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| Dave Turley and Officer Morris |
On October 10th, 2018, at about 5:30 a.m. at 522 Hathaway, in Owensboro, Kentucky, a young police officer was involved in a shootout with an armed homeowner. The officer had been chasing a suspect, and was searching a fenced in area.
The homeowner, David Turley, saw the suspicious activity in his back yard, and approached Zachary Morris, 23, the officer. Turley was holding a pistol at his side. Morris shot at Turley, who returned fire as he took cover. Morris was hit, just below his bullet resistant vest. From wave3.com:
“I heard some commotion over there by the fence," said Turley. “I saw someone standing there with a flashlight on the ground, so I walked over to see what was going on. As I got closer, POW POW! And when he did, I had my weapon by my side and I just pulled up and fired and I started toward the ground to take cover."
Turley told Katie Kapusta that he was shot at twice and returned fire four times. He had no idea anyone had been hit until more police units arrived.
"Once they shot two times at my face, I had no choice. I was in fear of my life, and I returned fire.”
It was during the mid-1960's, with the rise of the civil rights movement, that the media coalesced in demonizing citizen ownership of firearms for self defense.
President Lyndon Banes Johnson was able to marshal support for federal legislation attempting to limit access to handguns for self defense. The media pushed very hard for the legislation, resulting in the compromise Gun Control Act of 1968. The legislation was enacted on the heels of the assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.
With the movement to shall issue concealed carry permits in the late 1980s to the present, self defense with firearms has been re-legitimized.
Ordinary people who shoot police in legitimate self defense now have a chance of their actions being recognized as lawful. The initial reporting by the police did not mention that officer Morris fired first. It was implied that Morris was attacked. From owensborotimes.com:
Officer Morris lost sight of the fleeing suspect behind some houses in the 500 block of Hathaway Street. As the officer was checking a fenced-in area at 522 Hathaway, the homeowner of the residence shot at Officer Morris striking him.The Kentucky State Police Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the incident. This shows good judgement, as an independent agency is investigating the shooting, not Officer Morris' own department.
Officer Morris was wearing a ballistic vest but was struck in the lower abdominal area. He is at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital recovering from emergency surgery and is in good condition.
No charges have been brought at this time. David Turley was questioned by police and released.
There have been several incidents over the last few years where innocent people have fired at police officers. Officers have been wounded and killed. Some of the armed defenders have been found not guilty, others were never charged.
Respect and support for the exercise of the right to keep and bear arms is increasing in the United States. All but eight states now have either shall issue laws for the carry of handguns, or Constitutional carry, where permits are not necessary to carry handguns for self defense.
Armed citizens and police are natural allies. Mutual respect and mutual support results in low crime rates and peaceful neighborhoods.
Communication is key. A call to 911 about a prowler in the area might have prevented the confrontation that resulted in Officer Morris' wounding. Clear identification by Officer Morris as David Turley approached might have prevented the exchange of fire.
©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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1 comment:
Quick, call Mas- he'd know how to get the innocent homeowner who was fired upon by an Officer who made NO EFFORT TO IDENTIFY HIS TARGET AS FRIEND OR FOE indicated for attempted murder of an officer in the legal performance of his duty, if his mush-mouthing and distraction with misdirection in the case of that dim-witted female "officer" who entered an apartment in her complex ( NOT her apartment, not even on the correct floor, and not containing any of her furniture, decorating, nor any of her other property, which SHOULD have been a clue that THIS was NOT her pad, and the man therein did NOT need to be killed, but she did so anyway )and killed the lawful resident therein , is any indication, IMHO.
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