zombola
04-03-2015, 12:51 PM
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27 year old Anthony Heffernan was shot and killed by a police officer that shot him a total of 4 times (3 shots to the head, 1 in the chest). Anthony was described by family as a loving and caring person and he was deeply loved for his sense of humor and passion for life. Anthony was on his way to starting a career as an electrical engineer and was already an experienced electrician before his death. Police reports claimed that Anthony had failed to check out of the Super 8 hotel by the check out time (11:00 am) and The motel then called police to check on him. Five officers arrived along with paramedics at around 3 p.m.
The officers apparently attempted communicating with Heffernan for approximately 30 minutes through his locked hotel room, but then decided to break down the door. The situation was then ruled as a ‘high-risk situation’ and as consequence Heffernan was tasered once first, which he fell back onto his bed from but ended up pulling the tasers out of his chest. When an officer attempted to taser him a second time one of the officers decided to pull out his gun and fire a total of 5 bullets which hit Anthony once in the chest and three times in the head while the other missed and hit the hotel wall. Anthony had been struggling with an addiction, although he was attempting to put that life behind him, he occasionally struggled. Anthony was said to have been holding a lighter and syringe in his hands although, he put them above his head when the police entered the room. Police said that due to his refusal to comply with their request for him to drop the items, They decided to use their tasers and even though the decision to fire shots was questionable, the family, as well as many others have the following questions on their minds:
1.Why a young man who was in medical distress, who was causing no public disturbance other than missing a check out time, warranted five police officers to bust down his door, thereby escalating the situation?
2.Why was a young man who did not have any weapons could not be detained by five police officers without it resulting in death?
3.Why was lethal force was required to take down an un-*armed, 170lb man clearly in need of medical help, who was causing no harm?
4.Why did it take more than 11 hours to report his death to the family?
5.Is it protocol to fatally shoot someone if the Taser is unsuccessful in controlling the situation?
With this all in consideration, regardless of Anthony’s struggle with addiction, the facts are clear: there could have been other ways for this situation to have been dealt with that wouldn’t have had fatal consequences. Anthony was just beginning his recovery and was clearly in need of help. Anthony was trying to get his life on track. He had just bought a new car, gotten a new job, and was on his way to building his career. Family members want to know whether police followed the correct protocol for dealing with people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and whether that protocol should be reviewed. They question whether paramedics could have helped Heffernan, and if the situation could have been dealt with differently.
In honor of Anthony there will be a rally held on Saturday, April 4th, 2015 at 11:30 AM. We will be protesting against the brutal and fatal actions that officers choose to take when dealing with situations such as this one. We will have a spot set out have for Anthony so that if anyone chooses to, they may leave candles/flowers/etc. We realize that the Heffernan family is grieving but we invite any family members to speak out at the rally if they would like to.
Calgary herald
27 year old Anthony Heffernan was shot and killed by a police officer that shot him a total of 4 times (3 shots to the head, 1 in the chest). Anthony was described by family as a loving and caring person and he was deeply loved for his sense of humor and passion for life. Anthony was on his way to starting a career as an electrical engineer and was already an experienced electrician before his death. Police reports claimed that Anthony had failed to check out of the Super 8 hotel by the check out time (11:00 am) and The motel then called police to check on him. Five officers arrived along with paramedics at around 3 p.m.
The officers apparently attempted communicating with Heffernan for approximately 30 minutes through his locked hotel room, but then decided to break down the door. The situation was then ruled as a ‘high-risk situation’ and as consequence Heffernan was tasered once first, which he fell back onto his bed from but ended up pulling the tasers out of his chest. When an officer attempted to taser him a second time one of the officers decided to pull out his gun and fire a total of 5 bullets which hit Anthony once in the chest and three times in the head while the other missed and hit the hotel wall. Anthony had been struggling with an addiction, although he was attempting to put that life behind him, he occasionally struggled. Anthony was said to have been holding a lighter and syringe in his hands although, he put them above his head when the police entered the room. Police said that due to his refusal to comply with their request for him to drop the items, They decided to use their tasers and even though the decision to fire shots was questionable, the family, as well as many others have the following questions on their minds:
1.Why a young man who was in medical distress, who was causing no public disturbance other than missing a check out time, warranted five police officers to bust down his door, thereby escalating the situation?
2.Why was a young man who did not have any weapons could not be detained by five police officers without it resulting in death?
3.Why was lethal force was required to take down an un-*armed, 170lb man clearly in need of medical help, who was causing no harm?
4.Why did it take more than 11 hours to report his death to the family?
5.Is it protocol to fatally shoot someone if the Taser is unsuccessful in controlling the situation?
With this all in consideration, regardless of Anthony’s struggle with addiction, the facts are clear: there could have been other ways for this situation to have been dealt with that wouldn’t have had fatal consequences. Anthony was just beginning his recovery and was clearly in need of help. Anthony was trying to get his life on track. He had just bought a new car, gotten a new job, and was on his way to building his career. Family members want to know whether police followed the correct protocol for dealing with people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and whether that protocol should be reviewed. They question whether paramedics could have helped Heffernan, and if the situation could have been dealt with differently.
In honor of Anthony there will be a rally held on Saturday, April 4th, 2015 at 11:30 AM. We will be protesting against the brutal and fatal actions that officers choose to take when dealing with situations such as this one. We will have a spot set out have for Anthony so that if anyone chooses to, they may leave candles/flowers/etc. We realize that the Heffernan family is grieving but we invite any family members to speak out at the rally if they would like to.
Calgary herald