Off-duty deputy shoots, kills suspected Walmart shoplifter

[jnelsoninjax]

HOUSTON ? A Harris County Sheriff?s deputy shot and killed a shoplifting suspect who was trying to flee from a Walmart Thursday night.

Loss prevention observed a group of women stuffing items inside their purses at the Walmart in the 14000 block of the North Freeway at West Road around 10:15 p.m., according to Harris County authorities. They notified Louis Campbell, an off-duty deputy who was working an extra job as security.

Investigators said Tiasa Andrews, Yolanda Craig and Shelly Frey paid for some small items as unpaid merchandise remained concealed.

Campbell confronted the women as they left the store and asked them to stop, but the women would not cooperate, Harris County deputies said. One woman allegedly struck the deputy with her purse and they all fled.

Campbell chased Frey around the parking lot. She got in a car with the other suspects and two children. Campbell opened the door and commanded them to stop, but the car was placed in drive and moved forward, investigators said.

?I think it knocked him off balance and, in fear of his life and being ran over, he discharged his weapon at that point,? said Thomas Gilliland, Harris County Sheriff?s Office.

Frey was struck in the neck.

Gilliland said it was clear that the deputy was law enforcement.

?He was clearly marked in uniform as a Harris County deputy. And identified himself as the suspects were leaving the establishment,? Gilliland said.

The women fled the parking lot, but eventually stopped at The Worthington at the Beltway apartments in the 1300 block of Greens Parkway. Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department where called to the scene. Paramedics tried to revive her, but could not, and she was pronounced dead.

?To me, it should never (have) happened. I wish the officer didn?t shoot her. I wish he shot her tires just to slow her down. That?s a mother you know. And now they have to figure out what to do with the kids,? said Angel Gaines, a neighbor.

Kesha Sapp, a woman who knew Frey, agreed.

?What that look like with him shooting with the darn kids in the car? There were kids in the car with them. Why is he shooting at the car? Come on now, that makes him look bad. That don?t even look right,? Sapp said.

Harris County investigators said Campbell is a deputy with 26 years of experience. He?s assigned to the Detentions Bureau.

Frey?s children were placed with relatives.

Andrews and Craig were taken into custody for questioning and both face robbery charges.

Source

[XerXis]

sigh, what can be said about such tragedies. Obviously there were so many ways to handle the situation better.

[McKay]

Wow, gunning down someone whos attempting to escape? That's murder, I hope he goes to prison.

[xendrome]

sigh, what can be said about such tragedies. Obviously there were so many ways to handle the situation better.

She got in a car with the other suspects and two children. Campbell opened the door and commanded them to stop, but the car was placed in drive and moved forward

Yep, you are right, the shop-lifters should have given up and complied with the instructions when ordered to and none of this would have happen, in fact they could have just choose to not break the law in the first place. There is NO ONE else to place blame on here except the criminals, and the law takes note of this also. The other parties involved as suspects will likely be charged with the homicide of the one shot and killed.

I'm not really sure why there are so many people here that take the side of the criminals, NONE of this would have happened had they not chosen to break the law to begin with.

[McKay]

Yep, you are right, the shop-lifters should have given up and complied with the instructions when ordered to and none of this would have happen, in fact they could have just choose to not break the law in the first place. There is NO ONE else to place blame on here except the criminals, and the law takes note of this also. The other parties involved as suspects will likely be charged with the homicide of the one shot and killed.

I'm not really sure why there are so many people here that take the side of the criminals, NONE of this would have happened had they not chosen to break the law to begin with.

So you're saying that anyone choosing to break the law brought any consequences upon themselves? You don't just kill someone for stealing a few things from Walmart. The Policeman failed at his job hard.

[xendrome]

So you're saying that anyone choosing to break the law brought any consequences upon themselves? You don't just kill someone for stealing a few things from Walmart. The Policeman failed at his job hard.

Well yes... I'm not sure how anyone can argue with that "Anyone choosing to break the law brought any consequences upon themselves" is a perfect way to put it. He didn't shoot her for "stealing a few things from Walmart" perhaps you missed the part about how she ran to her car and he was actually dragged by her car after he ordered her to stop and opened her door. The source link above didn't go into as much detail, watch some of the videos and check some of the other sites with the story.

[shakey]

Yep, you are right, the shop-lifters should have given up and complied with the instructions when ordered to and none of this would have happen, in fact they could have just choose to not break the law in the first place. There is NO ONE else to place blame on here except the criminals, and the law takes note of this also. The other parties involved as suspects will likely be charged with the homicide of the one shot and killed.

I'm not really sure why there are so many people here that take the side of the criminals, NONE of this would have happened had they not chosen to break the law to begin with.

Our society should have evolved passed one that seeks death as a punishment for the most petty of crimes. If it has not, please, remove yourself from it so that we can start to evolve.

[Rohdekill]

Wow, gunning down someone whos attempting to escape? That's murder, I hope he goes to prison.

You're funny.

He shot in fear of his life. Anyone who steps on the gas of a 2000 lb weapon ( a car ) when an officer is in the immediate area deserves to be shot as you placed the officer in a potentially deadly situation where he needs to defend his life.

Funny how no one blames the retarded woman for shoplifting, for assault on an officer, for fleeing an officer, and for attempted murder via reckless driving.

The other woman in the car should consider herself lucky.

[xendrome]

Our society should have evolved passed one that seeks death as a punishment for the most petty of crimes. If it has not, please, remove yourself from it so that we can start to evolve.

Since when is possibly running someone over with a car a "petty" crime?

[SierraSonic]

So you're saying that anyone choosing to break the law brought any consequences upon themselves? You don't just kill someone for stealing a few things from Walmart. The Policeman failed at his job hard.

I think he's saying that if you break into someones house, if the home owner has a slippery floor the criminal shouldn't be able to use that against the homeowner whose house he was breaking into. If you run from a cop who is chasing you and you are trying to get away, and hes right next to the car with the gun pointing at you... you don't try to make any sudden movements. ;o

I would rather the people running away get hurt than for them to actually get away, as long as no one innocent gets hurt. ;o

I do not hold life as the most precious thing, especially if these kind of people make it worth living so much less.

[LaP]

I'm not really sure why there are so many people here that take the side of the criminals, NONE of this would have happened had they not chosen to break the law to begin with.

I'll never understand the way of thinking of people like you. It's a mystery to me. Like if all criminals would be bad people who deserve to die asap.

For one 95% of people are criminal. We all broke the law at least once in our life. I'm not affraid to admit i did break the law on multiple occasions. I download illegal softwares when i was young. I illegally copied tape when i was young. I trespassed on private property (construction site at night) when i was young to steal empty bottles to make some money.

It's not about taking the side of the criminals. it's about proper response to the crime. And death i'm sorry is not a proper response to unarmed theft. It never will.

[Farstrider]

It's the same American tragedy over and over again! What happens when children (innocents) get shot and killed as something like this goes down? Also killing an unarmed person? WTF is it with this obsession with guns, the officer could just have taken the cars registration and they would have been able to arrest the culprits at their leisure!

Every time topics like this come up the same people defend the actions of people who shoot and kill unarmed people, I just don't understand how anyone can justify actions like these, it's beyond my comprehension sorry to say!

[McKay]

You're funny.

He shot in fear of his life. Anyone who steps on the gas of a 2000 lb weapon ( a car ) when an officer is in the immediate area deserves to be shot as you placed the officer in a potentially deadly situation where he needs to defend his life.

Funny how no one blames the retarded woman for shoplifting, for assault on an officer, for fleeing an officer, and for attempted murder via reckless driving.

The other woman in the car should consider herself lucky.

Since when is possibly running someone over with a car a "petty" crime?

He was to the side of the vehicle, it clearly says he opened the door, commanded them to stop, however it was in drive and she attempted to flee. He then fired.

[Rohdekill]

Our society should have evolved passed one that seeks death as a punishment for the most petty of crimes. If it has not, please, remove yourself from it so that we can start to evolve.

Here's the simple answer:

She was shot because her having stepped on the gas, placed the officer in a position where he was in fear for his life and discharged his weapon. period. The events that led up to this split second cause/effect are completely irrelevant.

Where you people come up with she was shot ONLY because she shoplifted is completely beyond all logic.

[xendrome]

Here's the simple answer:

She was shot because her having stepped on the gas, placed the officer in a position where he was in fear for his life and discharged his weapon. period. The events that led up to this split second cause/effect are completely irrelevant.

Where you people come up with she was shot ONLY because she shoplifted is completely beyond all logic.

But.. but... he didn't get ran over.. so he shouldn't have shot her... That will be the next reply from someone, about how he should only have defended himself once he was actually ran over by the car.

[Rohdekill]

He was to the side of the vehicle, it clearly says he opened the door, commanded them to stop, however it was in drive and she attempted to flee. He then fired.

Correct. He may have had his center of gravity towards the door. As the vehicle began to move forward, he fell forward. Hate to tell you, but most cars have a set of back tires on a rear axle. Had he fell down and his leg (or more) positioned under the car, he could be killed. Therefore, he is in fear of his life and has every right to discharge his weapon.

[NEVER85]

One less knob in the world. No sympathy.

[NeoandGeo]

Since when is possibly running someone over with a car a "petty" crime?

They simply read the headline and just jump in with their bleeding heart in hand?

[LaP]

Correct. He may have had his center of gravity towards the door. As the vehicle began to move forward, he fell forward. Hate to tell you, but most cars have a set of back tires on a rear axle. Had he fell down and his leg (or more) positioned under the car, he could be killed. Therefore, he is in fear of his life and has every right to discharge his weapon.

I don't see how shooting at the car would prevent him from being hurt though. It's not like the driver will stop driving all of a sudden even if you hit him ...

[McKay]

They simply read the headline and just jump in with their bleeding heart in hand?

Along with the people who assumed the Woman was trying to run the Officer over and not simply escape?

[Nogib]

That officer deserves a medal. Cleaning out the population of worthless crimial riff-raff is a win any day of the week.

[McKay]

That officer deserves a medal. Cleaning out the population of worthless crimial riff-raff is a win any day of the week.

A medal? For murdering a shoplifter in front of her children? Why not make the penalty for every single crime the death sentence?

[LaP]

That officer deserves a medal. Cleaning out the population of worthless crimial riff-raff is a win any day of the week.

Think about it very well. I'm sure you did break the law at least once in your life. Most people did even if they don't want to admit it.

[JaredFrost]

Our society should have evolved passed one that seeks death as a punishment for the most petty of crimes. If it has not, please, remove yourself from it so that we can start to evolve.

I would like that, but we can't afford to not kill each other yet, we don't have enough room and resources for peace.

[webeagle12]

Here's the simple answer:

She was shot because her having stepped on the gas, placed the officer in a position where he was in fear for his life and discharged his weapon. period. The events that led up to this split second cause/effect are completely irrelevant.

Where you people come up with she was shot ONLY because she shoplifted is completely beyond all logic.

Thank you for clarifying for people who can't read in here.

I just love people here. Cop get shot, it's ok, Cop trying to defend himself from being run over, he is a moron. Can't wait for more pathetic excuses where cop will get blamed even more.

This woman is a moron who trying to run a police officer over, endangered childrens life, shoplifting, and etc... and somehow she is an "innocent" in this story. She deserve it.

If she would just give up and surrender normally, none of this would happen.