Nov. 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 11

SLAIN MINNESOTA

SLAIN MINNESOTA OFFICER’S WIDOW TOLD GOV. WALZ TO STAY AWAY FROM FUNERAL The widow of a sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2023 warned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz he was not welcome at the funeral because of his treatment of law enforcement officers and threatened to kick his “ass out” if he dared to show up. Shannon Owen told Kamala Harris’ running mate that he was not welcome at the services for her husband, Josh Owen, an Iraq veteran and Pope County sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed while working on his 44th birthday in April 2023. “You have never been a supporter of the police and I’d just appreciate it if you just don’t come anywhere near my town,” she warned Walz in a recording obtained by the Telegraph. The widow warned Walz that if he did show up, she would “make sure that I escort your ass out of here.” Sounding flustered, Walz responded, “I totally understand and respect your rights. Our officers are here to support you in any way you need,” before the call abruptly ended, the Telegraph noted. The governor did not attend the funeral. Josh Owen was killed while responding to a domestic violence call on April 15, 2023. As he tried to arrest the suspect, the man drew a gun and shot him four times, the New York Post reports. Shannon Owen says her husband was planning to quit the force at the time he was killed. Deputy was reportedly upset with law enforcement reforms put in place after the death of George Floyd—including a ban on “chokeholds”—and he felt they made the job more difficult and more dangerous. Reprinted from POLICEMAG.COM MARYLAND OFFICER FACES ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE FOR ON-DUTY SHOOTING A grand jury in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has indicted Sgt. Robert Warrington of the Bowie Police Department on charges of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy and Bowie Police Chief Dwayne Preston announced. The Washington Post reports the incident unfolded on the morning of Sept. 12 while Warrington was on patrol and stopped to help who he thought was a stranded driver, Preston said in a statement last month. For reasons still being investigated, Warrington aimed and fired one shot at a man who had crossed the median and walked past him after a brief conversation, officials said. The man had his hand in his jacket pocket. No weapon was recovered from the man, officials said. No one was injured in the shooting, but a passing car was struck, officials said. “I support the grand jury’s independent, objective process and decision,” Preston said. “We would ask that the public reserve judgment until the process has been completed.” Reprinted from POLICEMAG.COM VIDEO: ILL. OFFICER SHOOTS, KILLS MAN WHO FATALLY WOUNDED IND. DEPUTY By Joanna Putman, Police1 SHELDON, IL. — The Iroquois County State’s Attorney has released body camera footage after ruling that a deputy was justified in fatally shooting a man who shot another deputy, The News-Gazette reported. The Sept. 1 incident began when several law enforcement agencies responded to a report of an alleged kidnapping in progress, according to the report. An attempt was made by law enforcement to stop the vehicle in Iroquois County, Illinois. When the suspect vehicle refused to stop, a pursuit was initiated, during which officers learned that the man was reportedly armed and suicidal. The suspect vehicle traveled into Newton County, Indiana, then back into Iroquois County where it crashed into another vehicle, bringing it to a stop, according to the Iroquois County State’s Attorney Office. Video shows officers surrounding the suspect as he made attempts to continue to flee. The suspect refused to comply with deputies’ repeated instructions and moved around in the truck without raising his hands. The suspect then pulled out a revolver and fired what appeared to be a single shot, striking and critically wounding Newton County, Indiana, Deputy Brandon Schreiber. An Iroquois County deputy returned fire, killing the suspect. Schreiber died days after the shooting on Sept. 11. A thorough investigation by the 70 The Blues - November ‘24

Illinois State Police, including witness statements, bodycamera footage and forensic evidence, concluded that the deputy’s actions were justified. The Iroquois County State’s Attorney, Jim Devine, announced no further legal action will be taken in the case. Reprinted from POLICE1.com FORMER POLICE CHIEF: “ANOTHER DEMOCRAT GUN CONTROL FREAK SHOWS HIS UTTER INCOMPETENCE IN HANDLING FIREARMS” By Pat Droney It’s hilarious when government bureaucrats who want control over matters such as guns are utterly incompetent in how they operate. We witnessed that a couple of weeks ago when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, running as the Democrat’s vice presidential candidate, appeared not to know how to load a shotgun. This is despite Walz bragging that he is a long-time hunter. Now we have an anti-gun zealot running against Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who humiliated himself in a staged stunt using semi-automatic rifles at a shooting range in an incident that led to a reporter getting struck by metal shards from the targets being shot at. The Federalist reports that Lucas Kunce (D-MO), running for Hawley’s senate seat, published photos on X, which quickly led anyone with a shred of firearms experience to eviscerate Kunce, who was at the range with RINO and former House member Adam Kinzinger. In a case of complete tone deafness, Kunce’s post on X bragged that it was a “great day at the range today with my friend @AdamKinzinger.” He bragged that they hung out “with some union workers while exercising our freedom,” giving the appearance that Kunce is a Second Amendment supporter, which he is not. There was just a little problem, which Kunce addressed in the following sentence: “Always have your first aid kit handy. Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today, and you’ve got to be ready to go. We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation, and I’m glad Ryan is okay and was able to continue reporting.” “Ryan” is a reporter struck by metal shards from the metal target Kunce was shooting at from only approximately ten yards away. Some estimated the targets were only about five to seven yards away. Moreover, for some reason, Kunce and the other “experts” were using semi-automatic rifles, and in the case of Kinzinger, with scopes on them, which makes no sense at such close range. Kinzinger was also wearing safety glasses on CLICK TO WATCH top of his head. In other words, the photo op attempting to show how “cool” Kunce and Kinzinger allegedly were instead turned into a lesson on how not to handle firearms. Even more amusing is that Kunce touts himself as conducting “Marine-led weapons safety training” in an X post where he tagged St. Louis resident Mark McCloskey back in 2020. Mc- Closkey and his wife famously defended their St. Louis home against Black Lives Matter intruders during the George Floyd riots. If you’re going to make snarky posts at someone you disagree with politically, you might want to know what you’re talking about. Kunce was shredded by commenters on X, including Federalist CEO Sean Davis, who said there were “multitudes” of issues in the photos Kunce posted online. Davis said the close range the shooters were standing from metal targets “could’ve killed somebody given the force with which the bullets will ricochet off the steel targets at [that] distance.” The Blues - November ‘24 71