Clemmons shot and killed by Seattle police
posted at 8:48 am on December 1, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Somehow, I suspect that the Seattle police wanted a different ending than this:
The man wanted in the fatal shooting of four police officers was shot and killed Tuesday in south Seattle after he challenged police who approached him, authorities said.
The Seattle police department confirmed to the Pierce County sheriff’s office that Maurice Clemmons was killed in the shooting, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
The shooting took place about 2 a.m. It ended a two-day manhunt for Clemmons, 37, that began Sunday after an ambush-style killing of four police officers from Lakewood, about 40 miles south of Seattle.
It appears that Clemmons may have been wounded by one of the four police officers he murdered:
Witnesses say Clemmons was shot in the torso during the Sunday morning attack, and blood and gauze bandages were found in a truck linked to Clemmons, Troyer said.
Under the circumstances, taking Clemmons alive would have been unlikely, especially with his “erratic” thinking, as he himself admitted to his sister. Still, when police shoot a suspect in the murders of other officers, accusations and lawsuits tend to fly, as police officers themselves know. The officers in this shooting will be grilled endlessly by their internal-affairs division and by attorneys in the eventual wrongful-death lawsuit.
They would have preferred an uneventful surrender, but Clemmons apparently was determined to go out in a blaze of hatred and insanity. And so he did.
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go to hell you f*cking piece of sh!t
blatantblue on December 1, 2009 at 8:50 AM
The lawyers have families to feed,so whats the problem?/
docflash on December 1, 2009 at 8:51 AM
just be glad its over, i suppose, even though it didnt end the way it should have
blatantblue on December 1, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Was he wrapped in toilet paper when he was shot? Seems like a fitting outfit for such a piece of mierde.
CapitalistPig on December 1, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Them’s the breaks.
Cylor on December 1, 2009 at 8:53 AM
The story I heard was a single cop recognized his stolen car, went to investigate and the scumbag came after him. It was only one cop and one scumbag and the scumbag lost.
Elizabetty on December 1, 2009 at 8:54 AM
Now, indict the family members who sheltered him.
kingsjester on December 1, 2009 at 8:54 AM
I love a fairy tale ending.
LibTired on December 1, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Yeah!!! In even better news, my daughter is #58 in line at a Sarah Palin book signing this morning in Tempe. Yeah X 10!!
jbinnout on December 1, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Will Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton show up to “comfort” the family and claim that this is just symptomatic of a larger problem, that society “failed” Clemmons, and that we need a lot more government money to remedy this “unjust society” that “drove” Clemmons to do this?
/s off
Wethal on December 1, 2009 at 8:56 AM
I’m glad they got to put him down, otherwise the tax payers would have paid for some endless insanity defense.
I have a feeling that the cops will not be grilled endlessly and no lawsuits will fly. Clemmens own family called him psychotic.
Prayers for the families of the fallen police officers. Such a shame.
bridgetown on December 1, 2009 at 8:56 AM
Anyone can sue anyone they want…but surely, if there is any justice, this one should get laughed out of court…From the facts, it doesnt’ appear to be another “Matasareanu” type of situation….where the police may or may not have failed to “provide care” for this scumbag.
As the Chinese are prone to say, there are those that are guilty, and then there are those that are “obviously guilty” This sad sack of excrement falls in the latter category.
CapitalistPig on December 1, 2009 at 8:56 AM
He will finally go before the Judge with no political agenda.
sheriff246 on December 1, 2009 at 8:57 AM
“If we would have had stricter gun control, this oppressed, forgotten man would still be alive.”
/channeling non-descript libtard
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on December 1, 2009 at 8:57 AM
If so, I hope they have to visit them in jail for aiding and abetting a known felon.
loudmouth883 on December 1, 2009 at 8:57 AM
No court of appeals for you.
Wade on December 1, 2009 at 8:58 AM
May the Lord have mercy on his miserable soul.
.
locomotivebreath1901 on December 1, 2009 at 8:58 AM
No. This is the way it should have ended. Where I work, one of the professors said that he wouldn’t make it to trial. My reply was that he wouldn’t make it to booking. Much less expense to the taxpayers in no trial, appeals all the way to the US S.Ct. and then 20 years later the execution. The appropriate end to a very vile man.
Of course, he should have still been in prison for previous crimes. . .
I don’t know whether he was abused enough as a child to warp him into this monster, or if he came into the world warped or whatever, but you do not let a rabid dog back out into society.
rbj on December 1, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Rabid animals need to be put down. Good job Seattle PD!!!
Kuffar on December 1, 2009 at 8:59 AM
And send the bill for the manhunt and bullets to Huckabee!
TXUS on December 1, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Cost of trial, cost of inevitable appeals, and cost of incarceration: zero.
Regarding legal fees incurred by any officers involved in the killing of Clemmons, send the bills to Mike Huckabee.
BuckeyeSam on December 1, 2009 at 9:00 AM
The family that supported Clemmons while on the run should have no standing in a civil court.
myrenovations on December 1, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Whatever. Another report had this as a single officer involved in the shooting. If that’s true it’s going to be tough to show any wrongful actions no matter how it really went down.
BadgerHawk on December 1, 2009 at 9:02 AM
Suicide by police?
duggersd on December 1, 2009 at 9:02 AM
LOL Kuffar! The Seattle Times headline should read:
“Rabid Dog Shot by Police’
CapitalistPig on December 1, 2009 at 9:02 AM
One less Obama voter.
EMD on December 1, 2009 at 9:03 AM
The monster had many, many enablers.
Michelle on December 1, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Dude killed 4 cops. No way he was gonna be marched away in handcuffs. He was destined to wind up in a bodybag.
Doughboy on December 1, 2009 at 9:04 AM
If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.
davidk on December 1, 2009 at 9:04 AM
I think the police acted stupidly.
BobMbx on December 1, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Seattle is VERY leftwing. Don’t be surprised if there are street protests.
artist on December 1, 2009 at 9:06 AM
Rod on December 1, 2009 at 9:06 AM
Well done, Seattle PD. Another parasite bites the dust, and not a minute too soon. I hope the heroic officers who sent this slime to Justice won’t suffer harassment and lawsuits.
mr.blacksheep on December 1, 2009 at 9:07 AM
I wonder if Lucifer that old Dragon called Satan will read him his Miranda rights when he arrives in hell???
doriangrey on December 1, 2009 at 9:07 AM
God has mercy, but he goes directly to the depths of hell, forever.
Nalea on December 1, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Given the choice of this mutant living on the public dime with an army of ACLU lawyers and cop-hating lowlifes in his corner and this morning’s result, I prefer his well-earned death penalty.
Goodbye, scum.
JammieWearingFool on December 1, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Burn baby burn.
hawkman on December 1, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Whoever protests on behalf of a man who killed 4 cops(not to mention his previous crimes) has some serious stones. Either that or they need to get a life.
Doughboy on December 1, 2009 at 9:08 AM
You mean they weren’t looking for a reason to drop this guy where he stood? That may have been their emotion but don’t you think it is more than a suspicion they wanted to take this guy alive?
All things considered, I don’t see that much of a downside here. Any sort of trial for this habitual criminal would not have led to “closure” for the families of the cops killed. Huckabee pretty much saw his political aspirations go up in smoke. No expenses from a lengthy series of appeals and legal proceedings. In fact, it only really cost the taxpayer some overtime and the cost of ammo. A bargain at twice the cost.
highhopes on December 1, 2009 at 9:09 AM
MEMO
TO: The Heroes Who Shot This Vermin
Thank you for doing your job, thus saving the taxpayers countless millions in trial, detention, and other costs.
Now, lawyer up and get a website so we’ll have a place to send our contributions to your defense.
God Bless each of you.
TXUS on December 1, 2009 at 9:09 AM
Ugh…Ogabe went through all that beer summit planning for nothing.
Bishop on December 1, 2009 at 9:09 AM
Sharpton calls for boycott of Starbucks, who he believes is ultimately responsible for the death of that fine young man.
“If it wasn’t for Starbucks selling coffee at prices a black man can’t afford, he wouldn’t have been forced to make such a public statement against the rampant racism throughout the cafe industry. In my mind, he’s a hero”.
BobMbx on December 1, 2009 at 9:10 AM
still say that a bullet is much cheaper then life behind bars
hawkman on December 1, 2009 at 9:11 AM
You know Bill Blizzard, Norman Blitzer, and Grow Fins are weeping like little school girls right now and planning on creating murals to their hero Clemmons.
PimFortuynsGhost on December 1, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Street protesting is a hobby in Seattle. Something to pass the time between Vendi lattes.
highhopes on December 1, 2009 at 9:11 AM
There were protests/rallies in Oakland on behalf of the cop killer there a few months ago. Media didn’t touch it, of course. In fact the murder of the cops itself was barely covered. Totally different media treatment with this case.
Missy on December 1, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Does this mean the Huckster can’t spring him again?
Darksean on December 1, 2009 at 9:12 AM
One less.
pugwriter on December 1, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Better late than never.
OldEnglish on December 1, 2009 at 9:13 AM
In that sense, this is a good example of making government more efficient.
BobMbx on December 1, 2009 at 9:13 AM
I just love reading about criminal low-life’s winding up DRT* while having my morning coffee.
Makes my day. :-)
*DRT = Dead Right There.
Dave R. on December 1, 2009 at 9:13 AM
That’s actually more common than you might expect. Happened to a neighbor of mine – he was tripped out on drugs, got pulled over and pulled a gun on a cop. He left a note behind – that’s how he wanted to go out.
gatorboy on December 1, 2009 at 9:14 AM
One of them is busy in the Canadian/Afgan thread right now. He will be along shortly to channel Obama as to how the Seattle LEO’s acted stupidly.
Yoop on December 1, 2009 at 9:14 AM
I really hope that this newest entry into the Huckabee files will cause his supporters to take a closer look at the man. I am an Arkansan. Please believe me when I tell you he is not what we want for president. At least believe me enough to study his record as gov of AR. The taxing and spending is low-hanging fruit for anyone to see. I wouldn’t say he is a bad man like Clinton, but he is not conservative.
shibumiglass on December 1, 2009 at 9:15 AM
The MSM will bury this story quickly as the shooter wasn’t white, and can’t be called a “right wing terrorist”.
I find it odd that the MSM hasn’t questioned if this was a “hate crime” … a black guy shooting four white cops. If a white guy had shot black cops the airwaves would be full of “right wing hate crime” stories.
darwin on December 1, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Free Clemmons!
nevermind
LibTired on December 1, 2009 at 9:16 AM
Here is the question:
Do you think the Lefty journals (NYT, TIme, Newsweek, LAT etc.) will go to great pains to provide post-mortem psycho-analysis, ala Hasan, in order to quantify his true intent or disease OR do you think they’ll just use this to just shovel Hortonesque dirt on a RINO?
Doorgunner on December 1, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Too bad Mumia Abu-Jamal did not meet the same fate.
Rabid animals need to be put down.
rockmom on December 1, 2009 at 9:18 AM
is it a beer summit moment?
jbh45 on December 1, 2009 at 9:19 AM
They’re in a real pickle, because on the one hand they can’t stand Republicans. On the other, Huckabee is their Republican of choice, and they do adore cop killers so.
LibTired on December 1, 2009 at 9:19 AM
I hope the dead cops families sue the judges, who let him out on $15,000 bond last week.
txdoc on December 1, 2009 at 9:20 AM
TXUS on December 1, 2009 at 8:59 AM
BuckeyeSam on December 1, 2009 at 9:00 AM
WONDER TWIN POWERS … ACTIVATE!
Tony737 on December 1, 2009 at 9:20 AM
I love a happy ending.
On the Huckabee clemency though, I have to say, as bad as Grey Davis was as a governor he had one really good thing about him. His policy was to never let murderers out of prison. He may have messed up our state bad, but he’ll never have the blood of good men and women on his hands.
oddjob1138 on December 1, 2009 at 9:21 AM
Burn in hell Clemmons.
WisCon on December 1, 2009 at 9:21 AM
He is a bad man, a liar and a bigot. He is a liberal populist who carries a Bible and pretends to be a conservative. A southern-fried Mike Dukakis. Those are the worst kind of politicians. I’m so glad his a** is in a sling now over this.
rockmom on December 1, 2009 at 9:22 AM
In any case, the story will be “cops shoot black man”, with a glancing statement of “allegedly shot and killed 4 police officers”
BobMbx on December 1, 2009 at 9:23 AM
Too bad they couldn’t bring him back to life and kill him again … four times.
Tony737 on December 1, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Getaway driver? From the scene? I hope the law of criminal conspiracy is strong enough in WA to charge this scum with four counts of murder.
Wethal on December 1, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Um, yeah, this is kind of getting buried in the Huckabee hullabaloo. Why the heck was this guy getting bail of any amount for an assault on a police officer? I want that judge and prosecutor to face the public. Fox News said last night that the prosecutors did not know about his long criminal record. How the heck does that happen??? Everyone in that DA’s office should be fired and the judge should be removed.
rockmom on December 1, 2009 at 9:24 AM
It ended exactly the way it should have. Now prosecute everyone who helped this animal.
katy the mean old lady on December 1, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Don’t forget the Bloomberg et al. anti-gun screed.
Doorgunner on December 1, 2009 at 9:27 AM
That would go a long way toward heading off the lawsuits. If the families members have to admit in court that the reason they sheltered him was because Clemmons was seriously scary, nuts, and willing to do harm, that may help the officer who shot the scumbag.
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 9:27 AM
How dare this inconsiderate wretch deprive Jackson and Sharpton of their due. Now the Justice Brothers will only get eight or nine outraged photo-ops instead of the dozens they could wrangle during a judicial media circus. Bastard!
Note to Huckabee: Attend the funeral and toss your presidential ambitions in the grave with the casket, you moron.
SKYFOX on December 1, 2009 at 9:28 AM
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Not to mention the fact that they knowingly harbored a felon.
kingsjester on December 1, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Wrong, Clemmons should have accidentally fallen into a shark tank with a pork chop around his neck. That’s how it should have ended.
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Are you suggesting their name is Mudd?
Just kidding. I agree with you.
SKYFOX on December 1, 2009 at 9:29 AM
See how simple a solution death is? Clean, non-negotiable and utterly foolproof against fake, phony RINOs like Huckabee. Think of all the suffering, heartache, propaganda, cost and risk that would have been saved saved if KSM has met a similar fate.
MaiDee on December 1, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Let me guess…..the four officers who were shot were all white. So I’m holding my breath waiting for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to denounce the hate crime. Maybe Obama can have the families of the departed officers up to the White House for a beer?
olesparkie on December 1, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Which goes back to the question, was he so mentally ill when he was incarcerated in Arkansas? Shouldn’t everyone who is up for clemency on a violent felony conviction be screened by a psychiatrist?
It is one thing for God to tell us to be merciful, but I do not recall God telling us to be stupid.
rbj on December 1, 2009 at 9:33 AM
+1
I just get tired of these so called families who weren’t around to raise these animals properly getting all boo-hooey in front of the news cameras with Al Charletan and a platoon of ambulance chasers in tow. They create these monsters, unleash them on the public, and cash in at the expense of taxpayers’ wallets and police officers’ careers.
Grrrrr!
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 9:33 AM
Well, here we go again.
Again, as in one more unrighteous shooting by Seattle police. Initial reports are that he was trying to get away when he was shot.
I don’t know if they are going to spin this shooting into “justified” or not but I can tell you that his kids are going to be filing suit (including the one he just found out that he had).
His estate will also sue for wrongful death because the officer was not being threatened when he shot him.
All of these lawsuits will succeed, and will be paid by Seattle taxpayers.
Welcome to the liberal land of feelings. Be glad you don’t live here.
platypus on December 1, 2009 at 9:34 AM
One thing that amazes me was the amount of help Clemmons got to elude his final showdown for so long. Now THAT speaks volumes.
olesparkie on December 1, 2009 at 9:35 AM
They would have preferred an uneventful surrender, but Clemmons apparently was determined to go out in a blaze of hatred and insanity. And so he did.
A good summation, that works out for me, because I blazingly, insanely hated him.
juanito on December 1, 2009 at 9:37 AM
those Seattle people are pretty liberal. You realize that Clemmons is a man of color? Therefore it is against the law to defend oneself against him.
kelley in virginia on December 1, 2009 at 9:37 AM
I am glad, platypus but very thankful that the police did the job that the judicial system failed horribly at.
ORconservative on December 1, 2009 at 9:37 AM
Everyone who helped John Wilkes Boothe swung from the gallows…..
BobMbx on December 1, 2009 at 9:38 AM
evil
and Huckabee is a fool
ginaswo on December 1, 2009 at 9:39 AM
You completely missed my point. I’m hoping that by prosecuting the scumball relatives that harbored that piece of feces Clemmons, that the relatives’ statements can be used to keep them from cashing in on a wrongful death suit. No one is going to make a statement that “I helped because I wanted to see him free rather than safeguard the public”. No, they are all going to claim to have helped out of fear for their own lives. It is the only defense that will fly.
Time after time, we see on TV some monster with no regard for life shot by police who have no other alternative than to save their own lives. I don’t want to see these “relatives” cash in.
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 9:39 AM
I love your thinking!. Or,perhaps,smeared wth seal grease and introduced to a poor polar bear?
,
katy the mean old lady on December 1, 2009 at 9:39 AM
olepsarkie
the police say they have several in custody and plan more arrests of all those helpful people
ginaswo on December 1, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Any officer involved shooting is traumatic for the officer involved, but this will probably be less traumatic than most. I have only read a brief description of what occurred, but it appears that the suspect was approaching a lone officer, ignored orders to stop and show his hands, and was shot. I disagree with Mr. Morrissey, even though the left coast if very liberal, I very much doubt any litigation will come out of this, unless the officer was clearly in the wrong, and with four officers dead by this guy, a lawyer will probably think that the effort will not be worth the possible profit as even a liberal jury is unlikely to have sympathy for this dirt bag.
And as far as Huckabee, I have never supported this guy because of his interference in the criminal justice system. No governor, or president, should be in the business of commuting sentences, or pardoning people. Certainly not as much as Huckabee did while governor.
kam582 on December 1, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Raaaaacists!
I’m sure that someone’s civil rights were violated and that the police acted stupidly./
hillbillyjim on December 1, 2009 at 9:43 AM
This is a good ending, additional bonus that no other officers or citizens were hurt by this POS (who was still armed and approached the police again apparently).
Some of the family of this cop-killer were accomplices after the fact, they should be held to account.
brennan251 on December 1, 2009 at 9:44 AM
I love history buffs!
katy the mean old lady on December 1, 2009 at 9:44 AM
I’m in Seattle.
They’re saying on the news that they have three accomplices in custody, one who drove the getaway car after the attack, and who have since been treating his wounds / moving him around, giving him money and phones, etc.
The police say they intend to fully prosecute all of em.
I say, good.
e-pirate on December 1, 2009 at 9:44 AM
Was it a white policeman that shot him?
Is this another “teachable” moment?
right2bright on December 1, 2009 at 9:44 AM
Oh, I agree. Anyone who helped him should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If they want to claim that he kept them in fear of their lives for a day or two, bring it up at trial as a defense. 1) there were multiple people, couldn’t one slip away and call the cops? 2) didn’t he fall asleep at any point — again, call the cops. There is no defense to harboring a cop assassin.
rbj on December 1, 2009 at 9:44 AM
Also, when they got him he had on him one of the guns stolen from one of the downed officers, so there’s no question to his guilt.
e-pirate on December 1, 2009 at 9:45 AM
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