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Might be better to just haul ass if confronted

L

LouDog420

copy paste the article?!?!

Some of us have our sativa hybrids that make us paranoid! :blowbubbles:
 
S

SeaMaiden

This guy clearly had schizo-affective disorder. He was shooting just to shoot. Did he crash someone else's party? Everything I've been reading about Bassler is that he may have had his own small poppy grow going, and outside of just living in the woods that was it.

I really feel sorry for his parents.

FORT BRAGG, Calif. (AP) — The 7,000 residents of Fort Bragg can now relax after spending more than a month on edge while the area's largest manhunt in decades enveloped their coastal community about three hours north of San Francisco.

The massive operation came to a close when authorities shot and killed the subject of the search, a fugitive accused in the deaths of two area officials.

Elizabeth McNeill, who works as a clerk in an appliance store in downtown Fort Bragg, said she is feeling a sense of relief, "It's a sad situation, but now people can relax."

Aaron Bassler, 35, was shot seven times in an area of redwood forest about 6 miles east of Fort Bragg after being sniffed out by a bloodhound, said Mendocino County Sheriff Thomas Allman. Three members of the Sacramento County SWAT team were in the trees about 40 yards from Bassler when he came toward them on a timber trail.

Bassler was suspected of killing a city councilman in late August and a county land trust official several weeks before. Bassler was thought to be hiding out in the redwoods outside of Fort Bragg, breaking into several cabins and businesses to steal food and weapons.

Both of the men authorities say Bassler killed, Fort Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo and Mendocino County Land Trust officer Matthew Coleman, were well-regarded in the community.

"I just hope Jere's wife can get some closure," McNeill said.

The manhunt disrupted life in the area as law enforcement officials restricted forest use and told residents to stay out of their vacation cabins until Bassler was arrested.

Wanted posters offering a $30,000 reward for Bassler hung in the windows of most shops.

Chriss Zaida, who owns a clothing store in the area, heard celebration in the streets when news of Bassler's death spread.

"But I'm not high-fiving people," she said. "I have the utmost sympathy for his victims, but also for the law enforcement agents who had to do what they had to do. And I can't imagine what his family is going through."

Bassler's father, James Bassler, was not immediately available for comment. He has told The Associated Press that Aaron Bassler had undiagnosed mental illness and said he had tried unsuccessfully to get help for his son.

Authorities had been searching for Aaron Bassler since Aug. 27 when they say he shot and killed Melo, who with a co-worker was investigating reports of an illegal marijuana farm in his role as a security consultant for an area lumber company.

Melo's associate escaped and called for help, leading authorities to hundreds of poppy plants and a bunker where they say Aaron Bassler was holed up when he shot Melo, 69.

Officials had been confounded by Aaron Bassler's survival skills and ability to elude them in the 400-square-mile search perimeter. Authorities believe that during his time at-large, he broke into a half-dozen cabins in the woods to restock his food supplies.

"He's very savvy in the woods. He's proven to be very adept," said Sgt. Chad Lewis of the Sacramento County Sheriff's SWAT team.

Dozens of local, state and federal authorities scoured the forests near Fort Bragg, but Bassler eluded them for more than a month. Authorities got close to him Thursday, when they say he exchanged gunfire with Alameda County deputies. Authorities say Bassler was dressed in black and had a high-powered rifle that was seen in a surveillance photo taken last week, the same weapon they say he used to kill Melo, the same one they said he was carrying Saturday.

A break in the search came Friday when a shop owner told authorities his door had been kicked in and that ammunition, beer, food, two compasses and some boots had been stolen. A bloodhound from the Pomona Police Department named Willow and his handler, Pomona Police Officer Joe Hernandez, began tracking the burglar's scent, leading them to Bassler.

"I wish that this incident could have ended without another shot being fired," said Allman, the Mendocino County Sheriff. But, he added, "I fully support the manner in which this ended. There will be no more lives which will be endangered by Aaron Bassler."

Allman initially said Bassler raised his gun before the deputies fired. He later said the fugitive raised his rifle as he was falling from the gunfire. There had been no verbal exchange, but the sheriff said the deputies saw Bassler walking with his finger poised near the trigger before they fired.

The sheriff said Bassler's rifle was loaded with about 30 rounds, its safety off. He also noted that officials believe Bassler had already killed two people with the same weapon he was carrying on the trail and had shot at three sheriff's deputies days earlier.

"Any confrontation or contact with law enforcement agents was going to be lethal and deadly," Allman said, adding that law permits officers to shoot at a suspected felon under such circumstances.
Click to expand...
 
trichrider

trichrider

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'law permits officers to shoot at a suspected felon under such circumstances'...

don't even have to be a criminal, just a suspect....sad times indeed.
this man was murdered. shit!
 
S

SeaMaiden

Something similar happened just behind our property last week. One of the neighbors apparently wasn't connected to the real world and went on a real bender, cut himself up but GOOD. Then went to a neighbor's house muttering nonsense, she ran for her life and he attacked one of her horses. They called sheriff's department and they tried to talk the guy down (all he had was a knife, Bassler had a high-powered rifle he was proficient with), he went after them, and bam bam bam-a-lam, dead neighbor.

Having known more than a few schizophrenics, though, honestly, this isn't just a predictable end, it's an end to their suffering.
 
schwilly

schwilly

Member
Yea, shit can turn serious quick in the bush.

A friend and I once scared rippers out of a patch as we approached. Too thick to see, only heard them. They had barely done any damage. We pulled down the patch as fast as it could be done and hauled ass with 150 lbs or so of wet between us.

About a hundred yards from the patch we hear shotgun blasts and what sounded like buck shot coming though the bush all over. The patch was bordered by thick walls of growth, totally obscured until you were in it. Apparently the rippers returned and decided to use hot lead to see if we were still in the patch.

No class at all some people.
 
qupee

qupee

Member
"Any confrontation or contact with law enforcement agents was going to be lethal and deadly," Allman said, adding that law permits officers to shoot at a suspected felon under such circumstances.
Click to expand...


So they decided in advance that they were going to kill him on contact. How is that not pre-meditated murder 1?
 
S

SeaMaiden

They probably did, yes. And in this case, I can't say as I blame them myself. He was out gunning for all kinds of people, and wasn't in touch with reality or getting any type of psychological help. He was armed, it was a shoot-out, and it wasn't one-sided, either. The boy put them through their paces.
 
qupee

qupee

Member
rives said:
This idiot murdered two people and attempted to kill as many others as he could. Sometimes the opinions expressed on here astound me.
Click to expand...

Ya, like yours.

Since when does that make it ok for police to plan ahead to kill him on contact.

Attitudes like yours are the reason our freedoms are eroding in this country, asshat.
 
rives

rives

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qupee said:
Ya, like yours.

Since when does that make it ok for police to plan ahead to kill him on contact.

Attitudes like yours are the reason our freedoms are eroding in this country, asshat.
Click to expand...

Exactly how would you have handled the situation? The man had been on the loose for over a month after murdering two people (and making attempts on several others) in some of the most rugged country in California, with plenty of shelter available and relatively mild winters. He was obviously proficient at both woodscraft and with a long-distance weapon capable of penetrating police body armor. He couldn't be waited out, talked down, or any of the other options that would be normally available. He had killed people whose job was working in the woods, and now hunting season is opening, so there would be plenty more potential victims available. So, how exactly should it have been handled?
 
qupee

qupee

Member
It's got nothing to do with the specifics of the situation, which frankly neither you nor I have actual knowledge of.

It's about the principle that NO circumstances provide the police discretion when it comes to your rights. That man had a right to be apprehended and face a jury. The police have no right to plan in advance to kill you on contact. Period.

If you support the police here than the only difference between you and any of them is how far you'll expand your definition of who should get their rights subverted and who shouldn't.

It's easy to judge and pigeonhole someone into a group you're ok with oppressing. But someone higher up on the political food chain, with the same attitude will use that same reasoning to oppress you and I because we fit into their definition of a group of people that is ok to treat that way.

By supporting it on one level we encourage the whole system and that system puts people in prison for growing plants.


Why don't you read through this one more time slowly and thoughtfully and think to yourself if the police really did the right thing here:

Allman initially said Bassler raised his gun before the deputies fired. He later said the fugitive raised his rifle as he was falling from the gunfire. There had been no verbal exchange...

"Any confrontation or contact with law enforcement agents was going to be lethal and deadly," Allman said
Click to expand...


The man was suspected of killing two others. Cops spotted him and killed him without saying a word. You think that's ok.
 
rives

rives

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qupee said:
It's got nothing to do with the specifics of the situation, which frankly neither you nor I have actual knowledge of.

It's about the principle that NO circumstances provide the police discretion when it comes to your rights. That man had a right to be apprehended and face a jury. The police have no right to plan in advance to kill you on contact. Period.
Click to expand...

On the contrary, it has everything to do with the specifics of the situation. Bassler was a proven danger to the community, and all of the high-minded morality aside, he was either going to be taken in this manner or more innocent lives were going to be lost. I'm still waiting to read how you think this could have been accomplished in any other fashion. This isn't the city, and it isn't a video game - it's real people using real guns, and with a high level of proficiency. In principle, I agree with your argument. The problem is that reality doesn't really accommodate it in this instance.

*edit* Incidentally, Bassler had been identified by the forester who he attempted to murder when he killed Jere Melo.
 
qupee

qupee

Member
really, he was proven a danger, huh. By whom? The press?


How could have been accomplished in any other fashion?

Gee, I really have to use some imagination for this... How about trying, "Police. Put down your gun or we'll shoot." first.
 
Noobian

Noobian

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qupee said:
It's got nothing to do with the specifics of the situation, which frankly neither you nor I have actual knowledge of.

It's about the principle that NO circumstances provide the police discretion when it comes to your rights. That man had a right to be apprehended and face a jury. The police have no right to plan in advance to kill you on contact. Period.

If you support the police here than the only difference between you and any of them is how far you'll expand your definition of who should get their rights subverted and who shouldn't.

It's easy to judge and pigeonhole someone into a group you're ok with oppressing. But someone higher up on the political food chain, with the same attitude will use that same reasoning to oppress you and I because we fit into their definition of a group of people that is ok to treat that way.

By supporting it on one level we encourage the whole system and that system puts people in prison for growing plants.


Why don't you read through this one more time slowly and thoughtfully and think to yourself if the police really did the right thing here:




The man was suspected of killing two others. Cops spotted him and killed him without saying a word. You think that's ok.
Click to expand...


So I guess you were just as outraged when Al Awalki got killed last week right? Right???
 
qupee

qupee

Member
Noobian said:
So I guess you were just as outraged when Al Awalki got killed last week right? Right???
Click to expand...


Maybe, I don't know any details of that.

You think I take that stance and then make an exception because ooh its terrorism.

That's the damn problem. You can't say, "Oh well it's ok to suspend the rights of these people cause obviously they're bad." and then not expect other classes of people to fall under the same flawed logic.

It's, "If you've got nothing to hide, then what are you worried about."

It's ok they shot him because they say he killed others. It's ok they did a sneak and peak cause he's a terrorist .. and by terrorist we mean he grows, and drugs support terrorism.


It's supremely dangerous to condone violations of due process in ANY scenario. It's not a far stretch from that fellow to both of you.
 
rives

rives

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You aren't getting it, Qupee. It has been known since the day that Melo was shot (Saturday, August 27th) who had done it. In the interim, Bassler apparently killed Matthew Coleman (there was no witness in this case) and has shot at the cops when he got the chance. As I stated before, this isn't a situation where the suspect can be isolated and starved out, waited out, or whatever. In the Fort Bragg area, you can take about 50 steps from the edge of town and be in the forest primeval. How many more people should have been allowed to be killed in order to avoid violating Bassler's civil rights?
 
qupee

qupee

Member
You're right. I'm not "getting" (agreeing with) your point of view. You sound like you're law enforcement yourself.
 
rives

rives

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qupee said:
You're right. I'm not "getting" (agreeing with) your point of view. You sound like you're law enforcement yourself.
Click to expand...

Nope, not law enforcement. I just live in the mountains, know firearms, and deal with reality. I've also known the Melo family for about 25 years, so perhaps that has a bearing on my thoughts. Even without that, I have never thought that the rights of a perpetrator outweighed the rights of his victims.
 
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