Does latest police shooting show why auditor is needed?

Let me see if I got this straight: A guy is doing tequila shots with his girlfriend, drives while under the influence, is stopped by the PD, pulls a gun on the officers & is shot. (If there is any lesson here, it is, that alcohol makes you extremely STUPID!).

What should have the officers done? Wait for an OK from the IPA before acting? Their life was on the line. There wasn’t time to consider all the politically correct ramifications before acting. The only thing the IPA is going to do is make the PD officers hesitant in potentially life-threatening situations.

He was driving erratically right by officers doing property damage and then shoots at officers and they are supposed to just stand there. If he just taking his gun out of the trunk then he wouldn't have fired shots. Maybe the cops should just please everyone and shoot themselves. If its justified is just is and this appears to be.

You need the auditor. But not having investigating authority does not good. What was it this time 32 shots to 1? Which of the 32 shots killed the guy? The first, the 10th or the 32th? How did they miss the girl? Whos gona pay to fix all the bullets holes in the apartment complex?

Look fellows maybe this guy fired a shot, maybe he didn't. As for the auditor, somebody has to find out why the cops in this town need so many bullets to take down a perp. Something aint't right and hasn't been for a long time. Life threatening situation for the cops? Maybe, maybe not. Lets hear someone else beshide the cops confirm it. It is pretty clear now that in Fresno, every situration involving the police is life threatening.

I think every employee with the Fresno Police Department should take a one week furlough at the same time. Let Fresnans go it alone. The public does not seem to understand what the police are up against nor how often they put their lives on the line. A one week furlough will give the public a small taste of reality; perhaps they won't automatically damn the police every time they defend their own lives. Perhaps also the public will be less anxious to allow the government to take away their 2nd Amendment rights.

I am truly sorry for the family's loss. However, what do you expect the police to do when they are shot at...wage their fingers and say, "Now don't do that sonny?"

Right on Kim. Even if 1 shot could have killed him Miro do you want to be the one to walk over to him and chance it that he still has the power to kill you. They are trained to diffuse the situation and protect the public as well as themselves. They have no way of telling what they are up against. If someone has drugs in their system they can be quite strong. They could shoot once then leave them lay there until the lose enough blood to die if that would make you happy.

"I think every employee with the Fresno Police Department should take a one week furlough at the same time." Being glib about it is of no help.
"It is pretty clear now that in Fresno, every situration involving the police is life threatening." Yes, to law enfrorcement as well as suspects.

Even more reason to have an auditor. You folks think it will benifit the cops as well??

If the facts are in, and Cops are seen as justified by the auditor, it further reinforces our suppot of them, right?

I think it will.

the young man should have never put himself in this situation in the first place. if you don't want to be in a confrontation with police, then don't give them a reason to confront you. it's as simple as that.

if i'm speeding, guess what, i shouldn't be surprised if i get pulled over. if I have a gun and i'm holding it while a police officer is telling me to drop it, then guess what, i shouldn't cry foul if i get shot. this is the way it is.

instead of the public pointing fingers at law enforcement, take responsiblity for your actions. taking responsibility is something that nobody takes upon themselves anymore.

I think the city of Fresno should have a make believe day. All of the auditor supporters could sign up and pretend to show us how a police department is run for 24 hours. Each volunteer would be video taped beginning with the dispatch and available for viewing on the internet. The price would be a waiver of any rights to legal representation as a consequence of their conduct. This June would be perfect.

Are we supposed to believe Police shoot people because they like to fire their guns...hence more bullets. Maybe I'm wrong but your not supposed to be driving around with a loaded gun...Right?...even in the trunk? If he did indeed fire even one shot that would mean it was loaded already.What's an Auditor bring to the table to solve this mystery? A pass on decision making and responsibility for the Mayor and the Chief?

We are all going over board some on our comments. The fact is, we will have an independent review of the Police Dept. I think it is a good thing.

We are all subject to some kind of independent review, comment and action no matter what we do personnally or at work and the department should not be any different. The fact of the matter is that the argument for or against is now mute.

I am hoping this all works well and everybody gets what they really want a fair deal and a fair representation of facts and actions taken.

I really don't think the Chief jumped on this bandwagon because he didn't think it was needed and we aren't the first City of our size to have independent review.

In college I got nailed for attempting to compare the second law of thermal dynamics to social structure and loss of authority. This idea had it been implemented then would have been the stuff of my opus, thank God it didn't then, too bad it is now. This formula for defusing mob rule with smoke and mirrors will be short lived. They who cry out to change our imperfectly free republic are trained to be perpetually dissatified. Our government to them should be a system so void of traditional structure that it ceases to have meaning. Origin will have no value, and the lights of culture will get imperceptibly dimmer each generation.

Bart ease-up with all the gloom and doom.

This is the IPA, nothing to do with thermal dynamics, social structure, loss authority, mob rule, smoke and mirrors, a dimmer generation, etc...

Let's move on.

I knew this person personaly for a very long time....What the police did was stupid and wrong! Did they really have to shoot so many times at one person? Was it completley necesary? Maybe they knew they messed up and had to kill him to hide there screw up...Cops are nothing but meanies that like using athority in order to murder. Fresno Police are the biggest gang in this city, and they represent there gang with matching uniforms and badges. I have no respect for cops at all in Fresno, NONE of them. And you all can hate me for all i care...but if you knew the person...you would know what happend to him was completley wrong. Even if he was drunk or something...one cop got grazed, and he is crying about it....and yet the person they shot got Killed. Is that fare? Police will always try hiding the truth of things...why do you think they make so many news confrences...they need someone to believe their sorry behinds. To bad me and many other people dont believe any of their words...

I can't believe some of the comment people are leaving. I think Bart has it right in a Non bias statement. I have a cousin that works for Fresno P.D. I also grew up with Steven. I do have this question for Mr. Jerry Dyer. Why are you hiding the names of the of the police that shot Steven. We haven't heard anything about them. And how can you justify the killing of a 23 year old man. You can't justify it. You where not there, Mr. Dyer. The fact is are Police are running scared right now, and are trying to use that as a Justification for their wrong doings. I wish that these Cops would step forward and admit to their mistakes.

Arielle - "Even if he was drunk or something...one cop got grazed, and he is crying about it....and yet the person they shot got Killed." Are you serious with that?? The cop got grazed and yet had no justification, according to you, to kill the guy that shot him?? At what point would it have been alright...only when instead of being grazed he was at least mortally wounded could he then kill your friend?? That's about the most asinine statement I've every seen!!!

you know what people i knew this guy. im friends with his 18 year old brother. i knew stephen through jeff. stephen was a good guy. i saw this on the news and went into shock saying "is that really stephen!!??" and it was. for one i say that fresno pd were doing there job if he fired off a shot at them. but EVERY SINGLE PART OF MY BODY says that fresno pd needs to calm there shit down and not be so damn trigger happy. seriously you guys saw them beating that bum right?????? EXACTLY!!!! they probably rolled up on stephen hella fast and didnt even give him a chance to turn around. i mean if you were him and they rolled up to you and said drop it and before you could they started shooting. WHAT WOULD YOU DO STAND THERE AND GET SHOT EVEN THO THERE COPS????? YOU HAVE RIGHT TOO!!! THATS NOT STEPHEN AND HE ABSOLUTELY NEVER WOULD HAVE DONE IT LIKE THEY SAID HE DID. TIP STEVE

There are apparently friends of the young man who died during this incident who are reading here. Some of us remember what it was like to be twenty-three years old. On a good day we barely stayed standing on the wire, it was hard to conform. Young people look out at the society they live in and see hyprocracy everywhere, that's good because by God it is there. On the other hand adulthood brings requirements that are perceived to be ambiguous as best. Young men and women are not perfect and resent the reminder by folks they know who say one thing and do another. This is why it is important for young adults to seek out the trustworthy mentor they deserve. Likewise better established adults in neighborhoods should recognize when they have been tapped out to play that role, it is life saving.

I say to Steven's friends that you are better off in a world with police than without. What you have experienced is that chaos will visit you occasionally during the course of your lifetime. I will always leave you with significantly less than what you possessed before it arrived. Anyone who knows this better than a police officer will also bear a personal tragedy.

I think the city should counter-sue the people who are filing. They will think twice from cashing-in on something that blatently seems justified (from law enforcements' point of view).

ok first of all brian murray gangsta rap? seriously?this is a blog about an unfortunat event and if your gna be a s*** talker then theres no point for you to be here. you think im a complete idiot. i KNOW he was WAY over legal limit to drive. i KNOW he had a gun. but think about it. they shot him 14 times and 4 of which were in the back. you call that justice? if you do then your a pos yourself. ya he could have crashed into someone and killed them while driving.. but he DIDNT. and they reporters said they THINK!!!!! THINK that he fired a shot but couldnt prove it. so from my point of view there were wrong doings from both parties. gangsta rap? seriously your a loser. and btw idiot the loaded gun in the trunk was cuase he was at the gun range that day. so cut your stupidity. thanks.

and give me a job? i wouldnt leave mine to work for somebody who confusing common english and "gansta rap". and the masta j was what he called me. so that is sentimental value to me as his friend.

I would agree that the number of shots were probably excessive but you have more than one officer on scene trying to protect theirself, partner and public resulting in more shots fired. If he would have just followed police orders we wouldn't be having this dialogue. Ifg he was shot in the back then he was trying to run instead of laying down his weapon. If you are approached by officers just do what you are told and they won't shoot you. Dont challenge them or run. They can not let someone with a weapon go loose on the streets.

I read the above comments about the police killing a drunk, erratic driver who may or may not have discharged a gun. Taken into a courtroom, none of these offenses would have asked for the death penalty. I hesitate to make any judgment because I was not a witness to the happening. But I am witness to the comments that have been posted here. And some of them are nauseating. We, the more civilized folk are not interested in the authors of OK Corral genre venting their choler at each other. I subscribe to Albert Schweitzer's dictum that "Life is inviolable." And then we have self-preservation to consider. The latter seems to get a greater workout here in the Valley than it does at most other places. Is it not part of police training to effectively disable, but not execute a suspect? I saw a news item when a would be assassin of the late Pope must have been close enough to see the prelate's white of the eye; yet the Italian police got the man without shooting the culprit. Are the carabiniere suicidal or just a little less trigger-happy?

I have a question. Did the police identify themselves? In a pitch black apartment complex parking lot, not a great part of town, someone yells at you about your gun and starts firing when you move. We all have the right to own a gun and protect ourselves. He was drunk. What went through his mind at that instant? One small mistake or indecision in that instant cost him his life.

How many people here think he would have fired at police officers if he knew they were police officers? I don't think he was that kind of guy. His crime was driving drunk. It doesn't say whether or not the police pulled up in their car with lights flashing. It suggests they snuck up on him on foot. I sympathize with the police and how tough their job is, but we're not all Bulldog gang members. Perhaps if they had ducked behind a car, identified themselves, they wouldn't have had a need to "fear for their lives." One mistake leads to another and in an instant of bad judgment on both sides someone's son and brother is dead.

Scot... in trying to sound compassionate and insightful you damn the police officers for doing their job.Get real.

I , and the US media thought that the would be assassin , in close proximity to the Pope, was a matter of life and death. Jackie Krage , are you implying that the Pope's life counted less because it happened in Europe. I don't know how well you know Europe; but you can take my word for it, Europeans bleed. And European killers are as deadly as American killers. In fact when I was still attending Clovis City Council meetings, the Clovis Police changed over to the Austrian made Glock, which is the preferred weapon by law enforcement and many military. And European police officers are not there to play "cops and robbers" and they are protecting the citizens no less than a Fresno cop. Xenophobia is what it says it is, a phobia.

A policeman makes a traffic stop for something as innocent as a broken tail light. He walks up to the car, gets shot and ends up in the morgue. His family is without a Dad. It happens often enough that there is a special procedure for approaching a car, dashboard cameras are rolling and they call dispatch to tell them what they are doing. A simple traffic stop can mean death. Now in this situation, these cops were already at a disturbance, tensions are already high. A car speeds by them (unusual most people slow down when they see a cop), slams into a gate and screeches through residentail parking stalls. Something isn't right. Outnumbered cops from the first disturbance have to split their numbers to go see what is up to find a guy pulling a gun out of the back of his car. To do what? Is he part of the first disturbance? Was he planning to use the gun on the cops? Is this a domestic disturbance and is he planning on killing someone else? Wouldn't be the first time. These cops have a situation. Drunk, he may not have handled the gun in a conservative way, who knows. He may have accidentally discharged the gun because he was drunk, who knows... All the cops know is that a guy acting irradically is now armed. They have no way knowing if he was dangerous or not; although drunk holding a loaded gun is dangerous in my book. Now if a routine traffic stop can put a cop in the morgue, I'm sure this situation proves to be even more threatening. Seriously, can you blame the cops for reacting like they did? Is this a tragedy? Yes it is. Stephen Willis was likely a nice guy but he made some bad choices. Driving drunk is illegal. Driving with a loaded gun in a car is illegal without a permit. Handling a loaded gun when you are drunk is plain stupid. I look at his sweet face and think about what his family is going through and think what a horrible, horrible, shame. I think given the same situation, I would have shot him too.

Three or more dead policeman in Pittsburgh last night that were responding to a domestic dispute.Will an IA determine if their deaths were justified?In Fresno...The mayor ,city mgr.,and police chief are shifting the responsibility of their job, at taxpayer expense,to satisfy a handful of cry babies.That's leadership?

I have another viewpoint on a police 'board'.
Have a citizen review, like 5 people. Get them from the same list as jury duty. If called, you spend one week on a review board 'as needed'.
Any 3 out of 5 vote gets minimal results. Any 'unanimous' vote has legal ramifications, such as firing or prosecuting an officer. Their decision can only be over-ridden by a Superior Court judge.
The concept is really to get average folks very involved with seeing the daily stresses and difficulties faced by our Fresno Police. This review board may also allow for 'ride alongs' so they get a first hand view.
I think the average Fresno citizen needs more 'connection' to our police. There are a lot of VERY good cops out there being trashed over some very tough calls.
Get involved...

Brian, I was be being very real. My question was: did the cops identify themselves? Did the guy know who was shouting at him? Put yourself in his position for a second. What went through his mind at that instant? Self defense? Shoot at the cops? He had no reason to shoot at the cops...he wasn't a gang member, he wasn't a parolee, he wasn't facing a third strike, he wasn't a bad guy.

I said I sympathize with the police and how hard their job is. I admire their bravery and I also feel saddened when the effects of the job cause them to over react.....but I imagine it's part of the territory.

We're on a rural property and my wife has the Sheriff's Deputy listed on her phone. On one occasion at night when she was alone and nervous about some car activity he came by to make a drive through. He drove through the property with his red and blue lights flashing to identify himself.

We're a gun totin' society but we're not all gang members. How do the police know the difference? If cops snuck up on you on your property and you pulled out your gun....should you be shot because you're holding a gun when you don't know who's out there?

For the record....if the cops identify themselves and the guy takes shots at them, then yes, shoot him. If you're getting pulled over and you decide to run....then you get what's coming to you when they catch you. Those idiots take stupid to a whole new level, but this wasn't an automatic situation and I think the death could have been prevented. They just didn't know who they were dealing with and didn't try to find out. That's my opinion.

Just one day a year, thats all I asking for. Show us how to do it. Auditor supporters, LE armchair quarterbacks, and you who have shuttered the cottage windows in anticipation of the Army of God, all of you. Pretend to be police officer for one shift. Start a petition right here so you can take a stand publically, who's first?