Breaking - As many as 4 cops wounded in Pittsburgh shooting.

[MrPerson]

http://post-gazette.com/pg/09094/960660-100.stm

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EmailPrintAs many as four officers wounded in Stanton Heights standoff
Saturday, April 04, 2009
By Michael Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As many as four Pittsburgh police officers were wounded, at least one in critical condition, after a man began firing at them when they responded to a domestic call this morning at a home in Stanton Heights.

At this hour, a standoff has locked down a part of the neighborhood as scores of police officers converged on the scene at 1016 Fairfield Street where a 23-year-old man is barricaded with a family member.

At least three, possibly four officers are in positions where they cannot be removed for treatment, according to Diane Richard, Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman.

A state police helicopter is hovering over the location where more than 100 officers from Pittsburgh, the state and Port Authority have converged along with neighbors and other onlookers.

The incident began around 7:30 a.m. when a team of officers went to the address to serve a warrant and the suspect opened fire on them, police said.

Authorities as well as members of the suspect's family have reportedly been in contact with the man by phone. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is among the officials at the scene.

The gunman has been identified as Richard Poplawski, who is in his early 20s and lives in the house, according to neighbor and longtime friend Joe DiMarco. Mr. DiMarco and his mother, Darlene, said they spoke to Mr. Poplawski on the telephone this morning.

"He told me he loved me and that he'd been shot in the chest and leg," Ms. DiMarco said.

She also said Mr. Poplawski's mother is in the house with him. She believes his grandmother also may be in the house.

Another neighbor, Brian Merlina, said he was getting out of the shower at 7:30 a.m. when he heard bursts of rapid-fire shots. About 30 minutes later, he heard at least two dozen more shots fired.

Shortly thereafter, a state police helicopter landed in a field near his house. He drove a trooper from the helicopter.

Utility crews cut off power to the house at 10:45 a.m.

Updates pending.

BAN THEM NOW.

[qanda]

1. Two of the officers are dead

http://kdka.com/local/officers.shot.Stanton.2.975820.html

On Edit: Three are now dead and the standoff is over.

[MrPerson]

2. Three cops dead. Sheesh.

This will be all that's talked about here for weeks.

[jschurchin]

3. BAN THEM NOW.

Move to Australia. They are BANNED there. Prepare yourself for this though

OBSERVABLE FACT, AFTER 12 MONTHS OF DATA:

Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2%
Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6%
Australia-wide, armed-robberies are up 44% (yes, FORTY-FOUR PERCENT)
In the state of Victoria, homicides-with-firearms are up 300%
Figures over the previous 25 years show a steady decrease in homicides-with-firearms (changed dramatically in the past 12 months)
Figures over the previous 25 years show a steady decrease in armed-robbery-with-firearms (changed dramatically in the past 12 months)
There has been a dramatic increase in breakins-and-assaults-of- the-elderly
At the time of the ban, the Prime Minister said "self-defense is not a reason for owning a firearm"
From 1910 to present, homicides in Australia had averaged about 1.8-per-100,000 or lower, a safe society by any standard.
The ban has destroyed Australia's standings in some international sport shooting competitions
The membership of the Australian Sports Shooting Association has risen to 112,000, a 200% increase, in response to the ban and as an attempt to organize against further controls, which are expected.
Australian politicians are on the spot and at a loss to explain how no improvement in "safety" has been observed after such monumental effort and expense was successfully expended in "ridding society of guns". Their response has been to "wait longer".

Yeah, BAN THEM NOW. It almost works.:sarcasm:

[MrPerson]

5. Wow. The gun makers do have their statistics, don't they?

[jschurchin]

7. Nope

Just Facts.

[MrPerson]

9. Hey. Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns..

Blah blah blah.

[jschurchin]

10. Wrong again Genuis

Bullets kill people. Unless I missed something the dickweed didn't pistolwhip those officers to death.

[MrPerson]

17. Um. That's spelled Genius, genus.

[jschurchin]

20. Why thank you

Mr. Grammer. You just made my day. It's always great talking with another DU member, now excuse me while I finish cleaning my Glock.

Just kidding. I don't own a handgun, nor would I. However it is my right, and I have given up enough of my right's to both sides of the isle to lose another.

Remember the Pariot Act? It's gonna make us safer, right? Well do you feel safer MrPerson?

[hendo]

30. yup, the grammar freaks rely on that when they don't have a case.

The anti-gun nuts are a lost cause. No matter how many instances of crimes that were prevented they will whine and moan about something.

They continue to chant their mantras without even knowing what they mean.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. What is going on in this country?

I find these recent events shocking and repulsive.

I'm lost for words...............

[MrPerson]

6. Cops hate guns the most.

[jeepnstein]

12. Simply untrue.

[MrPerson]

15. Simply true.

[jeepnstein]

22. Proof?

I'm a cop, have been for twenty three years. I've never seen a situation where an otherwise lawful citizen caused a moment of fear for a police officer. You paint the profession with a broad brush to try to bolster your otherwise indefensible position.

You simply do not know what you are talking about.

[bossy22]

14. not necessarily

i know alot of cops who are gun nuts

and alot of cops who are indifferent.

its a myth that cops are big gun control supporters

[MrPerson]

16. Ask the FOP, sparky.

[X_Digger]

21. Yes, and FOP is to Cops as CEOs are to Average Joes. n/t

[bossy22]

23. last time i checked

they were all for the repeal of the D.C. Handgun ban

[slackmaster]

26. Not the ones I know and occasionally shoot with

Two of them are avid collectors, and they approve of civilians getting concealed weapons permits.

[hendo]

31. Every cop I know loves guns.

In fact they all keep bugging me to get a pistol to go shooting with them. And last I checked, one of my cop buddies had 35 rifles, 3 shotguns, and 5 pistols. Sure sounds anti-gun to me.

[zeemike]

11. What is going on has less to do with guns than it does with

Anger
and the right wing bears a lot of responsibility for it.

[TheCowsCameHome]

19. Anger + the means =

a bad combo.

[zeemike]

25. We always have the means.

Whether it is guns, swords. machetes, baseball bats or axes.
But one must be angry to use them to kill sosmeone...Guns just make it easier to do at long distance.

[hendo]

32. that's a bit short sighted.

both parties have done their part to piss off the crazies.

[MrPerson]

8. BREAKING - THEY FINALLY ARRESTED THE FUCKER.

Cop killers strangely commit suicide in jail.

[bossy22]

13. umm

you have a little pesky thing called the constitution in your way

[MrPerson]

18. Lets see how long the perp lasts in jail.

[slackmaster]

27. I get the impression you hate cops almost as much as you hate guns

Suggesting that they would take the law into their own hands.

[MrPerson]

28. I'm not suggesting, I'm guaranteeing.

[MercutioATC]

24. Ban police officers?

That doesn't make any sense.

[bossy22]

29. 3 are dead

:(