After shooting a 30-year-old man in the chest three times, Albemarle County police officer J.M. Fields has been placed on administrative leave, and is now the subject of a state police investigation. At 2:15am, Officer Fields stopped the suspect (Ray — or possibly Roy — Riviere) on Rt. 20 north, suspecting that he was driving under the influence, but the suspect escaped. Fields caught the man and tasered him, but the suspect took the taser and knocked down Fields. It was at that point that the officer shot the suspect in the chest three times with his 9mm. Amazingly, the suspect escaped on foot at that point, but was later apprehended by two other officers. Interestingly, the man seems to be a French citizen. Riviere is now in the ICU at the UVa Medical Center. A joint Albemarle-state news conference is planned for Monday. Liz Nelson has the story in today’s Progress.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Hold on a f**king minute! This redneck officer, Fields, shoots to *kill* based on a traffic stop? Be very afraid, citizens and non-citizens. Our police and Sheriffs are clearly rampaging. Unless this is known terrorist (and still…), there is no reason to use deadly force. His "training kicked in"? Now if his life was at stake, which is a huge leap of faith in the first place, wouldn’t Fields have just crippled the man in the legs or something? 3 – count them – 3 shots in the chest area?
BE VERY AFRAID OF OUR POLICE AND SO-CALLED LAW ENFORCEMENT.
IF YOU’RE A PHAT YOUNG THING, DON’T DRIVE EVER ALONE. MAYBE FIELDS, SHIFLETT AND COMPANY WILL RAPE YOU BECAUSE OF 56MPH IN A 55MPH ZONE. DON’T BE BLACK. DON’T BE A FOREIGNER. HECK, DON’T BE OF A DIFFERENT POLUTICAL VIEW FROM THE ARRESTING OFFICER.
Oh. my. goodness. You are such a paranoid ALARMIST. You are stoking speculative fires that don’t need to be stoked. And you offer no facts to back up your over-the-top claims. Geez I hope you are kidding with your silly alarmist rants…
Given the recent controversy involving bad cop Shifflet, I think it would be wise to reserve judgement for Officer Fields until the investigation is complete and the facts are presented. It won’t stop crazed speculation about what really happened, but I don’t think it is fair to jump to conclusions and make wild comparisons in this and the Shifflet cases, because they are separate.
Now that being said, I have zero tolerance for drunk drivers…
Hey Symp, have I reminded you lately what a f*cking liberal a**hole you are? Or are you just trolling? I bet you are the first ***** to pick up the phone and call 911 when you get your feelings hurt!
WTF? The guy eluded the officer, and the officer used NON LETHAL (read: politically correct) force to try and subdue the suspect. The suspect attacked the officer and took the stun gun. THEN, and only then, did the officer shoot.
What’s the problem, here? Obviously, if the perp was running away and willing to assault the officer, we’re better off without him anyway.
The REAL question is – three shots with a 9MM to the chest and guy ran away? I have a 9MM and that has me worried … perhaps I should have sprung for the .357 SIG or .40 S&W instead.
Any thoughts on THAT? :)
If the officer’s story is indeed true, and I won’t doubt that it is until there is a reson to do so, I think he should be commended on first attempting to use non-lethal force to subdue a resisting suspect. Innocent people don’t attempt to flee AND assualt a cop, especially in one night!
Anyone who has the balls to attack a cop is a dangerous person. Dangerous people get lethal force. That’s the way it is – and the way it should be.
Cops are human and can fu** up just like the rest of us (not saying this guy did.) But it’s all fine and dandy to sit down with your ACLU membership card and your "Vote for Ralph Nader" bumper skickers and critique how someone ELSE acted in the face of danger. It’s real easy, from the comfort of your living room, to say what someone should and shouldn’t have done.
We’d all LOVE to believe that we would do the "right" thing in situations like this. Then again, how can we decide after the fact what the correct course of action was? If it takes that much deliberation, how can any reasonable person, liberal or not, expect someone in a potentially dangerous decision to go though the same reasoning process that takes us WEEKS to perform – except they have to do it in the wink of an eye.
The same crap happens with friendly fire incidentin the military. A bunch of armchair generals who’s only military experience is countless hours of "Battlefield 1942" on their PC’s sit around and decide how a soldier, under fire in a foreign land, most likely sleep deprived to the extreme, should have acted.
Sure, there are bad cops and such, and the citizenry needs to keep a watchful eye on law enforcement. But, it needs to be a REASONABLE eye. People need to understand that the "right" thing to do is what keeps you alive.
Yep, get the .357 (my preference) or a .45. I probably wouldn’t go for the .40, but that’s sheerest personal preference.
He usually responds with a vitriolic comeback much more quickly… perhaps he has finally passed out in a foam-mouthed, post-blogging, drunken stupor.
I’m done with this board. It has been overtaken by a bunch of neo-Nazis. There’s very little purpose posting here. All I can hope is the likes of BetterLife and his friends get themselves on the losing end of the police gun barrel. Or, one of you piss-ants cuts me off one day I’m in the mood of kicking some Nazi ass.
Adieu.
"All I can hope is the likes of BetterLife and his friends get themselves on the losing end of the police gun barrel."
And all this time I thought you were the altruistic, "let’s improve mankind" type, if not a caustic, bitter, and generally unpleasant poster. Guess I was only half wrong.
The funny thing is, I DON’T KNOW ANY OF THE OTHER PEOPLE ON HERE!!! There’s no conspiracy to rid this board of you dear Symp, I call it like I see it, and in your case.., well, nevermind.
See, I’m afraid to say that you and I are similar in at least on way– We post our emotions. We hit the "OK" button without even thinking of hitting "PREVIEW" first. Others may type something, preview it, and then edit it so it doesn’t come across so powerful. I respect the fact that you type what you feel at that moment, just like I do. I just don’t agree with 99% about what you have to say and think you are a liberal a**hole. But that’s just me.
Forgive me, I can’t resist:
waaaa!
I have zero tolerance for drunk drivers…
Yeah, you and officer Fields.
;)
You might want to sit down….
I’m sitting no more than three feet from my ACLU membership card and I actually agree with you.
Nothing I have seen suggests officer Fields acted inappropriately. Until evidence to the contrary is presented, as happened in the Shifflett case, I will assume that Fields acted appropriately. Maybe he could have shot the suspect in the legs or whatnot, but I can imagine the entire incident took place in a matter of seconds.
That being said, I do have an innate mistrust of the Albemarle County Police Department.
That’s too bad. Now who can we count on to make radical, dumbass comments with arguements that can be torn apart so damn easily? At least Lars hasn’t given up…
I for one is going to miss Sympatico. Not once did I ever call you a bad name. I did enjoy your post just so I can pick it apart.
Later
Good point. Only police officers are trained to shoot to kill. They aren’t trained to shoot to wound. That’s how lawsuits begin. I have asked cops who are trainers and that is just how it is nationwide. You shoot someone in the leg and then they can’t walk again, you get sued. A dead man can’t sue, I guess..
you meant, “Betterlife and HER friends”, didn’t you??
Oh may! How interesting. I guess with my name you can tell.
true dat, even if you shoot them in the leg, they can still use their gun. And I don’t think the bad guys are shooting to wound.
Was Riviere shot with the Taser first? If so there should be marks left on his body.
Maybe Officer Fields missed and then it was taken from him by Riviere who was in fear of being zapped. What happend to the Motto " we shoot to stop" not shoot to kill"
Not to mention 3 hits center chest… was Fields a Sharp Shooter?
Why was Deadly force used on a possible DUI?
Did the Officer ever think to use pepper spray or maybe his baton? or ASP?according to what your taught at the Central Shenandoah Police Academy
maybe a hard enough jolt in the side of the knee
could have taken him down (it has worked for me! in the past…. Now…… (considering his Police training at the Academy) did this Officer Just Panic? if so thats not good….
or just maybe the Taser was not used…. Maybe we have another Shifflett in action.
I guess that is was why (A news conference with county and state police representatives tentatively scheduled for Monday was canceled)
guess they learned a little something from the Shifflett experience…. MUMS the word…
If I was Chief Miller I would keep quiet too…
after all he seems to be the previous and latest
bad topic in his own Department…
last I like to say ……….
Looks like our Constitutional Rights are slowly fading, with time we may have a Totalitarianism.
"last I like to say ……….
Looks like our Constitutional Rights are slowly fading, with time we may have a Totalitarianism. "
thank you for enlighting me, I think now I am moving to Canada because of this.
Methinks I smell a sock-puppet.
Reminds me of a post I read several days back. Same guy, new name, or is Charlottesville becoming more popular with paranoid ACLU members who are concerned about active cops who might happen upon their pot plantation one of these days?
What is up with all the ACLU stereotyping? Geez. Give it a rest already.
Yes, but is IAmDaMan 2 going with you? What about 1?
I am in for some Canadian beer, sure the crap they make here
I got all excited when I heard about this shooting because I assumed that sympatico *was* the fallen Frenchman. If so, maybe the AC cops aren’t so bad after all.
He really hasn’t posted in a while now, has he?
The funny thing is, I DON’T KNOW ANY OF THE OTHER PEOPLE ON HERE!!! There’s no conspiracy to rid this board of you dear Symp
Let me take it a step further: Not only do I not know anybody — well, OK, one or two people — but I generally dislike quite a bit of the people on here, based on thier online personas/opinions. Including, sometimes, BetterLife.
It’s just that somehow we’ve all independently come to the same conclusions about Sympatico. And I don’t really think that’s so strange a coincidence.