| MOULTRIE — A Colquitt County Grand Jury has ruled that the 2017 fatal shooting of a Moultrie man by a sheriff’s deputy was a justified use of force in the situation. Brad Shealy, district attorney for the Southern Judicial Circuit that includes Colquitt County, announced the jurors’ finding on Tuesday afternoon.
Peter Torres was shot on the afternoon of Feb. 4 outside his 153 Blackberry Lane residence after officers were dispatched to investigate a domestic disturbance complaint. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which was requested to investigate the shooting, determined that Colquitt County deputy Joshua Luke fired a single shot that struck Torres in the chest. Emergency dispatchers had been told, and relayed to police headed to Torres’ residence, that Torres was under the influence of narcotics, had a knife and was “acting violently” toward family members who fled before police arrived because they feared for their safety, according to the grand jury report. Luke and another deputy responded to the location. Luke, wearing a body camera as was the other deputy, was heading to the rear of the residence when he saw Torres sitting in a chair outside, the report said. Luke ordered Torres not to move three times, the report said, and Torres responded by throwing a metal object and a 20-pound propane tank. The deputy ordered Torres to show his hands and be still. “Mr. Torres failed to comply with these commands and began to charge the deputy,” the jury report said. “Deputy Luke was unable to ascertain if Mr. Torres had a weapon.” Luke retreated and Torres continued to charge the officer, the reports said, despite another command for him to “quit.” As Torres continued charging, the deputy fired his weapon. “In considering the evidence we must consider it from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene with knowledge of the attendant circumstances and facts, and balance the risk of bodily harm to Mr. Torres against the gravity of the threat the deputy sought to eliminate,” the jury said. “A law officer can use deadly force if he reasonably believes that he may receive serious bodily injury or death from the actions of another.” The jurors also considered the situation -- that family members who had fled due to Torres’ reported violent behavior had advised law enforcement that he had a knife. “Deputy Luke had a reasonable (assumption), based on his knowledge of the current facts and circumstances, that his failure to use deadly force could result in he himself receiving great bodily harm or death,” the jury ruled. “Mr. Torres was both failing to follow the commands of Deputy Luke and was coming at him in an aggressive manner. Additionally, although he had no duty to do so, Deputy Luke retreated prior to his discharging his weapon.” Following the shooting, Torres was stabilized by medical personnel in Colquitt County and taken to a hospital in Macon, where he died on Feb. 16, 2017. “Mr. Torres’ death was tragic, but he failed to comply with any of the deputy’s commands and charged him in an aggressive manner,” Shealy said. “This certainly justified the use of deadly force by the deputy.” |
Poster Comment:
| Jury rules reasonable force in cop shooting “In considering the evidence we must consider it from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene with knowledge of the attendant circumstances and facts, and balance the risk of bodily harm to Mr. Torres against the gravity of the threat the deputy sought to eliminate,” the jury said. “A law officer can use deadly force if he reasonably believes that he may receive serious bodily injury or death from the actions of another.” |
#1: GrandIsland To: Gatlin (#0)
I've only been trying to tell DickTard and all the other LP & LF opioid and heroin loving suckholes this concept for the last 8 years... but drug use kills brain cells
GrandIsland posted on 2018-01-31 06:31:36 Reply Private Reply
#2: Deckard To: Gatlin (#0)
Deckard posted on 2018-01-31 06:32:38 Reply Private Reply
#3: GrandIsland To: Deckard (#2)
You are a tiny insignificant domestic terrorist on a chit chat channel... not a JURY MEMBER in this case.
Shut your shit spreader, since you are unable to LEARN.
GrandIsland posted on 2018-01-31 06:39:14 Reply Private Reply
#4: Deckard To: GrandIsland (#3)
What a sad testament to the American justice system.
Ga. teen killed by cop was holding Wii controller
Looks like cops can shoot and kill anyone for any reason.
Deckard posted on 2018-01-31 06:54:46 Reply Private Reply
#5: GrandIsland To: Deckard (#4)
You intentionally lie, spin and paint shit YELLA, you liberal media boot licker. Cops can "shoot and kill" when... " he reasonably believes that he may receive serious bodily injury or death from the actions of another.” Not for "any reason".
Shut your LameStreamMedia lyin shit flapper.
GrandIsland posted on 2018-01-31 07:08:43 Reply Private Reply
#6: Gatlin To: Deckard (#2)
Luke ordered Torres not to move three times, the report said, and Torres responded by throwing a metal object and a 20-pound propane tank.
The deputy ordered Torres to show his hands and be still.
Mr. Torres failed to comply with these commands and began to charge the deputy.
As Torres continued charging, the deputy fired his weapon.
BAM....BAM....BAM..
Jury rules reasonable force in cop shooting.
End of story ...
Gatlin posted on 2018-01-31 07:18:13 Reply Private Reply
#7: Deckard To: GrandIsland (#5)
Oh right - the "I feared for my life" defense.
The problem is everything is a "perceived" threat to these cowards - spoon, pencil, video game controllers, cell phones, an old guy's walking cane, cats and dogs, a pack of cigarettes -you name it.
Hell - just look at them the wrong way - don't show the required worship of their badge and they might even kill you.
That's not even counting the number of times these morons fucked up and went to the wrong house and killed an innocent citizen or when they are called to help and end up killing the person who called them for help in the first place.
Deckard posted on 2018-01-31 07:41:33 Reply Private Reply
#8: GrandIsland To: Deckard (#7)
That's not a "problem" for me, snowflake. I'm smart enough not to cause reasonable fear to the cops. Sucks to be a Paultard or potato
GrandIsland posted on 2018-01-31 07:55:47 Reply Private Reply
#9: Gatlin To: Deckard, GrandIsland (#4)
BULLSHIT.Looks like you don’t know what you are talking about....AGAIN.
Perceptions are definitely not your best friends....facts can be if you would only let them be.
Here are some FACTS for you:
I will stop the list here, but you can find many more such recorded cases where police officers were tried and convicted.
I will leave you by saying that you will never see what you refuse look for and therefore you will continue to only believe what you want to believe.
Gatlin posted on 2018-01-31 08:28:30 Reply Private Reply
#10: Hondo68 To: Gatlin, Deckard (#9)
Sometimes justice is served.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-01-31 09:35:11 Reply Private Reply