Posted: 10/9/2002 7:16:20 PM EDT
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kind of short on details [url]http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20021008-0607-ca-policeshooting.html[/url] October 8, 2002 LOS ANGELES – Authorities have launched an investigation into whether a Redondo Beach police officer accidentally killed a suspected car thief by mistaking a shotgun for a beanbag stun gun, according to two reports published Tuesday. Authorities said a 40-year-old man was shot to death by a police officer Sunday following the conclusion of a high-speed pursuit. Officers were chasing the man who was allegedly driving a stolen sport-utility vehicle, police said. After the SUV crashed into a curb near Los Angeles International Airport, one of the officers fired his weapon and struck the driver. No other details of the shooting were released. But the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze, citing unnamed police sources, reported that a preliminary investigation suggests the officer, who has not been identified, may have discharged the wrong gun. Instead of grabbing a weapon loaded with a "less lethal" beanbag round, the officer fired a shotgun, the newspapers reported. Redondo Beach Police Sgt. Phil Keenan declined to comment on the investigation, but did say no weapons were found on the man or inside the vehicle. The man's identity was being withheld, pending notification of his family. The shooting was being investigated by both the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery Homicide Division and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. |
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Quoted: I THINK!!! that some departments may have "bean bag guns" which, again I THINK, are shotguns that are supposed to be only loaded with beanbags and the stock and pump grip are bright orange or some other color to differentiate them from standard shotguns. I've seen some that were bright orange as well. They were even stenciled "Less Lethal" in black on the buttstock. Maybe the officer was colorblind. Not that any of this matters anyway. The important thing is that he went home safely after everything was said and done. |
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Quoted: remember that "toss across" (~?) game where you used the tiny bean bags to play tic-tac-toe (naughts and crosses for you DEEP southeners(Aussies)) [:)] Now those bean bag rounds would put a whole new 'twist' on that game [:D] Your dating yourself![:D] Since I used to play that game in the seventies at my grandparent's house, I guess I am too! I would think the reason they would have two separate guns would be because maybe they leave the tubes loaded. Just not a round chambered. I agree though that there should be a color or other designation between the two shotguns. Something that doesn't let the perp know that it's not the real thing. |
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UPDATE: From [url]http://www.latimes.com/[/url] Man Shot by Police in Redondo Is Identified A Native American man from Minnesota who had lived in California for six years was identified by authorities Wednesday as the unarmed car chase suspect accidentally shot to death by a Redondo Beach police officer who mistook a shotgun for a beanbag gun. Nathan Lee Rossbach, 40, of Red Lake, Minn., was fatally wounded Sunday evening, said David Campbell of the Los Angeles County coroner's office. Family members said Rossbach, who had a prior assault conviction in Minnesota, worked as an independent commercial fisherman. Officer Michael Strosnider, 30, shot Rossbach on Sunday at the conclusion of a high-speed chase through three South Bay cities. A preliminary investigation found that a senior officer at the scene ordered the use of a beanbag shotgun when Rossbach at first refused to follow orders to get out of the vehicle, according to sources. Strosnider was handed a weapon by Officer Mike Martinez, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation. That weapon did not have the yellow tape the Redondo Beach Police Department uses to distinguish those carrying beanbags rather than live ammunition, according to sources. Reached at her home in Minnesota, Rossbach's sister Mamie Rossbach said that family members were considering hiring an attorney. "I feel like he was shot in cold blood, because he wasn't a dangerous person," she said. "They [Redondo Beach police] haven't provided any answers when we call down there." Redondo Beach city officials said they would not comment on the shooting until an investigation is completed. The shooting, which was recorded on a police videotape, is being investigated by the district attorney's office and the Los Angeles Police Department. The incident began when Redondo Beach police received a call at 6:50 p.m. Sunday about a reckless motorist on Pacific Coast Highway in a 1992 Ford Bronco. Police said Rossbach led police on a high-speed chase north through El Segundo. He then turned west onto Imperial Highway and crashed into the curb, leaving the Bronco disabled. The Ford Bronco was involved in a hit-and-run incident Sunday morning in Hermosa Beach. The Bronco rear-ended a Mercedes and then drove away, police said. A witness reported the license plate, and when police contacted the Marina del Rey owner, she realized her vehicle had been stolen. Mamie Rossbach said her brother was the youngest of five children and had worked as a logger as well as a fisherman. He moved away from the Red Lake Indian Reservation after his father died following a lengthy illness. |