“A crew member with the ‘Cops’ television show was fatally struck by police gunfire as Omaha officers confronted a robber — who also was fatally wounded — at a midtown restaurant,” omaha.com reports. “The TV crew member who died was a sound engineer, who holds the microphone during taping. The camera operator was not injured, nor were any police officers. According to the show’s website ‘Cops’ crew members wear bullet-proof vests on the job.” Bad boys . . .
“The shootings occurred after an officer discovered a man, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and white bandanna, robbing the restaurant, Deputy Police Chief Dave Baker said.” Thirty shots were fired. The police have not released the officer’s names. The TV footage of the incident has not been posted. Yet. [h/t BB]
News just reported that the robber had a BB gun.
Now that’s real TV.
30 shots
…….30 shots!!!
I used to live in mid town omaha. I never heard more than 3 shots in a row. On a weekly basis though…leave it up to the cops
I’ll bet they were using those .30 assault ghost clips!
MAG DUMP!!!!
There was three officers shooting so 10 rounds each.
Seriously.
I thought you were supposed to aim your gun up in the air and go “ahhrgh” when you do that sort of thing.
Only if you’re chasing a crew of surfing bank robbers or, of course, if you care most about THE GREATER GOOD.
Thanks Marcus! “I knew you wouldn’t miss the fifty year storm”.
THE GREATER GOOD!
The greater good… Maybe the cops thought the sound guy was a mime?
He had the scary “thing that goes up.”
Such brilliant comments! Love it
A little too much reality…very sad.
Bad Boys, Bad Boys, watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when they come for . . . some other dude. : (
Can we just do a day of just good gun news, there’s probably plenty.
God bless and help the poor cops too, has to be a real bad day all the way around.
I’m not going to bash these cops, but after the LEOs lit up that SUV with KNOWN hostages inside of it, I’m just sitting here shaking my head…
I will pray for all involved parties….
STFU, bitch: “I’m not going to bash the police…”
It’s not “bashing” to point out daily displays of incompetence.
It’s not “bashing” to point out daily displays of incompetence.
Btw, RF and MattInFL: blocking me hasn’t stopped me from posting. kthxbai
It’s a living, but does stupid games /prizes apply here? Poor guy, my heart goes out to his love ones.
No, it’s just a good example of decisions and consequences. This is no more a stupid prize than your last case of slide bite. It’s the same with any decision you will ever make.
Thankfully all the trigger pullers made it home safely to their families. Because at the end of the day, isn’t their safety all that really matters?
Because that totally applies here. But you’re right! They should have shot themselves after the incident too!
(Get over your hatred of the police)
I think it applies more to the double standard applied to police officers. Imagine the furor if it was a civilian in a similar situation. I understand its a tough job, but it should also have higher requirements and harsher penalties for situations like this. All that is assuming one of the officers shot him. Career permantly over would be hardly fair, but a decent start.
He doesn’t hate police, but unlike you, Peally, he doesn’t want to fellate them.
Peally,
Commenters like Dickie J. and myself don’t hate the police per se. Rather, we hate the police who elevate their own survival above their job: securing our rights. If they won’t accept the risk that their job entails, then they should not be police officers.
Even more galling, good people who are not police will go to prison if they spray bullets and hit bystanders while defending themselves. Why do police get a pass? Why are their lives more valuable than mine?
That is what we despise.
But then they’d have to get actual jobs and be self-sufficient rather than living off of our taxes like the welfare recipients that they are. They also wouldn’t get to walk around feeling self-important, being able to do whatever they want to people.
haha, the article I read on Fox had no mention that this was friendly fire…
“…and then a ‘Cops’ crew member was injured,” he said”
Such wonderful open and honest reporting…
Don’t say anything negative about Fox here, a lot of Fox fanboys who think it’s gospel.
I get all my news from MSNBC.
Always the joker, Ralph. Yeah, honestly Fox is the only one I can (barely) tolerate – but I’m not a sycophant to any news outlet (or politician), so was just stating a fact.
Paco, it’s good to see that you’re still here, fighting the good fight. Good luck with this crowd, friend.
The film crew needs an MRAP.
Frankly, I’d trust them with one more than I would cops. How sad is that?
30 shots? Jeepers.
Maybe it’s time for TV crewmen to adopt the whole “get them home safe” tripe?
Thirty shots were fired.
If cops can’t do it in under 10, expecting everyone to is insane.
Cops need an extra couple dozen rounds for the bystanders and brother officers.
Don’t forget any nearby dogs…
30 shots? How many hit the Ham Burglar?
Note that members of the media wear body armor from time to time, and although we don’t have any information about what this individual was wearing or whether it made a difference in this incident, he was undoubtedly a “civilian” who would be subject to a felony conviction and up to 10 years in prison under U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA)’s “Responsible Body Armor Possession Act” a/k/a ban on enhanced protective wear.
RIP
we don’t have any information about what this individual was wearing or whether it made a difference in this incident,
Yes, we do. COPS crew members wear bullet-proof vests. The sound man was shot under the arm, so it missed his vest.
Regardless of what the media member was or wasn’t wearing, many media members want the option to wear bullet resistant vests. Representative Honda’s bill would take that option off the table.
Now what would be really interesting is Representative Honda added a carve-out for members of the Press. That would be rich.
Indeed. Expect new carve-outs for the media, elected officials, government officials, airline pilots, teachers, pharmacists, preachers, bankers, doctors…um…Shannon Watts…astronauts…Santa Claus … OK, that’s all the good guys. All that’s left is all those mass murderers and those temporarily law-abiding gun owners, so ban on!*
*Sarcasm. Flame me not.
Union leaders.
Postal workers.
No it wouldn’t. Read the bill carefully. It only prohibits armor above class III… you won’t see reporters wearing that outside of a war zone.
Sort of like banning only “military style assault weapons.” Once again the question is not why anyone needs such-and-such but why a ban is necessary or Constitutional.
I don’t understand how this could happen. Was the sound tech standing in front of the officers? Why would he do that, and why would the cops let him? Was he shot in the front or in the back? This makes no sense at all.
It’s obviously not the sound guy’s fault, but I hope they start training their crews to hit the deck–footage be damned–when bullets start flying.
Same kind of ammo used to kill Kennedy.
“Magic Bullets?”
I think some of you need to reread. What I read was that while the crew was filming, the cops working with them noticed that a guy was robbing the restaurant. ie, he was not part of the show, not included in the plans, just some guy who decided to take advantage of the situation where he was surrounded by police, cameras, lights, sound booms, etc. A real genius, IOW.
So the sound guy was standing between the cops and the robber when the cops opened up? Brilliant!
Ralph, like NFL referees, the video crews are a part of the astroturf.
They signed the releases, they took their chances.
Wait.
Isn’t the sound guy usually behind the cameras? And aren’t the cameras usually behind the cops?
Hmmmm
Might’ve been getting a burger.
Aha! Thanks.
I was working on the assumption that they were actively filming. Might have been that simple.
The bad guy moved.
This is sad but its an occupational hazard. If you want to go and film where crime is being committed, don’t be surprised if sometimes things go wrong.
As far as I can tell, the crime/criminals were absolutely ZERO threat to the sound guy.
Seems to me like a few pigs trained to shoot first and lie later were the danger to the sound guy.
@Richard
When did I say that the hazard was caused by the thugs without badges?
I’m 100% certain that you can tell the difference between an airsoft gun and the real deal in that exact same scenario.
I’m 100% certain that you can tell the difference between an airsoft gun and the real deal in that exact same scenario.
I don’t think most here question the fact that the Taurus airsoft gun looked pretty real, but I do question the cops’ statements that he fired at them and they saw muzzle flashes from it and heard the report of real gunfire when he did it.
Do you believe that?
It seems Richard up there doubts it.
I believe that adrenaline does weird things and it’s not unusual for people to make that kind of error while under massive levels of stress..
Well then you’re unlike the witnesses who thought he was firing a real gun.
It takes stupid to brandish an airsoft gun at police… it takes a special kind of stupid to fire it AT them.
True, S.Crock, but this was friendly fire. That’s not on anybody’s list of expectations.
Maybe they need to invest in better body armor
The congressman from California would make it illegal for this camera crewmen to purchase body armor….
Look at the line of bullets in the three windows in the photo. This suggests that the robber tried to run, and shots were fired at him as he did so. This raises the possibility that although the crewman was not in the original line of fire, he became so. And look how high up they are, which suggests that the crewman took one to the head if he was in this line of fire.
look how high up they are, which suggests that the crewman took one to the head if he was in this line of fire.
Under the arm, missing his vest.
The report I read indicated that was the case, that the robber ran while firing (a pellet or airsoft gun) and ended up attracting rounds to where the soundman was.
Was the Sound Engineer black?
This pretty much convinces me the cops need a lot more real world training. God help ANYONE around if a terrorist opens up with a semi automatic AK or AR. The cops will demolish buildings with 9mm or 40 caliber fire.
It’s seriously time to at least fire any cop who does a mag dump. Kinda like they are peeing, pooping and shooting at the same time.
Hey now… don’t be obtuse. We all know the cops need belt fed service weapons. If they need 10K+ rounds to stop a jaywalker and his dog then WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE CIVILIAN??!!1!!??!??!111?!?!
I think we are beginning to get an understanding of where all that ammo the DHS has been buying has been going! After all somebody has to resupply this bunch.
The new question at the restaurant …
Instead of asking,
“Do you want French fries with your meal?”
The attendant will ask,
“Do you want a screen that keeps glass shards out of your meal?”
According to Omaha paper’s account of chief’s news conference, the perp took several rounds inside the restaurant, got through the front door, where he took several more rounds. That is when the “Cops” guy was hit. He also said that the airsoft gun perp (Beretta 92 copy) used had “muzzle flash and noise”. Take that for what it is worth. The airsoft guns I have seen are sure lifelike, but don’t have a muzzle flash. Really sucks for all the good guys in the scenario.
Here comes the airsoft ban.
Cap pistol. Obviously contraband.
Blah blah blah. Insert standard cop bashing here. Typical. “Pigs”. Or, “they ought to be fired” for this or that. Did I beat anybody to the punch on buzz cuts or fat cops?
You want better cops, up the pay, benefits, and training. You want cops to shoot and look like SEALs, know every law verbatim, and be a “professional”? Pay up. But we don’t want higher taxes either. Well we can’t have it either way.
Most cops that I know make well over the national average, especially considering the gold plated retirement and benefits. You sound like a public school teacher….
uh, SEALS ain’t exactly winning military marksmanship competitions.
Seals are really bad marksmen, it’s kinda hard to operate a firearm using those flippers. That and that most guns aren’t made to be used underwater so they never bother to practice.
If they didn’t sit around manning speed traps and issuing traffic citations so much, they could have fewer officers and pay/train the ones they have better.
Additionally, if more people armed themselves and took responsibility for their own protection, they could decrease quantity and have better quality of officers and training. Win-win.
You want better cops, up the pay, benefits, and training. You want cops to shoot and look like SEALs, know every law verbatim, and be a “professional”? Pay up.
You’re saying most cops suck because we don’t pay enough to attract good ones?
waah waaah waaah. Apparently making 50% over the median income + generous pensions and excellent healthcare in most areas is not enough. Should we give them solid gold police cruisers too?
So we have to pay more so cops dont kill citizens or dogs?
This is the first time this has happened in twenty five years of production. That’s surprisingly good. Sometimes your number just comes up.
Commentors here wouldn’t be nearly as outraged if the man behind the gun was an armed non-LEO (whatever we’re allowed to call ourselves since “civilian” will get your head bitten off) but the minute you throw a badge on him it goes from some really bad luck to “that power mad sack of moldy dicks needs to be hung in the town square!”
“power mad sack of moldy dicks” – hilarious, I’m gonna plagiarize you!
An armed non LEO doesn’t have the entirety of the state backing his decisions.
Now THAT’S a cops episode that might get some viewers.
Where was sound guy when he got shot killed??? I now event take place fast but one has wonder where he was when happen. As some one report if guy was arm only arm air soft gun why did take three cops shoot him 30 times which nobody knows right now how three cops fire out each there handguns. I well be fair I well state gone do crime your use weapon or some thing look like weapon you can get kill doing it.Special if weapon look like gun police can not tell if real or not bug how look. Keeping old mind that video event has been show to public I well not judge handgun control of police is until it shown.
Nobody now give you no break
Police now give you no break
Not soldier man give you no break
Not even you idren now give you no breaks
I have read all of the wounds suffered by the police during the Boston Bombers shootout was inflicted by other police. This is not too surprising.
Clearly you hate cops. You’re probably a criminal too.
Sounds like you are a uniform worshiper
Sound guy was apparently behind an obscured partition when the bad guy, while firing his (airsoft? BB?) gun ran right in front of him. The effects of adrenaline, tunnel vision, auditory exclusion and holyshitthisguyisshootingatme combine in such a way that anyone who thinks they’d be immune to making a mistake is a similar situation is either a true operator ™ or another keyboard commando and\or monday morning quarterback.
Handguns aren’t that accurate or powerful. Maybe if they’d had carbines they could have taken out the threat sooner. Maybe with more tactical training they could have done it. But then we don’t want our police to be militarized, do we?
The most shocking thing about this to me? That Cops still has new episodes.
11 shots through the glass. What ever happened to knowing what was behind your target.
He probably committed fornication or adultery and deserved to die anyway. We are all going to die soon, he just died sooner. What’s the point of talking about it. it was a good death and a good shoot. God’s officer did it, so if it was an accident, he goes to heaven. no worries.
I’m assuming there is video of this? Or is that asking too much of a TV crew?
I’m assuming there is video of this? Or is that asking too much of a TV crew?
I think they stopped for food and ran across the robbery, I don’t think they were filming at the time.
The police admitted it was friendly fire when they realized it was not a real gun. But 30 shots from three guns they were lucky nobody else was hurt.
GEEZ..think these cops need some range time. For God’s sake, 30 shots and they shoot and kill the wrong person. What the f**k is wrong with these guys? Sounds like total incompetence.
” I now event take place fast but one has wonder where he was when happen. As some one report if guy was arm only arm air soft gun why did take three cops shoot him 30 times which nobody knows right now how three cops fire out each there handguns. I well be fair I well state gone do crime your use weapon or some thing look like weapon you can get kill doing it.Special if weapon look like gun police can not tell if real or not bug how look. Keeping old mind that video event has been show to public I well not judge handgun control of police is until it shown.” What the heck are you saying? Is this English? Because I can’t understand half of what you typed.
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