Posted in Chronicle Blog by Scott Morgan on Thu, 06/12/2008 - 5:02pm Derrick Foster is the latest person facing prosecution after mistaking a drug raid for a robbery and firing on the intruders, who turned out to be police. He's gainfully employed, has no criminal record, and wasn't involved in any drug activity. But, of course, police are pushing the theory that he wanted to kill some cops on purpose. Concerned that Foster's innocence could result in him being found…innocent, the local police union is going around intimidating potential character witnesses.
In yet another raid-gone-wrong, police heard that Ronald Terebesi, Jr. was smoking crack in his house (smoking, not selling). So they threw a flashbang grenade in his window, smashed down his door with a battering ram and killed a disoriented man who "charged" at them. 33-year-old Gonzalo Guizan is now dead because police went nuts in order to stop a guy from smoking crack.



And kids, what do we learn from this lesson? Jimmy - "that the drug war is bad for the USA as it kills more inocent citizen by mistake then safes from anything. Besides that it made us incarcerated more then a fair amound of our citizens for non-violent marijuana offences!"

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Keep the gun oiled and the thumb green!

I hope Derrick Foster has a good lawyer. Otherwise he is going down. Too much against him. Lyin' cops, Dirty D.A.'s and judges who want to protect the city from liability.The big question is, Did they have a warrant and what probable cause to forcibly enter?

They couldn't have a warrant for this guy's home, he has no criminal record to this day (until the verdict is in effect you technically innocent of the crime you are accused with) and no drugs in his home nor been involved in any drug activity - so where should they take the suspicious fact and evidence to obtain a warrant with?!
my guess, they been just to lazy to check in which home the rush as the are cops and by that the law - at least do majority cops think this way (ISO, that is my impression gained over many years that even the "good" ones i came across - they simply have this super human attitude as if they are of somehow above the "rest" which is represented by us)
this entire thing is just about the "super humans" want to get even and scare everyone else into submission - i hope they fail and Mr. Foster is free to continue his live with his family in peace.
He has reacted perfectly normal as i would react in the same manner - if they yell "cops" or not (buglers can yell the same s**t before the gun you down) - it is my home, my castle and if you try to raid me like the freaken red army be better prepared for the metal storm heading your way!

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Keep the gun oiled and the thumb green!

Green: I think you will ind that you and I think a lot alike. I hate to "generalize" about any group, but in this case the LEO is going to cover their collective asses and try to make it all the victims fault.

Go figure.


ISO

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si si, i fear the same thing to happen here

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Keep the gun oiled and the thumb green!

Derrick Foster Speaks

Radley Balko | May 22, 2008, 8:21am
Foster, remember, is the former Ohio State University football player charged with shooting and wounding two police officers during a drug raid in Columbus. He had no prior criminal record, had a conceal carry permit for his gun, wasn't involved with any illicit drugs, and has a spotless record of employment as a code inspector for the city of Columbus. Foster admits he was at the house the police raided to shoot dice, but says he had no idea the raiding officers were cops.
From the article:

"What I heard was a boom," said Derrick Foster. "Like somebody was trying to kick in the door."
Foster, who played football at Ohio State, told 10TV News that he never heard anyone identify themselves as police officers.
"The first reaction from everyone inside was we were being robbed," Foster said. "We're being robbed."
Foster admitted that he went to the East Rich Street house to gamble. He also said he brought his gun - which he had a license to carry - for self-defense.
"My whole mentality was, if there were robbers, I want them to know somebody's in here with a gun," Foster said. "Go away."
According to Foster, someone else inside the home fired the first shot.
"Whoever was outside fired back in, and that's when I un-holstered my gun and I fired two shots," Foster said. "Basically, I was firing two shots, like a warning shot."
[...]
"They feel like, hey, this guy's a criminal," Foster said. "I'm not that. I'm not that -- and I want them to know I'm not that."
"I'm more remorseful than any person could ever be. This is something that has to stick with me for the rest of my life."

The police don't seem to have any such regrets.

Officers Garrison and Gillis did not comment on the pending court case, but said anyone who opens fire on another person needs to be held accountable.
"I think any person that has a firearm and is willing to shoot at any person is a dangerous person," Garrison said.

I wonder if that would include the officers who blindly fired back into the house. Incidentally, this was the third drug raid of the night for the Columbus narcotics SWAT team. The police say the house Foster was in was "a suspected crack house." That doesn't appear to be the case. No one in the house has been charged with any drug crime. The only charges stemming from the raid are the attempted murder and felonious assault charges against Foster and Michael Gravely for their reaction to the raid. It looks like there wasn't even enough gambling going on to merit a charge.
It would be nice to see the Columbus media ask some tougher questions, here. Upon what evidence did the police conduct this raid? Why was this "a suspected crack house?" Why no drug charges? What does the affidavit say? Where there any controlled buys at the house? Is it typical for the narcotics unit to conduct three raids in one night? Early reports described a witness who claims to have heard police give an order to smash in the house's windows just prior to the raid. Did that witness hear an announcement? Was it loud enough to be heard by the people inside?





"I think any person that has a firearm and is willing to shoot at any person is a dangerous person," Garrison said - parden me but for what is the second amendment then?! glad the supreme court cleared this question this week - the constitution was written in the intention to protect the citizen from the gov and not around and LEO should learn this one!

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Keep the gun oiled and the thumb green!