Texas Trooper Helicopter Sharpshooter

Near the Texas-Mexico border, near La Joya, Texas State game wardens attempted to make a vehicle stop this past Thursday and once the vehicle failed to yield Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) were called to assist. A Texas state trooper fired on the speeding and evading pickup from a DPS helicopter trying to disable the vehicle during the deadly chase resulting in the pickup tires blowing, the driver loosing control and the vehicle crashing into a ditch.

Two of the occupants were shot and later died, the remaining six were here in the U.S. illegally from Guatemala and arrested.

I know that different law enforcement agencies have different use of force policies and many agencies practice and have policieis regarding firing from helicopters on vehicles, people or boats. I was not there and have no opinion on whether the shooting was justified or not,....but I do take exception to a so-called "expert" on police chases, who said the "the decision to fire on the truck was “a reckless act” that served “no legitimate law enforcement purpose.”

This so-called expert, Geoffery Alpert, a professor of criminology from the University of South Carolina,...that would be several states to the east of Texas,.........also said “In 25 years following police pursuits, I hadn’t seen a situation where an officer shot a speeding vehicle from a helicopter. Such action would be reasonable only if “you know for sure the person driving the car deserves to die and that there are no other occupants.”

Mr Alpert continued opening his pie hole and continued on, stating "In general, law enforcement agencies allow the use of deadly force only when the car is being used as a weapon, not “just on a hunch.”

Boy, Mr Alpert you really must be an expert if you think police on fire on someone because they think the suspect "deserves to die".

Would it be a justified shooting if the truck was recklessly speeding and entering a populated zone?

How about if it was during going to school hours and that populated zone included some elementary school bus stops were children were waiting to board the school bus?

In case you don't know it Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies working on our border with the failed state called Mexico, routinely receive several threats to kill law enforcement personnel each week.

There are several "shots fired" at U.S. police officers on the border each week. And just because this turned out (after the chase) to be (just) illegal aliens does not diminish the fact that many aliens are also carrying drugs and weapons. Unless you were there, don't comment or judge law enforcement personnel who risk their lives each day to protect us,.....