2009 shooting of Lakewood, Washington, police officers

2009 shooting of Lakewood, Washington, police officers

The Lakewood Police Department Fallen Officer Memorial, which honors the shooting victims.
Location Parkland, Washington, U.S.
Date November 29, 2009 (2009-11-29)
8:15 a.m. (UTC-8)
Attack type
 Ambush shooting
Weapons Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol
Deaths 4
Perpetrator Maurice Clemmons

On November 29, 2009, four Lakewood, Washington, police officers were fatally shot at the now-closed Forza Coffee Co. coffee shop, which was located at 11401 Steele Street South in the Parkland unincorporated area of Pierce County, Washington. One gunman, later identified as Maurice Clemmons, entered the coffee shop, fired at the officers as they sat working on their laptop computers preparing for their shifts, and then fled the scene. After a two-day manhunt that spanned several cities in the Puget Sound region, the gunman was shot and killed by a Seattle Police Department officer in south Seattle after refusing orders to stop.

The shooting is believed to have been a targeted attack against police officers, and came less than a month after the murder of Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton under similar circumstances nearly 40 miles (64 km) to the north. Another shooting involving Pierce County sheriff's deputies occurred three weeks after in Eatonville, on December 21, when two deputies were shot and critically injured (one later died from his injuries) by a man, who was then shot dead.[1] It is believed to be the most deadly attack on law enforcement in the state of Washington, and at the time the deadliest attack on law enforcement in the United States since the March 21, 2009, shootings that left four Oakland, California, police officers dead.[2] The four were the first Lakewood police officers to be killed in the line of duty since the department's establishment in 2004.

Although Clemmons was killed by police, six other people were charged in connection with the murders. All six are friends and family of Clemmons who aided him in escaping the scene and eluding capture. One was convicted in June 2010 and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. In December 2010, three of four accused suspects were found guilty of rendering criminal assistance. In May 2011, Darcus Allen, the getaway driver and remaining suspect, was convicted of four counts of murder and sentenced to 420 years in prison the following month. The convictions were later reversed on appeal due to misconduct by the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office.

Immediately following the shootings, the Lakewood Police Independent Guild set up a memorial fund for the officers. As of 2012, about $3.2 million were donated to the fund. In March 2012, Lakewood police officer Skeeter Timothy Manos pleaded guilty to using the account set up for donations as "his own personal piggy bank."[3]

Preceding the shooting

Pierce County Sheriff's Department mugshot of Maurice Clemmons.
Main article: Maurice Clemmons

The gunman was identified as 37-year-old Maurice Clemmons, originally from Marianna, Arkansas. Clemmons had a violent criminal history, with at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and eight felony charges in Washington. In 2000, Clemmons had his 95-year sentence for aggravated robbery commuted by then-Governor Mike Huckabee and moved to Western Washington in 2004.[4][5] In spring 2009, Clemmons was charged with rape of a child and third-degree assault on a police officer for punching a Pierce County sheriff's deputy in the face during a confrontation,[6][7] and was let out of jail on those charges after posting a $150,000 bail bond one week prior to the shootings.[6]

Clemmons was last arrested before the shooting on July 1, 2009, for failure to appear in court. On November 23, 2009, Clemmons paid $15,000 for a $190,000 bail bond from Jail Sucks Bail Bonds, a Chehalis-based company, to secure his release. Two other bail bond agencies had rejected Clemmons based on his history of failing to appear in court.

Clemmons failed to check in with his community corrections officer within 24 hours of his release as required, but nothing was done in response.[8] On November 26, 2009, less than one week after Clemmons posted his bail bond,[9][10] during a Thanksgiving gathering at the home of Clemmons's aunt, Clemmons told several people he was angry about his Pierce County legal problems and that he planned to use a gun to murder police officers and others, including school children. He showed a gun to the people in the room and told them he had two others in his car and home. Clemmons said he planned to activate an alarm by removing a court-ordered ankle monitor, then he would shoot the police officers who responded by coming to his house.[11][12] In describing the planned murder, Clemmons said, "Knock, knock, knock, boom!"[11] Darcus Allen, a convicted murderer who previously served in an Arkansas prison with Clemmons, was allegedly present for the conversation.[11] Also on Thanksgiving, Clemmons cut off a GPS monitor Jail Sucks Bail Bonds had secured onto his ankle.[8] On November 28, Clemmons showed two handguns to friends Eddie and Douglas Davis and told them he planned to shoot police officers with them; the exchange was witnessed by Clemmons's half-brother Rickey Hinton, with whom he shared a house.[13] During the exchange, Clemmons danced around with the guns in his hands, claiming to be Lucifer. He told the men he had twice tried to go to a Tacoma police station, where he planned to walk in and start shooting. The first time the station was closed, and the second time he got a flat tire on the way there, Clemmons claimed. He also talked about stopping at a crowded intersection or a school and shooting people there.[8]

Incident

Shooting

On the morning of Sunday, November 29, 2009, the four officers were working on their laptop computers prior to the start of their shift inside a Forza Coffee Company coffee shop in nearby Parkland, adjacent to McChord Air Force Base. All four were in full uniform, armed, and wearing bulletproof vests.[14][15][16] Clemmons drove a white pickup truck to Allen's home, then Allen drove him past the coffee shop. After they saw marked police patrol cars in the parking lot, Allen drove back past the coffee shop and parked nearby. Some reports from witnesses said Clemmons parked his truck in a car wash stall at the coffee shop and pretended to clean the vehicle, but never turned the hose on.[11][12]

At approximately 8:15 AM (UTC-8), Clemmons entered the coffee shop, approached the counter, turned around, and opened fire on the four seated officers with a Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic handgun. He also carried a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver. Sergeant Mark Renniger and Officer Tina Griswold were killed as they sat in their chairs, both shot in the head. Officer Ronald Owens was shot in the neck as he stood up and attempted to draw his weapon. Officer Greg Richards managed to fight back against Clemmons and fired his own weapon, hitting Clemmons in the abdomen, before succumbing to a shot to the head. Clemmons then stole Richards's Glock before fleeing the scene.[14][17][18] Clemmons was then seen getting into a vehicle which fled the scene. Neither of the two coffee shop employees nor the other customers in the store were hurt, and no money was taken from the cash register. Investigators say the murder was a targeted attack against police officers in general, since none of the four officers were individually targeted and robbery was ruled out as a motive.[19] Clemmons returned to the truck and Allen drove him away. Allen later told detectives he stopped at an intersection and abandoned Clemmons and the truck, claiming he "wanted of no part of this". However, the police later disputed this claim and said there was no evidence Allen abandoned the vehicle.[11][12]

Manhunt

The afternoon following the shooting, the Pierce County sheriff identified Maurice Clemmons, who had long criminal history in Arkansas and Washington, as the suspected murderer. Police confirmed that Clemmons had been shot in the abdomen during the attack, and advised hospitals to keep an eye out for walk-ins with gunshot wounds.

In the late evening hours of November 29, Seattle police believed they had Clemmons surrounded in a home in the Leschi area of Seattle. Along with air support provided by King County Sheriff's Office, SWAT teams from the King County Sheriff's Office, Seattle Police Department, Tacoma Police Department, and other agencies entered the home after a twelve-hour standoff but found no one inside. Earlier in the day, Tacoma police served a search warrant on a Tacoma home belonging to a "person of interest" and collected evidence.[20][21] An intense manhunt ensued, and police from agencies in Pierce and King Counties conducted searches at the University of Washington campus, Rizal Park, and in Renton, none of which turned up the suspect. King County Sheriff's Deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers, acting on a tip, were also conducting surveillance and going door to door at Snoqualmie Pass area homes, 50 miles (80 km) east of Seattle. A tip stated that Clemmons was going to be dropped off at Snoqualmie Pass to be handed off to another person to escape the region. After hours of investigating, the search was called off. The tip had been one of thousands of tips that came into local law enforcement agencies. Suspects in his escape later admitted that false tips were called in to sidetrack law enforcement officials.

Death of Clemmons

The body of Maurice Clemmons, with the bullet entry wounds clearly visible.

Around 2:45 a.m. on December 1, Seattle police officer Benjamin L. Kelly was on patrol in south Seattle and came upon a 1990 Acura Integra parked on the street at 44th Place South and South Kenyon Street, unoccupied with its hood raised and the engine running.[22] He ran the vehicle's license plate number and determined that it had been stolen about two hours earlier.[22] While sitting in his patrol car filling out paperwork in conjunction with the stolen vehicle, Kelly noticed a person matching Clemmons's description approaching him from behind,[22] first walking on the sidewalk and then in the middle of the street.[23] Police accounts state that Kelly confronted Clemmons and ordered him to stop and show his hands, but Clemmons instead began to flee around the disabled vehicle and reportedly "reached into his waist area and moved" as Kelly was drawing his side arm.[24][25] Kelly fired three shots at Clemmons, followed by another four shots as he ran away "in a dead sprint,"[23] striking him at least twice.[26] Clemmons managed to reach the sidewalk and collapsed face-down in a walkway leading to a home on Kenyon Street. Kelly then retreated behind his patrol car, retrieved his shotgun, and called for backup.[23] Within moments, Seattle police swarmed the scene and a team of officers approached the fallen Clemmons, handcuffed him, and dragged him away from the home. Seattle Fire Department medics responded and pronounced Clemmons dead at the scene.[26] Seattle police later identified the deceased suspect as Clemmons. He was allegedly carrying a handgun that was identified by tracing the serial number as having belonged to Greg Richards, the fourth and final victim of the coffee shop shooting.[24] Clemmons also had a prior bullet wound to his abdomen that had been stuffed with cotton and gauze and sealed with duct tape that the police determined was sustained in the Parkland shooting.[26]

At the time of Clemmons's death, the police were offering a $145,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.[7][14]

Victims

Location of Parkland in Pierce County.

All four officers had been with the Lakewood Police Department since its establishment. They were:[27][28]

Aftermath

Weapons

Federal authorities ran traces on a 9-mm Glock Model 17 and a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver:

Accomplices

By December 2, 2009, six individuals were arrested and faced charges of providing assistance to Clemmons before and after the shooting.[26] One of those six – Darcus Allen, who was already wanted in connection with a bank robbery in Arkansas – served time with Clemmons in an Arkansas prison and is believed to have been Clemmons's getaway driver.[30] The other five were accused of providing assistance to Clemmons such as transporting him to several locations, providing him with money and cell phones, making arrangements for him to flee the state, and treating his gunshot wound sustained in the Parkland shooting, all with full knowledge of the crime he had committed.[26][30] In June 2010, Clemmons's sister was sentenced to five years imprisonment for acting as a getaway driver after the shooting. Later in December, three of four other suspects were convicted.[31] On January 14, 2011, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Arend sentenced accomplices Eddie Lee Davis to 10 years, five months; Douglas Edward Davis to seven years, six months; and Letrecia Nelson to six years, two months in state prison.[32]

In May 2011, Allen, the remaining suspect, was convicted of four counts of murder. He was sentenced to 420 years in prison the following month.[33] In January 2015, the Washington Supreme Court overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial, citing prosecutor misconduct.[34]

Political

Mike Huckabee received nationwide criticism for his role in Clemmons's release from prison in 2000.[10][35] The evening of the shooting, Huckabee released a statement seeking to cast some of the responsibility for Clemmons's release onto the parole board that freed him and the criminal justice system that Huckabee said repeatedly failed to properly handle him.[36][37] In his statement, Huckabee said, "Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State."[36] Huckabee, who was considered a favorite for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2012,[38] claimed that the situation was used as a political weapon against him.[35] Clemmons has been compared to Willie Horton,[38][39] a convicted felon who was furloughed from a Massachusetts prison in 1986 but never returned and committed more violent crimes several months later. The Horton case eventually factored into the 1988 presidential campaign of Democratic Party candidate Michael Dukakis, who was Governor of Massachusetts at the time and supported the furlough program. Timothy Egan, opinion writer for The New York Times, said of Huckabee's role in Clemmons's release, "If this case does not sink the presidential aspirations of Huckabee…it should."[10]

In his book about the shooting, The Other Side of Mercy, Jonathan Martin of The Seattle Times wrote that Huckabee apparently failed to review Clemmons's prison file, which was "thick with acts of violence and absent indications of rehabilitation." Martin also suggested that Huckabee failed to ensure Clemmons's post-release plan was "solid, or even factual." In an article for the Times, Martin wrote that if Huckabee was serious about running for president in 2016, "he'll have to answer his Maurice Clemmons problem."[40]

The incident has also led some university professors, criminologists, and attorneys to speculate that U.S. governors will become more reluctant to grant pardons and clemencies to convicted felons, in order to avoid the negative publicity faced by Dukakis and Huckabee in the Horton and Clemmons cases, respectively.[39]

Officers' memorial service

Above, Lakewood police Chief Bret Farrar commemorates the Lakewood Police Department Fallen Officer Memorial in 2010. Below, a man holds up a sign in honor of the victims at that commemoration ceremony.

A public memorial service for the four slain officers was held December 8, 2009, at the Tacoma Dome.[41] The day began with a 10-mile (16 km) procession from McChord Air Force Base past the Lakewood police station to the Tacoma Dome. Over 2,000 police and fire vehicles from over 150 different law enforcement and fire agencies participated in the procession, which took five hours to complete.[42] Over 20,000 people, mostly from the law enforcement and firefighting communities, attended the service at the Tacoma Dome.[43] Police officers from as far away as New York City and Boston, as well as a large contingent of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, were in attendance.[43] Lakewood's mayor and police chief gave remarks at the service, followed by eulogies by family, friends, and colleagues of the four officers. Washington Governor Christine Gregoire also spoke, saying, "We will remember them today. We will remember them always."[44] The service concluded with a played recording of a police dispatcher attempting to call each officer with no response, and the dispatcher declaring each officer as "gone but not forgotten."[45] The officers' remains were buried in private ceremonies by their individual families.

From a logistical standpoint, the agencies preparing for the memorial services expected 20,000 law enforcement personnel to appear at the service. One thousand emergency vehicles and police cruisers were set up to follow the families of the victims to the Tacoma Dome. Fifty people from several public agencies worked to make the event occur smoothly. Jody Woodcock, a program manager of the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management, said that the agencies planned to make the event look like it was easily prepared and that the authorities intend to "take care of all the details so the families and the law enforcement community don't have to think about them." Rob Carson of The (Tacoma) News Tribune said, "Logistically, the event is staggering in its complexity." Alaska Airlines gave airline tickets to family members who were going to the event and were flying into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from other states. The American Red Cross donated food and water for the event.[46]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Perry, Nick (21 December 2009). "Family had sought protection from man suspected of shooting deputies". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  2. ↑ "4 Lakewood officers slain; hunt is on for gunman". The Seattle Times. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  3. ↑ Top Sentence Sought for Ex-Lakewood Cop Who Stole Donations, by Adam Lynn, 26 June 2012, The News Tribune
  4. ↑ Schone, Mark. "Huckabee Helped Set Rapist Free Who Later Killed Missouri Woman". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  5. ↑ Buck, Michael (2009-11-30). "Slain cop a Valley native". The Express-Times. Easton, Pennsylvania. p. A1.
  6. 1 2 "Suspect let out of Pierce County jail one week ago". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  7. 1 2 "Police conducting several "tactical operations" now in search for shooting suspect". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  8. 1 2 3 Martin, Jonathan; Armstrong, Ken (October 21, 2010). "Maurice Clemmons eyed police station as a target, too". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Suspect let out of Pierce County jail one week ago". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  10. 1 2 3 Egan, Timothy (2009-11-30). "Mike Huckabee's Burden". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Lynn, Adam (March 3, 2010). "Prosecutors say Allen knew of Clemmons' plan". The News Tribune. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 "Alleged getaway driver in officer slayings charged with murder". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. March 2, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  13. ↑ Netter, Sarah (2009-12-02). "Helping a Cop Killer: Maurice Clemmons' Friends, Family Busted". ABC News. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  14. 1 2 3 Johnson, Gene (2009-11-29). "Official: 4 police officers shot dead in Wash.". San Francisco Chronicle.
  15. ↑ Miletich, Steve; Sara Jean Green (2009-11-29). "Four police officers shot to death in Lakewood in apparent ambush". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  16. ↑ "4 police officers killed in Wash. coffee shop". MSNBC. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  17. ↑ "Dispatches on the Lakewood police shooting and manhunt". The Seattle Times. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  18. ↑ Mulick, Stacey (2009-12-01). "Lakewood officer who shot suspect Clemmons identified". The News Tribune (Tacoma). Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  19. ↑ "Shooting of four Lakewood officers 'an execution': Washington police". Vancouver Sun. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  20. ↑ "Police surround Seattle home where person of interest in police shooting may be hiding". The Seattle Times. 2009-11-29.
  21. ↑ Oppmann, Patrick; Peter Hamby; Samira Simone; Dave Alsup; Dina Majoli (2009-11-29). "Man sought in deadly ambush had prison sentence commuted". CNN. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  22. 1 2 3 Miletich, Steve; Jack Broom (2 December 2009). "Routine stolen-car check led to Lakewood police-slaying suspect". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  23. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Jennifer; Martin, Jonathan (5 April 2010). "Officer says he feared for his life when Clemmons refused orders". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  24. 1 2 Sullivan, Jennifer; Mark Rahner; Jack Broom (1 December 2009). "Lakewood police shooting suspect killed by Seattle police officer in South Seattle early this morning". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  25. ↑ Johnson, Gene (2009-12-01). "Sheriff's spokesman: Police fatally shoot suspect". Yahoo! News.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Team Of Accused Accomplices Rises To 6". Seattle: KIRO-TV. 2 December 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  27. ↑ "Slain Lakewood police officers are identified". The Seattle Times. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  28. ↑ "Slain Lakewood officers leave holes in community fabric". The Seattle Times. 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  29. 1 2 3 4 Peter Callaghan. "Prosecutor gives first details of crime scene". The News Tribune. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  30. 1 2 Milletich, Steve; Mike Carter (2 December 2009). "Alleged getaway driver in officers' slaying could face murder charges". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  31. ↑ Martin, Johnathon (June 17, 2010). "Clemmons Sister sentenced to five years in prison". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  32. ↑ writer, ADAM LYNN; Staff. "Maurice Clemmons' associates sentenced".
  33. ↑ Martin, Jonathan (2011-06-17). "Maurice Clemmons' getaway driver sentenced to 420 years in prison". The Seattle Times.
  34. ↑ Carter, Mike (2015-01-15). "Lakewood cop killer's getaway driver to get new trial, court rules". The Seattle Times.
  35. 1 2 Brunner, Jim; Kelleher, Susan (2009-11-30). "Persuasive appeal helped Clemmons win clemency". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  36. 1 2 Franke-Ruta, Garance (2009-11-30). "Huckabee commuted sentence of suspect in Washington police slayings". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  37. ↑ Montopoli, Brian (2009-11-30). "Mike Huckabee Granted Clemency to Maurice Clemmons". CBS News. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  38. 1 2 DeMillo, Andrew (1 December 2009). "Political death blow for Huckabee?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  39. 1 2 Chen, Stephanie (2009-12-02). "Seattle shootings may reduce pardons and commutations". CNN.com. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  40. ↑ Martin, Jonathan (2013-12-18). "Mike Huckabee's Maurice Clemmons problem". The Seattle Times.
  41. ↑ Seattle Times staff (1 December 2009). "Memorial for slain officers to be next Tuesday at Tacoma Dome". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  42. ↑ "Big police procession in Tacoma for slain officers". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
  43. 1 2 Seattle Times Staff (9 December 2009). "Officers' service steeped in tradition, brotherhood". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
  44. ↑ "20,000 pay tribute to slain law officers". 9 December 2009.
  45. ↑ "Updates from Lakewood police memorial". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  46. ↑ Carson, Rob. "Over 20,000 expected at tribute to slain officers." The Seattle Times. December 6, 2009. Retrieved on December 14, 2009.

External links

Coordinates: 47°9′9.85″N 122°28′2.71″W / 47.1527361°N 122.4674194°W / 47.1527361; -122.4674194

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