Grandpa Killed in Drug Raid

Still light on details at the moment, but it looks like we have another innocent man gunned down in a botched drug raid.

The 68-year-old grandfather of 12 who was killed yesterday by a Framingham police SWAT team in an early-morning drug raid was a retired MBTA worker described by shocked neighbors as the "nicest guy in the world."

Eurie Stamps was not the target of the search warrant, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, and his death at the hands of police is under investigation.

Authorities said Stamps lived at the house with a woman whose son and another man were arrested in the raid on drug charges…

Police wouldn't say whether the shooting was justified. No weapons were recovered from the home, prosecutors said, and the suspects do not face weapons charges.

After Stamps was shot, police called an ambulance and gave him first aid, authorities said.

Joseph Bush fan, 20, the son of Stamps' com panion, Norma Bushfan, was arrested outside the house as police initiated the raid. Bushfan allegedly was carrying eight baggies of crack and $400 in cash. Devon Talbert, 20, was arrested in a rear bedroom.

More to come, I'm sure.

Comments

[Brian from Texas]

Wow! Another victory in the 'Drug War'.

[!]

Still light on details...

Hahahahaha!

[Bill]

It only makes good sense. We are in a WAR! Did they live within 5miles of a school? He was probably taking those 8 bags of crack to sell to poor little pre-schoolers.

If we shoot anyone who could possibly provide a home for the dealers we can cut them off at the roots. If they stay with mom or grandpa, shoot em'

[P Brooks]

Police wouldn't say whether the shooting was justified.

They are too busy writing up the commendations.

[Bee Tagger]

Still light on details at the moment

That's never stopped a drug raid in the past.

[The Thinking Man's NASCAR]

I think it would be more efficient if we just gave local police departments Predator drones and let them deal with alleged drug dealers from 30,000 feet, don't you?

[Steve]

Nuke 'em from orbit; it's the only way to be sure.

[Episiarch]

The police don't seem to get particularly bad PR even when they shoot old ladies or an innocent grandfather of twelve. The media is so far up the cops' asses that they'll never see light.

[grrizzly]

Below is a typical comment from the Boston Herald. As you can see more readers approved of it. Comments criticizing the SWAT team received negative marks.

LoveScratchTix
? +15 Good Comment -12 Poor Comment

The old man knew exactly what was going on in that house.

Police did their jobs.

[grrizzly]

Regular folks aren't outraged.

[Episiarch]

Note the genius' name: "LoveScratchTix". That for starters gives you an indication of their level of intelligence.

[Warty]

He loves scratching at ticks? That's the worst way to get them off.

[Episiarch]

Matches are much better. Especially for tiny deer ticks.

[Pip]

I had a friend who found a tick on the underside of the head of his dick. Because of the location, he couldn't position, see, or manage burning it off without help. I reluctantly burned it off for him. We were both in our twenties then and in really good shape. I'm not gay (NTTAWWT) but in hindsight, it would have been a great plot premise for a gay porn film.

[Axman]

I knew a guy who got a tick there once, and it swelled up to twice its normal size.

I tried to buy that tick from him, but he wouldn't sell it.

[Rhywun]

Oh... good point. These are the lowest form of scum to those of us who buy our milk and smokes at the corner deli.

[Episiarch]

What, you don't like standing there while some moron who doesn't understand probability (at all) picks out 10 different stupid scratch games and monopolizes the clerk at the separate and slow lottery register? You monster. Those cards could make that person rich!

[Tulpa]

That's easy to say for those of us who have comfortable lives and good prospects for continuing to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.

For a lot of people the only hope they ever have of living comfortably is winning the lottery. And please don't tell me you don't spend $10 or more on stupid, dissipative shit like entertainment and such.

[Tulpa]

That's easy to say for those of us who have comfortable lives and good prospects for continuing to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.

For a lot of people the only hope they ever have of living comfortably is winning the lottery. And please don't tell me you don't spend $10 or more on stupid, dissipative shit like entertainment and such.

[Episiarch]

Wow, you're significantly dumber than I thought. They have no hope of winning the lottery; they are far more likely to die in a plane crash or struck by lightning. That's my point. $10 for a movie would be far better spent; even $10 at the roulette table would be far better spent.

Congratulations, my opinion of you just dropped below what it already was. That's no mean feat.

[hmm]

They'd better of saving a few of those $10s and doing something about their situation. The odds of success in just about everything are better than lottery odds.

[swillfredo pareto]

And please don't tell me you don't spend $10 or more on stupid, dissipative shit like entertainment and such.

Not when it is $10 that should be spent feeding, clothing or housing myself and my family.

[Robert]

Never mind that name, what about Bushfan?

[Rhywun]

Puke. Decades of propaganda will have that effect.

[Typical American]

But surely you'll concede he had it coming, recklessly standing in the path of the police's bullets like that.

[Anonymous Coward]

I prefer this fecal nugget:

tankman ? +11 -9
Come on, man...the victim here knew darn well that criminal ILLEGAL drug dealers were operating outta his house....he was a town/saint and a house/devil in his house....wake up, folks...you break the law...you get arrested!!

Apparently, you also get summarily executed depending on what kind of mood the cops are in.

[Jim]

Joseph Bush fan, 20, the son of Stamps' com panion, Norma Bushfan, was arrested outside the house as police initiated the raid

Would things have been different if he were Joseph Obama fan?

[In Time of War]

In essence, drug possession (or being anywhere near a possessor, or being mistaken for possessing) carries a randomly-applied death sentence. I'd imagine if we asked people if they thought drug possession should carry the death penalty they'd say "no", but as long as the cops only cap a few people a day, it's alright.

[Slut Bunwalla]

A lot of people would say yes.

[squarooticus]

but as long as the cops only cap a few brown people a day, it's alright.

FYP.

[X]

You'd think Framingham would have enough resources to prevent mistakes like this. Their roster is so deep they have city planners who comment full time on blogs.

[Episiarch]

That's Lowell. They're about 40 miles apart. But point made.

[hmm]

You have to cut them some slack. They have so many other great attributes like strong ethics and strong work ethic that we citizens can't expect them to be proficient or experts in the use of deadly force with firearms.

Plus those evil fuckers probably had the cherry flavored crack and were selling it to wheelchair bound crippled kids.

[Timmy]

timmeh?

[R C Dean]

Joseph Bushfan, 20, the son of Stamps' companion, Norma Bushfan, was arrested outside the house as police initiated the raid

So, they arrested the target of the raid, and then went ahead and kicked in the door and shot the old man? Have I got that right?

[hmm]

Think another name on the warrant was in the house. Still it would be a shame to waste all that testosterone and entry/CQB training they don't get.

[Andrew S.]

Well, I sure feel safer!

[Numeromancer]

OMG! He was carrying $400!

[John]

Isn't carrying a lot of money like that grounds to have the money forfeited on suspicion of drug dealing?

[Brett L]

$400 is a lot of money to carry cash? Shit, I used to cash my paycheck at the bank it was written on and deposit the cash, minus spending money of about $400 in my bank. Imagine what they'd have done to me walking around with $3k in cash. OBVIOUSLY a drug dealer.

[Rrabbit]

I bet it looked like typical money from a drug deal. Mostly 20s, probably.

[cynical]

I don't know why they even bother to print 20s. Everyone knows only drug dealers carry cash in those kinds of denominations.

[anarch]

Every drug raid that doesn't intervene in the coerced ingestion of drugs is botched.

And I'm of the "drugs-are-bad-mm'kay?" school.

Don't force me to take drugs and I won't force you not to.

[fuck the police.]

what?

[R C Dean]

I'm lighting the Dunphy alert. Let's hear what Mr. New Professionalism has to say about this.

[Pip]

This link from yesterday will tell you all you need to know about that piece of dog shit, goat-fucking pig dunphy:

http://reason.com/blog/2011/01.....tcontainer

[Pip]

Better link (more accurate):

http://reason.com/blog/2011/01.....nt_2071673

[hmm]

I already covered his response sans the arbitrary Latin.

You have to cut them some slack. They have so many other great attributes like strong ethics and strong work ethic that we citizens can't expect them to be proficient or experts in the use of deadly force with firearms.

It's a budget issue, he needs more money to convey force his strong work ethics coworkers to utilize his expert knowledge and training.

[Carston]

Anyone else find it odd the name of the town is Framingham?

[Tulpa]

Police wouldn't say whether the shooting was justified.

Speaking of gambling, does anyone want to make a bet as to what the conclusion of their investigation will be?

[robc]

Yes I would like to make a bet, as long as I get to pick the result.

[fredt]

Isn't every black man over the age of 30 a grandfather?

[????? ??????]

Thanks