moldyoldy

Colorado Man Goes on Murderous Rampage After 911 Dispatcher Lectures Panicked Caller on Open Carry Law

Here's how open carry laws prevent police from responding to k**lers on the loose.

By Travis Gettys / Raw Story

November 4, 2015

A neighbor might have helped stop a Colorado man from k*****g three people as he roamed around with a military-style rifle, but the state’s open carry law apparently prevented police from following up on her concerned report.

Naomi Bettis called 911 Saturday after spotting her neighbor, who she recognized but did not know by name, walking outside his home with an AR-15 rifle, reported the Denver Post.

“He did have a distraught look on his face,” Bettis said. “It looked like he had a rough couple days or so.”

However, the 911 dispatcher declined to send police and reminded Bettis that Colorado allows gun owners to legally and publicly carry their firearms out in the open.

Police eventually did respond — but not until 33-year-old Noah Harpham had already shot two women and a man with the rifle that had concerned his neighbor at least several minutes earlier.

Authorities identified the victims Monday evening as 35-year-old Andrew Alan Myers, 42-year-old Jennifer Michelle Vasquez, and 34-year-old Christina Rose Baccus-Gallela.

Police responded shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday to a report of a possible shooting, and they found Myers dead and a fire burning, according to dispatch logs.

Witnesses said Harpham shot his victims one by one as they begged for their lives.

“It looked totally random,” said neighbor Matthew Abshire, who followed the gunman and called the police. “He walked calmly and collectedly. His demeanor was like he was having a stroll in the park.”

Police fatally shot Harpham about seven minutes after they first arrived at the scene, but not before he k**led his victims one by one — including a bicyclist who begged for his life.

It’s not clear at this point how much time passed between Bettis’ call and the first shooting — which prompted a flood of 911 calls.

But the case stands in contrast to at least three others in states that permit the open carry of firearms.

Dispatchers declined to respond to the report about Harpham, who was white, and reminded the caller, who is also white, that Colorado is an open carry state.

However, dispatchers in Ohio sent police to two calls last year involving John Crawford, a black man, and Tamir Rice, a black boy, who were each shot and k**led on sight by law enforcement officers — although they were each carrying toy weapons in an open carry state.

Another black man, Darrien Hunt, was fatally shot by police who responded to a report of him carrying a sword — which turned out to be a replica — along a commercial boulevard.

Ohio allows the open carry of firearms, and Utah became the second state to pass a law prohibiting cities from banning the carry of knives — which swords are generally considered to be by weapons advocates.

None of the officers involved in those fatal shootings were charged.

Watch an interview with Bettis posted online:

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

So exactly what's your point?

That the dispatcher did not do her job in sending an officer to investigate?
It's legal for me here to openly carry a rifle or shotgun, if someone reports it i assure the law will come see what is up.
A report of a man carrying a rifle looking distraught should have been investigated........blame the dispatcher for not doing her job, not an open carry law.

moldyoldy

That is exactly the point. Can the dispatcher make that determination? Are there new rules in place yet to tell people what to do? This will not be the last case. Also the B****s with toy guns get shot immediately in these open carry states. Why is that?

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Y'all got this from "alternet", didn't you?

Things might have turned out different if Bettis had had a gun. :mrgreen:

You Hoplophobes are a freaking joke. We here have our own "gun free zone", we are free to carry guns. No one has been shot in over 20 years. Weird, huh?

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

The 911 call center is resposible for taking the call and listing the priority of the call, these open carry have been in place since the founding of this country.......it is the call centers fault for not notifying a unit of officers.911 call centers are typically not officers, just trained civilians.

B****s get shot because they like to remove the orange safety tip because they think they are gangsters, then they point it at officers and get shot. Maybe if they did not act like thug gangsters when confronted with their modified to look like a real gun and point it they would still be around...but no, you do not even reason that in your liberal head, it's just the cops fault because he would shoot than be shot.

moldyoldy

Walking around Walmart with a BB gun to purchase it?

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

WTF are you babbling about? How did we end up in a walmart getting shot?

Worried for our children Loc: Massachusetts

Though Massachusetts is not an "open carry" state...

That's not always the case Moldy

_____________________________________

A 12-year-old boy found carrying a replica firearm in his backpack along with a can of black spray paint was stopped in Roxbury yesterday by police, who then alerted the boy’s mother.

The Herald reported Wednesday that police Commissioner William B. Evans is seeking a ban on such faux weapons to prevent his “biggest fear” — the death of a child who points what appears to be a real gun at a police officer.

A “concerned citizen” near Warren and Dale streets called police at about 5:40 p.m. yesterday to say he spotted the boy put what appeared to be a firearm into a backpack, authorities said.

He told police the boy walked off with a group of teens, police added.

“As officers approached the playground near Kensington Park, they observed the group and the male fitting the description of the person with the gun,” police said. “Officers approached the group and asked to inspect the backpack. As officers pat-frisked the bag, they felt the shape of a firearm through the fabric.”

Police said the gun was a replica, but had no orange tip, and smelled of spray paint.

“Officers were able to identify the 12-year-old juvenile from Roxbury and contacted his mother. The juvenile’s mother responded to the scene, and officers explained the incident to her,” police said.

Police said they provided his mother with the community service officer’s number and urged her to call so they can explain “the dangerous consequences that may arise from carrying a replica firearm in public.”

The boy was not charged with a crime and was released to his mother’s custody, police said.

Boston police have confiscated 139 replica handguns so far this year that authorities say were used in suspected crimes or discovered during search warrant executions. Evans said a total of 174 f**e firearms were seized last year that investigators have tied to at least 200 crimes.

Evans testified before the City Council this week, urging them to ban replica handguns

“Our biggest fear out there,” he testified, “is a young child thinking this is a harmless toy, pointing it in the direction of one of our officers, and, heaven forbid, my officer has to use deadly force.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2015/10/police_take_phony_handgun_from_boy_12_in_roxbury

moldyoldy

Somebody called in, a Black man with a gun.

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

And it should be investigated, as i would expect to happen with me if someone reported i was spotted with a firearm. No crime there, just common sense.

moldyoldy

He had picked up a BB gun, in the store. The cops showed up and k**led him within seconds.

VladimirPee

Everything on AlterNet is bulls**t

moldyoldy

Stay out of the conversation if you do not know what it is about.

righty Loc: Tenn

Dems like to blame the gun, now they are blaming the law. What is wrong with you people? When will you all get it through your thick skulls, it is the person behind the gun that is the problem?

I know, I know stupid question.


I guess this was the knifes fault too hey? Five students have been stabbed at the University of California, Merced, the school announced via Twitter. The suspect was shot and k**led.

Unbelievable....

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

Not buying it, far more to it than that Moldy.
First of all they are packaged, why was it not in its box? Or that damn plastic heat sealed casket you need a pair of boning shears just to open.

I have bought several bb guns frm wallyworld, they are cased...all of them down to the lowly red ryder, the bar code is on the package...are we sure he just picked it up? And in seconds, pretty damn good response time...far more going on there.