It was about 4:40 p.m. on Dec. 6 and Steve Fowlkes was out driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck that he’d just rebuilt the transmission on. The 56-year-old father of two and grandfather of two had planned on just taking the truck home with him for the night to give it a test drive, but its owner seemed anxious to get it back, so Fowlkes was out circling the block around his shop, Eureka Smog and Repair on Summer Street, before dropping it off to the customer at Sole Savers auto dealership.
Just up Fifth Street, Fieldbrook native Jessica Mahoney sat behind the counter at the Hertz car rental office, filling out paperwork. Sitting across from the mother of four and answering questions about fuel and insurance options were two men — one from France, the other from Chile — looking to rent a car to drive down to the San Francisco Airport, where they planned to catch flights home.
Meanwhile, a few streets over, Clayton Lee Lasinski was driving a white Dodge pickup truck. He allegedly wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, a detail that would set off a chain of events ending in a hail of gunfire in downtown Eureka. Within 15 minutes, four Eureka police officers would fire a total of more than 40 bullets as part of a chaotic chase that left Lasinski lying on Fifth Street, bleeding from a single nonfatal gunshot wound to the chest. And Fowlkes and Mahoney would have witnessed gunfire in the streets for the first time in their lives.
In the aftermath of the officer-involved shooting — Eureka’s first since officer Steven Linfoot shot and killed 22-year-old Thomas McClain on Allard Avenue in September of 2014, and its second in the past six years — the Journal interviewed about a dozen witnesses who observed part of the pursuit, attended an EPD press conference, spoke with sources familiar with the investigation and reviewed EPD’s policies governing the use of force and foot pursuits. The result is the following timeline, which, as best we can, details 12 tense minutes in downtown Eureka.
4:42:27 p.m.
“CHP is requesting Code 3 backup for a subject who fled, unknown direction of travel, possibly armed with an unknown weapon,” blurts the police scanner. Moments earlier, a California Highway Patrol officer had been conducting routine traffic enforcement in the downtown area when he saw Lasinski allegedly driving without a seatbelt and began to follow him, according to EPD. Lasinski then allegedly rolled through a stop sign while turning west on Fourth Street and the officer initiated a traffic stop.
Lasinski pulled his Dodge pickup into the parking lot of the Best Western, where he had a room, but jumped out of the vehicle and ran, leaving his two female passengers behind. When the officer pulled into the parking lot, he reported seeing Lasinski running on one of the hotel’s second-floor balconies. A pair of motel employees reportedly tried to detain the 26-year-old but he allegedly told them he was “strapped” and brandished a .45 caliber handgun, and they let him pass. He then reportedly jumped off a balcony and hopped a fence out of the Best Western property at the corner of Fourth and Commercial streets.
About two minutes after the initial scanner call, a dispatcher updates that the suspect is wearing a black sweatshirt and camouflage pants, and that “according to a witness, subject displayed a firearm.”
At an EPD press conference held the day after the shooting, Chief Andrew Mills said Lasinski believed he had an out-of-state warrant, which may be why he fled after the traffic stop. According to Henry County, Illinois, court records, Lasinski was arrested in January of 2011 when he and his mother were pulled over on Interstate 80 and found in possession of more than 4 pounds of marijuana. Both pleaded guilty to transportation charges and were given 36 month’s probation. Henry County prosecutors have moved to revoke Lasinski’s probation four times in the years since, once even having him extradited from Humboldt County. According to online court records, prosecutors again moved to revoke his probation in July of 2013 and he hasn’t appeared in court there since. Attempts to reach the Henry County State’s Attorney’s office for more information were unsuccessful.
According to Humboldt County court records — other than being extradited back to Illinois in May of 2013 — he’s never been charged with a crime locally as an adult. However, Mills said a subsequent search of his hotel room found “a little heroin and three pounds of (marijuana) shake.”
4:46 p.m.
Michael Williams, who works in the maintenance department at Roy’s Auto Center on Fourth Street, was standing in the showroom when a young man in a hooded black sweatshirt and camouflage pants opened the glass door and leaned inside. “He asked if he could use the phone because, of all things, he said he needed to call a cab,” Williams said. “You could see something wasn’t right, just his expression and he seemed all worked up. Our sales manager thought he looked suspicious and said, ‘We can’t let you use the phone.’ He took off running across the street.”
4:47:55
“Subject possibly went up Summer from Fifth,” the dispatcher informs officers. Moments earlier, an employee at Roy’s Auto Center’s other location, farther down Fifth Street, had been standing on the sidewalk watching all the police activity at the Best Western across the street when he saw a man in a black hooded sweatshirt spring across Fifth Street and up Summer. He said he called an officer over to pass along what he saw.
4:48:32
“I’ve got him. He is running toward Seventh between a couple of buildings,” officer Steven Linfoot calls in to dispatch. This appears to be the first time in the pursuit that an EPD officer laid eyes on Lasinski. About 40 seconds later, Linfoot updates: “Westbound. Jumped a fence.”
4:49:27
“Going toward auto dealership. Foot pursuit, going toward the back lot of EPD,” Linfoot calls again, this time with the strain of running and the stress of a chase heavy in his voice. It’s unclear exactly why, but Linfoot has made the decision to get out of his patrol car and pursue Lasinski on foot. This was a noteworthy decision.
EPD’s foot pursuit policy begins with a warning: “Foot pursuits are inherently dangerous.” In fact, the policy deems them so dangerous that it explicitly states that no officer can be criticized or disciplined for deciding not to engage in one. The policy admonishes officers that the safety of department personnel and the public should be the most important consideration when determining whether to initiate or continue a foot pursuit, and notes that “surveillance and containment are generally the safest tactics for apprehending fleeing persons.”
The policy further warns against foot pursuits when an officer is alone and when the suspect’s identity is known — meaning he or she can be apprehended at another time — and there “is no immediate threat to department personnel or the public if the suspect is not immediately apprehended.”
4:49:49 p.m.
“Code 4. Shots fired,” Linfoot calls in, alerting dispatch that shots have been fired but he’s OK.
Moments earlier, Steve Fowlkes had pulled into the Sole Savers lot to return the Dodge Ram with the new transmission. He was walking out of the office when he heard someone yelling. “I hear, ‘Stop, stop, stop.’ The only thing he’s saying is stop, constantly,” Fowlkes said, adding that he then watched as a man with both hands in the front pocket of his black hooded sweatshirt — Lasinski — turned up the driveway. “He was jogging, but with a limp, like his left leg is injured,” Fowlkes said, adding that a cop with a pistol in his hand — Linfoot — was chasing about 10 yards behind the man. “They were gassed, you could tell,” Fowlkes said.
Fowlkes said Lasinski ran past him and into a loading bay behind the Sole Savers offices, where a red Mazda 3 sat idling with its passenger door open. The car had just returned from the detail shop, Fowlkes said, and was left running unoccupied with the heater on to dry out the still-damp upholstery. Fowlkes said he watched as Lasinski jumped into the vehicle’s passenger door and Linfoot approached the vehicle’s driver’s side. Standing about three feet from the car at the front end of the driver’s side door, Linfoot raised his gun and trained it on the vehicle, yelling “stop” one final time, Fowlkes said. “Then he unloads eight shots, at least,” he said. “I thought to myself, ‘It’s over. It’s over. He can’t survive that.'”
But it turns out Lasinski was uninjured and, a moment after the shooting stopped, he slammed his foot on the gas, the Mazda’s tires chirped and the chase was back on. Fowlkes said the Mazda came directly at him and he dove for cover between a building and a parked truck. “The cop gives chase and I heard more gunfire,” Fowlkes said, adding that he believes Linfoot again fired on the Mazda as it left the Sole Savers lot, turning eastbound into Sixth Street traffic.
EPD’s use of force policy states officers should take 17 factors into account when deciding whether to use force on a suspect, including the “immediacy and severity of the threat to officers and others,” the proximity of weapons to the suspect, the seriousness of the suspected offense or reason for police contact with the suspect, the potential for injury to the officer, the suspect and others, and the risk associated with the suspect’s escape. The use of deadly force is only justified under the policy in instances when officers are protecting themselves or others from what they “reasonably believe would be an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.” Deadly force can only be used to stop a fleeing suspect under the policy when officers believe there is “an imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death to any other person if the suspect is not immediately apprehended. Under such circumstances, a verbal warning should precede the use of deadly force, where feasible.”
EPD’s policy also states that shooting at a moving vehicle is “generally prohibited,” though it goes on to say it is permitted if there are no other “reasonable means available to avert the threat of the vehicle.”
The day after the shooting, three bullet holes could be seen in a white shed in the loading bay behind where the Mazda had sat idling the day before. Bullet strikes were visible on an adjacent wall.
A woman who works in the Sole Savers finance department and declined to give her name said she’d been in the office when the shooting occurred. “I just saw a cop run by the window and then all holy hell broke loose,” she said. “We got under our desks and didn’t come out until they said it was OK.”
She was then asked how many shots she heard. “A lot,” she answered. “A lot.”
4:50:08 p.m.
“Red Mazda. Number Six, toward B,” an unidentified officer calls in to dispatch. Moments earlier, Jessica Mahoney — the mother of four from Fieldbrook who works at Hertz — had walked outside with her two customers to inspect their rental car when she heard gunshots, though she didn’t immediately know what they were.
“I just heard a pop-pop-pop,” she said. “Then I saw a red car going the wrong way on Sixth Street and then it stopped in the intersection of Sixth and B.”
It’s unclear why Lasinski stopped the car and took off on foot. Photos of the Mazda as it was left in the intersection show bullet holes in the vehicle’s hood and windshield, so it’s possible this is where Lasinski was shot or that one of the bullets disabled the engine. Whatever the reason, Lasinski left the Mazda and started heading north on B Street. “I saw this man walking briskly down B Street,” Mahoney recalled. “He gestured back toward the officers with his hand — he gestured like he was shooting but I didn’t hear anything.”
4:50:45 p.m.
“Subject going toward Number 5,” an officer reports to dispatch as gunshots ring out in the background.
At this point, Mahoney said her customers — already hiding behind the Hertz office — were yelling at her to take cover and she joined them behind the building, but walked around to the other side where she had a view of B Street. She said she saw a group of officers moving cautiously down toward Fifth Street. One officer, she said, raised his AR-15 style rifle and fired twice as another leveled his handgun and fired once toward Fifth Street.
Peter Morry works as a technician at Copiers Plus, which sits on the east side of Fifth Street about halfway between A and B streets. Morry said he’d heard “about 10” gunshots ring out a minute or so earlier, then saw a man with a black sweatshirt on and a gun in his hand walk by heading west. “He was walking slow, like he was either stoned or drunk,” Morry said. “Later, I found out he’d already been shot.”
4:51:20 p.m.
“Suspect is currently on 5 between B, Boy, and C, Charles,” an officer mistakenly reports to dispatch as others can be heard screaming, “Drop the gun,” in the background.
Tom Sadler, a project manager at New Life Service Co. on the east corner of Fifth and B streets, said he was sitting in his office deep in the labrynth-like building when the company’s administrative assistant came running back to say she’d heard gunshots and seen a commotion outside. By the time Sadler got to the front window that looks out onto Fifth Street, Lasinski was leaned up against a black Volkswagen Jetta parked in the middle of the block.
Officers were yelling for Lasinski to drop the gun and get his hands in the air, Sadler said, but the commands didn’t seem to register. “He didn’t seem to be paying attention to anyone at that time,” he said, adding that he watched the scene unfold over the course of several minutes as police officers kept their guns aimed at Lasinski, apparently waiting for him to give up or make a move. “He was leaning against the car, then he slumped down and he’s like sitting, then he just fell over,” Sadler said. “Then, the cops come over and take the gun out of his hand and lay it on the hood of the car.”
4:55:40 p.m.
“We’re Code 4. You can have medical respond just outside American Stove. One detained,” Capt. Brian Stephens, who has vertical responsibility for all personnel and functions related to patrol, tells dispatch after officers disarm and cuff Lasinski.
Stephens then assigns himself incident command and starts assigning officers tasks. While roughly a dozen officers are clustered around Lasinski, none begin administering first aid to the suspect in the roughly one minute and 15 seconds between when he’s cuffed and an ambulance arrives on scene. (See video below.)
While some initial media reports described the chase as a firefight or a shootout, when Mills held a press conference the following day — after the dust had settled and officers from a host of agencies had worked through the night to process evidence strewn across at least five city blocks — the police chief said there’s no evidence Lasinski ever fired his weapon. Mills said the suspect’s .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol was found with a full magazine, an empty chamber and its hammer cocked back, which Mills said makes him believe Lasinski had tried to fire the weapon but was unable to.
According to several sources familiar with the investigation, four Eureka police officers — Linfoot, senior detective Ron Harpham and officers Abraham Jansen and Dustin Nantz — combined to fire 44 rounds that night. Mills wouldn’t confirm that but said officers did fire more than 40. Meanwhile, sources tell the Journal that Harpham, the only officer to wound Lasinski, fired just once during the chase. Linfoot, according to sources, fired 17 times.
As the Journal goes to press a week after the shooting, the investigation remains in its infancy. The officers involved were scheduled to be interviewed Dec. 9, there is a lot of physical evidence to analyze and potentially lots of video to review from dashboard-mounted and body-worn cameras.
But what we know right now is that a 26-year-old man who has never been charged with a crime locally and was potentially wanted for an out-of-state probation violation was armed with a handgun and fled a traffic stop. None of the witnesses the Journal interviewed saw Lasinski displaying his gun or pointing it at officers until the pursuit’s final minutes, after he’d been shot at dozens of times. The pursuit — and tensions — escalated to the point where police fired more than 40 bullets in Eureka’s downtown on the cusp of rush hour.
At the press conference, Mills said the time of day the shooting occurred is concerning and pledged that the investigations into the incident will be fair and impartial, ultimately looking at whether the officers involved acted criminally and whether they followed EPD policies. And, he said, each of the four officers will have to answer for every gunshot he fired.
“I understand that each officer is personally accountable for every round that they discharge and where that round ends up,” he said. “And I will report back to the community once we’ve completed that investigation as to our actions last night.”
In the meantime, those who were going about their everyday lives in downtown when gunshots rang out on Dec. 6 — people like Fowlkes, Mahoney and Sadler — continue to come to grips with what they saw.
For his part, Fowlkes was shaken. That night, when back at the home off Myrtle Avenue that he shares with his wife and their adult daughter, whose husband is currently deployed in Iraq, he couldn’t sleep. He sat in the quiet house. Around midnight, he contemplated knocking on a neighbor’s door who he knows works as a police officer. He needed someone to talk to. Finally, he called EPD dispatch and talked to a woman named “Tracy.”
“She said, ‘Just calm down,'” Fowlkes recalled. “She told me it would be all right.”
The following day, standing in the Sole Savers lot and talking to a reporter, Fowlkes said he was still processing how helpless he’d felt the day before. His voice trailed off for a moment, then he started again. “I believe in guardian angels,” he said. “You have to. I’m all right. It’s just something you don’t want to think about.”
Warning, some viewers may find the following videos depicting Lasinski’s arrest disturbing.
Full audio from EPD Chief Andrew Mill’s press conference discussing the shooting:
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This article appears in 44.
“was armed with a handgun and fled a traffic stop.”
But let’s remember this whole thing started over a perceived seat belt violation, something many question should be a law at all.
Look at how many people EPD endanger over what amounts to a minor violation. Geez that was way too much shooting around citizens no matter what EPD says. Sure the suspect needs to be jailed for a long time, but EPD needs to answer for their endangerment of innocent bystanders.
Fred, the news reported CHP attempted to stop him for running a stop sign pulling on to 101 (4th St) a very dangerous violation which if causing a traffic related death would be vehicular manslaughter. Certainly you expect CHP to enforce stop signs on 4th St Eureka? Recklessly evading that CHP officer and fleeing with a loaded conceal handgun can be felonies? Brandishing at cops is I think another felony. Fred, when do you want the police to act? Only after he kills or maims someone. When does an officer get to save his or a partners life? Before or after a fleeing felony suspect fires? I prefer the result we got. Officers and innocent bystanders unhurt and a dangerous man in jail and a little property damage.
The whole thing began when a highway patrolman thought he saw a driver without a seatbelt. From that, the suspect slid though a stop sign. If he’d just went through the stop sign, that would be a legitimate concern, but it started over no seatbelt.
Not blaming CHP for enforcing seatbelt laws. I’m questioning the need for seatbelt laws and wonder if they don’t lead to bigger issues as they did here.
KeyboardKommander, I have a problem with more than 40 shots being fired by police when ” the police chief said there’s no evidence Lasinski ever fired his weapon.” I couldn’t care less about the seatbelt, or rolling stop. It took those cops 40 shots to hit the suspect once! That’s public endangerment by law enforcement not the suspect. These cops were shooting like it’s the wild wild west.
Fred, you are correct as the state creates that potential for conflict by criminalizing otherwise non violent conduct. But the blame for escalation lies with legislators and primarily the fleeing suspect, not with otherwise honest police officers asked to apprehend the lawless inclined (I’m not implying that you do). I doubt this suspect was merely engaging in honorable principled civil dispobediance to victimless crimes.
Miss Loon, neither you nor I know why specifically rounds were fired. But, I’m content with the end result I articulated above. The number is really irrelevant as it took for what ever reason that number to get to that result during these unique and singular circumstances (armed fleeing fellon brandishing a gun stealing a car driving the wrong way…putting everyone at risk then going to jail). I’m also content to wait for the investigation and will admit my bias is in favor of those who wear “white hats” and risk their own lives while enforcing the laws our society has imposed. Who will you call when something goes bump in the night…These same women and men who apprehend hundreds of suspects in their careers without shooting. That tells me this suspect made choices that these officer merely reacted to.
KeyboardKommander, I’m not that much of a sheeple to accept even police discharging firearms over 40 times in the middle of a heavily populated city. The police chief said it was over 40 rounds, I think that’s pretty credible. There’s a huge problem when LEO fire that many rounds in a heavily populated area… It shows a disregard for public safety. Especially seeing how the suspect didn’t even fire his weapon once. This isn’t Los Angeles, LA style shoot first ask questions later isn’t what Eureka needs for law enforcement.
Miss Loon, your concerns are certainly why this type of event is investigated by multiple agencies including the DA’s office. In reading the article it seems that the only “heavily populated” area was where the suspect stopped running (on 5th Street / 101) and where apparently no shots were fired. The other parts of the foot chase are light industrial and specialty shops. It has not been revealed to us what the suspect was doing specifically to make that officer resort to firing toward him and who if anyone other then the suspect was in the line of fire.
KeyboardKommander, “The only heavily populated area”??? Sure it was on the poorer side of of town, but the whole event took place in the city of Eureka. Do an areal google view of the area and you’ll see how many houses are around there where cops were discharging their firearms over 40+ times. Downplay it all you like, but it was clearly a shooting arcade and people were scared for their lives because of over 40 Eureka police bullets being fired in the city. Over 40 rounds sound like 4 EPD officers unloaded their clips, but were such awful shots they only hit the suspect once. This is a public opinion blog, we have a right to be upset and voice our concerns right here!!! …no matter how much you want to downplay what happen. I know that area well, I’ve walked all over Eureka. People live all over that area, maybe you just feel they don’t matter as much as you folks with money up on the hill.
Miss Loon, You are making assumptions supported by one fact: the chief said 40+ rounds were fired, And on this alone your personal inclination is to prejudge the police? I was at sole savers about two days ago and saw the bullet impacts on the wall of the shed and an industrial building. The only way to hit that shed and wall is to shoot northward away from and opposite any residential area. 6th street near A & B streets is also industrial on both sides except for the rental business. I bet many rounds impacted the suspect’s vehicle. According to the article one of the witnesses had to dive out of the way to keep from being run over by the suspect which sounds like attempted murder. At what point do you think an officer should resort to deadly force to save lives and perhaps her or his own? Should they stop shooting after three rounds? Or as long as the danger remains? They could have shot him Wild West style on 5th street but didn’t because he wasn’t posing a present threat. Watch the embedded video. Officers approach and took a handgun out of his hand and handcuffed him! The ambulance, which the police had thoughtfully staged near by, then approached to save the suspect’s life. They acted on our behalf putting their own lives on the line.
KeyboardKommander, I’m not disputing the suspects guilt. However I highly doubt it was attempted murder, that would imply his intent to take a life instead of manslaughter as a result of him fleeing officers and reckless operation. The guy is guilty of being a 100% POS that’s clear to see. But the bigger open question here is why did cops fire over 40 bullets at someone who never even fired a single shot? There comes a point where police need to break off the pursuit in the interest of public safety. In this case it sure looks like public safety took a backseat to their quest for apprehension of a fleeing petty crook. There are houses right across the street from sole savers and then behind sole savers on the other side of that container in the direction of the gun fire is two motels, Denny’s is right behind sole savers and pedestrians are walking from parking lot to parking lot in that general area all the time too. The cops escalated this pursuit into a huge mess that could have very easily ended an innocent bystander’s life… but I’m sure those are risks the cops don’t mind taking to catch a petty crook.
The officers are responding to a call of help from CHP dealing with an armed fleeing suspect, period. They don’t get the luxury to say wait time out what started this. I’ve seen no evidence even from the so called “eye witnesses” that anyone other then the suspect was in the line of fire. Yes gun shots are loud and scary and people hid under their desks while the women and men of EPD ran TOWARD the danger as they are asked to do by us. I’m waiting for the investigation’s conclusion before castigating officers for doing their job in which only a dangerous suspect was hurt. What we do know is this was an armed felon whom more then one officer determined was a deadly threat requiring the firing of their guns in the defense of life NOT to apprehend a suspect. Only two shootings in 6 years that’s amazing in this city with all the cops deal with. The suspect could have ended this at any time by dropping his gun and putting his hands up.
From this excellent report it’s clear that law enforcement has numerous procedure options regarding firearms, car pursuits, populated areas, and firing at moving vehicles, undoubtedly developed after years of needless fatalities.
What will it take for Eureka’s officers to follow them?
Bullets travel far.
The suspect has been charged with attempted car jacking, carrying a stolen firearm, assault with a firearm. Sounds like someone who needed to be stopped before he hurt or killed someone. Glad he’s in jail.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2016/dec/16/nine-days-after-being-shot-eureka-police-frenetic/
KeyboardKommander, No… they get the luxury of firing over 40 rounds and missing their mark with all but one bullet. If it wasn’t so scary it be incredible funny how they bungled using their weapons. Over 40 bullets with only one hitting it’s mark. That’s some funny shit.
Jim White, They won’t follow procedure because they’ll never be held accountable for endangering the public. You gotta know all these cowboys on the blog praising them are cops on the downlow stirring shit to keep us busy. OVER 40 BULLETS AND ONLY 1 FOUND IT’S MARK. Tim for these cops to take some target practice. Or maybe they should only be allowed one bullet each until they learn how to use a firearm.
Typical.
None of the offenses this “low-life” is accused of is punishable by death. This is another disproportionate response that endangered the public.
Sure, the cops should just listen to all of these genius commenters and a journalist who know exactly how to respond to a fleeing felon who has carjacked a vehicle while brandishing a weapon.
+Joel Mielke, Firing over 40 bullets because someone brandished a weapon and stole a running vehicle (not carjacked). Is a great reason to fire over 40 bullets that all but one missed it’s target. It’s pretty clear no matter what your title is Joel, this was extreme public endangerment by trigger happy cops who need to spend a lot more time at the shooting range. I’m usually on the side of law enforcement in Humboldt, but not in this case. You can say whatever you like, but the fact that cops shot over 40 bullets in Eureka and missed all shots but 1 still remain.
Notice that Mr. Mielke is not questioning any of the facts being reported, (before making up his own), only the journalist reporting them…the exact same M.O. of of U.S. President Donald “journalists are scum” Trump.
Following a spree of questionable shootings, beatings, and jail deaths in recent years, EPD just lost their case in federal court last month in another shooting and, nevertheless, are not going to reconsider their policy or practice options, (that are professionally reported above by the NCJ).
Mr. Mielke can defend terrified cops all he wants, but don’t think for a second that they are going to “listen” to anyone! They don’t give a damn about federal verdicts, journalists, or critics on a rural blog!
Mr. Mielke will have Eureka wait for another innocent resident, or two, or three, to be killed before demanding a new police chief willing to implement tried-and-true policies for pursuit, self-defense, and apprehension that are designed to keep the public safe.
Let’s hope that no one close to Joel will ever fall victim to EPD’s deadly wild-west policy of “cracking a few eggs to make an omelet”.
Thank you North Coast Journal!
I encourage Fred not to wear a seatbelt.
+Bruce Williams, Very well said.
“Mr. Mielke can defend terrified cops all he wants…”?
Why would anyone respond to my comment with such a comment?
And then there was this response:
“Notice that Mr. Mielke is not questioning any of the facts being reported, (before making up his own) only the journalist reporting them”.
Mr. Mielke needs to do his homework on how terrified officers react…they shoot their guns wildly. Officer Linfoot admitted as much in federal court.
Clowns always know what the police should or shouldn’t have done.
Joel Mielke, Resorting to childish disparaging words proves only one thing about you.
Mr. Joel Mielke makes up his own facts, infers the journalist is stupid, and federal courts “clowns”, plenty pompous for a spot on the Trump team.