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StumbleHundreds mourn slain Metro officer, denounce violence
Co-worker remembers Trevor Nettleton as ‘idealistic’ officer
Devin Cossey, 9, nephew of Metro Officer Trevor Nettleton, takes part in a vigil for the officer in front of the Metro Police Bolden Area Command Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. Metro corrections Officer Daniel Leach, killed in an accident this weekend, was also honored during the vigil. Members of the Safe Valley United, Safe Village, Homeless Alliance and other faith-based groups organized the vigil.
Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 | 7:15 p.m.
Sun Archives
- Report details events leading to officer’s fatal shooting (11-23-2009)
- 3 arrested in shooting of Metro officer appear in court (11-23-2009)
- Police arrest 2 more in fatal shooting of Metro officer (11-22-2009)
- Police: 3 arrested in officer’s death have gang ties (11-20-2009)
- Three arrested in fatal shooting of Metro officer (11-19-2009)
Trevor Nettleton
Faces aglow in candlelight, hundreds of friends, family members, coworkers and community members gathered for a vigil Monday for slain Metro Police Officer Trevor Nettleton, who was gunned down last week at his North Las Vegas home.
“We’ve got great community support for what we do,” Sheriff Doug Gillespie said. “In times like this, it’s good for our organization to see this kind of outpouring.”
The event took place in front of the Metro Police Department’s Bolden Area Command, near Lake Mead and Martin Luther King boulevards, where Nettleton worked. It was organized by Pastor Troy Martinez of the East Vegas Christian Center, Safe Valley United, Safe Village, Homeless Alliance and several faith-based groups.
The inspiration for the vigil was Nettleton’s death -- as well as the death of Metro corrections officer Daniel Leach, who was killed Saturday in a crash near Searchlight -- but it also became an anti-violence protest.
“We’re not going to put up with this anymore,” one pastor said. “We are citizens of this city saying something’s gotta change.”
Those in attendance were led in prayer as they bowed their heads toward the white candles in their hands. An acoustic guitarist and singer performed.
Nettleton was in his garage in the 1100 block of Emerald Stone Avenue in North Las Vegas when he was confronted early Thursday, police said. Nettleton wasn't in uniform.
Police said there was an exchange of gunfire in which one of the suspects was wounded. Nettleton’s family was home at the time of the shooting, police said.
Saul Williams Jr. 20, Prentice Marshall, 18, Quadre Scott, 18, Adrian Pena, 17, and Emmitt Ferguson, 18, have been arrested in the case.
Metro Capt. Patrick Neville of the Bolden Area Command, where Nettleton was stationed, described the officer as “idealistic” -- a police officer who wanted to make the world a better place.
“He was very hard working,” Neville said. “He was the go-to guy. He was well respected by the guys at the station.”
Nettleton is survived by his wife, a 2-year-old son and 2-month-old daughter.
Funeral services for Nettleton will be at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church, 1811 Pueblo Vista Drive, at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Burial at Palm Mortuary and Cemetery Northwest will follow.
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What are you going to change Father?? Are you going to change the fact that young people don't have jobs and are out late insted of in bed waiteing to go to work in the morning? Are you going to change the fact that young kids need two parents to bring them up and when were in a society where we need to parents to work to have a decient life? Who's watching the kids to make sure there growing up supervised, making shure their the have morals and a set of ethics, their homeworks done and their in the house at a decent time insted of running the neighborhood. This crime was dont at 11pm right? The kids are 18 to 20 yrs. old right? My God their kids whoe's watching them! You can't turn back the hands of time when mom stayed at home, dad made enough money so the kids had a parent at home to supervise then more! Your not going to change anything!! This life is like a football game where every individual has the ball dogging every tackle. You look back over your shoulder and see good people dropping everywhere, but you keep on running. Trevor fell, the kids fell and Society is falling! Who's there to pick us all up and make sure we get to the goal? My brother was killed by a hit and run driver, 2 20 yr. olds out drinking and driveing, haveing a good ol time. When cought he got 18 months. My sister-in-law lost a husband, my niece lost her father, I lost my brother and our lives changed forever anf the kids in the end walked free!! All I can say is this is life! We do our best, love and bring up our families best we can and hope we make it to the goal! God Bless you TREVOR and your Family, but in the end words are just words their meaningless we want our loveones back!
tungchow,
When are parents going to take responsibility for their choices? There are a lot of single parents that raise children who take responsibility for their choices/actions! While this is a problem in our society, the solution starts in the home.
Instead of living a good and productive life those 5 losers will now spend the rest of there lives in prison. SO BE IT!
So when is the community finally going to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ! and put our foot down on this problem. There is only one solution to this. We had this problem in Texas and we were able to put the brakes on these type of crimes and that is to GET ORGANIZED !!
1. Get involved by getting to know your neighbors
2. Get on the Sheriffs ass and make him do his job !!
3. Get on your lawmakers ass, make them do theirs
4. More community based policing, more neighborhood patrols, storefront police stations
5. Why can't the police work extra jobs as security in our neighborhoods, make OT pay ?
6. Organize each neighborhood, have a liaison between the police and the neighborhood
7. Toughen UP OUR LAWS !!!
8. BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY !
9. BRING THIS UP ON ELECTION DAY !!!
10. ELECT A GOVERNOR THAT WILL DO THEIR JOB !!
These are just some of things that need to be done, until the neighborhoods get organized and stop these type of crimes it WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. Having a loaded gun in your home is just one idea but that is treating a symptom to a MUCH MUCH BIGGER Problem, not to mention the fact that if you have young kids in your home. (We ll remember the kid who took daddy's gun to the school bus stop).
PLEASE ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE
IT DOESN'T MATTER, BLACK WHITE, BROWN, RED, YELLOW, ORANGE, RICH, POOR, MEDIOCRE, HOMELESS
WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER !! AND ALL POTENTIAL VICTIMS!!
BAN HANDGUNS, - SIMPLE.
Handguns have only one purpose, so stop selling them.
Nothing good ever came out of owning a handgun.
LORDGLENMORE wrote:
"Nothing good ever came out of owning a handgun."
Well I, for one, certainly encourage you not to own one. That's the same kind kind of clear thinking that put Obama in the White House.
LordGlenmore . . .Are you advocating banning firearms or just not selling them? Do you limit your ban to handguns or all firearms, handguns and long guns? Mind you, for the most part the minimum age to purchase a long gun is 18 while the minimum age to purchase a handgun is 21. However, most criminals are not legally purchasing guns. Note that those charged with this crime are all under 21 and therefore could not legally purchase a handgun. What would it accomplish to stop selling guns? If guns were outlawed, would our police force still carry weapons? If so, what type? What about our military? Would they be permitted to carry weapons (firearms)?
Remember the old adage "if guns were outlawed, only outlaws would have guns". And, I must say that I would be an outlaw. I have a constitutional right to bear arms and I exercise that constitutional right. You should know that the majority of gun owners are responsible gun owners and it is the irresponsible few that give law-abiding gun owners a bad name.
LordGlenmore
Gangbangers don't carry handguns; 99% of the gangbangers have better weapons than the police. And no, the gangbangers don't go walk into a gun store and purchase a gun legally. They are bought off the street, in any city. I'm sure these losers who shot this Officer are not registered gun owners!!! So banning "handguns" is a waste of time.
Well I, for one, certainly encourage you not to own one. That's the same kind kind of clear thinking that put Obama in the White House.
LOLOLOL Wake up, labdaddy. I know plenty of people who voted for Obama, myself incuded, who own. No president is taking away our right to defend and protect ourselves or our families and property, and we don't care WHO the president is.
by Labdaddy . . Well I, for one, certainly encourage you not to own one. That's the same kind kind of clear thinking that put Obama in the White House. (and quoted by Det Munch)
See, I took that a whole other way . . that labdaddy was suggesting that his lordship not own a firearm because those who don't advocate gun rights generally don't make good, responsible gun owners. And that such "clear thinking" is actually tongue-in-cheek, i.e. unclear thinking.
Now I'm confused!!
Ban handguns? Are you crazy? It is my (our) right to defend my home, my life, my children. Law abiding citizens do not walk into someones garage and shoot them, do not rob people in the street at gunpoint and hope really that they never "NEED" to use their guns!!!
And criminals are not going to politely turn their guns in just because there is a gun ban!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Lord... you are an IDIOT!!
If you BAN handguns, then only the CRIMINALS will have them. They CRIMINALS will know the law abiding citizen's are not armed, thus crime rates skyrocketing. Chicago banned guns... look what happened. Crime escalated. Australia banned guns... crime escalated there as well.
Anyone who says "BAN HANDGUNS" just doesn't get it. Banning something will not stop the problem. Are you going to ban knives when a lot of people get stabbed, too?? How about cars? We better ban those because there are too many car accidents....
In brief, I returned to my apartment with my girlfriend after an evening out...after getting somewhat settled in the living room we discovered that we had interrupted two men in the process of burglarizing my possessions... They pointed a gun at us, took us to a back bedroom demanding more than they had already found. Phone lines were ripped out, front door blocked (only exit) and through the course of 20-30 minutes beat me and began a sexual assault on my lady friend.
These boys were high on drugs and the fear their 'power' was generating. The situation was deteriorating rapidly.
I ended the confrontation by recovering my stored/hidden handgun and using it.
Though our lives were saved, I'm forever a changed person. I was with that woman a few years, but after that we soon ended our relationship.
There were lawyers...counseling...problems at work and the neighborhood...the list is endless.
I sleep at night, given the same situation I'd react the same way.
You can speculate forever as to how you would have handled things, or comfort yourself with thoughts that because of who/what/where you are, something of that nature will never happen...
I now understand that it can and it does, and if you find yourself at the point of "last option" ask yourself the question; Will you fight, or Will you die?
: {
mcdammit,
Yes, I was being facetious and sarcastic. Lordglenbore is an idiot...as is Obama. by the way.
btw...I have a CCW, carry always, and would even protect lordglenmore if he needed it.
Thanks Labdaddy, I thought I had accurately read the facetiousness within your comment. (And, not to begin an argument with Det Munch, but POTUS is on record as being in favor of limiting gun rights, so while he himself may not be able to limit gun rights, he certainly can work with others who are in favor of doing so.) As far as protecting his lordship, don't those who can fend for themselves usually try to protect those who can't?
lmao!
i love how liberals "denounce" violence, then turn around give light sentences to criminals, allowing them to walk the streets and do more violence.
We need gang education.
We need to collar the gangs that are out there. But we need to build a defense against gangs. We need to start educating our children in schools and in churches about gang awareness.
We need to come together as a community, as a state and as a nation to reduce gang growth.
We need to incorporate teachers, parents, church leaders, community leaders and police.
We need to teach our children early the dangers a life in the gang can bring, and the deaths that are certain to come about by being a gang member.
We need to stop fighting and blaming each other and start working together on this serious social problem which is eroding the youths of America.
We need to realize it is not always the teachers or parents to be blamed, but the peer pressure children are forced to live among and the peer pressure which influences children to join up with gangs.
We need to start this education process early in the lives of our students, America's future.
The sooner we get going and expand this effort, the better.
by stevern . . . i love how liberals "denounce" violence, then turn around give light sentences to criminals, allowing them to walk the streets and do more violence.
Which is why I proudly stated out loud to anyone who was within ear shot at 1805 (EST) on 10 NOV 09 that the world had one less mass murderer. . . that was the date and time that my home state executed the DC Sniper.
Hey LORDGLENMORE: Grow up and stop being so naive in life thats know way for an adult to act.