarnish all those doing good work.
Now to the story - PA State Police have a suspect in the ambush/shooting of two PA State Troopers last week. As interesting as this is as a pure crime story it has deeper implications as a weapon that could be used against 2A supporters. Frankly, this is the type of criminal that anti-gunners, especially those who suspiciously eye all pro-2A folks as latent "domestic terrorists", have been fearing, anticipating, and perhaps waiting for.
He is a white, middle class, Eagle Scout, shooting team guy disgruntled with the Federal government -- and vocal about it -- and he's armed with an AK-47 and a .308 rifle (story doesn't give any more specific info).
What do you think? Will this be played up as proof of the need to crack down, restrict, register, control, guns in order to keep us safe from the "legions" of folks like this that they will claim exist and roam about gun shows arming up?
Here's the latest story link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/justice/pennsylvania-shooting-suspect/index.html?hpt=us_c1
Trooper shooting suspect might try to target more officers, police say
By Holly Yan and Chelsea J. Carter, CNN
updated 9:24 AM EDT, Wed September 17, 2014
(CNN) -- He's a survivalist with an extensive shooting background and a grudge against law enforcement, officials say.
And now authorities worry the man suspected of gunning down two Pennsylvania State Police troopers may be on the hunt for more officers.
Eric Matthew Frein "has made statements about wanting to kill law enforcement officers and also to commit mass acts of murder," Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan told reporters Tuesday.
"He has very strong feelings about law enforcement and seems to be very angry with a lot of things that go on in our society."
Hunt continues for Pa. cop killer
Friend of Eric Matthew Frein speaks out
Manhunt for Penn. cop killer underway
Police say he's responsible for the chaotic, bloody scene Friday night at the state police barracks in Blooming Grove, Pennsylvania.
Now, some 200 officers are scouring eastern Pennsylvania for Frein. The manhunt has prompted schools in the area to close Wednesday.
'Get him inside'
Cpl. Bryon Dickson was just ending his shift around 11:50 p.m. Friday when he walked out the station's front door. He barely made it outside when a gunman shot him multiple times, a probable cause affidavit said.
Another officer who saw Dickson on the ground came outside to help, the affidavit said. But as Dickson told her what happened, another shot pierced through the air.
According to the documents, Dickson asked his colleague to "get him inside." But she couldn't.
At about the same time, a third officer headed in to start his overnight shift. But as Trooper Alex Douglass walked toward the front door, he, too, was shot, the affidavit said.
While Douglass managed to crawl into the station, other officers had to devise a plan to safely move Dickson inside. They swooped into the front of the building in a marked SUV to block troopers as they brought Dickson into the building.
Suspect named in trooper shooting
Hear PA troopers harrowing 911 call
1 trooper dead in barracks shooting
But it was too late. Dickson was declared dead at the station.
Douglass was rushed to a hospital in Scranton and is recovering from a gunshot wound to the pelvic area.
Submerged Jeep found
On Monday morning, three days after the attack, a man walking his dog in a wooded area of Pike County noticed a green Jeep slightly submerged in a retention pond, according to the affidavit.
As he walked closer, he noticed no one was inside.
But when troopers executed a search warrant, they found a cache of items inside: two spent .308 cartridge casings, camouflage face paint, military gear and "various information concerning foreign embassy's," the affidavit aid. They also found Frein's driver's license and Social Security card.
A survivalist and an Eagle Scout
Frein, 31, is a survivalist by hobby who lives in Monroe County, authorities said. Noonan said anyone who might know something about Frein or spot him should contact authorities right away.
But a friend of the suspect described Frein as an Eagle Scout and "a pretty rational guy."
"He's intelligent. When people say that he's a survivalist, there's almost somewhat of a negative connotation to that," the friend, who wanted to be identified only as "Jack," told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.
"He definitely let his opinions about the government be known," Jack said.
"He was obviously a big critic of the federal government, but he never specifically targeted police when he was talking to me. No indications of really any malice towards law enforcement in particular. Most of his aggression was (toward) the federal government."
Frein's father told authorities that two firearms were missing from the family's house, including an AK-47 and a rifle.
The father said his son grew up with guns and was a member of his high school's rifle club. When Frein shoots, his father told authorities, he "doesn't miss."
Pennsylvania authorities are working with the FBI and others throughout the country to sift through tips that have come in the case, officials said.
With the hunt for the suspected gunman still under way, one school district in the area of the shooting announced classes were canceled for Wednesday.
Pocono Mountain School District said the decision was made "due to safety concerns of our students at bus stops with an armed and dangerous gunman on the loose."
CNN's Jason Carroll, Ashley Fantz, Catherine E. Shoichet, Marlena Baldacci and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report
If the suspect is proven guilty, he deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law.
Second, I do not perceive or treat law enforcement personnel as the "enemy", they are fellow citizens doing a tough job under very trying conditions and most do that job well. Those few who are bad deserve to be rooted out and punished in accordance with the law but that some are bad shouldn't diminsh or tarnish all those doing good work.
Now to the story - PA State Police have a suspect in the ambush/shooting of two PA State Troopers last week. As interesting as this is as a pure crime story it has deeper implications as a weapon that could be used against 2A supporters. Frankly, this is the type of criminal that anti-gunners, especially those who suspiciously eye all pro-2A folks as latent "domestic terrorists", have been fearing, anticipating, and perhaps waiting for.
He is a white, middle class, Eagle Scout, shooting team guy disgruntled with the Federal government -- and vocal about it -- and he's armed with an AK-47 and a .308 rifle (story doesn't give any more specific info).
What do you think? Will this be played up as proof of the need to crack down, restrict, register, control, guns in order to keep us safe from the "legions" of folks like this that they will claim exist and roam about gun shows arming up?
Here's the latest story link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/17/justice/pennsylvania-shooting-suspect/index.html?hpt=us_c1
Trooper shooting suspect might try to target more officers, police say
By Holly Yan and Chelsea J. Carter, CNN
updated 9:24 AM EDT, Wed September 17, 2014
(CNN) -- He's a survivalist with an extensive shooting background and a grudge against law enforcement, officials say.
And now authorities worry the man suspected of gunning down two Pennsylvania State Police troopers may be on the hunt for more officers.
Eric Matthew Frein "has made statements about wanting to kill law enforcement officers and also to commit mass acts of murder," Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan told reporters Tuesday.
"He has very strong feelings about law enforcement and seems to be very angry with a lot of things that go on in our society."
Hunt continues for Pa. cop killer
Friend of Eric Matthew Frein speaks out
Manhunt for Penn. cop killer underway
Police say he's responsible for the chaotic, bloody scene Friday night at the state police barracks in Blooming Grove, Pennsylvania.
Now, some 200 officers are scouring eastern Pennsylvania for Frein. The manhunt has prompted schools in the area to close Wednesday.
'Get him inside'
Cpl. Bryon Dickson was just ending his shift around 11:50 p.m. Friday when he walked out the station's front door. He barely made it outside when a gunman shot him multiple times, a probable cause affidavit said.
Another officer who saw Dickson on the ground came outside to help, the affidavit said. But as Dickson told her what happened, another shot pierced through the air.
According to the documents, Dickson asked his colleague to "get him inside." But she couldn't.
At about the same time, a third officer headed in to start his overnight shift. But as Trooper Alex Douglass walked toward the front door, he, too, was shot, the affidavit said.
While Douglass managed to crawl into the station, other officers had to devise a plan to safely move Dickson inside. They swooped into the front of the building in a marked SUV to block troopers as they brought Dickson into the building.
Suspect named in trooper shooting
Hear PA troopers harrowing 911 call
1 trooper dead in barracks shooting
But it was too late. Dickson was declared dead at the station.
Douglass was rushed to a hospital in Scranton and is recovering from a gunshot wound to the pelvic area.
Submerged Jeep found
On Monday morning, three days after the attack, a man walking his dog in a wooded area of Pike County noticed a green Jeep slightly submerged in a retention pond, according to the affidavit.
As he walked closer, he noticed no one was inside.
But when troopers executed a search warrant, they found a cache of items inside: two spent .308 cartridge casings, camouflage face paint, military gear and "various information concerning foreign embassy's," the affidavit aid. They also found Frein's driver's license and Social Security card.
A survivalist and an Eagle Scout
Frein, 31, is a survivalist by hobby who lives in Monroe County, authorities said. Noonan said anyone who might know something about Frein or spot him should contact authorities right away.
But a friend of the suspect described Frein as an Eagle Scout and "a pretty rational guy."
"He's intelligent. When people say that he's a survivalist, there's almost somewhat of a negative connotation to that," the friend, who wanted to be identified only as "Jack," told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.
"He definitely let his opinions about the government be known," Jack said.
"He was obviously a big critic of the federal government, but he never specifically targeted police when he was talking to me. No indications of really any malice towards law enforcement in particular. Most of his aggression was (toward) the federal government."
Frein's father told authorities that two firearms were missing from the family's house, including an AK-47 and a rifle.
The father said his son grew up with guns and was a member of his high school's rifle club. When Frein shoots, his father told authorities, he "doesn't miss."
Pennsylvania authorities are working with the FBI and others throughout the country to sift through tips that have come in the case, officials said.
With the hunt for the suspected gunman still under way, one school district in the area of the shooting announced classes were canceled for Wednesday.
Pocono Mountain School District said the decision was made "due to safety concerns of our students at bus stops with an armed and dangerous gunman on the loose."
CNN's Jason Carroll, Ashley Fantz, Catherine E. Shoichet, Marlena Baldacci and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report
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