According to police, officers were called to the 5200 block of 17th Avenue Northeast to investigate a report of two or three men firing weapons into the air. Officers say they fired on the man after he brandished what a witness described as a bolt-action rifle.Darwin, table for one.
Kerlikowske offered more detail Friday. He said the four officers who responded were approaching Murphy's basement apartment when the young man came out of it. He was carrying the rifle, and it was pointed in the officers' direction.
They order him to drop it. He lowered the rifle, but as he climbed up the steps he raised the rifle, which was affixed with a bayonet, again in their direction.
Officers again order him to drop it, then two officers fired seven shots at him with their AR-15 rifles.
Making it even more surreal, Miles was dressed in a Nazi uniform--apparently something that he liked to wear for no real reason. The rifle was a vintage German Mauser, which, according to the news story, had been taken away from him by the police two years ago for unknown reasons. It was returned to him a couple of months later due to pressure from Miles' dad.
Good job there, dad. You really thought that one out, didn't you.
And at this time it appears that the shots that the police had been called to investigate were fired by Miles from that rifle because he wanted to make noise on New Years Eve. It apparently had blanks in it, but the police officers could not know that or assume such. They did what they had to do when Miles Murphy pointed the rifle at them. Now the kid is gone, and as the comments following the news story indicate, the predictable anti-police backlash from Seattle's loser community has begun.
My condolences go out to the police officers that were forced to go through this traumatic episode because a stupid kid didn't have the common sense that God gave a goose.
There will be a bunch of crap aimed at these officers. Same on these losers for slamming these fine officers. If he came at me with a gun. I would have shot him also.
ReplyDeleteYes, and his mother told a reporter that he was "a peaceful and loving young man."
ReplyDelete...wwo just liked to dress up like a storm trooper and point guns at people.
Lord, what is it with these Nazi wannabes? I knew one in college 40 years ago.. not stupid, but completely lacking in the ability to relate to other human beings. A complete nerd with major self-image issues, in other words. Under such circumstances, I suppose the fantasy of belonging to a master race has appeal.
No loss to the world, in any event.
A "kid"? That idiot was 22! Well sorta a kid to me. My thoughts go out to the police officers who had to respond to that call. Some New Years for those poor folks.
ReplyDeleteAnd the kid?? hope hell likes his uniform;)
Just a note to the angry kids from Seattle who write to express outrage over the death of their braindead friend and/or my reporting on it...
ReplyDeleteUsing profanity and/or calling ME names won't get you approved for posting. Sorry kids.
Based on the posts that I had to reject this morning, a lot of parents' money is being wasted on college classes for some pretty foul-mouthed and stupid kids in the Pacific Northwest.
You really need to add that warning to commenters to your original post, rather than in the comments section.
ReplyDeleteHe must not have been much of a Nazi, since he was obviously unwilling to follow orders.
;)
Stupid should hurt. And sometimes it does.
ReplyDeleteGlad the cops are going home safe and Darwin has protected the gene pool.
In this world , people have the right to be stupid. I dont encourage it , it just happens naturally.
ReplyDeleteI hope he was buried in his "uniform".
I don't know the man who died nor do I condone wearing Nazi uniforms- if that is truly what he was wearing. Apparently unlike all whose comments were accepted on this post, I try not to take what I read for face value, and realize that 'old European military' or 'German military' might appear to us non-history buffs, or in this case the police, to be a "Nazi uniform".
ReplyDeleteSounds like Miles wasn't given much of a chance to respond to anything and no one should be blamed for the misunderstandings and miscommunications that make up our human existence. This is, of course, given that the actions of the police were faithful to the call of their job and not a premature or unjust response. (Because, while police might like to think they are above the law, natural law says we are human and chemical reactions/emotions guide our physical responses, no matter your job description.)Run-ins with the cops are nerve-racking on both ends. Therefore, this incident does not make Miles or his family deserving of offensive remarks no matter how superior you may think you are (one might call that ‘Nazi’). He is still a being who deserves love & respect. This post is full of low blows and stabs for entertainment/self-expression purposes, I presume, and that's fine because fortunately, in this Universe, there is karma. And none of us are exempt.
Miles made a horrible mistake this past New Year's. Those of us who knew him, know that he was a great guy and will be missed by all.
ReplyDeleteHe and some of his friends were setting off fireworks and he decided to fireoff a few blanks behind their apartment building, which was why the police were called.
Miles wasn't wearing a nazi uniform, the press got it wrong and have now corrected themselves. A modern German military coat does not equal a nazi uniform, just ask our NATO partners!
His friends who were there, said he never pointed his rifle at anyone that night.
The fact that he was surprised walking fro m his apartment door by the cops who were at the doorway to the lower floor hallway and up a few steps, combined with the bright tactical flashlights in his eyes obviously confused him.
Whether or not he had been intoxicated, will ultimately be revealed once the Grand Jury reviews this tragedy.
If he was drunk at the time, it definately answers some of the questions of why he didn't immediately comply to the 4 cops pointing AR-15s at him.
Miles wasn't a nazi or neo-nazi, anymore than a WWII vet or WWII collector is that has collected a few war trophies.
Miles was a history buff and had interests in many time periods and uniforms, much like the History Channel, which also obviously does not support nazi beliefs.
This tragedy is hard for both the family of Miles and for the 2 police officers who made the decision to shoot.
Bottomline, a really nice young man is now dead. He made a series of really bad decisions that led to his death.
But he was definately not a nazi, but the media never thought to ask people who knew him before they jumped conclusions to make him look aweful.
His death is definately a loss to the world and not what the media initially (and incorrectly) painted him as.
Sorry about your pal--it was a tragedy--but hopefully other people will learn that guns aren't toys or party favors. If he'd only exercised some basic common sense that we expect of every gun owner, he'd still be alive today.
ReplyDeleteBut that was only his first mistake. His second was, of course, failing to immediately ground the deadly weapon when told to do so by the police.
Unfortunate, but preventable.