Title: ‘They Did Not Deal Drugs’: Neighbors of Slain Couple Who Shot 4 Cops Refute Official Story Source:
FromThe Trenches/FTP URL Source:https://fromthetrenchesworldreport. ... s-refute-official-story/240819 Published:Feb 1, 2019 Author:Matt Agorist Post Date:2019-02-01 07:34:06 by Deckard Keywords:None Views:2007 Comments:25
Houston, TX — Four Houston police officers were shot on Monday during a drug raid on an alleged heroin dealer’s home. Luckily, the officers are all expected to survive. Now, neighbors who knew the slain couple that lived in the house are speaking out and the picture they paint is drastically different than the official story.
According to the official police account, on Monday afternoon, around 5:00 pm, a dozen SWAT team members with Houston’s narcotics department, along with six other patrol officers descended on a Pecan Park home to serve a search warrant. According to police, a tip from a neighbor led to an investigation in which black tar heroin was allegedly purchased from the couple’s home and the search warrant was executed on Monday.
As police entered the home, they claim one of the suspects, Dennis Tuttle, opened fire and 4 of the officers were shot. Another officer injured his knee during the raid, but was not shot. Police then said that Tuttle’s wife of 22 years, Rhogena Nicholas-Tuttle attempted to grab one of the officer’s guns and she was killed as well.
This sounds like an open and shut case of a drug raid turned violent when the dealers fought back. But if we look a little closer, a seemingly different story emerges.
Something Art Acevedo did not say is that the officers who entered the home were in plain clothes—not uniforms.
What’s more, upon entering the house, they immediately began shooting as one officer killed the couple’s dog. That’s when Tuttle came out of the back room with his .357 handgun and opened fire.
Even more suspicious is the fact that these alleged black tar heroin dealers—had no heroin. The only thing police alleged to have found was a small bit of marijuana and a white powdery substance. Police also said they found several guns, which all happened to be entirely legal.
Robert Antu, who lived across the street from the couple—for the last 30 years—considered the couple dear friends. He told Click2Houston that Tuttle would have never fired on a police officer.
“If he would have known it was police, he would have never shot,”Antu said. “No way. He obeyed the law. I tell you, he was a straight-up guy.”
Another neighbor, Esmerelda Becerra—who battled cancer alongside Nicholas—backs up Antu’s statements and said this loving couple would have never hurt anyone.
“Do you know how I felt?” said Becerra, crying. “There’s no more tears in me. I went over there to go leave flowers. I almost fainted.”
“I still can’t stop crying!!! And yes they where (sic) GOOD PEOPLE!!!” wrote one woman who knew them on Facebook.
According to Tuttle’s sister, Tuttle was also a disabled veteran.
“Released on honorable discharged medical,” Tuttle’s sister, Elizabeth Ferrari said. “He had debilitating injuries for many years and it’s a sad situation.”
“I don’t buy it all,” Ferrari said of the official police story. “Not one hot minute.”
Nicholas-Tuttle was also a big time supporter of police, who liked the All Lives Matter page on Facebook as well as her local law enforcement—definitely not the typical habit of a black tar heroin dealer.
Every neighbor who lived by the couple gave similar testimonies making the claim that neighbors reported them as drug dealers hold even less water.
“They didn’t deal drugs from out of that house,” said one neighbor, who grew up with Tuttle and his wife. “They’re not those type of people.”
Indeed, they are not. When asked if the couple had any criminal history, Acevedo refused to answer the question noting that it was “part of the investigation.”
“We’re not going to talk about their criminal histories,” Acevedo said. “That’s part of the investigation.”
However, Click2Houston pulled their criminal record—and it’s non-existent. According to their report:
Court records showed that Tuttle had no criminal history in Harris County.
Nicholas was charged with theft by check in January 2010, according to court records. That case was dismissed about a month later after Nicholas paid $145 in restitution.
State and national searches returned no criminal history for the couple.
Married couples, who own their own home, have no criminal record, one of whom is an honorable discharged disabled veteran, and who are best friends with their neighbors, do not fit the typical profile of heroin dealers.
While it is entirely possible that this couple was dealing heroin, there is an equally likely alternative scenario that could’ve unfolded like this: police acted on bad information from an unreliable informant—which happens all the time—and then raided the home.
When the couple saw four plainclothes officers in their home—who immediately came in and shot their dog—they likely went into fight or flight mode. Tuttle opened fire, likely thinking he was the subject of a home invasion and Nicholas may have tried to disarm one of the intruders who she thought was trying to kill her.
The fact of the matter is that botched raids happen all the time. As TFTP has reported, there are countless examples of police acting on bad information, going to the wrong house, or responding to bad anonymous tips. All too often, these innocent people are shot, arrested, or even killed and they never committed a crime.
In this couple’s case, the “investigation” of their deaths is now being conducted by the very people who killed them. There is likely no chance of police flipping the narrative and revealing they were in the wrong.
What’s more, because these undercover cops were in plainclothes, there is no body camera footage to tell what actually happened. And, since both of the suspects are now dead, they cannot refute the official story.
The four cops getting shot during this raid is tragic. However, if this couple was innocent and was merely defending their home from armed invaders, this is a tragedy of epic proportions.
The State of Texas: To any Peace Officer of the State of Texas:
Whereas, the affiant whose name appears on the affidavit attached hereto is a peace office officer under the laws of Texas and did heretofore this day subscribe and swear to said affidavit before me, and whereas I find that the verified facts stated by affiant in said affidavit show that affiant has probable cause for the belief he/she expresses erein and established existence of proper gronds for issuance of this Warrant;
Now therefore, you are commanded to enter the suspected place, vehicles, and premises described in said affidavit, to-wit: a one story residence located at “7815 Harding street”. Said suspected place is described as: a one story residence located in the 7800 block of Harding street. The location is located in Houston, Harris County, Texas. Said location is better described as a one story residence constructed of wood. The residence is tan in color with white trim. The residence in question is located on the north side of Harding street between the intersections of Berkley and Fennell. The front door is white in color and faces south. The numbers “7815” are plainly displayed on the residence in question. The location in question is located in the 7800 block of Harding street, Houston, Harris County, Texas.
At said places you shall search for and, if same be found, seize and bring before me the property described in the affidavit that the suspected party, or others in control of the suspected place, are alleged to be concealing and to have in his/her possession in violation of the laws of the State of Texas, to-wit: heroin.
I further find that affiant has established sufficient reason to believe that to knock and announce their purpose by the officers executing this warrant would be futile, dangerous, and otherwise inhibit the effective investigation of the offense or offenses related to the purpose of this warrant. Therefore, unless circumstances to the contrary are discovered prior to entry, you are hereby authorized to dispense with the usual requirement that you knock and announce, your purpose before entering the suspected place to execute this warrant.
Houston Search Warrant Affidavit, paragraph 5
5. Affiant has probable cause for said belief by reason of the following facts and circumstances: On January 27, 2019, a narcotic investigation was being conducted at the above residence, located at 7815 Harding street, Houston, Harris County Texas. Your Affiant had previously received information that the above male, whose name is unknown, was selling narcotics. This investigation had been going on for approximately two (2) weeks by the Houston Police Narcotic Division. On 01/27/2019, your Affiant contacted the below confidential informant regarding the above location mentioned above. Your Affiant met with the confidential informant to further this narcotic investigation. The confidential informant was met at a pre-determined location to assist officers of the narcotic division with this investigation. The Affiant searched the confidential informant and found the confidential informant to be clear of any narcotics / and or paraphernalia. The confidential informant was advised your by your Affiant that at the above location in question, narcotics were being sold and stored. The confidential informant was provided U.S. currency by the Affiant for the purpose of buying narcotics from any individuals located at the above location in question. The Affiant observed the confidential informant go directly to the above location in question, where the confidential informant was met by a male from inside the above residence in question. After several minutes, the Affiant observed the confidential informant leave the residence in question and return directly to the Affiant. The confidential informant surrendered a quantity of brown powder substance to the Affiant. The confidential informant advised that the substance was purchased as “boy”. The term “boy” is a street slang for heroin. The confidential informant advised that the substance was purchased from the male described above and whose name is unknown. The confidential informant advised that additional quantity of brown powder substance was observed in the unknown male’s hand which went back into the residence above of “7815 Harding street”. The confidential informant also advised that the additional substance was in the care / custody and control of the male described above and whose name is unknown. The additional substance was packaged in a large quantity of plastic baggies. The confidential informant was searched again after the completion of this investigation and found clear of any amount of narcotics. Surveillance was placed on the above location in question by the narcotic officers.
The confidential informant stated that a weapon was observed at the residence above in question during the narcotic transaction. The weapon was on the possession of the above male whose name is unknown but is more fully described above. The weapon appeared to be a semi-auto hand gun of a 9mm caliber. The confidential informant also advised that the confidential informant was advised by the male above whose name is unknown to return when more “boy” was needed.
The quantity of brown powder substance purchased at the above residence located at “7815 Harding street” on 01/27/2019 was recognized by sight and texture as “heroin” by your Affiant and narcotic officer [redacted] the brown powder substance was also referred to as heroin by its street name of “boy”.
The confidential informant has provided informant and assistance to officers in past on at least (10) prior occasions which has lead to narcotic arrests and seizures. The confidential informant has proven to be credible and reliable on many prior occasions. Officers have made arrests and seized narcotics based on information and assistance provided by the confidential informant in the past.
The first officer to enter the home was immediately charged by a pit bull and shot at by the man inside the home, identified as Dennis Tuttle, Chief Acevedo said. The officer, 33, who has been with the Police Department for 10 years, fatally shot the dog and was struck on his shoulder, falling onto the sofa.
Chief Acevedo said that the woman in the home, Rhogena Nicholas, then reached over that officer to grab his shotgun. Backup officers then opened fire at Ms. Nicholas, he said.
At one point, Mr. Tuttle stuck his gun through the doorway and opened fire at the officers, the police said.
Houston's police chief says what began as an attempt to serve a search warrant at a suspected drug house turned into a gunbattle that killed two suspects and injured five officers, including four who were shot.
Chief Art Acevedo says the suspects were killed Monday after firing at officers who were trying to enter a southeast Houston home where authorities allege black tar heroin was being sold.
Four of the officers were shot and a fifth suffered a knee injury.
Acevedo says two of the officers who were shot were hit in the neck by gunfire and are in critical but stable condition.
Two other officers, including the one who injured a knee, are in good condition. One officer who was shot in the shoulder has been released.
Two shot in the neck, two shot in the shoulder. The consistent pattern suggests the shooter did not aim at center mass.
“The Thursday news conference revealed that the powder was cocaine, perhaps answering one of the nagging questions raised after the Pecan Park raid targeting a pair of alleged heroin dealers.”
