To Catch a Murderer

Hey everyone! As always it has been a busy week but I'm taking advantage of some down time to write this entry from last week's excitement.

    I started my Sunday off with some classic baby daddy/baby mama drama. I received a call of shots fired at an apartment complex on my partner's beat.  My partner arrive on scene and all the parties were already gone from the location. I saw a large crowd of people gathered in the area and went up to them to see what they saw (not hoping for much). Surprisingly they told me quite a bit. The baby daddy went to see the baby mama but she wouldn't let him inside so he went to the car, took out a gun, and starting firing in the air (as if that was going to convince her to let him in...). He then took off in a hurry in his car and she hopped in hers and followed after him. Some things don't make sense on the streets-this is one of them. She called us but then took off after an armed man on her own.

   Monday was a good slow day. Not too much going on but in the midst of everything I got a call at Kroger for a hit and run in a grocery store parking lot. A lady and her girlfriend went into the store for about ten minutes and by the time they got back their Chevy Impala had a nice size dent on the rear bumper from somebody who clearly did not know how to back up. The lady JUST purchased the car about two days prior and there was no note left on the car. However a person did watch the accident happen and catch the tag of the car before it took off. It's nice to know some people still care and go out of their way in the world.

   Tuesday started really picking up for me. I was so overloaded on paperwork that I had to stay late to catch up on reports in the parking lot of the mall on my beat. A call came up for the overnight shift of a prowler.  A guy stated two young black males were attempting to break into his house. The dispatcher took forever to dispatch the call (which was on my beat). I noticed the call was updated saying the homeowner had a gun and preparing to use it, followed by shots fired and a person shot. I immediately took the call (already well over the end of my shift) and was the first person on scene.

   I roll up on the scene and immediately a guy comes up to me with his hands in the air saying he shot someone. I made a HUGE tactical mistake. The male identified himself as the homeowner and caller but I took his arms up for being a non-threat while the whole time he was still holding the gun he had just shot the would be burglar with. He tells me to check the back deck of his house for a body because he definitely shot the guy. I unholster my weapon and clear the back deck. There was no body or blood but I could see where the male shot through the window of his house at the perp. The male stated he ran after one of the teens who then hopped in a black SUV and drove away. He told me he tried to shoot after the SUV but his gun jammed and he couldn't get another shot off. The male had a Hi Point pistol which are notorious for being cheap and worthless and this incident clearly supports that. The homeowner tried to rack his pistol to clear the jam but was unsuccessful as the vehicle got away. We conducted a search of the woodline with K9 units and our helicopter air unit but did not locate the injured teen.

    The next day a SUV matching the description was found in our zone with a TON of blood all over the interior. More than likely this teen died but to this day no body has turned up. He took a round square to the torso from a couple feet away. I'm just glad that wasn't me for making such a horrible mistake.

Wednesday, I took advantage of a slower day to grab some food at a café serving-line style restaurant at the mall with another officer. Every now and then you have to take advantage of the slow times and enjoy a good sit down meal. While we were eating, we got a call on my beat about a black male wearing a mask and hiding near the ATM of a nearby bank. Thinking this would be a great attempt to stop a burglar in progress we took off from our meal just to find when we got there----absolutely nothing. We arrived less than a minute after the call was made but what can you do...

  Thursday was a day I'll never forget. I received a call about a possible attempted robbery.  A male wearing a black jacket and a black cap walked into a cell phone store and locked the doors before making the staff think he was going to rob the store. The male then calmly unlocked the door and left. As I arrived on scene, I spoke to the manager who pointed out a Dodge Charger which was pulling out. She stated the car arrived the same time as the male. Now this was at night time and the Charger pulled off without any lights on just furthering my suspicions. I gave other units the description and direction of travel and took off after the car.

I lost sight of the car for a second but found it parked in the parking lot of grocery store (same one from the hit and run). The driver, a female, was outside of the car talking to... a black male with a black jacket and black cap.
  I approached the male as other units arrived and asked him for ID. The male gave me an ID from another state but I ran his information out of my state and immediately received a hit for a warrant. My partner was leaning over the driver door of my car and asked what he was wanted for. I clicked on the hit saying.." He's wanted for....shit, murder!" My partner immediately unholstered his guy, drew down on the man and ordered him on the car. My partner covered him and I went to contact and detained the guy in handcuffs. We put him in the backseat of my car and sure enough they confirmed the warrant for homicide in the shooting death of another man. As I prepared to take him to the precinct he asked me if I could tell his girl to tell his uncle to grab him a good lawyer.

  When we arrived at the precinct, I walked him inside so I could complete my paperwork. When I tell you this guy was shaking he was shaking SO bad I thought that something was wrong with him. I asked him if he was ok and his answer was "If you were in my shoes would you be ok?". Everyone is innocent until proven guilty but he definitely gave off the guilty vibe.

  Ever since I became a police officer, I wanted to catch someone wanted for homicide. Homicide is the ultimate worst crime you can commit. The taking of another human's life impacts so many people (both living and the people who would have come in the future). A family completely torn apart at a single moment. I'm glad the arrest of this person put a family's grief closer to the road to recovery.