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.
Blowback
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Beer summit in hell!
Mojave Mark on December 1, 2009 at 9:47 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
Save the polar bears! Maybe we could get PETA on board.
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 9:47 AM
Yes it did.
Rocks on December 1, 2009 at 9:49 AM
How convenient for Huckabee. No trial to dog him.
MadisonConservative on December 1, 2009 at 9:49 AM
The police didn’t have any choice. They knew that Clemmons had already shot four police officers, was armed and desperate, and would kill again if he could. By killing Clemmons, who knows how many innocent lives the police saved, those Clemmons would have killed in the future?
As for lawsuits, who would be crazy enough to sue on Clemmons’ behalf, or defend him on a jury?
Great job, Seattle PD !
Steve Z on December 1, 2009 at 9:51 AM
Let’s see that idiot Huckabee commute *this* sentence.
Venusian Visitor on December 1, 2009 at 9:54 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
My original didn’t post, so here goes:
FOX just had a piece on this. It was $150,000 bond for child rape. The family put up $40k in cash and the rest in equity.
Police are rounding up anyone and everyone involved. We’re gonna need a bigger shark tank.
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 9:55 AM
Hmm, why isn’t this being treated as a “hate crime”? Oh, yeah, gays and minorities deserve more protection than police who get shot at *for a living*!
What a country.
Venusian Visitor on December 1, 2009 at 10:00 AM
I can only hope that our Marines, Soldiers and Seals can learn from this event. This guy cannot file endless execessive force complaints like the Clown with the busted lip did on the three Navy Seals.
barnone on December 1, 2009 at 10:01 AM
You’re right. Only the One has power to resurrect.
cackcon on December 1, 2009 at 10:02 AM
Exactly, you have to kill them all….
Tim Burton on December 1, 2009 at 10:07 AM
They know that already, and it was an amazing exercise in restraint for them to take that joker alive.
Venusian Visitor on December 1, 2009 at 10:09 AM
One of the many tort reforms we need is to put an end to personal injury/wrongful death lawsuits by criminals injured or killed by police while committing felonies and/or fleeing from felony crime scenes.
AZCoyote on December 1, 2009 at 10:10 AM
It suits him. I’m just glad he won’t be taking up more tax dollars and time in courts and jail.
4shoes on December 1, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Rot in hell, scum. The same for those who abetted him after the fact. Throw the book at them.
Western_Civ on December 1, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Why anyone wants to become a policeman these days is beyond me. It doesn’t pay enough to justify the danger and the endless hassle. Anyway, the world is a better place without this Clemmons.
jeanie on December 1, 2009 at 10:21 AM
The officer is damn lucky this happened in Washington. If it had happened in say, Iraq or Afghanistan, his ass would be arrested for using excessive force. Hell, he didn’t even read the guy his Miranda Rights over a blow horn.
PappaMac on December 1, 2009 at 10:22 AM
What a shame! Now that Clemmons is dead. Huckabee can’t work tirelessly to put this maniac back on the streets.
dnlchisholm on December 1, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Any poster at DU, Daily Kos, or Huffington Post….just to name a few.
PappaMac on December 1, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Good. Screw the justice system when governors like Huckabee can free criminals like this with the stroke of a pen, or presidents like Obama can give them a show trial in NYC. Catch a terrorist; shoot him in the head and save yourself the pain of explaining a fat lip or possibly watching him stroll out of a courthouse “guilty as sin and free as a bird.” Same for baby-raping cop killers. Shoot to kill. Period.
alliebobbitt on December 1, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Best news I’ve heard in days…
D2Boston on December 1, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Rot
In
Purgatory
Ozprey on December 1, 2009 at 10:36 AM
And they say there is never any good news…
Vashta.Nerada on December 1, 2009 at 10:43 AM
I’m a gambler, by nature. But I have to tell you, that is one bet I wouldn’t touch, no matter what odds you might offer me. Never, ever underestimate the stupidity of a liberal defense attorney or liberal/biased jury.
Yoop on December 1, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Lawsuits against the police filed in 3, 2, . . .
Mangy Scot on December 1, 2009 at 10:49 AM
The way the perp’s family apparently was working to help the perp get away with it you’d think Clemmons was related to William Jefferson.
viking01 on December 1, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Is that a Johnnie Cochran quote?
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Johnnie knew. He made his living on that factoid.
Yoop on December 1, 2009 at 10:56 AM
Good job, Seattle PD.
Sounds like 5-6 friends/ family will end
up in jail for aiding and abetting.
LASue on December 1, 2009 at 10:57 AM
To me, the inspiring part of the story here was about the officer who took this murderer down.
Here was a murderer–an assassin–who had shot and killed 4 armed officers, had had considerable help from a group of people, and was clearly able to kill again. Every other time Clemmons was thought to have been cornered, virtually every police officer in the immediate area along with SWAT was available to take this monster down.
And, at the end of the day, it was one officer–alone–who ended up facing Clemmons and shooting him. That office might have even been facing more than one person, since Clemmon’s accomplices might have been nearby. Yet this officer, all by himself, went after this animal and took him down.
He did SPD proud. Seattle is very fortunate to be protected by the likes of him.
iconoclast on December 1, 2009 at 10:59 AM
This is really good news. Saves the cost of a trial and he’ll never ‘walk’ again.
docdave on December 1, 2009 at 11:00 AM
This cop should never have to buy a drink again… Congrats on a job well done.
espnjunkie on December 1, 2009 at 11:04 AM
What makes you say that? With Acorn he’ll be a registered Democrat for years and years.
PackerBronco on December 1, 2009 at 11:08 AM
I am sure ACORN will be casting votes under Clemmons name in Arkansas and Washington for several years.
If a white cop shot him, Revs jackson and sharpton will start their spewing.
seven on December 1, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Where is Bill O’Reilley. The Clemmons rampage against white cops was fueled by
1 The revs sharpton and jackson
2 Hate speech by the Harvard Professor
3 Janet napolitano
4 Pastor wright
Are we going to accuse them of triggering this hate?
They accfused Bill O’r of angering the DR Tiller the killer assasin.
seven on December 1, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Hmm… I’d bet the officers deliberately killed him.
Good for them.
Our justice system must stand for justice. The continual failure to properly punish and restrain violent criminals is unjust. The killing of a murderer is just.
Prat all you want about the law, the purpose of law is to serve justice. When the law repeatedly results in unjust results, then that law fails to hold any further moral authority and should be resisted.
But what can I say. I’m a Western man (from Seattle) and I don’t have much of a problem with vigilante justice- as long as it’s just. And this ending was just.
Sackett on December 1, 2009 at 11:19 AM
I’ll bet there were 4 guides to help him find is way to hell.
faol on December 1, 2009 at 11:22 AM
I can hear Clemmons sizzling in the flames of hell.
chicagojedi on December 1, 2009 at 11:22 AM
It’s a good thing the cops shot and killed the guy instead of giving him a bloody lip.
Then the cops would be in REAL trouble…
catmman on December 1, 2009 at 11:25 AM
LOL. Sharpton didn’t say this YET but he’s thinking it.
TwilightStruggler on December 1, 2009 at 11:30 AM
This is the best outcome. Washington has the death penalty, but doesn’t use it much, and obviously has lenient judges that let this turd out on the streets when he should have been locked up for 100 years or more. This thing would have dragged on indefinitely.
The families can now have closure and world is clearly a better place with out Mr Clemmons in it. Good work SPD!
swede7 on December 1, 2009 at 11:32 AM
I only wish we could trade his life for those four heroes we lost. May he burn in hell for eternity and a day.
ihasurnominashun on December 1, 2009 at 11:33 AM
The families of the murdered officers, or rather their attorneys, need to keep a meticulous list of who sues whom concerning the shooting death of Clemmons. Once all those suits are filed, a case needs to be prepared against each plaintiff.
.
The families then need to file suits against all plaintiffs before any statute of limitations expire. Their goal should be to collect every penny that the plaintiffs collect from their suits, plus more to cover legal costs. THere’s no reason any of the plaintiffs on behalf of Clemmons’ estate should profit from this affair.
.
Make sure to sue the lawyers too. The lawyers evidently felt that their clients had satisfactory legal standing to sue, and, by precedent established by the lawyers themselves, those with deep pockets (lawyers have deep pockets) must pay also.
Arbalest on December 1, 2009 at 11:33 AM
One less POS
Hummer53 on December 1, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Good, now we don’t have to spend any more tax dollars on that worthless waste of oxygen to get him through our ramshackle court system.
Dark-Star on December 1, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Shucks, I was hoping for a long drawn-out trial (at the taxpayers of Washingington’s expense, of course), mistrial by kooky Seattle jury, followed by retrial, conviction, exhaustive appeals by his ACLU lawyer, then martyr status for this sub-human similar to Mumia!
omnipotent on December 1, 2009 at 11:38 AM
That’s the only kind of clemency people like this deserve. He won’t ever be a threat to society going forward. That is why I support the Death Penalty, its a rather permanent deterrent to the worst kind of criminals becoming repeat offenders.
Neo on December 1, 2009 at 11:51 AM
I hope this cop had no real reason to shoot the savage but shot him anyway.
Sharke on December 1, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Protest marches/candlelit vigils in the ghetto in 5..4..3..2…
Sharke on December 1, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Unfortunately you’re right, Ed. Like the upper echelon of military (Gen. Casey, et al.), law enforcement agencies are growing more and more political. Trust me, when you’re a cop you’re considered guilty until you prove yourself innocent if some citizen complains you looked at them the wrong way. It’s insanity. And the second-guessing has gotten more than a few cops killed.
I hope this evil bastard burns in hell. I pray for the officer involved because there are months and months of hell to pay to clear himself. I pray for the entire Lakeland PD.
MsUnderestimated on December 1, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Outstanding observation!
MsUnderestimated on December 1, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Oh, and I forgot something; I want his family and any other filthy, stinking pukebag who helped this sonofabitch elude capture. I think they should be charged with Felony Murder. I’ll have to look into the Washington Statutes to find out if it’s possible. Unfortunately it will probably be only Material Witness, Tampering with Evidence, and Aiding/Abetting a Fugitive charges.
I say Felony Murder would be more just, though.
MsUnderestimated on December 1, 2009 at 12:26 PM
So when he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison the first time that turns out to have been the right sentence. He told Huckabee a Minister what he wanted to hear: I found Jesus.
Dr Evil on December 1, 2009 at 12:27 PM
While I am glad to hear we no longer have to worry about this animal being on the street anymore, I am still absolutely furious at Huckaschmuck for allowing him back on the street to begin with!
How many more Maurice Clemmons did Huckaschmuck put out there on the street because of his idiotic action of pardoning them? How many more human time bombs are out there waiting to go off because Mike Huckaschmuck thought releasing them would make himself look good in the polls?
And where the hell is the expressed outrage on the part of the Republican Party against Huckaschmuck for what he did here?
None of this, NONE OF IT, would have happened if Huckashmuck had kept this animal Clemmons where he belonged, and four police officers would not have ended up dead in the process.
pilamaye on December 1, 2009 at 12:35 PM
Hmmmm.
Well. At least now Huckabee can’t pardon him yet again.
memomachine on December 1, 2009 at 12:36 PM
What really horrifies me about this story other than the tragic murder of the peace officers, is the massive amount of assistance this dirt bag got from friends and family in harboring and hiding him from police the last couple days. I hope they throw the book at those a*holes!
Wyznowski on December 1, 2009 at 12:53 PM
That’s exactly what they can charge the getaway driver with: Felony Murder. Felony Murder (if avail in WA) says that if someone is murdered during the commission of a crime, everyone involved IN that crime is charged with Felony Murder. That even applies to the criminals themselves.
Say Dirtbag #1 & Dirtbag #2 go into a 7-11 to rob the clerk. Clerk pulls out a pistol to defend himself, shoots & kills one of the perps. Whichever Dirtbag is still alive gets Felony Murder.
MsUnderestimated on December 1, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Correction:
…during the commission of a
crimefelonyMsUnderestimated on December 1, 2009 at 12:56 PM
Trepidation is setting in – that the Afghan speech will have to be shortened so that “The One” can opine on how the Seattle officer “acted stupidly” in killing a wounded black man.
Oopsdaisy on December 1, 2009 at 1:04 PM
Only when lawyers and other ignorant ‘do-gooders’ get involved.
Good riddance and enjoy Hell, clemmons. Hot enough for ya’?
Ha Ha!
HornetSting on December 1, 2009 at 1:24 PM
Fenstermaker?
lonesomecharlie on December 1, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Please. What did you expect them to say? We’re glad the b*stard’s dead?
He had a weapon and he wouldn’t comply with orders. It was a good shooting.
The only outcome the police wanted was one where no more officers were hurt or killed. They got it. Bravo to the officer who took him down.
Blake on December 1, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Throw? No, beat them with the damn book. I hope this charge carries a prison sentence.
Blake on December 1, 2009 at 1:42 PM
He was given his Miranda Rights. It was engraved on the jacket of the bullet that took him out.
Yoop on December 1, 2009 at 1:46 PM
If there was a getaway driver at the coffee house, then yeah, they should be charged with capital murder x4. If he knew the guy had a gun and wanted to go somewhere where there are police officers, the driver was put on notice that he was going to shoot them. Felony murder, conspiracy, aiding and abetting – any theory would work. And they should seek the DP.
Blake on December 1, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Ed, I’m sure the cops are secretly quite pleased with the outcome, regardless of their public and official statements.
And they should be please with the resolution, but not the causes. I hope they round up and incarcerate every last person who helped him.
dogsoldier on December 1, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Wipe with your ass with the Constitution much?
The Race Card on December 1, 2009 at 2:08 PM
I bet Clemmons was a liberal.
jaime on December 1, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Don’t worry, Tim. I’m not sure Card wipes his ass at all…
HornetSting on December 1, 2009 at 2:16 PM
The “Ogabe” saga continues.
Sick and twisted f*ck — Hell has a new resident. The only thing that would have made his death better is if his killing was captured for broadcast.
The Race Card on December 1, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Any other men you devote such intimate thoughts to Sweetheart? Or am I special?
The Race Card on December 1, 2009 at 2:22 PM
You brought it up, sugar buns!
But, I spoke too soon~I LOVE your idea of broadcasting this scumbag’s demise! Good show!
HornetSting on December 1, 2009 at 2:31 PM
I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a guy who shot four cops he had nothing against in cold blood. Did anyone seriously think they were going to take this guy alive? I never thought that was likely at all.
Good riddance to him. And yeah, there will be some whining, but there will be little sympathy, even around here.
capitalist piglet on December 1, 2009 at 2:34 PM
This doesn’t sound like one guy suffering from mental problems. He appears to be a part of a group of like minding individuals:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010396156_webshootinghelp01m.html
I’m sure Huckabee will put in a good word for those folks also.
pedestrian on December 1, 2009 at 2:51 PM
I prefer Honey Buns. Thanks.
I actually wonder whether broadcasting this dungheap and others being put to death by cop or by the state would actually deter people. Don’t get me wrong, I all for a little vengeance for its own sake. I’d probably invite people over to watch like a PPV UFC fight.
I’m just curious. Today’s loser seems to have a special need for public attention. I wonder if the potential for publicity, public-death, is attractive to such animals.
The Race Card on December 1, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Deterrence is overrated. Vengeance is undersold.
The Race Card on December 1, 2009 at 3:08 PM
F___ him. Bullet’s a lot cheaper than trial, prison and execution.
Big John on December 1, 2009 at 3:30 PM
You talking about Clemmons, or the current administration? All a bunch of sick criminals, if you ask me.
gryphon202 on December 1, 2009 at 3:50 PM
The late William Kuntsler? Ron Kuby? Ramsey Clark? Oh they’re out there. Make no mistake. You can find a nutjob to fill any role, on either side of the aisle to be honest.
gryphon202 on December 1, 2009 at 3:54 PM
When are we going to blame ‘whitey’…?
Seven Percent Solution on December 1, 2009 at 4:20 PM
Huckster’s probably breathing a sign of relief. A Clemmons trial dragging on through the run-up to the 2012 campaign would have been like a millstone around ol’ Huck’s neck.
Now he can hope (oh, please, let his hopes prove in vain!) that the story begins to ‘go away’ by then.
If I were the next of kin of the many victims of Huck-released killers, I’d form a group called Huckabee Victims for Justice, and swear on my dearly-departed’s grave to dedicate my life to the sole purpose of ramming a veritable FLEET of swift-boats up his clemency-granting posterior if he runs for Prez in 2012.
clark smith on December 1, 2009 at 4:33 PM
Who’s Whitey? And doesn’t he deserve a capital first-letter capital?
I’ve heard more white Americans use the term “whitey” online in the past year than I’ve heard blacks use it in my entire life multiplied several times over. (Blaxploitation film-festivals included)
Has anybody ever referred to you directly as “whitey?” What was your response to them? Satiate my curiousity, please.
The Race Card on December 1, 2009 at 4:40 PM
He held his tongue out of fear. He was unwilling to speak up in real-life, in real-time. That probably explains the online tough-guy routine.
The Race Card on December 1, 2009 at 4:43 PM
SIGH!!! Must be racial profiling again, I watch a lot of news(Fox of course) seems like almost everytime they are looking for a criminal 9 out of 10 they are black, is this racial profiling or the facts of life??
I for one am happy that this cretin is gone.
concernedsenior on December 1, 2009 at 6:20 PM
Seems like “Open Season” on caucasions.
These murders, Fort Hood, Oakland Police shootings from March
of this year. The death penalty doesn’t seem to be a good deterrent.
When killing people carries some sort of twisted honor among the
scum that do it, nobody is safe.
elderberry on December 1, 2009 at 6:24 PM
Seattle police-taking care of a big Huckin problem.
boomer on December 1, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Is that a Johnnie Cochran quote?
Laura in Maryland on December 1, 2009 at 10:53 AM
I don’t know but I still got a squirt of piss for his grave as well !
cableguy615 on December 1, 2009 at 10:00 PM
True, but as a consolation the officer plugged four holes into him (at least four shots were heard fired)
And I rather think the officer will have cake walk in the investigation. The cop killer wouldn’t put his hands up when asked by the office. The cop killer then started circling the squad car and then reached into his waistband for what turned out to be a gun. The cop killer was actually coming up behind the officer while the officer sat in the car getting info on the stolen car.
Fed45 on December 2, 2009 at 1:14 AM
Amen to that…
DJcool on December 2, 2009 at 9:11 AM
I think the police in Washington are satisfied with the outcome of the manhunt. At the end of the day this fiend is dead, and there will be no long drawn out process of a trial with the associated justifications of the defendants behavior and crimes.
thmsmgnm on December 2, 2009 at 11:13 AM
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