U.S. Marshals agent, two police officers shot in St. Petersburg

[Zephie]

Source: WTSP

Officials say at least three people have been wounded: one a U.S. Marshal and two St. Petersburg Police officers. They were transported by ambulance to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Police spokesman Michael Puetz says the officers are in critical condition, and the U.S. Marshal is in stable condition.

Puetz says the suspect remains barricaded inside the house where the Monday morning shooting happened.

Authorities surrounded the house on the 3700 block of 28th Avenue South shortly before 8 a.m.

Police say the shooting happened as the U.S. Marshals Service was serving a warrant on a suspect for aggravated battery, and requested St. Petersburg Police assistance. The suspect is also wanted on two other felony charges, although 10 News doesn't have any details. Police have not released the suspect's name at this time.

Read more: http://wtsp.com/news/topstories/story.aspx?storyid=170556&catid=250

---

They're saying on the news that both the officers have died.

[Enrique]

1. police killed recently in Miami and Detroit

within the last few days, iirc.

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. and in Oregon, California, Washington, and Indiana, plus New Jersey last week.

4 police shootings just today,including Fla's.
Plus Detroit yesterday, New Jersey last week= 6 police shooting events.
Looks like a pattern to me.


LINCOLN CITY, Ore. —January 24, 2011
Authorities are searching western Oregon for a man suspected of shooting a Lincoln City police officer during a traffic stop on a coastal highway, Oregon State Police said Monday.
The officer was shot more than once after he pulled over a car for speeding about 11 p.m. Sunday.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014023897_apusoregonofficershot1stldwritethru.html


California
Los Angeles, Ca.: January 19, 2011
LAUSD police officer shot near El Camino Real High School
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/lausd-police-officer-shot-near-el-camino-real-high-school.html

Washington State:
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) — Monday, January 24, 2011
Authorities are investigating why a man ran from deputies and then opened fire in a Walmart parking lot, sparking a shootout that left the man and a woman dead and two law officers wounded.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jIu5FFHwrW4IBsLeMM_Drp3yTqSQ?docId=d76c20593ff44cd1809c2e36e115702f

Indiana: January 24, 2011
Indianapolis police officer shot in face, in critical condition.
The 29-year-old metro police officer was shot several times Sunday morning, while on a traffic stop,
http://www.fox59.com/wxin-indianapolis-police-officer-sh-01232011,0,1863840.story

New Jersey....Jan. 14, 2011
New Jersey Police Officer Is Shot Dead.
A 27-year-old police officer in the central New Jersey township of Lakewood was shot in the head and killed Friday afternoon by a man he had stopped for routine questioning, the authorities said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/nyregion/15cop.html?src=me

[bemildred]

2. It's getting ugly out there. nt

[liberalmike27]

26. It isn't just the coming dystopia either

With the drug war, and the police in general, they are always used, it seems, to attack our population.

I don't own a gun, mostly because I'd probably end up shooting myself in the end. But I've been burglarized three times, three times in eight years. I've not had a single thing recovered, and all they do is record it, and move along.

Now here is my last interaction with a cop--after 40 years of driving through an intersection, and having six ways to come home from the Big-Box store, I happened upon an intersection where I needed to turn left. They had, unfortunately put up a No-Left Turn sign. I figure, hell they'll give me this one if I happen to be caught, after all, they just put it up. And I won't likely be caught. Bear in mind, there was no warning up the road, where I could've made another choice.

So I slip to the left, and almost immediately the cop pulled out from the other side, and was on my ass. I pleaded, I implored, I tried to reason with the guy about all that I'd said above, to get a warning. I ended up driving off with an illegal turn ticket, which costed me $156, a lot since I'm unemployed. You can't really do anything in court, and after all I did do the crime. But the sign hadn't been up for about 3 days, and clearly the cops had set up a "trapping" operation, based on the fact that people turning left would have no knowledge of the new sign.

So here we have the problem--cops end up often attacking the people, not defending them. Here I've been burglarized three times and I think "Why the fuck aren't these guys roaming the neighborhoods and trying to stop people from stealing all my televisions and monitors?"

And the drug war--man that is fertile ground for destroying citizens' lives, and irritating people to no ends. I'm just saying, cops, you'd better start becoming the people's defenders, as there will be far less of you with budget cuts coming all over the U.S., instead of using the attack the people strategy. People are stressed and broke, many like me are unemployed. I might add, we've regularly had road-blocks where they filter people through to try to catch drunks, stoners, and those who lack insurance, while inconveniencing about 99/100 who pass through with a 15 minute or more wait.

[bemildred]

42. Traffic tickets and "checkpoints" are a profit center, and local govts are broke.

I recommend being scrupulously legal in all ones does on the road.

Don't get me started on the drug war. The drug "free companies" are getting big enough and well-armed and financed enough to give governments a run for their money. Mexico already does not control large portions of its territory, and I am sure that problem exists elsewhere too. The number of "failed states" is increasing all the time, havens for mercenaries and criminals of all stripes. And all for what?

[Sancho]

3. I was just there...

I work near this shooting and I'm now home. At least two officers are dead.

I personally grew up in a "hunting" family and I wish there were much stronger gun laws. Until guns are strictly regulated, we'll continue to have this kind of violence. I know the arguments, so don't waste time repeating them.

Meanwhile, the funerals continue. It is so sad to live in a violent society.

Pray for the families.

[uppityperson]

4. It is so sad to live in a violent society.

[bossy22]

7. we will continue to have this kind of violence

as long as we have violent people in our society.

[golddigger]

5. Unfortunately, it's only going to get worse.

[bossy22]

6. what makes you say that?

[golddigger]

11. The economy.

[bossy22]

14. i doubt it

the economy is turning around; albeit slowly.

[golddigger]

15. Oh really?

[bossy22]

17. yes really

[golddigger]

21. My wife and two daughters are working in the

health care industry and they are even getting their hours cut. So don't tell me its getting better.

[bossy22]

27. i'm sorry to hear about your families losing earnings

but the fact is that for the majority of people- things are getting better. you should know that even in economic boom times people still get laid off; my mother was laid off in 1998 from her job (even though the country was booming back then); luckily 3 months later they rehired her.

again it will take awhile before things get to how they used to be- but we are on the right track

[golddigger]

29. Okay, whatever. Live in your little bubble.

[bossy22]

31. same to you

[liberalmike27]

34. I Don't Thing it's Getting Better

It may have planed off a bit--getting better? I don't think so. If anything has improved it has to do with the stimulus, which is ending, and Republicans plan to recoup the rest of it, so that's gone.

Add to that, they've really done nothing, nor as I can tell, plan to do nothing about the actual jobs situation, bringing jobs back home.

The only real solution is tariffs on incoming goods to encourage manufacturing of said items here, thus creating jobs. Things will get more expensive, so we'll clearly have to raise the minimum to a living wage, then affix it to the rate-of-inflation.

But so far, cutting taxes of the rich, well let's just say if that was going to work, we'd be importing Mexicans right now, since we had the lowest taxes on the rich in recent history last year, with NO Inheritance tax, and low FIT. So that cutting taxes for the rich thing, total BS. What jobs are being created is new burger-flippers and store clerks, who earn minimum wage, when the jobs that left paid at least three times that.


So dream on, but until we all get on-board with this idea of economic containment, putting our own country's employment ahead of that of the world, or of the richness of the top few percent, we're not going to get there on the employment scene.

Best jobs to go into, also a kind of dystopic sign, medical, security guards, and trucking.

[Bobbysox22]

40. There is no "it."

There are two economies. The economy for Wall Street, big business and the banks is improving, but the economy of the US working class is getting worse.

[emilyg]

36. Economy not getting

better in my city. Stores closing daily. My daughter has been looking for work for over 2 years.

[golddigger]

19. I'll let my family and freinds know that, while they

are struggling with rent,food,and gas prices.

[bossy22]

28. you should

as things get better they will have a better chance of finding a good paying job. Remember this is all about probability- the probability of finding a good paying job in boom times is better than in bust times

The u.s. was thrown into a recession that rivalved the great depression in its severity- look how long it took for us to come out of that. Why do people insist that the recovery will only be "true" if one morning they wake up and unemployment has dropped 5% overnight? It's not going to happen that quickly

[harvey007]

20. It's worse out there than you think

Most states are on the verge of economic collapse.

The poor, the desperate, the unemployed are out there and growing in numbers, even if mainstream media is not reporting it.

[bossy22]

32. economic collapse?

or fiscal collapse? The two are not the same. i would say that most states economically are recovering but fiscally they are in terrible shape. This is not expected- states cannot fund themselves the same way the fed gov can. States can only run a deficit for so long since they don't actually control any currency (the federal government can always print money to fund itself). During economic downturns many states supplement their budget short falls by raiding "rainy day funds". They do this in order to have to reduce spending dramatically- forcing massive layoffs and system shocks throughout communities. At this point, tax revenue is turning around but it is still much lower than it was back in 2007 (the fed gov't still has 20% less tax revenue this year expected then in 2007; the state of new york also has the percentage) and most of these rainy day funds have been exhausted.

Listen, i am the first one to say that its sh*tty out their economically- there is no doubt. we have almost 10% unemployed and more than double that amount underemployed (and not counting discouraged workers), BUT THINGS ARE SLOWLY TURNING AROUND. Our overally economy is growing- new jobless claims are slowly declining (during the height of the recession they were almost 700,000 a week- now they are at 400,000) and we are starting to see net job growth. Yes, this job growth is not spectacular and can probably be considered anemic but we have to start somewhere. Corporate profits are up meaning our companies are making money again; and a company that has nice profit margins is MORE LIKELY to hire than one that is not (how many companies do you know of that go on hiring binges when they are losing money?).

[patrick t. cakes]

41. absolute fantasy

new jobless claims are slowly declining (during the height of the recession they were almost 700,000 a week- now they are at 400,000) and we are starting to see net job growth

actually, people are just giving up, not filing anymore.



Corporate profits are up meaning our companies are making money again; and a company that has nice profit margins is MORE LIKELY to hire than one that is not

people are being worked more, companies don't need to hire when they can work the people they have and saddle them with more responsibility. Who's going to complain when there are plenty of people out of work waiting to fill the slot.


Pollyanna

[golddigger]

23. You work for GE, Goldman Sachs? If you do I see why you think that.

[bossy22]

30. i do not work for a major company

i am actually a student who makes money on the side by working for a small furniture manufacturing company. To be specific we make mostly wood furniture like bed boards and desks. simple stuff

[NickB79]

43. Some of the same things that crippled the economy in 2008 are returning

Namely high food and energy prices.

We'll see how well the economy does when food prices shoot back up and gas returns to $4/gallon.

[tpsbmam]

8. What the hell is going on with this spate of officers fired on and killed or wounded?

It's striking to me that there have been so many similar incidents in a short period of time.

My heart goes out to the officers and their families.

[slackmaster]

9. The week before last, it was birds falling out of the sky. Last week, fish kills.

This week, police being assaulted.

[sarcasmo]

10. #1 in the world at putting people in prison. Are we #1 in murders as well?

[PSPS]

12. Yes we are, by far. Also #1 by far in number of guns per capita.

[bossy22]

16. NO

we are not...a quick trip to wikipedia will show you that

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

[LexLuthor1]

18. Thats by region

I am sure Canada brings our per capita average down a bit.

[bossy22]

25. if you scroll down it breaks it down by country

[NBachers]

13. These are the "public payroll goldbricks" who deserve to have their pensions gutted, say the repukes

[Fuddnik]

24. They ain't seen nothin' yet.

Just wait until Rick Scott and his corrupt tea-bagger legislature get started.

Florida is going to be a third world Dodge City.

[jwirr]

33. Just a comment about posts like this one. St. Petersburg? Where?

So many posts do not indicate first hand where they are located. For those of us who do not have the time to go into every link this is very frustrating. Otherwise thank you for posting.

[Zephie]

35. St. Petersburg Florida

[jwirr]

37. Thank you, but I was not pointing my finger specifically at you. Too

many posts do it.

[Sancho]

38. The shooter is reported dead..

Local news is reporting without details.

[greiner3]

39. Two thoughts;

More guns mean more deaths by guns
With the US having draconian laws putting everyone in prison and keeping them there for most of their lives what do people have to lose by shooting cops?

[Old Troop]

44. As of 3 PM today 13 officers have been shot in 48 hours. All over

the country.

[Sancho]

45. My wife teaches with one of the widows and there are children...

It is just insane. Sorry to rant, but criminals and emotionally ill people and impulsive people and thoughtless teens get guns because there is no effective control of guns!

Many years ago, I was in the NRA and I grew up on military bases in a family that hunted. I was opposed to "regulations". I am older and wiser now.

Guns should be registered and regulated. No one should have a gun without training, a background check, and a license. That permission should be renewed annually. If any gun is not in the possession of a licensed person and registered, it should be confiscated immediately.

Bullets and guns should only be purchased with a waiting period. Semi-automatic guns and non-sporting guns should be essentially banned without special permits.

Over time and with strong controls, the hunters will own and use guns for sport and practice, but the senseless deaths will be reduced - not eliminated - but there will be fewer deaths.

That is the only way to see this get better...flame all you want...it's the only way it will get better.

:rant: :cry: