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Metro Police Detective Peter Calos holds a .45 caliber handgun owned by Erik Scott during a coroner’s inquest for Erik Scott at the Regional Justice Center Monday, September 27, 2010.
By Kyle B. Hansen (contact) 
, Cara McCoy
Monday, Sept. 27, 2010 | 11:30 p.m.
Sun Coverage
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- Unidentified caller from within Costco talking to dispatchers
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- Shai Lierley on the phone with dispatchers
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- Metro Police radio traffic during the July 10 officer-involved shooting that left Erik Scott dead
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Peter Calos, the Metro homicide detective who oversaw the investigation into Erik Scott’s July shooting death outside a Summerlin Costco, testified Monday that Scott had a high number of prescriptions for pain medications from different doctors, one of whom never treated Scott as a patient.
Calos said the doctor, whom he identified as “Dr. Pierce,” told investigators after Scott’s death that “he did not know Erik Scott and had not treated him professionally.”
During the investigation, Calos learned that Scott’s girlfriend, Samantha Sterner, used to work for Pierce but was no longer employed there.
A state database of prescription drugs, cross-checked with Scott’s medical records, yielded evidence that Scott had been prescribed “an inordinate amount of pain medications,” Calos said.
In addition, Scott’s and Sterner’s prescription histories seemed to match.
“What I noticed was some tremendous similarities” in the medications prescribed to both Scott and Sterner, Calos said on the stand.
Testimony at different points throughout the inquest indicated Scott took prescription narcotics to treat pain from injuries that flared up after a car accident, but Calos said no injuries were reported in crashes that involved Scott.
In 2010, Scott was involved in three traffic accidents: One in January, one in April and one within days of the July 10 shooting.
According to a police report, in his most recent traffic accident, Scott told investigators he didn’t see the car he struck because he was adjusting a medical device in his car. Scott, a West Point and Duke University graduate, was a medical device salesman.
Calos also testified about the weapons found after Scott was shot to death. He showed the jury a Ruger .380 semi-automatic handgun and a .45-caliber Kimber single action pistol.
The Kimber was found in its holster not far from where Scott’s body landed after he was shot. The Ruger was found in Scott’s clothing as he was being taken to the hospital.
Jurors also were shown copies of Scott’s concealed carry permit for the weapons, as well as copies of gun registrations, which Scott carried in his wallet.
It wasn’t clear if Scott was licensed to carry one of the guns because the manufacturer’s name was different than what he was carrying, although the two guns were similar, Calos said. Scott’s concealed carry permit indicated he was authorized to carry a number of weapons; however, what was on the permit for the .380 was a Kel Tec, not a Ruger.
Under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Chris Owens, Calos said it was a crime to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
He also said it was a felony to be in possession of a firearm while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Outside of eyewitness accounts of the shooting, much of the testimony has centered on Scott’s use of prescription painkillers.
Bullet fragments and casings were found at the scene, Calos said. The casings show that Officer William Mosher fired twice, Officer Thomas Mendiola fired four times and Officer Joshua Stark fired once.
Neither of Scott’s weapons had been fired, Calos said.
One witness Monday – the fifth day of proceedings in the coroner’s inquest – said the second and third officers who shot at Scott used “gratuitous violence.”
Costco shopper Howard Brooks, a public defender, testifies during a coroner's inquest for Erik Scott at the Regional Justice Center Monday, September 27, 2010. Brooks is demonstrating how a Metro Police officer shot Scott.
Howard Brooks, a criminal defense attorney, said he had finished shopping when he noticed three police officers as he left the store. The first officer had his gun out.
“He seemed very nervous and aggressive,” Brooks said.
He then noticed two more officers with their guns out.
Brooks said he took his purchases to his car, then returned to the front of the store to see what was happening.
He saw a large crowd of people leaving the store and was told by another customer they were evacuating because of a man with a gun inside.
He said Scott walked out, then he heard the first officer yell “drop it” and instantly fire his gun.
“It is absolutely immediate,” Brooks said.
He said he heard part of the 911 tape of the shooting played on the news and he knows his story doesn’t match. It is possible he didn’t hear everything since he was 25 feet away, he said.
“Obviously I didn’t hear everything, but what I heard was the officer say ‘drop it’ and bam, bam, bam,” he said.
Brooks also insisted Scott was shot in the back, despite every other witness saying he was shot in the chest.
“All I see is the officer shooting him three times. And it looks to me like he’s shooting him in the back,” he said, adding that Scott was already falling on his face when the other two officers fired.
“I couldn’t see any reason in the world why these shots were being fired,” he said.
Brooks also said he looked for a gun but never saw one.
“I don’t see a gun anywhere around him, but I see bullet holes in the back,” he said. He said if the officers would have followed Scott to his car and “had a conversation with him … none of this would have happened.”
"I never saw Erik Scott do anything out of the ordinary at all, except get shot," Brooks said after a question from an interested party, which includes Scott’s family and the family’s attorney.
Owens pointed out that Brooks said in his statement to police that he was watching the officer, not Scott.
However, Brooks said he wasn't happy with the way the police officer took his statement. Brooks gave his statement, but the recorder didn't work, so he had to give it again and he didn't give as thorough a statement the second time, Brooks said.
Owens said it sounded like Brooks had a bias against police. Brooks insisted he didn't, but he said he thinks officers do a bad job taking witness statements.
Owens pointed out that Brooks found the officer in a different position than every other witness. He also had other inconsistencies between his testimony today and his statement to police, Owens said.
Costco employee Clayton Phillips testifies during a coroner's inquest for Erik Scott at the Regional Justice Center Monday, September 27, 2010.
Employee Clayton Phillips had a different take on what happened.
He had finished his shift at Costco and stayed to do some shopping with his wife when they were told to evacuate.
He saw Scott in the store, and then again outside. Phillips testified that an officer ordered Scott to “get down” and to “drop your weapon,” but when Scott reached for his gun, Phillips said he knew it wasn’t going to end well.
“Here we go, we’re going to have a shootout,” Phillips said he thought to himself.
An interested party asked if Phillips felt threatened by Metro since he was standing behind Scott and potentially in the officer’s line of fire.
“My concern was not with Metro, my concern was with Erik Scott,” he said, explaining that he couldn’t see the officer, but he saw Scott pull a gun. “I knew there was a threat and I felt Erik was the threat,” he added.
Ralph Smithwick, another Costco employee, also testified that Scott looked threatening. Officers had to shoot, Smithwick said.
Ronald Montgomery, a law enforcement official with Homeland Security, demonstrates how Erik Scott brought up his holstered gun on a Metro Police officer as he testifies during a coroner's inquest for Erik Scott at the Regional Justice Center Monday, September 27, 2010.
Ronald Montgomery, a Costco customer, also said officers had no choice but to shoot.
Montgomery works in law enforcement for the Department of Homeland Security. He said he saw Scott holding the handle of a gun, raising it from his waist to shoulder level in front of him, pointed at the officer.
“He wasn’t complying with the commands,” Montgomery said.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Laurent asked Montgomery how he expected the officer to react.
“The only way they could, in my opinion,” Montgomery said. Since Scott failed to obey commands and brought his weapon up, they had to shot him, he said.
But another customer, David Seidlitz, disagreed.
“He just was walking toward the parking lot like he was leaving like everyone else,” he said.
Bettie Lou Travis, who works at Costco giving food samples, testifies during a coroner's inquest for Erik Scott at the Regional Justice Center Monday, September 27, 2010.
Bettie Lou Travis, who works at Costco distributing food samples, said she was afraid as soon as she saw the gun.
“He was holding the gun in a shooting position,” she said, adding that she ducked away as soon as she saw it. “I didn’t wait to see him drop it or whatever he was going to do.”
Michael Dye, who was shopping with his wife, Christine, who also testified, said he didn’t understand why Scott didn’t comply with officer’s orders.
In response to a question from an interested party, Dye said, "it seemed surreal what was happening. I couldn't imagine someone wouldn't comply (with the officer's commands) ... especially finding out later that he was a concealed weapons (permit) holder."
William Carlston, who was shopping at the store with his wife, said Scott looked agitated and was glancing around before he was shot. Shopper Lee Mendell said she was surprised with what happened.
Also Monday, the district attorney’s office played recorded statements from witnesses David Warner and Sherri Dorsey.
Clark County firefighter Chris Thorpe testifies during a coroner's inquest for Erik Scott at the Regional Justice Center Monday, September 27, 2010. Scott was shot and killed by Metro Police Officers at the Summerlin Costco store on July 10.
Firefighter Chris Thorpe explained emergency responders’ actions to try to save Scott.
Scott wasn’t breathing and had no heart rate when firefighters arrived, Thorpe said, but they loaded Scott onto a gurney and into an ambulance, then headed for a hospital.
Paramedics gave Scott oxygen, performed CPR and gave him medication to try to restart his heart, but they weren’t able to revive him, Thorpe said.
After the day’s testimony ended, Scott family attorney Ross Goodman told reporters no one has testified they felt threatened by Scott’s actions.
“Nobody said that he was acting in a threatening manner when he was leaving Costco; when he was outside Costco nobody testified that he was acting erratically,” Goodman said. “Instead, people testified that Erik was like a deer in the headlights, he was caught, he was frozen in time, he had three to four seconds to react and in that time he attempted to hand the holster over to the police officers when they decided to shoot.”
The inquest proceedings will resume at 10 a.m. Tuesday, the sixth day of the inquest at the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas.
Sun archives
- Witnesses give conflicting accounts of Costco police shooting (9-25-10)
- Day 4 blog: Witnesses recall fatal police shooting at Costco (9-25-10)
- Shoppers recount police shooting outside Costco (9-24-2010)
- Day 3 blog: Witnesses back officers’ decision to shoot Erik Scott (9-24-2010)
- Officer in Costco shooting says man raised gun, didn't know it was in holster (9-23-2010)
- Day 2 blog: Officer in Costco shooting: ‘He was a deadly threat with that weapon’ (9-23-2010)
- Inquest testimony focuses on Erik Scott’s use of prescription drugs (9-22-10)
- Day 1 blog: Witness says Erik Scott appeared 'dazed,' aimed gun at officer (9-22-10)
CORRECTION: This story originally had the wrong name of a gun. Caltech was corrected to Kel Tec. Also, this story originally said Officer Mosher fired three times, but it was corrected to twice. | (September 28, 2010)
Based on the testimony it appears as if Scott wasn't thinking rationally and the cops were justified. Rule #1, don't grab anything with your hands while cops have guns pointed at you....doesn't matter what it is...get on the ground and explain your story later. Don't they go over that at CCW class?
You'd think a West Point grad would know better.
I loved how in this case (and the ice cream lady one), everyone started blaming the police for the shooting. The fact is metro or the Henderson police do not give out info until the inquest. In the mean time everyone starts speculating as to what happened.
This is a clear cut case of a guy pulling a gun on officers. All of you Scot sympathizers can go back in your hole, you bought into the propaganda the family was trying to feed to the media.
Side note to everyone saying they gave conflicting commands all of the eyewitnesses said the police told Erik Scott to get down FIRST and then once he went for the gun he dropped it. What else should the officers have said?
*Correction on my first post I meant to say they said drop it FIRST and then once he went for the gun they told him to drop it.
rcknrllfreak,
What did you expect the cops to do wait for him to get it out of the holster?
Here is a video of how fast someone can shoot from the holster just so you know how long it takes to go from holster to shots fired. I really hope it opens your eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqaiJV1gI...
Chunky says:
He rarely comments on other postings but the YouTube video above is an exceptional illustration of how fast a trained and determined adversary can draw, present and fire.
Mr. Scott was likely too strung out on prescription drugs to maintain that level of skill but this is where milliseconds count and milliseconds are the difference between life and death for everyone involved. Who knows, maybe he practiced drawing from concealment every day so the cops have to go in assuming he did.
Mr. Scott proclaimed he was a "Green Beret" and even if he wasn't he gave the police no other choice but to shoot or be shot. Those officers got to go home to their families that night because they made a decision long before that day that if someone crosses X line, they're going to shoot. Mr. Scott crossed that line many times but it caught up to him that day.
The family and friends of Erik Scott have turned a simple process into a media circus and in the process they've cast shame across the Scott family name. While they previously ignored his drug addiction, they've now allowed millions of people to see and read all about it.
Erik Scott and the Scott family have left a fine mess behind for all of us!
That's what Chunky thinks!
<<< THE GUN WAS STILL IN ITS HOLSTER... HOW WAS HE PLANNING ON SHOOTING THE COPS?
By rcknrllfreak , Sept. 28, 2010, 12:22 a.m. >>>
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There is a small device on a handgun called a trigger. When the operator depresses that the gun goes bang and kills someone if you're aiming directly at them like Erik Scott was aiming at the police officer. A bullet flies from the gun barrel at such a great speed that it will go right through the bottom of a holster although holsters are often open on the bottom.
Hope that helps.
So Erik Scott's girlfriend, the angelic Ms. Sterner, is now on the lam from a drug charge. That's why she didn't show up.
This is the one, if I'm not mistaken, of whom the ubiquitously imaginative SummerlinCC remarked, "I believe her", or some similar nonsense.
Didn't she also proclaim loudly and often that Erik Scott was acting completely normal inside Costco? How does someone act normal when they have enough morphine in their blood to kill four normal men?
Six days? This coroners inquest system would have done six black/hispanic men in that amount of time. It seems like they are trying to convince the public that this was a good shoot.
The bottom line....the system treats blacks and hispanics differently.
The casings show that Officer William Mosher fired three times, Officer Thomas Mendiola fired four times and Officer Joseph Stark fired once. if he was shot 7 times as if thats not enough. Where is the 8th bullit or 3rd from mosher ? no time for warning shots during a slaughter.
It was probably a "Kel Tec," not a "Caltech" ...
what drugs were the 3 policemen taking? Were they given drug and alcohol tests after the shooting?
Still with I haven't seen were the Officers where placed in Danger. Unless they moved themselves from cover of there "Vehicles". Rookie mistake.
If the person is walking away wait until he is clear of any by standers before you confront him. in Scott case he was seen walking out with no firearm in his hands. It wasn't until the officer confronted him did he try to produce it. Other wise one would have never seen it. I work in the LE many years and I can tell if a Fire Arm in Holster or not. CostCo Security need better training in Handling Cases like As well. There Panic mode Caused Most of what happened.
At what point in the inquest are the medical and prescription histories of the shooters discussed?
I believe possible medicine side-effects of both the victim and officers were a contributing factor
in this tragedy. For example, if anyone involved was taking legally prescribed Prednisone (steroid) a side effect is "Rhoid Rage," aka emotional instability and irritability.
At the end of this charade, when the obvious is finally stated, this fact will remain;
If the Costco employee & the Metro officer had not made a mountain out of a molehill, this NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
Are you old enough to remember when people actually exercised common sense???
The object of the inquest is to put the victim on trial? Why not put the cops through the same wringer?
Guess they have "Caltech" guns, suprised the college didn't sue them for using the name.
Didn't look like you could pull the trigger in that holster.
> If the Costco employee & the Metro officer had not made a mountain out of a molehill, this NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
amen --- how this thing escalated so far out of control when a tiny shred of professionalism on the part of Metro would have led to calmer outcome is beyond me. Add to it the Costco punk, Shai who seems to have exaggerated what was going on in the store and you end up with an unnecessarily snuffed out life.
don't care about the drug use as that was a separate issue that Metro would of had no way of knowing ---- unless of course they had showed some restraint and walked Scott out to the parking lot to find out what was going on before killing him.
more unbelievable is this shooting took place in the middle of 50 or 100 people and its shocking more people didn't get harm with metro's heroics.
and why are there no drug test for OIS for the participants? Un-freaking believable. I'm sure the police union made sure that would never be part of the routine.
> Here is a video of how fast someone can shoot from the holster
lol -- really? that's a special holster made for rapid draws you've shown us. that's not what Eric Scott had his gun in.
> There is a small device on a handgun called a trigger.
that was down inside a leather case. I'd give you a $100 if you could of fired that gun as it sat on the ground in less than 5 seconds while it's still holstered in that holster.
anyone take any finger prints from the holster to see if his four fingers were on the side as they would be if he was trying to hand it over? probably not.
And I'm not sure anyone heard the reading on the questions not allowed yesterday --- and how our boy Shai apparently has several outstanding warrants in another state? bet that makes him nice and compliant for Metro's use.
why didn't Metro walk Scott out to the parking lot? oh, probably the lack of professionalism, I'm thinking.
Mr. Gillespie? No way. no how. I wouldn't care if Charlie Manson was running against you --- that's who would get my vote here in a few weeks time.
A true friend will take your hard drive when you are gone. A trained Officer will try to diffuse a bad situation. An untrained Officer, almost always will make poor decisions.
So let me get this straight. Scott wasn't a threat when he left the store, he wasn't acting erratic, wasn't threatening people, he waa just walking out of the store, and Metro came up and just killed him because...this is what Goodman wants the public to believe? Could'nt have fired the pistol in the holster, He was confused about the commands, Had a lot of pain killers in his system, was never agitated, West Point Grad....How are the police supposed to know this? The Police in Las Vegas as well as across America, react to the suspects actions Scotts actions were stupid, plain and simple...sorry. All of the second guessing going on and people tearing apart the situation remember have the luxury of sitting back and taking the time. People here have critized what the police have done, but of course they only had a few seconds, waiting around to determine if the gun can be fired through the holster creates dead cops. If Scott would have complied he would be alive.
prescription meds are going to ruin the community...
saddest part is...
the nevada medical board is the most pathetic agency on the planet...
so mark my words...
there will be many many more stories coming down the pike about prescription meds and death...
mark my words...
Scott was strung out-acting like an a-----e. Guess the cops should have waited for him to kill someone before taking him down. Then all you kumbaya types would be screaming that the cops didn't do anything. Hypocrites.
He was hardcore. Not only a gun, but a BUG (backup gun) too. LOL.
> How are the police supposed to know this?
exactly ---- and they got all spun up by some 23 yo kid who knows nothing about anything let alone how to access a threat. The police didn't do anything but react to horrid information --- all without taking the time to do their job. And given Metro's record with wild firing officers there's a lot of lucky people who were standing in that entry way.
I simply don't understand why Metro didn't walk up behind Scott and walk him out to an empty place in the parking lot. They had the upper hand in manpower and resources but acted like the street punks they complain so bitterly about. Hell --- why no taser? that was an option. pepper spray was also an option. there were a lot of other ways to go but firing into a crowd of people on some kid's admittedly untrained observations.
Metro needs to lose the shoot first approach to LE.
@full_deck: Don't you ever get tired of pushing out misinformation? In case you've haven't been following, Samantha Sterner was never properly served by authorities and Ross Goodman indicated he would not put his witnesses on the stand to testify at a proceeding at which all witnesses can't be cross-examined by BOTH he and the DA. He also indicated that he had been in touch with Sterner. Why do you feel the need to lie about things that are so easily disproven?
@full_deck: And yes, I still believe the girlfriend. Her statement was taken immediately after the incident and thus far, her statement seems to match up with all the objective information we have. Sterner was actually the first person to tell Metro that Scott had taken prescription drugs. Her statement appears to be honest and we've seen nothing that contradicts her statement.
Compare that to what we've gotten from other witnesses. Officer Mosher provided testimony as to what other people were saying during the shooting, yet then testified he couldn't remember what he himself had said during the shooting. And then Mosher's testimony about what he did say during the shooting didn't match what he actually said on the 911 tapes. And of course, the command that Mosher "forgot" he said was the most relevant piece of the entire confrontation--the order to "Drop It" at a time when eyewitnesses didn't see anything in Scott's hand.
Wasn't properly served?
she wasn't going anyway. For all the "good guy" stuff, he certainly surrounded himself with losers. Both ex-wives and now this malcontent who at this point looks like she was pilfering rx's from the doctor she worked for. You would think Erik's father might, just might corroborate that Erik was actually seeing the doctors that he listed on the press release defending his son.
I still get a kick out of the statement from the family that Erik was not un-civil towards anyone and did nothing wrong in the store.
"I'm a green beret, go read the fcuking constitution"
"miming pointing a gun at an employee"
"cursing, ignoring employees who told him guns were not allowed"
"tearing open packages"
are they kidding with these statements? At the very least acknowledge bad behavior. No matter what your feelings about what transpired outside Costco, you cannot be a normal person if you think his bahavior in the store was in any way appropriate , right or civil.
These anti-Police comments are a joke.....
Pepper Spray vs a gun? Are you kidding me?
Tasers vs a gun? Hilarious.
This isn't a drunk bum on the streets cited for public intoxication.....this was a person who was acting erratically who allegedly had a gun based on a store employee's observation.....and guess what? He was right! As a matter of fact, the dude had 2 GUNS!!!!
People who blame the Cops are ridiculous. I'm glad they took these actions....I feel safer knowing that the Police that protects and serves us will do the right thing if I'm near a situation like that. I shop regularly at that Costo....I could have been there that day.....glad I wasn't, but I'm also glad that if I was, the Police would have protected me.
If there are any Metro Police Officers reading this.....Thank You!
Chunky says:
He doesn't think the girlfriend was much of a friend at all if she failed to show up to testify for the inquest into the death of her "friend". Apparently they were not able to serve her or find her but it's not like this has been a secret date.
If Chunky had something to say to defend the shooting of one of his ChunkyPeep friends he'd be in touch with family, lawyers and police to tell his side of the story to clear their good name. Her failure to show is highly suspicious.
But this case really isn't about the girlfriend, it's about Mr. Scott, his wayward lifestyle and drug addiction which led to his decisions and actions that day which ultimately led to his own death.
That's what Chunky thinks!
Case closed, was done a long time ago, now they wasted everyones time and money going through this silly case.
Junkie brings two guns into Cosco, draws attention to himself, then doesn't listen to police orders and gets shot. Case closed. SIMPLE.
The police wouldn't have protected you. The police would have fired off 8 rounds from three different directions while surrounded by a crowd of at least 100 people.
Firearms training dictates that you shouldn't point your weapon at anything unless you are prepared to destroy the target AND ANYTHING THAT LIES BEHIND IT.
What ever happened to bullet #8, by the way?
We talked about this last night. The police had the advantages of surprise and superior force. Instead of isolating their "suspect," they chose to confront him at a choke point in the movement of people out of the store.
Remember, the cops initiated and orchestrated this whole evacuation, and had the ability to choose exactly when and where they confronted Scott. But instead of "protecting" the civilians on site that day, the cops initiated a one sided gunfight while surrounded AT CLOSE RANGE by bystanders.
If that's the way Metro "protects" civilians, I'll pass on their "services."
@TomD1228: "Wasn't properly served? she wasn't going anyway." Umm, yeah, no assumptions there. Every one of the individuals on Goodman's list that was properly subpoenaed apparently testified. Every one of the individuals on Goodman's list that was not subpoenaed isn't testifying. You may not like Goodman's approach, but I think Goodman is right in not giving the appearance of legitimacy to a process that is illegitimate. I'm sure that you'll get to hear all the witnesses when there is a real trial, at which point both sides can introduce evidence and cross-examine witnesses.
> Pepper Spray vs a gun? Are you kidding me?
nope --- there was no threat until Metro escalated it.
> Tasers vs a gun? Hilarious.
you can't reach for a gun if you're laying on concrete convulsing.
> People who blame the Cops are ridiculous.
and people who blindly rubber stamp Metro's crap are worse --- by a long shot.
You should be happy you weren't at that Costco that day --- you could of ended up with a Metro round in you. And I'm here to tell you that many of the LEOs I know that have looked at this case, who are not Metro, think there was ZERO need for the drama. Hell, several of the Metro cops I know think that officer Mosher is a loose cannon who shouldn't be allowed to carry a firearm.
But you probably know more than them given you watch cop shows on TV. Right?
Let me also add I'll never step foot in a Costco given the wholly inadequate training they give their employees. A low price isn't worth risking my life for -- especially with Shai on the job. lmao.
the effect of a taser....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUquJQ_Og...
@ Kyle Hansen / Cara McCoy
"Bullet fragments and casings were found at the scene, Calos said. The casings show that Officer William Mosher fired three times, Officer Thomas Mendiola fired four times and Officer Joseph Stark fired once."
Mosher testified that he had a .45 caliber firearm the day of the incident and that he fired it twice using a "double-tap" technique at the suspect, while Peter Calos indicated that there were a total of seven bullet cartridges found at the scene, two which were .45 caliber and five which were 9mm (Ref: Question #1290).
Please explain how Mosher fired three times from his .45 caliber firearm with only two .45 caliber cartridges being found at the scene.
Thanks
: {
She wasn't properly served bellows SummerlinCC [over and over] but the family shyster knows where she is and has advised her to hide out?
Nother belly laff [if it wasn't such a sad event] is the prime spinster [SummerlinCC] who claims that anyone who doesn't agree with his eyewitness [?] account is causing misinformation!
Is SummerlinCC hiding important information from the coroners jury?
Artsy - Packing two guns! What paranoia and insanity drove Scott we will never really know.
Try telling that to the police, they almost all carry a backup weapon for obvious reasons that I won't even waste my time explaining to you. You obviously know little about carrying firearms.
RIP Erik Scott
harley;
from the article above it says MOSHER fired THREE times. He either missed or ONE of his bullets was fired into Scott's BACK because only two bullets were in the front.
"Bullet fragments and casings were found at the scene, Calos said. The casings show that Officer William Mosher fired three times, Officer Thomas Mendiola fired four times and Officer Joseph Stark fired once."
Maybe they did not find the third casing or maybe the SUN typo'ed or the detective is wrong. I am very interested in the the answer because for me, it makes Mosher look even worse than he already does.
If he fired three times, he obviously was not in "danger" (since one would have to go into the back or MISS because the suspect was already DOWN (and everyone has said that his arms where above his head when he was on the ground).
If the bullet fragments were not in Scott, then I would like to know how close they came to the people in the crowd.
Then I would like Metro to grow a set, and take this fool's gun AWAY FROM HIM.
I agree, who in the world carries two guns AND multiple clips in their pocket? That's beyond ridiculous. And this is coming from a staunch supporter of the second amendment and CCW. Either the drugs he was a slave to were making him crazy or he had something planned.
We will be seeing and hearing from all of the missing witnesses (including the girlfriend) soon enough, during the civil case. Sad how all the Scott family kept saying was they wanted the truth but they saved all their witnesses for a chance to get a paycheck.
The bottom line to this is:
Taken all in all, it was a classic military-style triangulated ambush the way the officer's were positioned. Google it!
41 Willys:
Any comment on whether the man in front fired two or three times?
I know it's not easy to testify, but the worst thing to do is start your statements with the terms "uh" or "uhm"
"ya know" is another terrible phrase.
Metro investigating metro, what a joke! Eric Scott did nothing wrong! Yet he was sentenced to death. I believe we need to get an outside agency like the FBI to investigate these cowboy murders. Things like "he made a furtive movement", or "I was in fear of my life", don't fly. And even if he had drugs in his system, he still didn't do anything or break any laws to get murdered over. What cowards to shoot any person in the back like that. The picture of Eric Scott's handgun still in the holster say's it all! Mr. Scott was not a threat. But I guess if you can kill an unarmed man on his knees you can pretty much get away with anything! What garbage. I use to worry about all the bad people out there, now I worry about the police because the odds are you'll get killed by a cop before you get killed by a criminal!
Mr. Sun
Why the trusted and non trusted comments. I believe that I'm smart enough to edit any comments on my own. I enjoyed reading some of the off the wall comments posted. It was because of the comments section that I read the Sun exclusively. I liked that you had a more liberal policy allowing the the gadflys to post their off the wall opinions. Even with the trusted comments anyone can use an alias to post and become a "Trusted" commenter.
vegas_tom - I'd love to see you apprehend someone with 2 guns w/Pepper Spray and/or Tasers....you'd be wishing you had a gun yourself. Ridiculous argument....you're suggesting they tase/spray him before he grabbed his weapon? If you wait until then, you could be dead.
I hope someday you'll need Metro....and then they can use their pepper spray & tasers to protect you from harm....I'd rather have Police with guns backing me up.
Thanks Metro! There are some people in the community who appreciate what you do for us! Keep it up! Don't listen to these ungrateful blowhards!
I love the jerkoffs who think that those of us who feel police should practice restraint are blowhards.
Here's a clue bomb for you Sinatra711: Cops across this country every day apprehend armed suspects with tasers. They are capable of doing this because they keep their wits about them and are competent enough to use deadly force as a last resort.
The only blowhards here are the ones sitting at home with their gun in one hand and their dick in the other taking pleasure from a man's death.
People like you who celebrate piss poor policework like that offered by William Mosher are either lazy cops like he is, or wannabes who have no clue what a phrase like "serve and protect" actually means.
lvmp....
it'll probably be deleted, but I agree with your post.
If it's "okay" to whack every kook in this town because "they asked for it", we are in HUUUGE trouble around here...
Ofc Mendiola's testimony is looking bad for Metro, in my opinion.
gmag and lvmp, keep removing culpability from Mr. Scott, after all he was just peacefully enjoying a slice when the goons from Metro collaborated and ambushed him.
You two need a room.
Erik had turned into a menace. Sad, very sad.
How many witnesses do you need to say that Erik Scott was neither threatening or menacing for you to believe it?
All accounts have the guy walking calmly out of the store, which he likely would have continued to do all the way to his car had the three stooges not grabbed him and shot him.
The only menace on the apron at Costco that day was wearing a badge.
I agree....people like gmag & lvmp deserve piss poor police protection. I hope one day you will need it....then I'll enjoy commenting on your LV Sun story about how a citizen was shot because the Cops tried to be "calm" about it.....then when they show that it's one of you two, I'll write the same comments I'm writing now.....
Police SHOULD use extreme force when necessary, just like the situation described above. Too bad you'll be in the hospital or dead if you were the one they were trying to protect with your Police rules.
Sinatra711 maybe someday someone you care about will be gunned down like a vicious animal when they were suprised by police officers. Then we will be writing how the police never make mistakes to you.
So we have officers and civilians who didn't even know what commands were being barked, including the one(s) who were giving the commands, along with confusion over who was being sought out (many witnesses testified they didn't know who or what this was about, and many people gathered around talking. Now through all of this Mr. Scott was supposed to know what was going on and what exactly was being said. Too much confusion to be fully capable of complying within seconds, that's for sure.
Single action Kimber ? Really ?
I'd rather a cop practice restraint or actually THINK about a situation before pulling his gun than pop off a few rounds into somebody who didn't deserve to get shot.
Erik Scott did nothing to deserve "extreme force." Until the police "intervened" he did nothing deserving of ANY force.
Sinatra711: save your meathead B.S. Police agencies around this country and around the world manage to safely and effectively perform their duties day in and day out without ever employing deadly force. Many police agencies don't even equip their officers with sidearms.
Explain to me why it is that William Mosher has three shoots under his belt in 5 years on the job, and admittedly pulls his weapon EVERY OTHER WATCH.
The guy is a thug who hides behind his gun instead of using his taxpayer provided Crisis Intervention training to diffuse volatile situations.
He is not doing his job, and puffed up dopes like you who encourage his type of behavior make all of us less safe, not more so.
Question: If Metro knows that they acted in self defense because Erik was presenting a gun, why do they need to mutilate his reputation? It should be an open and shut case from their prospective.
What actually happened and what witnesses and participants think happened are, as usual, different things.
What no one seems to be thinking about is a key point: if we have a right to carry concealed, do the police have the right to kill us on sight of the gun(s) we have the "right" to carry (and to die for carrying)?
When you think about the practical problems in dealing with concealed weapons, there is no good way this turns out. All it takes is too much adrenaline flowing, which is pretty much all the time in such situations, and shots get fired. The more officers involved, the more the situation is seen by them as dangerous and the more the adrenaline flows and the quicker they react to anything, and fire -- and multiple shots from multiple officers -- result.
We should all be impressed by the accuracy of Metro. I've known of fights elsewhere where 30 rounds got fired and no one was hit.
We need to think about getting rid of all permits to carry concealed, or training Metro officers on some different techniques for handling such encounters.
"We should all be impressed by the accuracy of Metro. I've known of fights elsewhere where 30 rounds got fired and no one was hit." -- leric
FYI:
Stark and Mendiola testified Mosher fired at Scott from an approximate distance of FIVE feet -- which suggests Scott's actions of attempting to simply hand Mosher his weapon to be very plausible.
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The Cosco employee called the police and said that this man has got a gun in the store. Did they tell them that it wasn't drawn?
If Scott was walking around the store with his gun drawn, he would have been an eminent threat. His firearm was holstered.
Everybody else seemed to have been acting more erratic than Scott.
Metro walking around with guns drawn is an eminent threat. Employees making erratic phone calls to the police became an eminent threat.
This is very sad.
The question we are answering is "was the shooting that led to Mr Scott's dead justifiable"? The answer is YES! The rest are just speculations, shoulda, coulda, woulda won't bring the time back nor bring Mr Scott back to life.
I believe the cops acted according to the circumstances. I agree Cosco employee took this out of proportion, call the cops because a shopper has a concealed handgun, I'm cancelling my membership, I don't shop where gun owners are not welcomed, I carry even when I go to church.
Coroner's Inquest, which should really be called, Theatrical Production by the police and the media to exonerate police in the public eye.....i.e., PROPOGANDA...thats all these coroner's inquests are....they have no other function...these juries are not picked like they are in a trial...these juries are made up of handpicked people..if you're not with the program, you won't be on one of those juries...theres no process to select the jusry...the police put who they want on the coroner's inquest jury...the jury is there to exonerate police, as is the judge....he's not unbiased in these coroner's inquests...his only interest is to exonerate police in the public eye....the public never gets the truth....the police will then settle with the victims family....bet on it....because they lose in a real court of law....the public should notice that the police always settle these cases out of court....the public should also notice that coroner's inquests always exonerate police...its a one sided "show", thats all it is...the public should know that they are paying for it all....the process has zero credibility....if this man pointed his weapon at police, he deserved to be shot...from the press I've read, it certainly seems so....the problem is, we'll never know the whole truth because we've seen these cases over and over and the outcome is always the same, no matter the evidence.....what's scary is that police can kill with immunity, and what's even scarier is, they know it!...thats why we keep seeing this more and more and it will continue to get worse....more and more citizens lose confidence in the police with each case....eventually, the citizens will be more afraid of the police than of the criminals
I believe the family, in their own way, was trying to influence the outcome as well - plastering the photo that denotes him as the 'boy next door' all over the place - well I remember another who had the same 'boy next door' sweet smile - Does the name Scott Peterson ring a bell? I hope people are smart enough not to be fooled by just such a photo - it means nothing other than to say he was very photogenic. But it says nothing about the real person behind the smile. I believe justice WAS served.
To blame the police and Costco employees for the outcome of the incident is tantamount to blaming the victim in a rape case.
Mr. Scott was under the influence. He should not have been driving, he should not have been in possession of fire arms in public. The man had a serious problem with drugs as is indicated by his driving record and his inability to follow simple, yet serious, commands.
I find it hard to blame Mr. Scott for the tragic results of his actions. His mental state was compromised due to the drugs he was taking. I believe the Costco employees did what they were supposed to do when they asked him to leave and called the police when he refused. And I don't blame Metro when they fired at a man pointing a weapon and refusing to comply with commands to drop it.
If there is anyone to blame it's Mr. Scotts family and close friends that refused to see he was in trouble and needed their help desperately. They denied he was on drugs until it was proven he was. They denied he had issues, but now it's been shown he was on anti-depressants. They denied he was a danger to the public and himself, but now its been shown he has a history of accidents that can certainly be attributed to his drug abuse.
His family wants someone to blame for this tragedy and unfortunately, I believe, all they need to do is look in the mirror.
Ask the wives of these police offices if they did the right thing when they fired on Mr. Scott. I can guarantee they will all say they were correct in their actions. Not because theyr'e married to these men, but because they would rather have there husbands come home safe rather than take a chance that the man pointing a gun at them was "just confused".
Mr. Scotts family needs to talk to the wives and children of Metro officers that were shot in the line of duty. These men are trying to serve and protect the public while putting their lives at risk and this is the thanks they get?
Victor, It wasn't too many years ago that employees and customers were shot and killed by a gunman in a store just a few miles away (Albertsons on West Sahara). The employee's concern over a person in the store with a gun is understandable. I'm all for owning guns and CCW's, but I'm also for using a little common sense. I wouldn't think of Costco (especially in Summerlin) as a place I'd feel the need to carry two handguns for safety. The prescription shopping issue would lead me to believe he shouldn't have had the permit. Maybe they need to search prescription records before issuing the permits. His driving record (3 recent accidents, the most recent, clearly at fault) doesn't help his cause either.
I also don't buy this "someone else could have been shot by Metro officers" complaint. "Could have" doesn't make it fact.
My condolences to the family. Pain killers are Americans unspoken shame. I have one friend who died from on overdose in his sleep. And, another friend who lost her ability to hold a job, and care for her family. Pain killers destroy your integrity.