Warden kills druggie!

CAelknuts · Oct 14, 2007

Last week, California had the first ever fatal shooting of a suspect by a Game Warden. The warden was issuing a citation to a fellow, on property where he was living in a travel trailer, for illegal burning of trash on public land. The violator was cooperative, and accepted the citation.

The warden then did a "wants and warrants" check on the fellow and got a hit for a felony warrant from Hawai'i for selling methamphetamines. He went back to the perp and informed him of the warrant and told him that he'd have to arrest him and take him in. The perp wouldn't cooperate and walked to his trailer, despite the warden commanding him to stop. The perp came back out of the trailer with a shotgun leveled at the officer. For this, he was shot three times in the chest.

Goodbye, tweaker! I can't believe the warden showed as much restraint as he did, holding his fire as long as he did. The warden put his own life in danger to give the perp as much opportunity as possible to cooperate, and when left with no choice, he killed the druggie. Thankfully, he didn't live long enough to get medical attention and take up space in prison. One less POS consuming oxygen.

RACKMASTER · Oct 14, 2007

DEA, Sheriffs Dep, and local cops kill there share each.
Never heard of a Game Warden having the deed!
rm

202typical · Oct 14, 2007

"Thankfully, he didn't live long enough to get medical attention and take up space in prison. One less POS consuming oxygen."

Well said

?Justice consists not in being neutral between right and wrong, but in finding out the right and upholding it, wherever found, against the wrong.?
---Theodore Roosevelt,

bobcatbess · Oct 15, 2007

SOMEBODY BUY THE WARDEN A DRINK!!!

THE ONLY bobcat THAT KNOWS ALOT OF YOU HAVE HAD THIS IMAGE IN YOUR PEA BRAIN BUT DUE TO POOR SHOOTING TACTICS I'M STILL KICKIN!!!

Roy · Oct 15, 2007

Good for the Warden! Aim center mass and keep squeezing them off!

UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)

manny15 · Oct 15, 2007

SACRAMENTO -- A fatal shootout between a game warden and a fugitive this week illustrates the increasing dangers faced by state Department of Fish and Game agents, officials said Wednesday.

The warden was serving a citation Monday for illegal burning in a remote area of the Sierra foothills north of Oroville, Calif., when he discovered that the suspect was wanted in Hawaii on an outstanding warrant for selling methamphetamine.

Bartyn Pitts, 39, of Orange County opened fire with a shotgun and was killed when the warden returned fire, Butte County Dist. Atty. Mike Ramsey said. The department will not release the warden's name until the shooting investigation is completed.

Wardens routinely confront armed suspects such as Pitts, who authorities say was tending a marijuana plot, said Nancy Foley, the department's deputy director for law enforcement.

"It's inherently dangerous. Everybody we come in contact with has either a gun or a knife," Foley said. "They're generally in more rural areas; we're out there by ourselves, [and] radio coverage is sometimes hit or miss in some of those canyons."

Department spokesman Steve Martarano said wardens increasingly were confronting people involved in drug running and other illegal activities.

The department has had trouble filling warden vacancies because wages are low compared with other law enforcement agencies.

The department is supposed to have 370 wardens but has 57 vacancies with 75 wardens eligible to retire in December, Foley said. Wardens are getting raises, but not enough to catch up with other agencies.

New wardens start at $45,000 a year, while veterans can earn nearly $70,000 beginning Jan. 1, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office.

Department officials said two similar shootings occurred in the 1920s.

muleyman · Oct 15, 2007

My brother is a meth addict and a warrant was issued to search his house. He came out with a pistol and I thank God everyday that the officers didn't kill him. My brother didn't know the police were at the door and thought it was somebody that was out to get'em. Thats why he had the gun in hand.

This meth crap has really affected most people in one way or another.

What would you think if it was your brother or sister in that man's situation? It really SUCKS to be on this side of the fence when you have a family member struggling with this crap...

muleyman

Ropinfool · Oct 15, 2007

True, but everything has consequences. The warden did his job. Death can be a consequence of drugs whether by somebody else's hand or his own.

proutdoors · Oct 15, 2007

>True, but everything has consequences.
>The warden did his job.
> Death can be a
>consequence of drugs whether by
>somebody else's hand or his
>own.

Well said ropinfool. This guy opened fire on the warden, while I realize the family had no control over the situation, the warden went above and beyond his duties to help this indivual out. He should sleep good at night.

PRO

CAelknuts · Oct 15, 2007

Muleyman, it's unfortunate that your brother has a problem with meth, but the fact remains that anyone pointing a gun at a law enforecment officer, regardless of their mind-set or motivation, will probably get shot without much chance to drop the gun, and that is the way it should be,. no opinions about it.

I have a number of friends who are law enforcement officers, including a warden who is good friends with the fellow who shot this POS, and in talking with them since this happened, I doubt that any of them would have given the guy as much opportunity to surrender as this warden did. More than a few of my LE buddies have confided that as soon as they saw the gun leveled at them, they'd have opened fire without thinking twice, and that's how it should be.

You might also find it interesting to read this little detail that was left out of the news report. After the warden shot him three times, he went down but wasn't dead. The POS perp got up on his hands and knees and grabbed the shotgun again, pointing it at the warden again, and received two more bullets in the chest as a response, THAT did the trick and the perp didn't move anymore. There was apparently quite a bit of dialogue between them before this erupted into shooting that neither the paper or my earlier post mentioned, but the warden gave this guy more chances than he probably should have, to surrender peacefully. He was left with no choice but to protect his own life by taking this criminals' life first.

He did the right thing, and I hope he's never faced with a similar situation again in his career, but if so, I hope he acts as decisively again to protect himself.

Roy · Oct 15, 2007

You bet I feel bad for the victim's family - but I would feel worse for the warden's family had the victim killed him with the shotgun. He was just doing his job and this person, addicted and messed up though he was, decided, however clouded his judgement may have been, to fight it out with the warden and subsequently lost. I apologize if my previous comments seemed insensitive. Looking back, they were careless and I hope and pray that you and your family can find a way to help your brother out of this horrible problem.

I'm glad the warden survived. I am sad the other guy didn't.

UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)