Doomed teen: Seemed hyped, non-violent to witness
Greene County teen Colby W. Eppard died January 1 following a police chase which ended when he allegedly began shooting at officers.FACEBOOK PHOTO
"I think that boy was gunned down and not given a chance," says a Free Union farmer who may have been the last person to speak with 18-year-old Colby W. Eppard, who perished January 1 after allegedly stealing a Greene County Sheriff's Deputy's cruiser and taking authorities on a three-county chase.
Connie Hicks had pulled her Ford F-350 into Maupin Brothers store on Free Union Road around 1pm on New Year's Day when she noticed a law enforcement vehicle with flashing white sidelights pull in. At first she thought there was trouble at the store, but she realized it was a different kind of trouble when a tattooed young man emerged and began fueling up a car missing its driver-side window.
"He said, 'It's the craziest thing,'" relates Hicks. "'I was in my aunt's truck, and I swerved to miss a puppy, and I wrecked, and this cop comes out of nowhere, and now I'm on the run.'"
Eppard would later go down in hail of boasts and bullets, with NBC29 recording some of his monologue on the police radio. Among his famous last words were "I stalk my f****** prey."
Hicks–- noticing beer, dipping tobacco, and a big black shotgun on the front seat–- urged the young man to get out of the car.
Connie Hicks: "I held on to him as long as I could, but he took off, and I lost my grip."FILE PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
"I leaned in over the broken glass and held both of his hands. And I looked into his eyes and told him, 'God loves you, and people love you.' And he said, 'I know, but they're hunting me.'"
Now leading the investigation, Virginia State Police say that Eppard, a Stanardsville resident, swiped a Greene County deputy's vehicle by smashing the window with a rock after the officer left the car locked but running while the deputy futilely searched on foot for Eppard.
"I'm a good old boy, and now I'm stalking them," Hicks says Eppard told her. "And he was laughing and said, ''The stupid fat bastards. I've got their shotgun and their own damn cop car.'"
Though police say that he died after firing multiple shots at law enforcement officers who surrounded the vehicle on Route 20 in the Red Hill area of Albemarle, Hicks says she saw nothing violent about Eppard.
"He goes in and pays for his gas," says Hicks. "I said, 'Get yourself up out of this car right now.' He said, 'No, no, no–- I can't let them catch me because I have 19 years over my head.'"
A store manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirms the detail about paying for his fuel, and Hicks says that Eppard's next move was to back up the vehicle and take a dip of tobacco.
"Why did he back up and stop? Because I was meant to talk to him," says Hicks, who calls the meeting "really spiritual."
Hicks, whose own plight as a farm-seeking farmer put her on the cover of the Hook last year, had come to the store to put air in the tires of her log-splitter. She wishes that instead of pursuing Eppard, law enforcers had backed off and let the teen be talked out of the situation by his mother.
"I would like to tell her how gentle he was with me and how unthreatening he was to me," says Hicks. "I am a 44-year-old woman with two kids, and I was leaning into the car, and there was the shotgun and a bunch of shells, and I tried to take the shotgun from him, and in no way did I ever feel threatened by him."
The whole topic of police pursuits and whether they incite more danger than they preserve is one that erupted two months ago after an 85mph chase on Rugby Road. Like that case, police say, the Eppard incident began with a possible property crime. Eppard had allegedly improperly taken a family member's vehicle before crashing it in Greene, but Hicks thinks law enforcement over-reacted.
"They should have found him, backed off, and let his mother talk him out of it. I think if I'd had a little longer with him I could have gotten him out of that car."
Hicks says that as she tried to take the keys out of the ignition, Eppard had had enough and accelerated back onto Free Union Road in the direction of Earlysville.
"He was definitely hyped up because he was on a chase, and it seemed to me that he was desperate and needed help, and he was running scared," says Hicks, who now wishes that she'd climbed inside.
"If he'd had a hostage, then maybe they wouldn't have shot him. Right now I'm kicking myself that I didn't get in the car with him," says Hicks.
"You know what's ironic?" says Hicks. "He said, 'All this is happening because I swerved to miss a puppy.'"
However, State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller issued a release January 4 indicating a series of events less flattering to Eppard. These include taking a truck without authorization, speeding, sideswiping another vehicle and then fleeing the scene, wrecking the truck, eluding an officer, stealing a patrol car, wrecking the patrol car, and–- most seriously–- shooting at officers.
–photo of Colby Eppard added at 11:17pm January 4
–story completely rewritten 10:56am after witness interview
–original headline: Doomed teen: 'I stalk my f****** prey'
–original story: A car thief goes down in hail of boasts and bullets, and NBC29 records the famous last words of 18-year-old Stanardsvillian Colby Eppard.
–new paragraph about police release and ribald dialogue integrated into story at 9:20pm January 4
336 comments
It is easy to hate the living, while the dead rest in peace.
Tina, I think that Connie Hicks is naive and doing more harm than good by passing on sob-stories about puppies in the road and good sweet boys who just want to talk to their mommas, but I don't doubt her story. You reject it because it doesn't seem rational to you that someone in mid-crime-spree would stop and chat while getting gas, but apparently Eppard wasn't rational at all. People do very bizarre things, and sometimes they don't conform to the ideas that rational people have of how you would behave if you were in Situation X or what makes the most sense.
quote: "Yesterday afternoon as I took a relative to UVA medical center to a doctors appointment,and as we returned to second floor of the deck, an elderly man in an old car with two other occupants hit me with his car as we walked well off the vehicle travel path. He drove off and parked above us. As a woman comfortable and skilled with handguns, did I fire on him ? Of course not."
If he had a firearm attempting to murder you, would you have returned fire?
I know for.a fact he was a good kid I grew up with him! Everyone can think wut they want about him but I know how he was, so everyone keep think wut u want!! RIP colby! "Love you man!" we will miss u
Suicide is a very, very sad thing, whether by your own hand or suicide by cop... he did what he did , and there was no talking to this young man, I do not think there was time for his mother, father or anyone to talk to him at all.. cries for help sometimes go unheard.. and sad to say his cries were loud and clear AND STILL no one heard.. I feel sorry for the Officers involved, for him, and his family .. Prayers are lifted for them all.
Gasbag Self Ordained Expert: Regarding the Mansoor case the words speak for themselves. Mansoor was one heck of an officer and what ACPD did to him...there is no excuse. It impressed me that he had the courage to stand up for what he knew was right.
For the record, I would never fire into a vehicle if someone just "ran me off the road". I was involved in a serious accident when I was 22. I could have collected BIG TIME in that case as a commercial vehicle hit me. I did not ever sue. HOWEVER, come rolling my way shooting at me...I will defend myself.
There is a difference is someone acting as Colby was that day and running people off the road...and then a "real" accident.
Quote: GSOE "Mr/Mrs/Miss LOL, by God, show ââ?¬Ë?em how it’s done! Take the lead. Post your name and address first. Then dare ââ?¬Ë?em to man up and do the same! If they refuse to after you post yours, contace the commonwealth attorney and file a motion to have their man cards revoked! :)"
LOL Good sense of humor. I don't think they ever had man cards and they probably got their badges in a McDonalds Happy Meal. I don't see any names and addresses from those pontificating to be law enforcement posting here.
So, I think the clear conclusion is that law enforcement professionals are not posting here. Just a bunch of gasbags that admit they will shoot people given whatever reason they deem appropriate. Probably the same people who can't catch someone without giving away their police car. LOL I have never met anyone in law enforcement who writes and makes statements as they do who is a true professional.
*stretch*
*yawn*
Well, I will bet that becuase of this tragedy at least one person thinks twice before doing anything as stupid as this guy did. That means that the cops did "protect and serve" in this case.
This ain't Hazzard county and bo and luke duke are fictional characters.
Seems to me it is just another case of someone driving themselves into an early grave.
quote: "It’s always difficult to deal with someone who intends to commit ââ?¬Å?suicide by cop”.
Why can you guys and girls not read the caption with the picture above? It clearly says Colby Eppard "allegedly" began to fire upon cops. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't. Show me the video. Until I see the video we only have one side of the story, the cop shoppe version.
Or better yet, you tell me exactly which cops returned fire and I can most likely tell you in a heartbeat if their story is credible or not. It's really a shame it's come to the point of second guessing police actions and press releases based on the past reputations of a few bad apples.
Any by the way, nothing in Virginia law gives you the right to discharge a firearm at a person who has accidentally hit you with his car. You're comparing apples to oranges with your example. That's the point I am making.
comment deleted by moderator
Yeah, Sam, (and Tina)! The nerve of Mrs. Hicks, to try to intervene and save lives, and then to offer solace to the family of the dead! What an awful person! The good people of Charlottesville should never involve ourselves in messy situations like that so we can stay pristine and criticize others from our moral high ground. I'm sure that this mother of two kids was thinking about her 15 minutes of fame as she was bleeding being dragged around hanging out of a car window begging a troubled teen to reverse his path of self destruction.
Many people here know either the officers involved or the young man. I don't, for me its not personal, but what I take away from this is that our response to dealing with a troubled youth in the case of this young man, who was clearly loved, was completely inadequate. I am glad that despite his distress, he was shown kindness by at least one person in his final moments on earth. Colby is not the only troubled teen out there, not by a long shot. What can we learn from this episode so that his counterparts can heal rather than explode? I'd welcome responses from those of you that were close with Colby.
Thank God Sam is in agreement.
Also Hicks told The Hook and their readers that Eppard did not purchase beer from Maupins. While Hicks mother told the media that Hicks said Eppard purchased gas, dip, and a 6 pack from Maupins.
And does anyone really think that she would try to take the gun and the keys from a man that was in a stolen police car???
Ms. Hicks story seeking a land lease and running her farm all by her lonesome did not mention the help she received from her hubby nor the countless others over the years. This story is embellished as well..I know both parties and if Mrs. H was true to her word and wanted the family to know of this meeting she could have told them one and one and not went running to the Hook. A lot of people close to the circle find this whole mess shameless.
Hum, ever been shot at? Me neither- not sure how I would react if i were a cop- I am pretty sure that they are trained to kill if shot at. To protect themselves, fellow officers and civilians.
quote: "Gasbag. I know a lot of the Greene County officers. They are some of the most wonderful people I have ever meet in my life."
Agreed. I used to work there. Duh!
This story isn't really about Greene County. It's about what happened when the suspect was stopped and shot to death in Albemarle County.
.......and although he was shot to death in Albemarle County does NOT imply that it was ACPD that pulled the trigger. Just remember that there were MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS involved in this. ;)
What the real bottom line is this: Colby made alot of bad decisions in his life and most importantly on Friday; therefore he was in control of the outcome. How about simply give up the chase and surrender. That is ALL he had to do. It can't get anymore simplier than that!!!
All of the coffee house/donut jokes are so lame. How about coming up with something new?
Well Gasbag..duh? I didn't know adults said that. Boy you are mature.
I am pretty sure that Greene County was involved in the shooting as well. As for officers taking a break. They have to eat! They keep their radios on at all times. I have, more than once, saw deputies sitting down to eat only to have to leave their meal to run out the door due to a call. EMT's and firefighters do the same thing.
I think maybe you either worked for Albemarle County and got fired or tried to work for Albemarle County and got turned down. Maybe you put something like "duh" on your application?
My guess, and it's only that, is that this young man was unemployed. Unfortunately,, with the loss of jobs, particularly in the construction industry and more on the way ( remember many of these jobs are going to out of state companies, bringing in their own workers); young men will be under great stress, and acting out will become more common.
Hardly. It is not worth it. 20 cops can't outhink, bu t can OUTBULLY a 18 year old scared kid. With smart cops the ending would have be different. It was murder. And oh yea, it would be Albemarle...Of course.
Need I say more???
I am surprised how far Mrs. Hicks will go to get her name in the paper. Last year her farm plight and now this. Really, Connie??
Ms. Hicks... You are possibly the dumbest on Earth. If someone had two shotguns on the front seat, obviously they intend to use them. The police were not given the oppurtunity to "talk him down" because they were being shot at. You are ignorant
Maybe this troubled young man was on a death wish high. Could he have wanted to go out in a blaze of glory and wanted suicide by cop? This is another situation of a troubled teen who needed to know more about love and God instead of hate and guns!
Thank you for the correction . Either way , does anyone know if the weapons are secure ? The reason I ask is , something tells me we were lucky this kid din't know to look in the trunk . Not all -but several of the cruisers I encountered had AR-15's in the trunk with enough ammo for a small army , these were secured , but not locked in any way.
Dakota
it's late. those with mommy access will back. LOL
The cop is NOT an idiot. It is commonly procedure to leave a vehicle running and accessible for the officer in a situation like this. The kid had a traumatic brain injury as a child and never completely recovered. The situation is tragic, but blaming the cop or being angry with the kid will solve nothing.
if you were a cop and being shot at, would you duck and hide? No you protect yourself. Eppard's irractic behavior was dangerous. He very easily could have killed someone in his reckless driving.
then we would be accusing the police of either causing the wreck or not doing enough to stop him.
It was a GREENE County cop car. We need to know how they secure weapons.
Dakota, it was a Greene Co sheriff's deputy vehicle, not an Albemarle vehicle.
AugustaCounty...Hell yes, count me in!!!!
I Listened on a scanner from beginning to end. The Cops gave the
kid every chance. It was a long chase. He had the shotgun out the window for miles. He ran many cars off the road. The cops used spike strips to safely slow him down. He drove on the bare rims.
He shot at the cops. The didn't shoot him until he left the car
and came at them shooting. He was a young man. HE gave the cops
no choice. The cops were right. God bless the cops and may he
forgive Colby.
Plus, just sayin', even if the car HAD BEEN unlocked with the keys in it, running, you know what? I learned, when I was young, not to steal police cars and drive at high speeds endangering others while I fled from the police and then shot at them. It wasn't that difficult a lesson. My kids are learning the same lessons: don't take things that don't belong to you, don't shoot at other human beings, don't drive in such a way that you endanger other people's lives, etc.
I also learned not to blame others for my conscious decisions. These are just not difficult lessons to teach or to learn, despite all the "this could have been anyone's child" kind of talk. No, it could not have been "anyone's child." It's not random bad luck that could strike any one of us or our children. It was a set of very bad decisions that someone consciously made, with very bad consequences, and like others on this board, I'm glad (a) no innocent drivers were killed on the roads during this chase, and (b) no cops were killed while doing a job that I don't believe any of the critics on this board are willing to do.
Dakota,
The problem I have with Ms. Hicks is that she keeps trying to defend Colby and his actions. Kudos' for her action in dealing with him, but quit defending him and his actions of trying to kill fellow law enforcement officers. Very good for her in holding his hands and telling him that God loves him. He probably needed to have that fuzzy moment for years. It is sad that he is deceased. Unfortunately he was in control of his actions that day.
I feel that Ms. Hicks did the best she could with the few seconds she shared with Criminal Colby, however those were just a brief few seconds of 18 years of bad choices.
It's a real shame that there is not this much outpouring of sympathy when a Law Enforcement officer or even a law abiding citizen is killed/murdered.
Connie Hicks Im so proud of you for telling this guy that God loves him.It breaks my heart to read this story how this all happen.I hope you are doing ok and I will be praying for you and this guys family.Connie you went above all to help this guy you cant keep worrying.
WOW Hoolarious really? Three comments directed at me? I'm truly touched by your efforts. I am only as well informed as the article I am commenting on. Glad you read the progress somebody has to. I am glad to hear Connie's compassion for the young man. I only wish she could show the same compassion to her cows. You shoot at cops they will shoot back purty simple really? I said to my son yesterday "Rule number one don't shoot at the police!" He looked at me like I was crazy and said "why would I shoot at the police?" My answer? "Because you swerved to miss a puppy"
quote: "..”Šoh and where I come from, we don’t second quess our brothers in blue..."
I didn't either. Until 1997. After having been a sworn deputy sheriff myself for 23 years at the time, I was introduced to lying corrupt corrupt cops who would lie like dogs to cover their own mistakes. They couldn't admit they made a mistake and apologize. That would have been way too simple. I had to fight them full steam ahead through the false criminal charges and through the lawsuits I filed later and prevailed in.
Furthermore, based on the false and intentionally misleading press releases I personally observed from 1997 to 2005, I place no faith whatsoever in any press release made by any law enforcement agency.
And like I said above, unless I am sadly mistaken, the entire truth about this shooting will never be released to the public. Time will tell. :)
Mr/Mrs/Miss LOL, the person above named "law" is simply displaying the typical "us vs them" mentality that exists amongst today's cops.
Gasbag has found "right click - paste" again! Hey, tell us about pursuits, wheelchairs, etc.
Where did he get the beer? Perhaps the beer was already in the patrol car beside the big box of donuts.
quote: ââ?¬Å?”ŠPOLICE OFFICERS”Š Their job is to serve and protect.”
GSOE say's ------------------------ > "False. The courts in this land have ruled that cops have no obligation whatsoever to protect you from anything.
I wonder how many people are desperately searching trying to discredit that comment ? Save your fingers people that comment is undisputable .
Dakota
JK, none of that stuff is in Hawes' second story. The second story is entirely the naive Ms. Hicks, and he opens the story with her inflammatory observation ââ?¬Å?I think that boy was gunned down and not given a chance." Hawes alluded to nothing.
frankly, there is nothing in either story that contradicts the possibility that this young man was a sociopath. The fact that he was able to get an intelligent, worldly adult to feel sympathy (or at least empathy) for him is consistent with many, many others' experiences with sociopaths throughout the ages.
The story of the puppy is consistent with this possibility as well. All fans of the Sopranos will recall Tony's compassion for animals. And the fact that this man would use an unverified anecdote to tug at the heart strings of Ms. Hicks to the point where she would bemoan the fact that a man shooting at police officers would get shot in response is almost a text book example.
But he would not be the first example of a sociopath emotionally manipulating a mature woman, not by a long shot. There are sociopaths living among us who have gotten away with heinous crimes. The bottom line is that this man did not get away with his.
Before you all get off on religion v. humanism or some such debate, I rewrote the story after interviewing a witness.--hawes spencer
It's my understanding that it is standard procedure to leave the car running, with the doors locked, with a second set of keys on the cop's person. That makes it quicker, if the cop needs to get back and get going quickly, then starting the car. If the kid is so determined to steal a cop car that he smashes the window (think about how hard you have to hit a car window to smash it in), I'm not sure how that's the cop's fault.
Maybe the standard procedure is faulty, but I don't think the cop did anything he wasn't trained to do.
The first murder of 2010, done by the cops. Not a surprise.
Give the kid a Darwin Award for what he did. Think about it, he stole a police officers vehicle; he taunted the officer over the radio and ran INNOCIENT people off the road as well as shot at the police.
What do you think is going to happen, Maybe the police should have slapped him on the wrist telling him everything is going to be alright or give him a cookie. Maybe we can send him to bed with no dinner that might work. You have to realize that HE endangered the lives of so many People doing such a stupid act. He wasn’t thinking about anyone else but himself and he deserved what he got. If, you do the crime you better be prepared to pay the consequences. The police offers had no other options and they were correct in doing what they did.
Blah, I'm wondering also why Hawes completely removed the first story (which included all the expletive-laced quotes from Eppard on the police radio) and replaced it with the naive musings of Ms. Hicks (who in fact witnessed only some of the events). It seems that often two stories are left posted, one after another, instead of completely wiping the first story out.
I am guessing that Mr Hawes, on receipt of additional information, was enlightened enough to write an article with the sum total of information we have, not simply one side of it. Like most things in life, this incident is not just about a young man with a brain injury and a psychiatric history who went on a rampage. It's about a family who tried to get him help and successfully got him into multiple hospitalizations for Residential Treatment. It's about psychiatry's fragile ability to diagnose, predict and treat many disorders, particularly in young people. It's about the great loss his family, his friends, and his community will suffer, as they know an entirely different Colby than the one the police saw, and heard that day. It's about Ms. Hicks and the police officers who ended his life, who will rethink their actions that day for many years to come, and who may be haunted by it. It's about our culture, and the number of young men who may act out similarly in future, and what our plans might be for those moments. Mr. Hawes chose to write alluding to the potential complexities of this case. Nothing that any of us really know about is ever as simple as it may first appear.
If I am not mistaken, Connie rescued the puppy too. It's her newest "cub"...
Doug, this could have ended peacefully....Colby had his fate in his own hands. He made the decisions in the end that cost him his life.
Colby had his thinking cap on...he was able to grab him 3 or 4 beers for the ride in the stolen patrol car. No one is adding underage drinking...and driving...and where did he get this beer?
Colby took the truck from his aunt. The truck was reported 'stolen' after colby had gotten into a 'tiff' with a relative and took off. He has been known to occasionally do this because of his temperments. When he was a child he was hit with a truck which caused swelling of the brain. This led to a chemical imbalance and behavoiral problems (Behavoiral problems meaning quick to get emotional). Anyways after Colby's cop chase ended; the cops from 3 different counties unloaded their guns into an 18 year old boy. Colby was hit 22 times. I'm pretty sure that we don't even shoot mass murderers 22 times let alone 18 year olds with mental instabilities. Its rediculous how heartless a lot of people are veiwing this situation. I reolize the police were doing their jobs but really? Oh and it also amazes me how the 3 main cops cars involved in the events that day for some reason no longer have working video recordings of that day, but every other cruiser does. Think about that next time you decide to make a rude comment about how just or unjust the situation is.... oh and to tina Colby was a very very good hunter as many rednecks in greene are and if he had wanted to kill a cop then he would not have missed. Colby had a good heart and may God forgive him.
quote: "...POLICE OFFICERS... Their job is to serve and protect."
False. The courts in this land have ruled that cops have no obligation whatsoever to protect you from anything.
It sounds like this was a good young man who may have had a lot of issues. It seems as if the family attemptted to get him help for over the years. Maybe he was mentally disabled, he could have had paraniod scitzophrenia, bi-polar, or a personality disorder. Statistics show many individuals in prison have a mental illness. I cannot believe that any cop wakes up in the morning wishing he or she could kill someone that day. I also do not believe that any parent or family member that called the police for help would ever think that their loved one would be killed. Don't you think a lot of people are hurting over this? On both sides? So let's allow this situation to be resolved. Stop the blame game, so that the family of Colby, and of the police can gain some closure and rest.
It appears that a serious discussion concerning potential police excessive force which brought up serious questions concerning autopsies, when information should and should not be released to the public etc. has been derailed and has descended into slanderous postings concerning a peripheral character who simply posted here. And they say the American people are bright enough to deserve better governance than they presently have. Perhaps Congress is right. Perhaps most Americans can't stay on the point long enough to make decisions, and have to have them made for them. I thought Congress was wrong.
Miss Hicks is your witness a worker for The Hook?
If so, I see that this was a publicity story, not you trying to tell the parents you tried to help Eppard. You could have called them yourself.
Again. Your story has inconsistancies. You said this to The Hook, you said this to your mother.....
GOSE
I have to agree after that video . I despise when in a situation like the one you pointed out , I despise hearing " they are looking into things"
Just another black eye for LE
I offer you back a GOOD COP . I have to add , OMG I think I would have been a bad cop with this guy . sheeeese
WARNING for the kids . LAUNGUAGE IS HARSH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlr041dVKYo
I am extremely suprised so many people are quick to blame the cops. Im sorry for the kids death, but if someone is shooting at me with a shotgon and I have a gun, im going to shoot back. And the whole car thing, it does not take much more than common sense to know that the car must stay on in case the cop has to chase the suspect down again. The mom actually baby sat me as a young child and discipline was never an issue. We need to look at the obvious, the kid had metal problems, made a bunch of mistakes and it ultimately cost him his life. So do not be so shallow to blame a cop for not just standing there and letting himself get shot. Cops have families to.
Im praying for everyones,its a sad ending for all. Im not taking sides,im only saying that he was not violent in the beginning.
I want his family to know that someone held his hand before the tragc ending and that was God.I want them to know what I saw. Can we all stop blame? there is no BLAME..as for the puppy,it was part of the story he told, im not saying its ok to shoot at anyone, im just telling the coincidences that let to where i saw him,
I feel for the cops,and the colby,you dont understand what im saying, i didnt "want" a cop to die instead, i only did what i could do. I want to learn from this. It is a lesson.
i didnt want ANYONE hurt, this is why i talk to him. i knew it was a desperate situation about to get worse. Pleas, i only tried to help, everyone,the cops,the civilians,I didnt want anyone hurt and if that meant putting my life on the line, i did..im just sorry that some take that and turn it into hatred,this is the very attitude we need to STOP.god bless ALL involved,you,me,cops,family,and puppy.
GSOE
Wow , I didn't even have to ask you the question to say this far , also weighing many of your other post , GOOD COP !
Why you may ask ? You show me a cop that has more than 36 months under his/her belt that won't admit they have collared somebody based on emotional feelings about the situation with no legal grounds , or maybe didn't exactly recount the story in front of a judge the way the crime went down , maybe gave a waffle face to a perp because they were being a jerk in the back of a cruiser . AND my favorite .... show me a cop that hasn't let a simple speeder gain a little ground because early on in the business of running radar the chase is fun and welcomed ( now this grows old as good Cops gain experience and become better Cops , but they still like to try out new cruisers :) ,If Joe public had the opportunity they would do the same thing . But anyway I won't go on and on , you get the just of it . You show me a cop with a little experience that won't admit to the truth , I will show you a BAD COP and a bold face LIAR .
Now the US vs THEM works the other way also with the public . The problem is , it's a whole lot of the public that get blinded by what a few BAD cops do and want to round EVERY cop and burn them at the stake . I don't know how to fix it as I wish there was more harmony .
Oh and really good cops do BAD things for really good reasons . I would have to write for a week to explain that statement but sometimes dirt bag carrier criminals know the system better than the system does , at times , in some situations; Good Cops make the right things happen . Oh, and joe public would do the same thing .
I don't blame all of the public for what a few criminals did just as I don't blame all cop's for what a few bad ones do . There is harmony, I just wish I had some superpowers to bring it together .
Ok rambling , poorly written and in a hurry .
Dakota
Want to sleep in your bed at night..? Dont steal a car.
If indeed the official account of the events is true, this idiot deserved every bullet that was put into his body. It kinda sickens me how some people are too willing to make excuses ('he had a bad home life') or blame everyone else ('why didn't the police try to call his mommy to come talk to him?', or let him run, or any of the other moronic ideas people have posted). He was not a child, he was old enough to defuse the situation had he so chosen. And while Ms. Hicks efforts to talk him down were quite noble, I too, am of the opinion that she is lucky not to be dead right now.
My deepest appreciation goes out to all of the cops and other emergency personnel who risk their lives while doing their best to help the community (and, Gasbag, I do realize that not every cop is a good cop, thanks:)).
quote: "Want to sleep in your bed at night..? Dont steal a car."
Or enter a pedestrian crosswalk if a cop shoppe car is within sight. :)
All of you people should feel cold hearted. Colby actually was a good person believe it or not. You people have no room to say he was a bad kid. Yes, he had gotten in trouble before but if you really wanna know, he promised himself no matter what he would NEVER go back to jail. Maybe he felt he would rather die than go back. Yes, he never should have taken the truck to begin with but it's not like he stole it. They let him use the truck usually and since a recent disagreement took the keys. I can not believe all of you people are trying to act like you knew him and know exactly why this happened. Colby Wade Eppard was a GOOD, laid back person. Lay off.
RIP Colby. You will forever be loved and missed by many <3
Re: Law’s Comment
ââ?¬Å?....keep your mouth shut because until you wear our shoes for twelve hours and been through a police academy for 22 to 28 weeks to have .5 seconds to make a life or death decision then you have no room to open your big mouth.”
Re: Law Enforcement Oath of Honor.
"I will always uphold the Constitution, the community, and the agency I serve, so help me God."
ââ?¬Å?ACCOUNTABILITY means that we are answerable and responsible for our actions.”
You may also want to review the First Amendment to Constitution before you tell people that they have ââ?¬Å?no room to open their big mouths” in a country with Free Speech. And, honestly, what happened to the oath you took?
And I further submit to you that the Attorneys and Judges are going to have ample latitude to open their mouths if you ever find yourself in a courtroom. Any they will judge without having been in your academy.
Based on all the preceding comments in this discussion, the following people are fundamentally to blame for this tragedy:
Parents who don't discipline their children enough; parents who don't show their children enough love; the economy; deathcore music; gun nuts; a society that has turned from God; Christians who try to imitate the compassion of Jesus; Greene County cops; Albemarle County cops; all cops; civilians who don't know anything about cops; Greene County rednecks; elitist Charlottesville liberals; psychologists and "experts"; Hawes Spencer; the Charlottesville City Council; illegal aliens and whoever it was that made Timothy McVeigh go wrong even though he was a good man.
So far as I can figure, the only groups missing are the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, Dave Matthews Band, and people who talk on their cell phones while making left turns at 29 and Hydraulic Road.
It doesn't take a crystal ball to read stories. Hicks said one thing above and yet another was told to her mother. I only read the facts. And her story doesn't add up to basic sense.
Boy on the run+ talking to a stranger for a long period of time = bullcrap!!!
Well first of all half the people that always dowm grade police officers have at some point in time been on the wrong side of the criminal justice system and POed because they got arrestted or given a ticket. On the other side when something really bad is happening in a city or county and it's involving you the police never do enough and it always takes them forever to get on scene. So please would people just make up their mind either you like use or you don't. If you don't like us then keep your mouth shut because until you wear our shoes for twelve hours and been through a police academy for 22 to 28 weeks to have .5 seconds to make a life or death decision then you have no room to open your big mouth. Last I beleive that all the police officers invovled in this matter done as they were trained, all except one thing, Mrs. Connie Hicks needs to be ECOed. WE ALL GO HOME.
I am sooo sorry for the loss this young man's family and friends are experiencing!! They are in my prayers!! As to those of you preaching "excessive force" and "he was not a man but a child" you must consider how your opinion would change had he killed one of your loved ones during this incident. You would then be screaming "why didn't the police do more" and "charge him as an adult". This was a horrible thing that happened for this young man as well as the officers that were forced to make a irreversable decision. If you think these officers are enjoying this "paid vacation" you are delusional!! Hold your children close, kiss them and tell them how much you love them every chance you get, for any one of us could have something similar in our future!! God works in mysterious ways!!
GSOE: During my 23 years in LE and 26 years in the military with numerous combat tours overseas, I have had to encounter bullets coming my way, some instances where I was actually hit. When fired upon, you return fire; or you will be the one dead. You have to defend yourself. I typically do not like to pass judgement until I have all the facts, however it is pretty cut and dry. Despite the fact that Colby had issues mentally, he knew right from wrong. I am sure you have heard the tapes of his taunting; he knew what he was doing, and he knew it was wrong. Let me ask you this...if you were actually working the streets that day...and Colby was firing in your direction; what would you do? I've always been trained that when you are being shot at, you shoot back. I go home. I would love to know what you would have done if that shoe was on your foot on 1/1/10. Would you stand there and take the rounds he was firing off...or would you defend yourself? You have a family to go home to right?
...oh and where I come from, we don't second quess our brothers in blue.
Howdy, fans,
My original "story" remains at the bottom along with its original headline that holds the bleeped-out f-bomb. (The "story" consisted merely of the one sentence and that headline.--hawes spencer
What happened to the puppy?
"hook's mission", I think this article is an excellent job of journalism. Mr. Spencer interviewed the last person known to communicate directly with Colby. Ms. Hicks' details provide a rich and far from insignificant slice of factual information that serve to shed light on what was happening mentally with this young man.
Not every article needs to balance every point of view. Ms. Hicks was interviewed and stated her opinion. I don't read where her opinion is presented as anything other than her opinion.
For Ms. Hicks to be so profoundly affected by this experience is only natural. It is a scene right out of a movie, even if the overall story appears to be a senseless and tragic one.
I personally believe that this young man died in response to his own actions sad as it may be.
That being said, there is no such "procedure" or "policy" or "training" for locking the keys in a cruiser. Is it common practice? Is it done many times? Yes. Does that give some one, any one, the right to break a window and steal the vehicle? No.
To Beth's comment about officers being trained to shoot to "disarm, etc." a suspect let me add that is also NOT true. Officer's are trained to shoot to prevent further aggression and to defend themselves and others. Unlike the movies, officers are NOT trained to shoot a weapon out of a suspects hand, they are NOT trained to "go Rambo" and try to disarm a suspect. They are trained to defend themselves and others plain and simple.
These officers had to make a decision in a matter of seconds while the rest of the community "arm chair quarterback's" and second guesses their actions for days, weeks, even months and years to come.
Understand that what may have happened hours or even minutes prior to the shooting has little bearing on the milli-seconds leading up to their responding (quite appropriately, I might add) to a threat to their lives as well as to the lives of others.
It does not suprise me that it's a charlottesville paper and was written the way it was. I have lived here and in Greene all my life and came up with a saying, "If common sense was the best friend of everyone in charlottesville, there would be a lot of lonely people." I see it and hear it everyday.
IM WITH TINA!
1. Does any one know if the police attempted to talk with him to calm him down or resolve this situation before the firing occurred?
if the yonug man was talking to the police (no matter how ugly his tone), on the police radio, than obviously that left a line of communication open.
2. How did the boy have time to go into a store etc... without the police catching up with him? He even had a conversation with a lady. That's a lot of time!
3. Is it true that this boy's foster care mother is a convicted child molester?
4. Is it true the child was abused as a child to the point to where he had to be removed from his home?
5. Also, in one report, the school William Monroe stated he had quit school, but could not even provide a date. IS this how much they cared for this boy? They could not even give a definate date of when he quit?
This is all sad, if only someone had stepped in to help him. He seemed to have a he-- of a life. I'm not excusing what he did, but my goodness the more I hear about this boy's life the more I gain a better understanding of his mentality.
To me, all of this shows that this is a commmunity issue,and that Social Services and other organizations should be held responsible.
And please do not tell me that lady (Cox), is still foster caring or I will call Nancy Grace! This is a pitiful story of a child that seemingly fell through the cracks.
I really like AugustaCounty. Whoever he or she is is down right determined to continue with a comeback everytime someone leaves a stupid remark. LOVE IT!!!
LOL....we've all heard the tapes. Have you not listened to the news?
No i am not the spokes person for the family and no i dont have a link for any of you to read up on detailed information and then talk trash about it later because like i said i am a family freind and the news i recieved was the news his mother recieved, not the words of some reporter doing another interview. I would like to point out that yes legally you are an adult at 18 but Colby was only a few months into his 18th year so by simple rounding math I would hmmm round down and consider him still a kid just as all 18 year olds should be done. He had a childs mentality. Yes I reolize that if he had lived he would have tried as an adult but I am calling Colby a kid because of the mind state he was in. He was a scared kid. To the person talking about 20 cops firing two shots each. THats bullcrap! When a cop goes to fire in a situation like that they unload their gun and Colby was only HIT 22 times more shots were fired than 22 so mr math guy youre going to need to add some sort of variable in your little math problem. Oh yeah and about the three cop cars again no link because his mother was told it. Also tina Colby is now currently resting six feet under so do you think the autopsy report would still be going on. Are you aware that you need a body to do an autopsy. And ser when I said dead standing up i meant that after being hit so many times Colby died before he even hit the ground it wasnt a metaphor it was literal.
Dude, there are eighteen year olds serving the military in Iraq and Afghanistan as I type. They sure as he11 aren't kids, just because someone is stupid and scared doesn't make him a kid. Only stupid and scared.
Yeah, they are going to do/have done an autopsy. They have to. It may not be complete right now(tox screens take a while) but rest assured, that autopsy will be done. And I'm not sure about the lambast on AugustaCounty's math, it sounded okay to me. Are you by any chance a cop (you, ...), with knowledge of police procedure?
While I am sure you have the best of intentions, I'm not so sure I would take a grieving mother as a reliable source for information regarding her sons death. Just in case you were wondering why what you are saying is being taken with a grain of salt by most of the other posters.
And Tina, I agree, AugustaCounty is rocking.
So what is your insecurities Tina that you continue to beat a dead horse ? What's missing ?
You have said more here about a situation you know nothing about than Mr. Hicks said in the first place .
just saying :)
Dakota
Oh brother. Sounds like Gasbag should get out there and patrol for a week in lieu of being the paper taker.
Creosote, I blame it on the Bossa Nova.
The police ARE here to "serve and protect"
When they kill someone like this they are protecting me from his future rampages.
The Courts may not force police to take a bullet for you in the line of duty.. but that does not mean they won't.
The courts have also ruled that when police are negligent in their duties (ie allowing a drunk driver to "go straight home") they are held accountable. I would presume that that is based on not "protecting" the public from the drunk.
first off thank you law enforcement for your great service that you do every day. now the rest of you that have turned your back on these young men black and white shame on you. you give more respect to the illegals than your fellow countryman. some of you would drive 20 miles out of your way and pass up 20 of our own youth to go pick up one illegal waiting to work. part time jobs? all taking by illegals. you might want to step inside the head of Timothy McVeigh, if you dare. you might understand how our youth feel about there life. we have a whole society of people with this mind set. most feel lost with out any hope. type in Timothy McVeigh see for yourself a good man gone wrong. http://www.lewrockwell.com/maloney/maloney10.html
GSOE: NO I am not a "badge bunny". I have spent over 20+ years in law enforcement and military. What have you done for your country and community?
Personally , I don't see anyone stopping Ms. Hicks during this tragic event from doing what she did . Everything happens for a reason , I for one find her actions NOBEL and quiet frankly , something the "average " male would fear doing in that situation . I don't like to hear that anyone had to die in a situation like this but given what I have been told , considering everything , I don't see it being handled any different way .
I let this story lay on my mind last evening . What I do take comfort in , given this kids troubled past , for whatever reason it was so troubled . I take comfort in those last kind words he heard from Ms. Hicks . I am speculating , but my gut tells me that kid never heard those kind words too many times in his life .
For what it's worth , I would go against everything I believe in trying to condone what Colby did , I can't and I wont . What Ms. Hicks courageously did reassures me the world is still full of good people . Damn good people .
Ms. Hicks
What you did is what separates the Men from the boy's . Your instinctive efforts are also what give Women the edge in highly stressful situations ( especially when it involves children ) in my opinion , your actions fall right in there with the oldest law of the jungle . Never get between a lioness and her cub's . Most certainly Colby was not your cub , but for those few moment's, you tried your best to help Colby , HE was your cub ; in my eyes . Please take comfort that you offered Colby in the last few moment's of his life something a lot of people have trouble sharing under the best of condition's , what you said to him meant a lot in my opinion . I say that as Colby was in a state of mind he wasn't stopping , listening or giving up much at this point in his life . I strongly state that he heard you and it meant something to him , ââ?¬Å?Why did he back up and stop? .
Colby wasn't stopping for anybody ! Except you Ms. Hicks , you did what you could do !
Dakota
...appears to be the questioning of authority in all local matters (outside of the Charlottesville City Council chambers, of course) rather than the practice of responsible journalism. I have no problem with the former as long as this newspaper doesn't continue to hold itself out there as a beacon for the latter. It is completely irresponsible to pull the original story and replace it with the musings of a well-intentioned bleeding heart who happened to witness a small and arguably insignificant portion of the alleged sequence of events.
Unless you spent one day in law enforcement keep your mouths shut. It's so easy for you all to judge and second guess in the comfort of your own home. When you have gun shots breezing by your head and you have one milli second to respond, what are you gonna do?
Remember that old saying "Walk a mile in the man's shoes"...
Lastly, you Monday morning quarterbacks are probably the same "911" calls for a domestic dispute and want these same law enforcement officers to come out to your home and play REF.
Yeah, a puppy, that's what caused the first collision in the aunt's stolen truck. He swerved to miss a puppy. Awwwwwwwwww.
To Connie Hicks
I am so sorry that this young man's path did not unfold differently. He was not thinking clearly and you did tell him that God loves him, and that his family does also. You did provide that moment of sanity that if he could have grasped it at that time, he would have. Hold on to all that you DID do. You must not second guess your own actions. You did the best that you could given all of the information.
You are correct in that much more heinous criminals have received apparently more mercy than a young man with a mental health issue who lost his judgement, and became a threat to the public and to law enforcement, but this is how things unfold when we threaten law enforcement, and I believe that to this young man, this was in fact, a successful "blaze of glory suicide" attempt .
He is home safe with God now, and you, his family, and the officers who took lethal action are left here and must come to terms with all that happened. God bless you.
Ms Hicks, you criticize the police for not allowing Eppard to drive a stolen police cruiser loaded with weapons to visit his mother. How on earth were the police supposed to know that's what he wanted to do, and that he would indeed do that? (Oh sure, you can borrow our cruiser, since you're going to visit your Mom and all, no problem. Just bring it back when you're finished. Oh and don't steal the shotgun, you lil' rascal!)
In your repeated descriptions of the interaction you had with Eppard, at no point do you mention why he didn't just sit in his vehicle after the initial accident. People have accidents all the time, for many different reasons. When a police officer pulls over to help, they don't run off, then circle back and steal the police officer's car.
I feel tremendously sorry for Eppard's family, and for the officer who was put in the awful position of having to shoot him. This was a tragedy, plain and simple, and could have been completely avoided by the actions of one person-- Colby Eppard.
Let's see...an armed person in a stolen cop car. Uless you get out on your knees with your hands behind your head you know it's not gonna go well. I really am sorry kid, but you had to see it coming.
it's not murder if it's self-defense.
by the way...he wasn't killed in Greene.
YES REALLY
There is a difference between a tense situation and you sitting behind that screen making dumb comments in your easy chair . I agree the cop made a really dumb mistake , I also know it was a tense situation and cops are human .
OH and the coffee they are sipping is usually free :)
Dakota
When I first heard of this story my first thought was - "shot him dead?- was that really necessary". After reading what he did and said, I thought as others here did. Thank goodness no officers were hurt.
It's rare that a suspect will make his intent so clear. It's a wasted life but the police seem to have done the only thing they could. I still feel badly for his family, who must now live out their own personal hell. I can't even imagine what it wold be like to lose a child in this way.
Unemployed? Religion? Really? What ever happened to just plain crazy?
Religion hasn't proven to be much of a panacea for angry young men these days.
So the cop needs to be retrained because he has no common sense (can that be acquired through training?) and the kid was untrained enough to use a simple circle back route and steal a second vehicle from the very officers that were chasing him. Don't get me wrong I am not defending this kid or his actions. BUT you have to ask yourself had he not been able or let's say enabled to steal the police cruiser would he have met with such a demise? I guess we will never know. Sounds like the real idiot here is the cop who left his keys in the car. Sounds like the outcome might have been different if the IDIOT cop had the common sense to remove his keys from the ignition just like any sensible adult. Why would you leave your keys in the car? Call this kid an idiot fine. Well what do you call the cop that left his keys in the car? After all that is why this kid was able to get back on the road and endanger everyone on the road. Retrain? Yea send him back to the donut shop. He can probably leave his keys in the cruiser with the engine running and heat on high all while sipping coffee and debating hmm chocolate, glazed or traditional cake?
No chance at all.
When and if I get ready to post in this thread, I won't have to make up some new user name.
Are you folks forgetting what this story is? An 18 year old dead. In Greene county. It happens too often there. As usual in "Comments" people get in little fights with each other and call names. I don't care which of you is "righter". Geez...
I understand that on occasion, a person who shoots at a police officer, of any age, will have the police return fire, and will die as a result. This aside for a moment, this young man's theft of a police car and goading of the police, his obvious delusion of superiority to them, and his inability to slow down and consider what he was doing when confronted by a friend, sounds a great deal like a bipolar young man in the throes of a raging manic phase who is so uncomfortable within his own skin that he is asking them to kill him in order to be out of his own misery.
What a terrible shame that no one could properly diagnose him sooner, intervene positively at Residential Treatment, and medicate him effectively enough that he could become a positive force in the lives of those who loved him.
I pray for his family and for the officers who also have sons and who have to live with their apparent lack of alternatives at that fatal moment. I pray also for all of the other boys like him who need help, and will likely not get it either.
This story is heartfelt through the eyes of Mrs.. hicks . I must say , sounds like Mrs. hicks is one hell of a Women !
As for the facts . I owe the cop whom I previously said made a dumb mistake an apology , after the article update , Mr. Cop I apologize , you did what you were trained to do !
As for the shooting . Sorry people , it was justified in my eyes . I wish this young man would have received some help before this incident so things would have turned out better . But when he makes statements like he did in the radio traffic , he planned his own funeral.
Certainly the death certificate will state he died as a result of homicide - justified homicide .
Now, I do have a question as it has been some time since I rode in a police car , well at least in the front seats . The last time I drove a police car , the shotgun was mounted just to the right of the transmission "hump" for a lack of better explanation , when I say mounted, the gun was in a special magnetic locking device that held the gun upright , locked and it could not be unlocked unless you knew the secret trick , if you will . In the cruiser I used there was a push button under the dash to release the shotgun . Now on another, a SUV that was the captains and used as a back up for grunts when a cruiser was down ( as they usually were ) unlocking the shotgun was tricky , the release was set up with a "grounding " mechanism if you will . One hand had to be on the gun and the other hand touched an inconspicuous metal disc on the drivers door and walla the u shaped magnetic lock popped open releasing the shotgun .
Ok with all that babble . MY question is , how did this kid get access to that shotgun ? Or do we even secure weapons in the cruisers in Albemarle ?
Dakota
Someone really wants their two seconds of fame.
I am SOOO proud of Colby for paying for the gas. Whoooray. Since when did paying for gas give you a pass to go out and drive reckless; putting other lives in danger...and then step out of a stolen patrol vehicle, firing a weapon at law enforcement?
BTW, I paid for my gas today too. It was $2.57/per gallon. What did I win????
HE CERTAINLY DIDN'T CHOOSE TO LIVE.
You can't have it both ways.
Yes Eppard DID chose to die. He made that decision when he shot at law enforcement. If someone in my family was stupid enough to do what Eppard did, I would have no feelings other than I do now. I would be sad to lose someone I love and mourn their death.
and to whoever .....is! You are the spokesperson for the family?
An autopsy hasn't come back yet. So how dod you know Eppard was dead standing up?
Thanks "..."
"EXCESSIVE FORCE - A law enforcement officer has the right to use such force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances to make a lawful arrest. An unreasonable seizure occurs when a law enforcement officer uses excessive force in making a lawful arrest.
Whether force is reasonably necessary or excessive is measured by the force a reasonable and prudent law enforcement officer would use under the circumstances."
I guess the question is: Are 22 shots "Reasonable" and "Prudent"?
if you re read the story and think,,,think,,,you will see that i only wanted him to be givin a chance, to talk to his mother,
there are child molesters who are givin a trail and let out,rapist,murders, i just wanted him to have a fair trail.
the situation turned desperate, and in haste we overreact,the cops did there job yes, but im not in favor of hi speed pursuits.
I only felt compelled to tell HIS side of the story. im sorry that people take that and run with it and presume i wanted him to kill a cop,,,its OK to kill a cop,,,no,,,I tried tostop it,and it was a higher power that put me there, a mysterious coincidence ( and there have been MANY) We are ALL spiritual being, hold this visiion,i believe in synchronicity. So please dont argue with me,argue with GOD, for i hear for him,and he told me what to do.God put me there,i was selfless.i had faith that i could help.
and maybe i did,hopefully,bringing a little comfort to his family.
now,i have fed the cows,the sheep,the kids,the pigs, and im goin to church. god bless
As a self ordained expert, it seems to me like the cop shoppe could relieve themselves of a lot of heartburn and headaches if they would release whatever video they have.
No, I am not talking about releasing a video which shows the suspect being blown away. Release the video up to the point where the suspect raises a firearm in their direction.
Unless of course all the cop shoppes are eventually going to deny the existence of any video. Then people WILL have the right to second guess what actually took place when the suspect was gunned down.
In the end Colby got what he wanted. As Tina said he could have ditched the car (sorta like the stolen truck he ditched) and ran back into the woods...but he kept on keeping on...and in the end...it was The End.
It is sad that you lost a friend. I am sorry for that. It would have been alot "sadder" if we were also grieving the loss of an innocent driver that he could have killed...or a even a policer officer(s) who was only trying to stop him. As Colby said " the only way you are going to get your car and your police car back is to kill me". He stood firm to his word.
In time your heart will heal...and you will realize that maybe Stupidity was an understatement.
Creosote, you've forgotten Ms. Hicks, who blames herself for not climbing in the car with Colby.
It's a damn crying shame is what it is and I have NEVER spoken on my cell phone while turning left onto Hyrdraulic.
live rt20 / that was a horrible thing to say he did not deserve to die ido not care what anyone says. Yea i think the cops could have handled things alot different. Honestly if you have been in the situation and you realized you messed up and you couldnt change it what would you do.? i know colby and he was a sweet person and things would have been different if they would have let someone talk to him. but they say the good die young and thatd be our own colby wade. I miss u darlin RIP
quote: "If the keys were not in the car then perhaps he would have simply broken the window, popped the trunk release, got the shotgun and killed the officer on the spot."
Unlike most civilian cars, the trunk remote does not work on a police car unless the key is on.
quote: "....exceedingly difficult to use that second key if you return to your police car and it is gone..."
There is a reasonably inexpensive device which allows a cop shoppe car driver to leave the engine running and take the key with them. When this device is activated, the car can not be put into the drive gear.
The cost of this device could have saved this kid.
Only God knows why cop shoppes in this area do not purchase and install these devices.
quote: "...it’s hard for me to blame the cops for shooting a man armed with a shotgun that is shooting at them...."
How do we know this happened?
I would like to see the video to remove all doubt.
AugustaCounty
I appreciate your input , I respect it , and your last comments restores my faith . Even more so since by your moniker, we are neighbors in one way or the other .
I cannot answer for everyone, I can for myself ; If an officer goes down in the line of duty my town , I will , as I have , show my respect .
Dakota
quote: "After the officers were killed, other officers working the crime scene were being taunted by bystanders?"
I have been saying for a long time that the newfangled rookie cops have made their bed and must sleep in it now. They have adopted this "us vs them" attitude. They have abused and mistreated people for a long time. They have brutalized people day in and day out, and it's sad that only 1 out of 100 times this police brutality is caught on video. They have repeatedly lied to their own chiefs and the public. The "thin blue line" used to mean so few cops trying to do so much with limited manpower and resources. In the last few decades, it has taken on a whole new meaning.... namely, to lie and deny and cover for each other.
More and more people are losing respect for the cops and no longer trust them. And it's their own fault.
Let me give you just one little example: Not long ago a cop shoppe car ran over a wheelchair bound pedestrian in our city. The cops on the scene reported to the chief that there were no witnesses to this accident. After the chief included this fact in his report to the City Council, we suddenly learn that not only were there witnesses, but the witnesses were pretty much ignored at the scene of the accident while actually wanting to make a statement. And while ignoring the witnesses, the cops rushed to the hospital to charge the wheelchair bound pedestrian with a crime. In this one simple example alone, the cops conspired to change the face of the crime, conspired to lie, and unlawfully used their authority and trust to cover for each other.
I think this "us vs them" attitude is why you see people like Colby Eppard laughing in their faces, stealing their cars, and crackerjacking their guns.
Until I see the video, I refuse to believe one version of the last final moments of Colby's life over any other version. Until I see a video I will be inclined to believe there's something on it the cop shoppes don't want the public to see. I no longer trust this newfangled breed of rookie to tell the truth at any given time or place.
ps - I just had several cops in NoVa pay me large sums of money. They're OK in my book. :)
No one should not judge him or his family! He was a great kid an a hell of a friend to me!! An ms. Hicks u are one hell of a women no matters wut anyone says god bless you!!!
quote: "It’s a real shame that there is not this much outpouring of sympathy when a Law Enforcement officer or even a law abiding citizen is killed/murdered."
I can't begin to imagine what law enforcement funeral you last attended. But at the last one I attended there was no shortage of sympathy whatsoever. And as usual, it was one of the largest crowds I have ever seen at any funeral.
So..... I have to ask.... do you make this stuff up as you go because it sounds good or what?
quote: "Here we go again, Gasbag has found ââ?¬Å?right click - paste” again! Hey, tell us about pursuits, wheelchairs, etc."
If you don't like the show, change the channel.
Augusta County thought he/she had found a cherry! :)
But if you insist.... 85 mph police pursuits in populated areas should be banned. Persons in wheelchairs should have the right of way and not have to worry about getting run over in crosswalks by cop shoppe cars. Pregnant pedestrians who yell "slow the F*** down!" to a cop, after almost being run over by said cop in a cop shoppe car, should not be falsely arrested and tossed in jail for "contempt of cop". Etc... :)
M, there have been comments germane to your point. The comments that say, "when someone is shooting at you you shoot back". The comments that point out that the "shoot the gun out of his hand" technique is a TV fantasy.
There have been cases where police use excessive force, certainly. But it's hard for me to blame the cops for shooting a man armed with a shotgun that is shooting at them. I mean, in that case I don't think there is such a thing as excessive force. Even if you shoot the gun out of his hands you don't know that he doesn't have another gun.
lets save our youth, not kill them, DRUG them when they need help, sit them in front of a TV when they need family.
Colby is all our sons,daughters,.this is a CRY to HELP....not to take sides..
Take all this EBERGY and FIGHT for our youth,not OUR opion, its NOT ALL ABOUT US. The cop left a car running with keys,in pursuit of a person,THAT was the first mistake.Thank God he wasnt a real crinimal.
The cop put us in danger, it was his job THERE to end it.
Instead of this computer, I say we all meet,and talk this out..
Lets all meet and hear eachother out, we need to learn from this,Colby's life deserves that. Cn we organize this?
I'm kind of amazed that after more than one hundred comments, nobody has asked or commented on what seems like the simplest issue of whether this was justified...
What part of his body did the police shoot, and how many times? It's always been my understanding that in these situations, the police are supposed to shoot to bring down the suspect but not to kill, if at all possible. If they deliberately shot him multiple times in the chest, than that seems a little out of line. But if they first shot him in the leg and Mr. Eppard remained conscious and kept shooting at them anyway, I would understand why police then had to go for the kill.
That video is a Prime example of the one bad apple ! I
I can assure you , had I been there, I would have dropped that fat bastard like an old habit the minute he did that to that kid ! Then placed him in the back of his rent a cop golf cart cruiser and dropped him off at lock up after a very bumpy ride . ANY citizen in the vicinity that did not place that useless poor example of a cop under arrest should have been jailed also .To drive your point home GOSE . People should read the comments on that video . This is what one bad apple does to the bushel of good cops that are every where in every town .
I personally believe "TAZERS" and cell phone cameras are single handedly going to bring on a hatred toward law enforcement like we have never seen before .
BAD COPS HATE CELL PHONE CAMERAS !
Dakota, I would usually agree on your "one bad apple" comment. But Baltimore cops are totally out of control everywhere. It wasn't long ago a young kid got lost and stopped beside a police car to ask for directions. He was physically arrested for simply seeking directions.
-----------------------------
5-19-2006
WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reporter David Collins said Joshua Kelly and Llara Brook, of Chantilly, Va., got lost leaving an Orioles game on Saturday. Collins reported a city officer arrested them for trespassing on a public street while they were asking for directions .
"In jail for eight hours -- sleeping on a concrete floor next to a toilet," Kelly said.
Hopelessly lost, relief melted away concerns after they spotted a police vehicle.
"I said, 'Thank goodness, could you please get us to 95?" Kelly said.
"The first thing that she said to us was no -- you just ran that stop sign, pull over," Brook said. "It wasn't a big deal. We'll pay the stop sign violation, but can we have directions?"
"What she said was 'You found your own way in here, you can find your own way out.'" Kelly said.
Collins said the couple spotted another police vehicle and flagged that officer down for directions. But Officer Natalie Preston, a six-year veteran of the force, intervened.
"That really threw us for a loop when she stepped in between our cars," Kelly said. "(She) said my partner is not going to step in front of me and tell you directions if I'm not."
And adding insult to injury:
Collins said the couple was released from jail without being charged with anything...
Collins said police left Kelly's car unlocked and the windows down at the impound lot. He reported a cell phone charger, pair of sunglasses and 20 CDs were stolen.
Baltimore City police said they are looking into the incident.
Pussy boyz: You are welcome to just post your name and home address in this thread, Dakota and other BS'ers. But you and your friends are way too chicken for that.
:)
Dakota: Thanks for sharing that video. That was just too funny. I needed a good laugh.
LOL: What would you do if someone ran your family off the road and killed them...as they were driving reckless in a stolen patrol car...drinking some beer, probably off of a NYE high (speculation), taunting police...during all this time he would have ran your family off the road and killed one of them? Sit back and smoke another? I don't think so. Would I kill them in cold blood...NO, but rest assured......If someone comes at me firing a weapon, with no doubt I am going to fire back...and fire back with vengeance. Period End.
What a pretty circle jurk ya'll got goin. Get a room.
quote: "The proof is in the 911 dispatch tapes. They said suspect is shooting at officers. Do you think they actually lied to cover up because they were planning to kill him?"
It won't be the first time 911 dispatch tapes have been conceived and used to deceive in this immediate area.
And on the other hand, it wouldn't be the first time tapes have been destroyed if they implicated any sort of wrongdoing by cops in this immediate area.
In 1997, there were numerous instances where video tape should have and could have easily existed from patrol cars. But once arriving in court on the trial date, not one inch of video was available. The cops felt the judge was going to believe every word they said. Well, he didn't believe ANY of them. :)
Because of what a few bad apples did a while back... involving tapes, perjury, coverups and blatant conspiracies.... I do not trust local cops unless I have known them for a long time and I personally know their reputation for truthfulness in the community.
quote: "You are truly sick! Does your mommy know your are using her computer?"
My mother didn't grow up in the computer and violent video game era. She has never owned or used a computer in her entire life.
Gasbag. I know a lot of the Greene County officers. They are some of the most wonderful people I have ever meet in my life.
You are simply a prude that thinks you know more than others and obviously enjoy taking cheap shots at Law Enforcement.
What happened to Eppard transpired quickly. Do you think that the 911 dispatch officers from "3" different counties AND the State Police all conspired together to make a phony tape? Also anyone that listened to their scanners heard the same. So grow up and act a little more mature. I am starting to believe that you are one of Eppards teenage friends instead of an adult.
quote: "...and most importantly that the main three cop vehicles didn’t have their recorders working that day."
Don't be surprised if this claim is eventually made by the cop shoppes. I anticipate it. Or perhaps they will claim the video is too violent and can not be released.
All I care to see is the suspect raising a firearm in the direction of the cops. They can cut the video there and do not have to show the rest.
quote: "for all you folks that are all ââ?¬Å?excited” about the budget cuts and possibly local officer losing their jobs”Š.I hate to say this, but I hope like H3ll that you or someone you might know will need POLICE ASSISTANCE”Š.and that due to the lack of officers on the street”Šyou will have to ââ?¬Å?take a number””Š
I get so tired of hearing this crapola. If you need police assistance, just stop by Chipolte's on Emmett Street. Tuesday night at 7:15 p.m. there were 4 city police cars and 5 officers inside. Any department that can allow 5 cops take a meal break at the same time does not have a manpower shortage.
For departments that think they can claim a manpower shortage, it's their own fault. They have assigned so many cops to specialized duties that there is nobody left to work in the normal patrol division.
Furthermore, they don't issue numbers. Nowadays they simply ask that you file an incident report online. Or at best, a cop might take your phone number from dispatch and call you back. Unless it's a crime or domestic in progress, you'll be lucky to ever see a cop face to face any longer.
Nobody applauded budget cuts above. It's just a fact that government is in the position now where it has take a few hits, just as the private sector is. If we were forced to reduce staff in the last sheriff's office I worked at full time, there were a few rank employees that never would have been missed. And the coffee budget would have been reduced by 90% at the time.... no more sitting around chatting and drinking coffee all day at the public trough.
gotcha.
quote: "WOW GASBAGS..you have seen it all, done it all”Šwhere can I buy your book?"
Well, you can't yet. Just when I was almost finished writing the book, along came another false arrest in 2005. This false arrest was orchestrated by one of the cops I had sued back in 1997. There's still one lawsuit pending over this false arrest in 2005, the other 5 lawsuits were finished in 2007 and 2008. Hopefully after this last lawsuit is finished in 2010 (hopefully) I can finish the book.
The title of the book... "A Cop's Worst Enemy Is Another Cop." If you were or are in law enforcement, you would know there's a lot of truth in this title. :)
If you doubt the drunk driver story I told above, I have the trial transcript. The only thing the transcript doesn't and can't show is the judge planting his face in the palms of his hands while attemtping to contain and hide his laughter.
Sorry. But I don't believe what Hicks is saying. There is no way someone on the run would give her that much time to talk. He would have immediately got the hell out of dodge. She tried to take the gun and the keys? PLEASE!!!!
This is a tragedy. I am so sorry for the pain that Eppards family will face the rest of their lives. And I feel equally as sorry for the police officers involved that had no choice other than to kill this kid. Eppard was on a suicide by cop mission and it ended the way he wanted it to.
Eppard stole the cop car...so how did he get the beer that Hicks saw on the front seat? Did Maupins sell it to him? Someone sold it to him!!! He surely didn't stop by and visit with friends while on the run. Somebody's got some explaining to do. Alcohol could have contributed to his death. Then again, the police are the only one that knows if there was beer cans in the car. I'm not buying Hicks statements for a minute.
I think Hicks is over-reacting when she said she wishes she would have gotten in the car. And that the cops should have called his momma to come talk to him. Excuse me, but next time we all will remember that we should consider jumping into a car when a crime is in progress. And of course the cops should have called his mother!! They should have just sat there and allowed Eppard to shoot at them and to continue to run. Those two statements are so ignorant, Hicks should be charged with stupidity!!!
I will be glad when the investigation is over and we have more answers. I am sick of people bashing the police officers for what happened. They could have been killed by this young man. They risked their lives to stop this whole ordeal and bring it to an end. We are darn lucky that other innocent bystanders didn't get killed while Eppard sped at excessive speds throughout the counties.
We could make a list a mile long as to how to spot bad cops. A former police captain taught me and others one of the best ways to spot a crooked corrupt lying cop. Namely, when directly asked a question by a judge, you can't face the judge eye to eye as you answer, you look to the floor and answer to the floor.
Everybody else in the courtroom noticed this and commented on it as well. Even a 30 year magistrate was shaking his head in disgust. It was the general consensus from all present that the captain was obviously and intentionally committing perjury in open court while under a sworn oath to tell the truth.
Unfortunately, in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area, we have never had a commonwealth's attorney that would prosecute any cop for perjury. This fact alone breeds even more perjury amongst the bad cops out there.
Agusta county
If u new colby u would know that most of them things are not TRUE. Most of this stuff is coming from his stepmother not his real family
AugustaCounty, I am sure you and I would disagree on the percentage. You might say 1%. I think the percentage is closer to 5%+.
Each day, nationwide, 10 cops will be arrested for wrongdoings. In 365 days, this is 3,650 cops of course, or 5% of the total 700,000 cops in America.
Now keep in mind that this 3,650 are the ones who are actually caught. And keep in mind that for every one shoplifter that is caught, it's estimated that 99 go free. Is this to say that for every cop who is caught, 99 go free? Who the heck knows? I never once imagined I would live long enough to sit in a courtroom and watch an entire chain of command in a cop shoppe lie under oath. But it happened. I count them in the 99 that went free because not one of them was ever prosecuted for perjury.
This is why I say I will believe the press releases of Colby Eppard's demise only after I see the video. If Colby raises a weapon in the direction of cops, there is nothing left to debate. Nothing at all. If no such video exists, I will always doubt what really happened.
quote: "Since when did the charge of ââ?¬Å?unauthorized used of a vehicle” warrant a high speed pursuit and a chase through the woods?"
Interesting thought. While working in Greene County one evening, we had a suspect escape into the woods after his ditching a stolen car. About 30 minutes later, in the Sheriff's Office, the then Lt Donnie Michaels asked me why I wasn't out in the woods chasing this guy. I explained how I personally felt we needed to back off, let this guy think the heat was off, and then we could snatch him up when he least expected it. A few hours later the suspect was spotted walking down the road, freezing cold and tired, and was ready to voluntarily turn himself in.
Even later in the evening, Lt Michaels looked at me and called me a "know-it-all smart a**". :)
This guy of course had not committed "contempt of cop" and made us all look bad by stealing a cop shoppe vehicle and weapons. So, needless to say, it's wasn't quite the same scenario.
GSOE
"I think this ââ?¬Å?us vs them” attitude is why you see people like Colby Eppard laughing in their faces, stealing their cars, and crackerjacking their guns."
I wish I could argue that you are wrong , I can't nor can a single member of law enforcement . But it does not represent ALL cops or the majority .
What I will argue is GSOE , for you to meet me in the middle . I agree , here of late it seems we are doomed to the US vs. THEM attitude you speak of . I cannot deny it's running rampant ; but even with that, can we agree that this behavior represent's a very small number of cops . I will also have to say that you will find a cop in every dept with a GOD complex . I know I know I know , I have one cop friend who is a good person but also feels after 6 years Lt Rader should be answering to him .
AS a whole GSOE , would you agree our Law Enforcement consist of many more good cops than bad ?
Now wait till you hear my magic question to find out how to spot a bad cop .
Dakota
Quote GSOE: ââ?¬Å?And while ignoring the witnesses, the cops rushed to the hospital to charge the wheelchair bound pedestrian with a crime. In this one simple example alone, the cops conspired to change the face of the crime, conspired to lie, and unlawfully used their authority and trust to cover for each other.”
I remember the wheelchair incident well; as I am sure all of the citizens in Charlottesville and Albemarle remember it well, too. Hopefully, since it does not appear that the Colby incident touched the Charlottesville jurisdiction, they won’t be involved in the investigation. Incidents like the one mentioned above gives all law enforcement a black eye as they appear to arrogantly position themselves above the law.
Quote Dakota: ââ?¬Å?Now wait till you hear my magic question to find out how to spot a bad cop.”
Oh, oh, I’ve got two!
1. Running over pedestrians in wheelchairs.
2. Allowing a youth to take off in your police cruiser.
Dakota, I have always said the majority of cops are good honest hard working individuals. But even they get tied up in the wrongdoing when they are forced to lie and deny for the small percentage of bad cops. It's an unwritten rule that the good cops will lie and deny for their bad counterparts, or they will find themselves looking for a new job. One of the best local examples of this was Karl Mansoor. He didn't go with the flow. He didn't lie and deny to cover for other cops. But he sure dayum prevailed in his lawsuits every time he took his former department on for their intentional wrongdoings against him for his refusing to lie and deny and cover for the department.
I found myself caught up in this activity as well once. I objected loudly to the academy director in person when we were taught by an instructor at the police academy (in-service training) to intentionally mislead and lie during court cases. The question posed to the instructor was, "What if my answer to a defense attorney's question is detrimental to the commonwealth's case?" The instructor answered with, "No problem, all you have to say is I DON'T RECALL!" In other words, he was teaching us to lie under oath in open court.
My sheriff was informed I was bucking the system before I made it back to town that same day. The sheriff at the time told me to shut up and go with the flow!
Gas: I will not dispute that there are some bad cops out there, but as I say that, it is a scanty amount.
Colby didnt buy beer at maupins,or the dip,,only the gas . Tina,why do you turn this so negative? I try to help someone and people like you make them feel terrible and call them a LIAR. Tina,lets meet.
get my number and i will get you the truth.
quote: "So this is a true story but yet you are telling me I’m the reason that people that Colby are created."
Can you rephrase your question please?
I have no idea what you attempted to ask me.
Also. I just read the article by WCAV and it stated that Hicks mother said her daughter said that Eppard purchased gas, beer, and dip from Maupins store. So I don't have to say liar. Which I haven't. Just simply inconsistant!!!!!
Gasbag Self Ordained Expert: sorry that question was to you, it was towards wangitus(the wonder donkey). I completely understood what you were saying and it sounds like something Lt. Donnie Michaels would do & say.
quote: "You do not know Colby or anything except what you are hearing in the news."
Correct. I did not know Colby Eppard.
And I have repeatedly said I will only believe the cop shoppe press releases if and when I see the video of Colby raising a gun in the direction of the cops. Until then all we have is one side of the story, the official cop shoppe side.
Last but not least. Thanks to The Hook for allowing us to print our comments.
was not to you***
can i just have DAKOTA and Ken Jollfske represent me????
They seem to see the light...thank you
I have awitness as i said, he was afraid to get invovled,and told me i was crazy, he pulled me OFF the car because of all the broken glass,
Your opinion dosent matter, GOD was there and and he knows.
As for my second of fame? TV stations want to interview me and i refuse,i only told The Hook, for the family and friends to knoww that someone cared ..I do and always will, and would do the SAME thing tomorrow...
Blessings..i will now not read any more comments, the computer is off.
No Miss Hicks. I don't believe you. I think "some" of your story may be true. But I think most of it is crap.
If the cops were chasing Eppard why didn't they catch up with him at Maupins while you and Eppard set there and talked for what...an hour???!!! I truly think you are just trying to be the center of the medias attention. If I am wrong I apologize, but what you have said simply doesn't make sense.
I still want to know who sold Eppard the alcohol? Whoever did it should be punished. I know Eppard drank, because he has a can of beer in his hand on his Facebook page. But if he indeed had beer in that cruiser, someone sold it to him! Eighteen is not the legal limit.
Tina,
I am wondering if your ability for rampant speculation comes from reading tea leaves, or do you actually have a crystal ball?
Any insight on the lottery numbers tomorrow night?
Quote: no sympathy for the devil
"If he had run my family off the road on route 20 and I had a clean shot I would have pulled the trigger without remorse."
Quote: AugustaCounty
"”Š.and I would have too ââ?¬Å?no sympahty for the devil””ŠI would have pulled it multiple times."
You two are talking about cold blooded murder. How sick you both are. I am sure your families look up to you and, wow, what an example you set as to what not to be in society. And maybe that is what happened to Colby. Just a bunch of stupid cops pulling a trigger multiple times being the judge and the jury. You two obviously don't understand, being admitted "murderers in waiting", but most crimes do not warrant the death penalty.
I am writing letters to the local Commonwealth Attorneys to track your IP's and take a closer look at you two.
LOL
"I am writing letters to the local Commonwealth Attorneys to track your IP’s and take a closer look at you two."
OMG how scary , if you don't turn them in for their opinion I wont turn you in for smoking crack .
Back off the crack pipe dude !
Give me an email addy and I will email you my IP so you can turn me in also , Ca's will get a great laugh .
Dakota
THATS JUST IT WHAT DOES MAKE SENCE ANYMORE???? YOU CANT OUT RUN THE LAW. EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS, UNLESS YOU HAVE LIVED UNDER A ROCK. WHAT IS SO HARD TO BELIEVE ABOUT CONNIE HICKS STATEMENTS? SHAME ON SOME OF YOU DISCREDITING THIS LADY,NOT EVERYONE ARE COWARDS YOU KNOW. SOME PEOPLE ACT IN LOVE,RATHER THAN FEAR AND SELFISHNESS. THANK YOU CONNIE HICKS FOR ALL YOU TRIED TO DO. I GUESS PEOPLE DONT THINK ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE GOING ON IN YOUR MIND NOW THAT ITS OVER. I'M SURE YOUR THINKING THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THIS, DONE THAT. THE LAST ACT OF KINDNESS THAT THIS GUY GOT WAS FROM YOU.THAT MAKES YOU OF GOOD CHARACTER WITH A KIND HEART I FEEL.
He is dead because he chose to die. Nothing stopped him from abandoning the cop car and hiding out to talk to his momma.
If he had run my family off the road on route 20 and I had a clean shot I would have pulled the trigger without remorse.
Ms. Hicks please know in your heart that you did the right thing!! God put you in that parking lot at that moment!! Colby could have calmed down and given up right then, but he made the decision to continue! He made the decision to fire at the police!! Everyone seems to want to blame the police for this tragedy! I am sorry, call me naive, but I do not see where the police did anything but what they are trained to do....PROTECT US!! Why did the police shoot him??? Why did Colby's aunt feel she needed to call the police when he took off with her truck? Why did Colby RUN from the police? Whether the cruiser was running and locked or not Colby made the choice to break the window and steal the car. Colby made the choice to taunt the police on the cruisers radio. Colby made the choice to leave Ms. Hicks at Maupin's when he could have given himself up. Colby made the choice to shoot at the officers. COLBY MADE THE CHOICE TO DIE!! For whatever reason this young man decided to end his life that day! No one is to blame but Colby himself!! All of this "us vs. them" talk is why this generation of young people do not respect authority to begin with. Grow up people and learn to take responsibility!!!!! And while we are at it, let's teach our younger generations to take responsibility for their actions and respect authority!!
....and I would have too "no sympahty for the devil"...I would have pulled it multiple times.
I do believe however that Connie Hicks had a brief encounter with Criminal Colby. I truly believe that she did talk to him. I also believe that Colby had this beer on him when he stole the second vehicle of the day.
I do know that ACPD has dash cam's on their patrol vehicles. I am not certain where the officers were located in regards to where Colby crashed the patrol car, but only time will tell. Dash Cam or NO DASH CAM....the officers did what they should have done...this is not HOLLYWOOD or COPS as you see it on TV.
The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hand of God. RIP Colby...My thoughts and prayers go out to Tracy and Gail...
GASBAG: I have to agree with you on that video. That guy was just a total dick. SO, what happened to him?
Rest assured this is not the way Colby was treated. He was given every chance to turn himself in.
How about all you cop haters go view this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LYF_eB08B0
I think a final decision on Riviera's future is still pending. This was not the first incident of his going off the deep end without provocation.
--------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvatore_Rivieri
In April 2008, The Baltimore Police Department made wholesale changes to the leadership of the unit that patrols the city's Inner Harbor in the wake of the Riviera incident. A new lieutenant and a new sergeant took command of the 12 officers charged with patrolling the area from the edge of Federal Hill to the Fallsway, near Pier 5. "Given the extreme nature of that incident, we thought it was important for the officers to brush up on their interpersonal skills," said Sterling Clifford, a spokesman for the city Police Department. After the video surfaced, Rivieri was assigned to administrative duties and his police powers were suspended.
His police powers were reinstated as of November 2008 and while he has been removed from the Inner Harbor patrol, he has been assigned to Southeast District patrol ever since.
The Baltimore Police Department's internal investigation has sustained administrative charges against Rivieri for using excessive and unnecessary force and "discourtesy." The consequences of these charges have not yet been decided by the department, but could include anything from a reprimand to complete termination.
--------------------------------------
(The entire Riviera thing reminds me of a local school resource officer program shakedown a few years back. New management was appointed because of a loose cannon that couldn't be brought under control. The parents were ready to lynch this loose cannon from the nearest tree had the cop shoppe not taken appropriate action as quickly as they did.)
quote: "All of this ââ?¬Å?us vs. them” talk is why this generation of young people do not respect authority to begin with."
Nope! This is why our youth have no respect whatsoever for law enforcement! Watch the video....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPEeCYPGjm0
Geek: As for where I got my information...all you have to do is visit the Green County public records, the info is there. Also, some info regarding Colby's past is on the internet. Just google him.
Augusta: How come you can spell "Google" but not"Greene"?
Mr/Mrs/Miss LOL, by God, show 'em how it's done! Take the lead. Post your name and address first. Then dare 'em to man up and do the same! If they refuse to after you post yours, contace the commonwealth attorney and file a motion to have their man cards revoked! :)
To Gasbag
quote by me: ââ?¬Å?Yesterday afternoon as I took a relative to UVA medical center to a doctors appointment,and as we returned to second floor of the deck, an elderly man in an old car with two other occupants hit me with his car as we walked well off the vehicle travel path. He drove off and parked above us. As a woman comfortable and skilled with handguns, did I fire on him ? Of course not.”
(Quote by Gasbag)If he had a firearm attempting to murder you, would you have returned fire?
********* Gasbag,
Possibly, if I could have been sure to remove him as the threat to myself and my relative, in a purely self defensive manner, without endangering those around me, but the point is, that I did not accelerate to firing on a person where my perception was that he might kill me due to his own advanced age an ineptitude while operating a motor vehicle. Also, in Virginia, we must be very careful about firing in the vicinity of college and universities because our firearm laws are written as such. I would have to be in a clear life or death situation that I could justify well before shooting in a university region.
My point is that just because we are angry that the police somewhere at sometime have acted improperly that we can't instantly assume that they are inept or corrupted in each case. My point is also, in response to a prior poster, that just because someone cuts me off on the road, does not mean that I now am justified in committing a Class D felony by firing into their occupied and moving vehicle.
We will need to wait until the internal investigation of the Eppard case is complete to really know if anything else could, or should have been done. It's always difficult to deal with someone who intends to commit "suicide by cop".
quote: "If our word is our bond, and we undermine that by our acts, we have sown the seeds of distrust. It is hard to earn that trust back."
And this is exactly the problem the local cop shoppes are up against now. They have lied to the public on more than one occasion. And they have crucified their own troops who speak out in protest over wrongful actions and coverups.
I wouldn't believe a press release from the Albemarle Cop Shoppe if it was printed on the inside cover of a brand new bible.
See this link for a prime example....
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/2381601.html
There are some angry people posting here. But there is a difference between expressing feelings of anger and committing violent acts.
I've been thinking about Gasbag's point about the dashcam on the police cars. I wonder how Colby's family might feel if that were released. I see your point about distrusting the official version of events, but there is no evidence that points to an official misuse of power, unless a witness to those final moments were to come forth. I would like to believe that the police commanders would have viewed the dashcam and taken appropriate action based on what they saw. I also see that even locally, there are enough public record incidents, in addition to what you have described as the culture within the trade, that make us in the public distrustful.
If our word is our bond, and we undermine that by our acts, we have sown the seeds of distrust. It is hard to earn that trust back.
As for Tina, I just don't understand why you should be maligning a good samaritan. What is the source of your anger and distrust there?
Ken
So, this guy ran because he was pulled over for swerving to miss a puppy and he ran? Um...aren't the police looking for people who are acting suspiciously in the Morgan Harrington case? I call Colby Eppard to the suspicious stand. LE needs to investigate this guy a little further. I know he is no longer with us, but running from the police because of a simple road issue is kinda strange. His friends are still around aren't they?
quote: "running from the police because of a simple road issue is kinda strange."
Unless I am daydreaming, Eppard was in a stolen car prior to crackerjacking the cop shoppe car. That's all the reason in the world to prefer not stopping for cops. :)
only the truth:
Why are we pointing the fingers at all the other agencies out there? There are alot of "kids" out there that are transferred from foster care to foster care. Most of them do end up living poverty etc. However they can make a change in their lives. Colby was not a "kid"..he was legally an adult. I feel sorry for the kind of life he had to encounter, that being said, he was in trouble all the time and NEVER learned from his mistakes. We can only hope that all the other "Colby's" will know...when to stop.
@Kat, unless I'm mistaken, the puppy story may have been made up. I recall hearing that he was initially stopped because he was driving a stolen vehicle.
If he was driving impaired, which the presence of beer indicates might be likely, then that might explain why he told Connie Hicks the puppy story.
I had a maniac run me off the road on 20 a few months ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get his tags, as I was too busy trying not to flip my car. It's a miracle that Colby Eppard didn't kill anyone during his joyride in the stolen police car.
Overall, a tragic and completely unnecessary death, caused by Eppard's own actions. Cause and effect. I feel for his family, and for the officers involved. Until you've held a loaded gun in your hands and had to make the decision to pull the trigger and bear the consequences, or not pull the trigger and bear the consequences, you don't know what it's like. I can tell that the poster calling itself LOL has never been in that situation. The word *serious* doesn't even begin to describe it.
I guess I have Morgan on the brain. Didn't even know her. Just wish I could help. This story is tragic in the sense that this apparently needed medical attention he did not get. Psychiatric wise.
The event is a tragedy for all inolved. May Mr. Eppard be held close to God and may the police involved find peace of mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEvZBKwvE0k&feature=related
quote: "Gasbag Self Ordained Expert: sorry that question was to you, it was towards wangitus(the wonder donkey). I completely understood what you were saying and it sounds like something Lt. Donnie Michaels would do & say."
Somebody asked me about my Michaels remark this morning. I did not make it very clear I suppose.
So, I should probably clarify the fact that the former Lt Donnie Michaels was at all times joking around with me. Especially when he called me a "smart a** know-it-all!"
Donnie Michaels was one of the best supervisors I ever worked for in any law enforcement agency during my entire career. I would like to have seen him win the Sheriff's race in Greene County a few years back. I think he would have made an excellent sheriff, a much better sheriff, in Greene County when the former Sheriff William Morris retired.
(Im not stupid)-but your grammar is atrocious and you are not arguing your point very well.
If he didn't set out for crime, he shouldn't have stolen the truck in the first place. In the real world (welcome! nice of you to finally leave Fantasyland), theft is crime. Hit and runs, evasion, shooting at an officer, these are all crimes. He would have, rightly, had charges put on him, especially for attempted murder of an officer. If he hadn't escalated the situation, he might have had fewer and less serious charges put against him, but still, this is the real world and he had a history of trouble.
If Colby never wanted to hurt anyone, he shouldn't have fired that weapon at the officers on Rte. 20. Duh.
Stupidity is a matter of opinion. In my opinion, and the opinions of a lot of other people, what he did was stupid.
Respect for Colby? Are you crazy? If you want respect, you have to EARN it first. You are very right in saying that I have no respect for a punk@$$ eighteen year old who did what he did. I will save my respect for the people who actually earned it, like the cops and EMS and fire crews and my brothers and sisters in uniform who put their lives on the line to keep you and yours safe. Thanks and have a nice day.
to ..., or anyone:
where did ... get that information?
The cops should have hit him 22 times. Once you are committed to stop him dead there is no reason to stop firing until you know for a fact that it is over. Seems excessive but that is the way it should work. Suppose they had tried to "surgically" shoot him, he goes down, they walk closer and he gets a shot off and kills an Officer.
2 times or 22 is irrelevant. He made a decision that he wanted to be killed in a blaze of glory...imagine how disapointed he would be in darwins waitng room to find out they picked him off with a single bullet.
What difference does it make how many bullets were fired? The first one hurt and the one that actually killed him be it number two or number twenty two put him out of his misery.
They did him a favor.
Sorry to be cold but thats the facts plain and simple.
Ask yourself if everybody involved had to do it all over again tomorrow who would do what differently?
I think the cops should do exactly as they did,
I think Mr. Eppard if he had the chance might rethink his plan a little bit.
"Excessive force by a law enforcement officers is a violation of a person's rights. Excessive force is not subject to a precise definition, but it is generally beyond the force a reasonable and prudent law enforcement officer would use under the circumstances.
Force should be used in only the minimum amount needed to achieve a legitimate purpose. Police brutality is a direct violation of the laws within the police force. The use of excessive force is also a direct violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S Constitution regarding cruelty and protection of the laws."
...- Can you clarify what "standing up dead" is? That's not one I ever recall hearing of before.
And could someone explain why so many people seem to think Colby was still a child and why his age should be considered a factor in trying to absolve him of the crimes he committed? He was eightten, therefore he was an ADULT.
"Ooops, sorry about that. That wasn’t very nice”Šjust like it’s not nice that you wish job loss on your neighbors”Šyour public servants”Šwho are willing to serve and protect no matter how much you hate them."
I had rather you lose your job than shoot teen agers 22 times. We can shoot people ourselves without your stupid help. Go serve and protect someone else thanks. And don't give your patrol cars away. idiots!
AugustaCounty, I think that LOL, '...,' and all the others who would rather live in lawlessness than have cops who will protect their ungrateful pansy a$$es on the streets should get a one way ticket to Somalia or Afghanistan. Lawlessness abounds and they won't have to worry about cops. :)
AugustaCounty and ser are my new best friends. I didn't get the first crack at the Eppard Family spokes person.
YES...an autopsy "HAS" to be done. Just because Eppard is 6 foot under doesn't mean that there is no autopsy. The investigation is ongoing so I find it hard to believe that his mom was told how many times he was shot.
And yes you are considered an adult once you turn 18.
And ser the person with no name that is going by the title of dots couldn't possibly be a cop. Police officers have more sense than this person. This person can't even capitalize the letter "I".
quote: "All of the coffee house/donut jokes are so lame. How about coming up with something new?"
Chipolte's is not a donut shoppe or coffee shoppe. It's the new hot spot amongst cops. Both city and county cops.
Based on my past personal experience and knowledgee, this means that Chipolte's most likely gives them free or discounted food.
And it's not a joke. I have told my daughter if she ever becomes a victim in a road rage incident, or having trouble with anybody for whatever reason, to head straight for Chipolte's. It's kinda like a sub-station for cops. It's not really meant as derogatory or an insult to cops.
quote: "Well Gasbag..duh? I didn’t know adults said that. Boy you are mature."
Make your mind up. A few replies back you claimed I could be one of Colby Eppard's teenage friends. :)
Back to the subject though, I enjoyed working at Greene County. Had an excellent sheriff and a dayum good staff at the time. It was really a shame I had a few lying Albemarle County cops always calling in false complaints on me while attempting to cause me problems there. One of them told Sheriff Morris I was seen leaving the scene of the crimes every time a house was broken into in Albemarle County. Sheriff Morris knew it and the rest were all lies. This particular cop was later fired after 20+ years on the job. I also filed a lawsuit against him.
Another one left employment for whatever reason(s). Right after he had been caught in a lie about me in particular, and right after a federal judge ruled his testimony in a case against my brother was much less than truthful. In other words, he told one tale in his written incident report, and told quite a worse tale in his actual verbal testimony. I have a copy of this ruling laying right on my desk.
So, bottom line any case or incident, don't believe something just because a cop(s) said it. Demand that they prove what they say is true and accurate. I sure as hell held their noses to the grindstone many times.
Let me get this straight. LE officers are suppose to go to work and NEVER take a meal break?
By the way Gasbag...starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Chipotle and Arby's...who gives a rat's butt where they get some caffeine or some vittles? Really???? I am so glad that you are attentive to drive around a stalk officers and their meal break times and choices. Must have a busy life.
Let's get this straight, Augusta.
YOU wouldn't notice several LE vehicles parked together outside an establishment when you were driving through town?
Tina...want to grab some coffee one morning..sit around and chat then have us some lunch at Arby's....do some shopping and then go to Chipotles for dinner? We can be "badge bunnies"...
LOL
Seriously folks, I am sure that during the course of your work day, you will have something to drink...and have some lunch. BUT I betcha this...when you take a "meal break" you are off the clock and don't have the office phone there ringing to send you on your next call. As LE Officers our patrol vehicle is our office. We can take a meal break...but bet your butt that if a call comes over the radio we end our meal immediately and leave. We don't have the convenience of clocking in and out for lunches...and being away from the phone/radio for calls.
I would, I have and I don't sweat it. I know they are trained professionals who take pride in their work and if they are needed they know what to do.
Appear so, Jenkins. But, Arby's occasionally has lot full of cop shoppe cars too.
AugustaCounty, nobody cares where coppers go to eat. But you can't help but notice 4 marked cop shoppe cars out front when Chipolte's is so close to the road while travelling northbound or southbound on Emmett Street. To be even more accurate, it was 3 marked Ford Crown Victorias and 1 marked Ford Escape. And I know the exact time because I let my daughter out at Old Navy right beside Chipolte's at 7:15 p.m. and told her I would be back at 7:30 p.m.
Funny you should mention "stalking cops". In 1997, while still a sworn deputy sheriff in Virginia, I ended up behind the absolute worst drunk driver I had ever encountered in my life, Route 20 North. She was all over the road. Not the usual line to lane, but lane to lane, and running people off the road. I of course was not in my jurisdiction and called the Albemarle County cop shoppe to request an officer ASAP. I even called back a second time and told them to speed up their response before the girl hit somebody headon and killed them. The girl was so drunk she had to pull over to light a cigarette. So I pulled over too, reached in, and took her keys out of the ignition. She was so drunk I figured I would let her contest the leglity of my taking her keys at a later date and time if she wanted to. So, an on duty Albemarle cop shows up and places the girl under arrest. A second Albemarle cop shows up as his "backup". So help me God, this is a true story... the second cop got a stalking warrant for me while claiming I was stalking him by my showing up at the scene of the drunk driving arrest. It would be extremely hard to make up stuff this good for a Keystone Kops movie. You should have seen the judge trying to contain and hide his laughter when it was explained to him at trial that I was actually the first cop on the scene, that I had taken the girl's keys from her, and that I had requested their help.
While this second cop was sitting around making notes on his perception that I was stalking him, I was at the Magistrate's Office with the first cop getting the arrest warrant for the drunk driver. Personally, I think the second cop was simply dissed because the 2 German Shepherds with me wanted to take a plug out of him for some reason. I had never seen them act so aggressively to anybody in a uniform before. :)
Some local establishments offer officers in uniform discounts. So they frequent the businesses that do. And of course the officers are co-workers and want to eat together when time allows. No-one really wants to sit and eat lunch alone. When Law Enforcement eats their lunch/dinner, they don't have the same type of pleasure others do. Although they are trying to enjoy their meal, they are listening to their radios and are on call the entire time. Sometimes they might get lucky and be able to actually eat!!!
Augusta, I dont sweat it either. I like to get meals with coworkers too, and i like to eat where they treat me nice. I dont think anyone stated that LE should not take breaks. I was only pointing out that it's easy to observe where LE is dining. Hard to miss police cruisers.
WOW GASBAGS..you have seen it all, done it all...where can I buy your book? I mean, with the stories you have to tell, I am sure you have something published by now.
You are probably one of those morons that thinks 9/11 was an inside job too, don't you? And the world is out to get you...???
GASBAG: THERE WERE A H3LL
Gasbag: There were a heck of alot more civilians at this concert than cops....and no one else saw anything.
You are so anti cop. Maybe if you were out there stalking her, she would have been protect instead of out stalking police officers.
Is is the duty of the LE to hold everyone's hand????
Gasbag: You did not address my other statement of "there were alot more civilians at the concert than LE officials...and none of those civilians saw anything.
(sorry for the "there were a h3ll" my fingers got a little ahead of me).
As for the rest of the story: it is not the job of the LE to walk hand in hand with every person who walks on the streets. In the case you herein mentioned, there were LE officials on site. It is not their jobs to babysit. Had any LE official saw anything suspicious that evening, you could rest assured that they would have prevented the appearance of said individual.
Tina,
Trust me...not worth the time of a movie...lol
AugCo.
Gasbag. I cannot believe you actually used Morgan Harringtons disappearance as an example. You are a crude SOB. Hw do you honestly think the cops have anything to do with her disappearing? There were thousands of people at that concert. We don't even know why Harrington left the concert, so don't you dare point blame. Whether she walked away on her own or she was picked up and taken makes no difference. How could the cops have possibly stopped what happened? I guess they are to blame for the child pornography, rapes, murders, etc.. Do you really think they can be every place at once. You're so great why the heck don't you stop some of the crimes?
It's pretty obvious that you sucked as a law enforcement officer. You have so many stories to tell they will make a movie about you.
Ok. I just read the story about Eppard in The Greene County Record.
If Eppard stole his Aunts car from Greene County at approximately 1:30 and was killed at approximately 2:30 near the Scottsville line....how did he have time to have that long talk with Hicks?
Hicks didn't report that the talk was long, and after leaving the Greene county cop in the woods, he wasn't chased for a good chunk of time until sighted in Charlottesville near Georgetown Road, after which a chase ensued.
Tina, your Greene County Record story timeline conflicts with the one in today's DP. Today's DP says that the hit and run of the Daewoo was reported at 11:47, and then the deputy reported his cruiser stolen at 12:48 p.m. They began chasing him on Georgetown Road in Albemarle at 1:45 p.m.
not sure why you're so hell-bent on disproving Hicks's story.
FYI,
If the Greene officer stays with the car and doesn't chase him some of you will call him lazy. If he chases and turns the car off and takes the keys, the blue lights will kill the battery in about 5 minutes. If he turns the blue lights off and some comes around the curve and hits the car the officer gets sued. So he locked the car, chased, the boy breaks out the glass of the car and steals it. The officer can't when with some of you cry babies. Oh and BETH... last a year 3 males tried to rob a drug dealer in U Heights apartments.......he shot all 3 males, killing on of them, and he was not charged due to self defense....he wasn't a cop!
As someone who knew Colby and also knew one of the Albemarle County officers involved, this is just a horrible, tragedy--on EVERY level. He was a very, very troubled young man dealing with MANY personal demons. I am horrified for this family but at the same time believe our police dept. did the best job they could. Do people really think they would willingly shoot a kid for spite? Let's give everyone the benefit of the doubt while the facts are being discovered. (The officer I know is a kind, wonderful family man who would do EVERYTHING possible NOT to shoot!) Eppard was shooting @ them and it's a miracle he didn't cause multiple accidents during this chase--that could have been YOUR family he crashed into. I say that b/c I live close to the store mentioned above and traveled those roads that day. This tragedy could have been even more far-reaching. My heart goes out to his family and everyone involved in this awful situation.
Beth, right now, even Steve Shifflett thinks your posts are, well, so far fetched that it nakes ââ?¬Å?normal” cop hating conspiracy theorists look bad. Somewhere SS is shaking his head
SO where we put our name we are to "like" totally put a tital to our statements huh? wow guess I didn't know that. I am not cop hating but there is a victim here and I think its sad that there is so much bashing on him. He is gone let him rest in peace and the people responsible pay for what they've done. Sweety you don't have all the facts and although I know I too don't I do know someone who is friends with the family and its just not as black and white as they want you to beleive.
In my younger days I often intervened in situations where it seemed someone needed help. These days I do it less often. My heart goes out to Mrs. Hicks feeling the regret of not having done something. You had your children there to care for, and on some level you must have known that physically intervening would have imperiled your own life. As parents, our lives are not our own to give, we have responsibility for our children. Reading this account gives me impetus to step out a little bit more from my comfort zone, the way I did when I was a younger man. It is possible that someone not associated with law enforcement may have had a better chance of de-escalating the situation than the police themselves due the dynamics that had unfolded to that point.
I have dealt with mental illness among people in my life, and bi-polar disorder, which this may have been, is perhaps the least successfully treated of all the mental illnesses by modern psychiatry. My hear goes out to the Eppes family for their grief, and to the officers who were likely left with no choice but to take the terrible action that took.
Well i know all yall have yalls opinions but colby one of my friends and he was one of the sweetist guys i knew. And i think is wrong what some of yall are saying yes the cops were shooting to protect them selves but they should not have killed him it not right. The cops have issues because they seem to shoot all the teens around here who they cant handle or make them look stupid. but that my opinon i love and miss u colby wade. I knw u were just a good old boy who never ment no harm. rip colby eppard and allen cochran
You know What .. How Cruel and nasty do you people have to be. This kids was KILLED. There was NO NEED FOR THAT.. NONE.
I personally don't beleive he shot at them first but this is my opinion and secondly even if he had .. They are taught to .. what? Shoot and kill? NO .. they are to shoot to disarm them etc. & I do hope the police officer who fired that deadly shot WILL be held accountable for his actions.
I don't think it was his actions that caused his death and to say something that horrid at a time like this .. SHAME ON YOU. We have murderers and others who commit worse crimes in our prisions yet this man deserved to be shot and killed for what he did. I think Not!
I'm not saying what he did was right we all know it wasn't but I think if you really sat back and thought the situation out .. you would also agree that his death is something that could have and should have been prevented. I think he pissed the cops off by taunting them and the embarassment of stealing there own police cruiser and they wanted pay back.
Disturbed kid threatening the police--it is irrelevant how the kid seemed to this woman at the gas station--when he started firing at cops(if that part of the story holds up as true)--they did the only thing they could.
They need to rethink the procedure. Maybe it made sense in the days when it took awhile for cars to warm up--but the amount of time saved(a couple of seconds??) is not worth the obvious risk of having a police car stolen with the keys--making it a fully operational vehicle with alot of handy features for a criminal who needs to do nothing more than smash a car window to take control.
From today's DP:
"He ran into some nearby woods, and a deputy followed, locking his running car with one set of keys in the ignition, [Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller] said. Law enforcement officers often carry two sets of keys, to allow them to leave their vehicles running and locked.
Eppard then circled as he moved through the woods and got back to the patrol car before the deputy, Geller said. She said he used a rock he found nearby to smash one of the car’s windows, then took off in the vehicle."
Did you read any of the stories? He did leave it locked, running, with second set of keys. The kid smashed the window with a rock. Read the Daily Progress.
idiot.
People do dumb things all the time. But what Eppard did on that deadly day most likely had nothing to do with his childhood or issues that were never addressed. He was being himself. Wreckless and lawless.
As for Hicks story. I still don't think all she said is true. I think she made a lot of it up and added a LOT to the story.
Well Dakota..just saying, some things are incredibly hard to believe:)
Just glad he didn't kill or injure a cop. Car chase warranted for this guy.
Oh man this thread is going to kill the bloated one!
Whatever helps you feel better Dakota, thanks for your intelligent comment update. Very enlightening. I had no idea cops were human and made mistakes. Now let's see if they will be held accountable?
I am glad no Police were killed as well....but....you are talking about a kid (mentally)....we are in an age of reasoning when we are raising chlidren now. We have taken discipline out of raising children and have allowed them the freedom to express themselves with little consequence. This young man was distraught about something and not knowing how to handle what ever issue he had he expressed himself and the disciplinary action that was taken was death. We need to take a deep look how WE are raising our kids(schools included,since they have the kids most of the awaken hours). Another child lost because he just didn't understand the consequences because they are no longer taught.
In the 1930's jobs for unemployed young men were supplied by the Works Project Administration and Civilian Conservation Corp, now all we have to offer them is deployment in the military, to Iraq or Afganistan. Many don't even qualify for that, due to prior arrest records. We need to bring back the WPA and CCC and train these young people for a constructive future; instill in them the discipline and work ethic that many lack.
Put God back into this country instead of society rely on psychologist for answears, we'd see a great great change and wouldn't be the Obama type change but a divine change.
just my 2 cents worth
I will hold my comments until I hear from this kids Mother or family with a response along the lines of "well , other than trying to kill people he was a GOOD kid "
Reload these officers gun magazines, pat them on the back and get them back to work . Retrain the Cop responsible for allowing his cruiser to be taken by this idiot , put him behind a desk answering phone call's from psychics for a few weeks and go from there .
Dakota
Quote from article:"Their focus now is on why one teenager opened fire in the first place".
If it was just this one time or once in a great while I would put it to an individule. This is happening all the time and we have to be concerned as a country and community.
The experinced adults have to come to an andwer of why this is happenening.
WHAT WE HEAR, THINK AND DO IS WHAT WE BECOME.....
Guns, Virginia, and Death. A merry combination. "You'll take my guns when you pry them from my cold dead fingers!"
All the issues you raise are pertinent in a broader discussion of raising children, but this was not a child. First and foremost, he was out to kill someone; public safety and the safety of the officers took precedent.
I could not agree with you more. The more and more you look around though....work place, school (university),and the streets (where we used to play as kids with no fears)the product of young people now is out of control. Now the law enforcement officers job is to try to bring law and order toa a socioty of citizens who have not be taught concequences but are being taught they have choices and the freedom to make what ever decisions they want. It is up to the Adult and not the child.
This young man (adult by age not by emotion or intellect) by only a few months, put himself in a situation he could not get out of.
There are too many young people angry and frustrated out there wanting to kill and as a society we have to ask ourselfs why.
I personally say its starts with didcipline at a young age.
Kids now adays are in control of everyday decission making and now things are out of control.
Maybe if we had more discipline back in our school and homes one more life would have been saved and two more law enforcement officers would be feeling the way they do today after having to shoot a person who just legally became an adult a few months ago...there are 18yr olds still in high school...he was still just a kid!!! in my opinion.
It is especially disturbing that the quote is from a Deathcore genre song performed by "Thy art is murder" called Infinite Death. Very disturbing lyrics.
But he did'nt leave it locked with an extra set of keys on him did he? So nobody had to smash any windows just hop in the UNLOCKED cruiser and hit the road. Now do you understand why the cop who FAILED to lock his vehicle or remove the keys has to be ACCOUNTABLE for his actions? If he was trained to leave his vehicle unlocked with keys inside while leaving the vehicle to chase a subject on foot then God help us all.
Thank you Mr. Spencer for bringing the back story to light. Now, sounds like this young men was seriously delusional and dangerous. Ms. Hicks, bless her compassionate soul, is lucky to be alive.
I refuse to read the daily progress. The hook left out some of these minor details. No need to call names here though. Good for you and your wise upbringing. Sounds like suicide by cop to me now. Still say he was crazy and crazy is when you are not really conscious of your decisions and the consequences. And if placed in the right circumstances can happen to anyone even lil billy and susie.
From today's Washington Post:
"[Eppard's stepmother] said the family had sought help for years for her stepson, who was in and out of trouble with the law and had spent time in residential facilities, including OLA Home for Boys in Richmond, which serves mentally ill or emotionally disturbed adolescent boys."
maybe we can stop blaming the police for responding to the actions of an extremely disturbed young man. I agree, Ms. Hicks, who thinks she knows better than the police how they should have handled the seriously disturbed young man driving recklessly and firing at them, is probably lucky to be alive.
"no need to call names"? that's kind of funny, since you wrote
"Call this kid an idiot fine. Well what do you call the cop that left his keys in the car?"
I think you were calling the cop an idiot. Based on insufficient information. Because you "refuse" to do research (i.e., read newspaper accounts of incidents). now we know how well-informed any of your future posts will be.
oh, how could I forget this:
"Sounds like the real idiot here is the cop who left his keys in the car. Sounds like the outcome might have been different if the IDIOT cop had the common sense to remove his keys from the ignition just like any sensible adult. ... send him back to the donut shop. He can probably leave his keys in the cruiser with the engine running and heat on high all while sipping coffee and debating hmm chocolate, glazed or traditional cake?"
yes, no need to call names! really, really, you crack me up!
Is their any chance that really? is the poster formerly kown as Gas Bag by any chance?? As soon as I read the "cop needs to be retrained" that's what I thought.
Mike Jones .
Don't hate becasue Mrs. Hicks has a bigger set than you . I will pray your's drop one day .
Dakota
Shotguns are kept in the trunk of the patrol cars. Mr. Eppard got the shotgun out of the trunk after taking the car
This is truly sad, but everyone knows that unfortunately for young man, his actions are what caused his death. I am sorry for his problems, but even my young children know that they are held accountable for their choices and for their actions.
As some have mentioned, this was not a normal young man; it is indeed a tragedy for his family and the police, who acted appropriately, but I am sure, never want a situation to end in the death of anyone.
and from everything I had just been told and read
the bullets were all over the seat
I highly doubt the gun that was with him was even loaded! Although I am certain the police officers will cover each others behinds on this one.
& I also was told that he in fact had turned around to turn himself in!!!!!!!!! .. That does not sound like a man who was ready to shoot police officers now does it?
Dakota wrote : As for the shooting . Sorry people , it was justified in my eyes . I wish this young man would have received some help before this incident so things would have turned out better . But when he makes statements like he did in the radio traffic , he planned his own funeral.
Ya'know we all make mistakes and noone can understand what was going through his mind that day but to say it is justified or anything else you had put is just really heartless. He made remarks through a police radio that is far from something that is classified as a death sentence in my eyes and if for no other reason that RESPECT for his family that is hurting right now .. just stop! We can all sit and talk about what could have or would have happend but why bother? .. THIS IS what happend and I do not beleive this boy was shot in self defence! & I also do not beleive ( because this is how it often works ) we will hear ALL the facts. Right now people who are alive and well .. the police officers who were there are doubtfully going to speak up on truth .. especially if they was involved in any wrong doing. They will in fact cover there trail ends as they have been known to do. There are ways to disarm people with guns .. They are trained to do that .. not to shoot and kill! I do hope that the truth comes out in this full force. I hope that someone somewhere along the lines will speak up in truth as miss hicks has done here.
Sorry for the constant posts my mind is just a running
but I wanted to also add
had this been a diff situation that involved other people and not police officers .. charges would have been made.
it wouldnt be acceptable for anyone to shoot down another ...
the exception is made because we are talking about the involvment of the police and they who did the shooting. It wouldnt have been blown off so easily with a "self defence" lable in any other situation.
Colby came inside,pretty calm,
and paid for the gas, and he then said, "keep the change"..
No one was threatened. He didnt buy beer.
I saw only 2 maybe 3 cans of beer on the seat. and one shotgun.and shells.
there is a bigger lesson to learn here. It takes a tragedy to wake up.
this was 1 1 10 the symbol for angels. And it began at 1.this is a messege from god. we need to start saving our children, We sit them in front of a tv with VIOLENCE,,,in front of vidoe games and we are loosing our youth. We just dont help each other anymore.Learn values. How many times do we pass the faces of hurt and pain and do nothing? Colby was backed into a corner with no way out and he fought. I wish i had jumped in the car now,i regret this.
Colby was laughing at how STUPID the cops were..Thank god he WASNT a violent offender, it could have been worse. this cop was embarrased, he had HIS shotgun. and HIS cop car. lets learn from this,open your eyes and do somthing. Someone needs you.
I don't think the value of this story is him paying for gas for a stolen cop car. It's not that he was threating to anyone at the store. Clearly no one their was after him. Now on the other hand had he been non-threatning towards the police he'd be in jail right now but at least still alive. He was a good kid that made a costly mistake. He was not threatened at the store. No one there was going to arrest him. It's a touching story that you tried to stop him, but ultimately he couldn't stop himself.
As for Mike Jones,you shallow heartless soul,with no balls,
the shotgun was the cops , not his. If im dumb because i care for people and try to help them ,,and am SELFLESS, and if in the future i can save someone by being dumb?/..well that just fine with me,i dont care if he had ak47,or 10 shotguns on the seat, I would DO the same thing,i walk this earth with eyes open,I would loke to know who you are though so i can not worry about saving you one day.
Bottom line is this: I totally support all LE who were involved in this situation. When people make mistakes they have to be accountable for their actions. POLICE OFFICERS are not out here to kill people. Their job is to serve and protect. They were simply serving and protecting their community and in the end, themselves. He could have surrendered; he chose not to. And for the record, police officers have TWO sets of keys. When they exit their patrol vehicle, they leave the vehicle running; and lock it behind them, using the second set of keys to regain entry to their vehicle. They have alot of radio equip. in their vehicles that suck the life out of the battery; so they leave it running. If the patrol vehicle had be "unlocked" as someone claims, why did Colby have to smash in the window?
I bet you this, if you were one of the LE officers who was being shot at by Colby, what are you gonna do? Stand there and hug a thug, or protect yourself? Really!!!!
He swerved to miss a puppy,paid for his gas,said keep the change,
and let me hold his hands and talk to him,yes he shot at the cops,
but he was scared and in a tight spot! i just want people to know that he was sweet and gentle, a good boy. yes he was hyped up and ready to fight, ready to hunt,but he didnt deserve to die.
the cops need to back off,and sit,wait,listen. anyone does when someone is violent and scared. He WOULD be alive if they just handled it all in a differnt way. Why chase him? They are the ones who put us in danger in this ,..
Natural selection at work. Only the strong survive...
This is part of "society's" culling process. The kid knew the rules and he knew the consequences. Despite the tragic end, HE chose his own fate. If he was mentally defective, then we can only hope he didn't reproduce and perpetuate the gene.
Despite "society's" viewpoint that these words MAY seem cruel, they are factual.
I'm prepared for my whipping now. Bring it on.
So Connie, you think it would have been more appropriate for a cop or civilian to die? Give me a break.
We are not seeing the point here. He swerved a puppy and wrecked, why did it not stop there?!? I don't think you go to jail for wrecking your vehicle for swerving and missing a puppy. I do think he desrved to die eitehr. But when he decided to shoot at a bunch of cops (scared or not) that is the consiquence nine times out of ten. He may have been a gentle person at the store but it didn't stop their.
some of these posts are frustrating to read. why are the cops getting blamed at all? they did what they were told to do and ran everything according to procedure. they didn't fire until fired upon. put yourself in the cops shoes...do you think you would just sit there while someone shot at you?
also, this article should not have even been written. the whole idea behind it is to say the cops were at wrong here. i know there is freedom of speech and all, but seriously? do we need to bash our own law enforcement that is doing there best to protect us?
my prayers are with the eppard family, but i certainly do not think the cops were at wrong
Im happy everyone is all fired up, lets take all this energy and stop the blame and use it to do somthing positive. Im not sayin what this boy did was right or wrong. He should have stopped,yes,i agree, and he did do wrong , EVERYONE involved deserved a better ending. lets learn from this.
And the whole sit back, wait and listen for the cops. I don't think they had the opportunity to do that while pinned behind their cars with a shot gun going off towards them. If you had read the full story, he was actually taunting them the entire time on the radio. Im sure they listened and tried to stop him before he began firing. But in a chase once a gun is brought out, no matter who's gun it is, the sitution is drastically changed.
CONNIE IS LIVING THE "HUG A THUG" POLICY.
If he was so gentle and caring, then why were you not able to
sweet talk him and sooth this feathers?????????
So sweet and gentle huh? Smashing the window of a patrol vehicle is being gentle? Driving erratically all over Greene/Nelson/Cville/Albemarle is gentle?
Get over it...you gave it your best go of it Connie there at the market while he was fueling up a stolen patrol vehicle....it didn't work. Good job for trying.
As for you "Give me a Break".....wow, I couldn't agree with you more.
Sounds to me like Obama needs to give up his Nobel Peace Prize and hand it over to Ms. Hicks. She is the hero. "LOL"
Connie, I am glad you didn't jump in there and end up dying in a hail of bullets.
Very sad this didn't end peacefully.
You are welcome to just post your name and home address in this thread, Dakota. But you and your friends are way too chicken for that.
And you may not realize it, but there is a difference between someone posting about murdering someone and you making up BS about crack cocaine. But I guess if you make stuff up long enough you become a natural.
Augusta: You're welcome...
please be sure to give us an update when you get back from church, Connie!
Hawes,
Why did you completely rewrite the story instead of doing a follow-up report with the witness interview?
TO: LOL
Those police officer/donut jokes are so stupid. I see more civlians at donut shops than police officers.
And for the record, only rednecks would drink beer with a donut.
Police officer's have a little more class than that.
I don't see the benefit in making light of someone's mental illness, or making light of someone's attempt to stop a self destructive, and potentially lethal to others, act. Those of you who have not had to live with the devastation that mental illness can bring to a loved one, the worry that a family feels over the inexorable pull of a disease that tears apart the life of your loved one at the same time it tears the binds within a family, I hope you never have to walk a mile in those shoes.
If Mrs. Hicks intervention had been successful, she would have been lauded as a heroine. She could have been. The fact that she holds regret that she might have done more is no indictment of what she did do.
Police are trained to take command of a situation, to bring dominance by their personal presence, by their weaponry (we all know they have it whether or not they use it), and the fact that there are always backups ready to support them dominating the situation if one officer can't do it alone. That is only one type of intervention, and at times it can lead to the escalation of conflict, especially if for whatever reason, like mental illness, the person they are confronting, can't recognize their authority. We deed police the responsibility to en-FORCE the law. They are usually the first and only responders in a conflict situation.
In a way, the rest of us have more freedom to choose our responses than law enforcement has. We may not be always cognizant of what those choices are, but certainly Mrs. Hicks was, at least of some of them. As a nonviolence trainer, I have had the opportunity to lead many people through looking at some alternatives to handling conflict situations that can de-escalate the conflict rather than enflame it. Over the years I have waded into fights and broken them up with no use of force, calmed down people on the verge of fighting, and counseled people who were very angry into recognizing their connection to what they love in life, so violence would not be reciprocated.
Our society glorifies violence. Heroes, and antiheroes go down in a blaze of bullets- Scarface is a hero to many teens. Mrs. Hicks made all the right moves, and the law officers made none of the wrong moves, legally, and in terms of their training. In other circumstances, this young man would have lived, and maybe calmed down over the years. In a split second, he made the wrong choice not to take a helping hand offered to him in crisis. He chose the path of boasting about violent plans, and appearing to carry them out. Of course the police couldn't let a crazed kid ride around in one of their vehicles loaded with guns and ammo. She had the last chance to reach out to him, just like an angel, and transport him into a different reality. Most kids in that situation are not afforded such grace. Yes, Connie, at that moment, you were an angel, and a heroine, and you did all that you responsibly could to try to help a young man in trouble. Your instincts were good and your attempts were noble. It was truly a moment of grace. Sometimes it just has to be enough to do the right thing, even if the result isn't what we wanted. At least he heard the voice of love in his final moments.
AugustaCounty, are you a "badge bunny"?
ââ?¬Å?I see more civlians at donut shops than police officers.”
I defer to your wisdom and accept your very learned opine of the civilian crowd distribution in donut shops; I have never entered one myself.
ââ?¬Å?And for the record, only rednecks would drink beer with a donut.”
Again, I defer and have updated my record.
Still makes you wonder how Colby had time to allegedly acquire beer, fuel the patrol car, pay for the fuel and talk with a concerned citizen? I suppose this represent the gap in time between when the officer was left without his/her patrol car and the reacquisition of suspect.
Years ago, we all laughed at the show "Dukes of Hazzard"...good ole boys, breaking the law, evading the cops, ha, ha. This is what we get when we as a society, fail to teach our youth right from wrong, to respect authority, and to consider the consequences of our actions.
Look at the facts - this young man had a very troubled past, but not so horrific that he couldn't know right from wrong. He had many opportunities to try to turn his life around, if he had wanted to. He made bad choices in the past, and made several more when he decided to steal a car, resist arrest, endanger many innocent people by embarking on a high speed chase, stealing a police car, and shooting at authorities. At each step, he could have turned this around and there would have been a different ending. He chose not to.
Don't blame police for doing their job or for defending themselves when the bullets were flying.
Let's hope the autopsy and tox screen offer more clarity to this man's state of mind, and let's pray that Ms Hicks can someday see the ridiculousness in believing that police "gun down" someone simply because they swerve to avoid a puppy in the road.
We are starting to hear from too many "experts"...
My thoughts and prayers are with you Tracy and Gail. RIP Colby...
I'M FREE
Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free,
I'm following the path God has laid you see.
I took his hand when I heard his call.
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way
I found the peace at the close of day.
If my parting has left a void
Then fill it with remembered joys-
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Oh yes, these things I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life's been full I savored much,
Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief
Lift up your hearts, and peace to thee-
God wanted me now, he set me free.
quote: "GSOE: NO I am not a ââ?¬Å?badge bunny”. I have spent over 20+ years in law enforcement and military. What have you done for your country and community?"
Almost 30 years. 20 plus years in a city sheriff's office, as in transporting prisoners and mental patients, and civil process. And the rest in departments with both civil and criminal duties.
I'm what you might call semi-retired now. And enjoying every minute of it. Never in my life did I imagine I could be semi-retired and enjoying life so much beginning at 50.
And unlike most cop shoppe threads around here, I have pretty much reserved positive or negative comment on both the suspect and the cop shoppes until I feel the time is right. Unless I am sadly mistaken, I think evidence in this shooting will be withheld from the public.
Today we have all expressed horror, frustration, and judgement for all those involved in such a terrible happening. It's always easy to stand in judgement of a young man with both organic and psychiatric issues. It's always easy to blame the police for a tragic outcome. There has even been blame for the woman who tried, in vain, to get Colby to turn himself in, the day he died. There has even been venom for the author of the article.
Each of us have very limited time here on Earth. We too can be called just as quickly as Colby, regardless of our ages, and often not due to any reckless actions whatsoever. An aneurysm, a stroke, a ruptured appendix, a gangrenous gallbladder, a freak car accident, a tree falling on our car unexpectedly, all take people daily.
Think for a moment, what can you do as a solitary human being, the next time you encounter an aimless child, a foster child, an unemployed eighteen year old, etc., a hopeless cousin or sibling ? Long before people reach a point of no return, as Colby did, there are many chances, many reachable and teachable moments. Small kindnesses often make the difference between suicides and not, or even homicides and not.
We will not be able to help everyone, or save everyone, but we must never stop taking reasonable risks and reasonable interventions in which we try. Happy New Year everyone.
...lol LAW. Amen to that...except I would NOT want to be the one to ECO her and babysit her for 4 hours while she get evaluated.
AugustaCounty
In an effort to continue being a better person one day at a time, I deleted my first thought's I had to several of your post . I want to start over with my thoughts and ask you a question .
In reading your comments, I feel compelled to ask if 49 years of service , serving your country and your neighborhoods , taught you to disrespect a women who risk her life to help someone with your sarcastic comments ?
The reason I didn't fly off the deep end and took a few steps back is I have a hard time believing your words really represent your feelings about what Ms. Hicks did . I can accept your feelings over Colby's actions , I am having a hard time accepting your words used in comments towards Ms. Hicks actions given the situation life thrust upon her .
If we were to sit down and talk man to Man , can you honestly tell me what Ms.Hicks done wasn't well beyond her call of duty as a Human .
I ask you to read back at your comment's . I say that honestly from experience , I am the master of sticking my foot in my mouth . But even a big mouth like me knows when I am wrong .
Dakota
RE: Law’s comments
ââ?¬Å?....keep your mouth shut because until you wear our shoes for twelve hours and been through a police academy for 22 to 28 weeks to have .5 seconds to make a life or death decision then you have no room to open your big mouth.”
I just want to point out that I am not an academy graduate, and I applaud the education law enforcement gets as to the two-key-procedure, but it just seems to me as a law enforcement layperson, that the flaw in the procedure is that it is exceedingly difficult to use that second key if you return to your police car and it is gone. Now I don’t condone anything this young man did, alleged, or otherwise, but it seems that law enforcement should not have allowed their police car, shotgun and various other weapons, to fall into the hands of Colby in the first place.
The academy training runs for 22 to 28 weeks and I would make a suggestion to add an additional week for remedial car locking.
Car locking 101: keeping your police cruiser and shotgun out of the hands of civilians!
People can say what they want about Colby, but it sure didn’t take him long to figure out you don’t need a second key to get into a police car, and I don’t think he was academy trained either. Meanwhile the academy graduates were searching the bushes when Colby made his getaway in their car.
lol
If the keys were not in the car then perhaps he would have simply broken the window, popped the trunk release, got the shotgun and killed the officer on the spot. Then he would have run to the nearest car (perhaps driven by your grandmother wife or daughter) and carjacked them and run from the cops anyway....
I feel sorry not for this kid but for the officers that had no choice but to kill him and the surviving people who have been hurt by his SELFISH actions.
GAS: For the record the last LE funeral I attended was about six months ago up in Manassas. It was by far hundreds of people there, which included other officers, fire departments, rescue squards, other jurisdictions etc. I am sure a few civilians might have been included in the attendance, however there was not all of this jibberjabber to justify his death.
You advised me "several" posts ago your longevity in law enforcement therefore I am not sure what you mean by I thought you were a cherry.
I do not live my life in this one little area. As a LE officer I try to keep updated what is going on in the LE community.
"Three police officers in Oakland, Calif., were gunned down on Saturday and a fourth was critically wounded in an afternoon of violence that began with a routine traffic stop and ended with a grim 9 p.m. news conference to announce the toll of one of the worst days in the police department’s history."
Do you recall this incident that occurred in March 2009? After the officers were killed, other officers working the crime scene were being taunted by bystanders? Hmmm, these officers were not given a chance were they?
All I am saying with this is that alot of people are "happy" or say..."oh they got what they deserved", just because they themselves have been given traffic tickets or have had some run in with the law. These very people are the first to applaud an officer's death. These officers on Friday were not going around high fiving each other or patting each other on the butt after having to take down Colby. Having to take down a criminal and kill them in self defense is something that this/these officers will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
This was a justifiable homicide.
Maybe since I have had 4 friends killed in the line of duty I feel a little bit different about the situation.
As for you LOL:
Maybe we should keep criminals locked up...then they would not have access to a patrol vehicle and shotgun.
Civilian 101: Do not break the law and thall will not have to suffer the consequences.
Society let everyone down by not locking this kid up the twnetyith time he committed a crime.
Maybe god did help this kid by calling him home before he hurt any more of gods children...
Great kid huh? Maybe he was great fun to be around? But great people dont try to burn down the school, steal squad vehicles, steal his aunts vehicle, steal police vehicles, drive innocent people off the streets, drink and drive, taunt the authorities, fire a shotgun at police...and the list goes on.
He might have been your friend Geek, and I am sorry for your loss...but to say he was a great kid is a bit far fetched.
I've been playing all the scenarios over and over again in my head and I really can not find a logical explanation. Notice how all of the headlines say a teenager was fatally shot. What classifies a child from an adult? Anyone that knew Colby knew that he was still a child at hurt. All of these news reports are making him sound like a vicious adult thief. Since when did the charge of "unauthorized used of a vehicle" warrant a high speed pursuit and a chase through the woods? Wouldn't you wait until the suspect arrived home or safely somewhere and then capture him? Instead you are going to risks hundreds of lives and government money on a high speed pursuit that could of simply been avoided. I mean all the cops know of Colby and where they can find him. Seriously what was the logical explanation in chasing him across three counties and allowing him to stop, pump, and pay for gas without catching him for it all to end in a fatality. Completely disappointing to me! Rest in peace Colby!
logical explanation.. it is people with opinions like yours that CREATE people like this kid. He died because someone dropped the ball a long time ago and did not PUNISH him for misdeeds in the past. He needed serious help either in a mental hospital or jail. I hope this paper does a chronicle of his life to show where he was let down so we can learn from it.
He was out of control and needed to be stopped. The fact that the cop car was running was irrelevant. My lincoln pops the trunk regardless of the key. He would have had the gun. Had he fired on the officer at the scene he would have and should have been shot.
He fired the first shot that is undisputed. I don't need video. He did not come out of the car and spread eagle on the ground. We all make life or death choices everyday. I choose to look both ways to cross the street. He chose to act like Butch cassidy with the same results.
I am sorry some of you lost a friend. Next time you have a friend like him don't cover for him, let him do his time so he will learn to follow the rules and not end up the same way.
He did not die for stealing a truck
he did not die for stealing a cop car
he did not die for running people off the road
he did not die for taunting police.
He died because he CHOSE not to surrender.
That was his choice.
He can discuss that decision with his maker.
Connie, you wonder why people keep on "misunderstanding you" on your comments about the police? why people seem to feel you're being too critical of the police and blaming them?
here's your quote: "The cop left a car running with keys,in pursuit of a person,THAT was the first mistake."
really? THAT was the first mistake? nothing Colby did was the first mistake? you mean that up until that point of the cop following standard practices, Colby had made no mistakes? just that cop?
you ARE blaming the cops. in your earlier quote, you said "I think that boy was gunned down and not given a chance" -- by the police. so, just sayin', don't act all surprised and upset that people are "misinterpreting" your comments as anti-cop, because that's what they are.
Connie Hicks
I commend you on your efforts to save this young man , I do from the bottom of my soul . What I can't defend in this situation , Colby's action's. This entire incident was tragic . As it stands ,I feel strongly those officers would have never fired unless absolutely necessary . I agree with GSOE on the video . IF the video is not released , or if LE even considers letting Corinne Geller (puppet ) make a public statement that no video exist , all hell will break loose , as it should in a tragic event like this . I don't feel that is going to happen as it will be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt who fired first . When it comes to an incident like this and the number of cruisers involved , I cannot see the video disappearing . It does happen , cops make mistakes , they even cover each others butts at times . Just like the rest of us in every other occupation in this country . I am an equal opportunity basher , I bash who was wrong based on my opinion given the facts I know or "feel" to be true .I hope we can learn from where we went wrong and get better everyday at what we do be it LE or our neighbors .
I know everything you did Connie was absolutely right . As it stands, I also believe everything the officers did was right given the tragic situation .
A meeting ? If it's intent is to get better all the way around , be it for trouble teens or a better understanding of options the officers may have had, I would be all for it .
If the substance of the meeting is to bash cops , I can't see that being productive .
I am always open for suggestions .
Dakota
Snowjob quote: ââ?¬Å?If the keys were not in the car then perhaps he would have simply broken the window, popped the trunk release, got the shotgun and killed the officer on the spot. Then he would have run to the nearest car (perhaps driven by your grandmother wife or daughter) and carjacked them and run from the cops anyway....”
Other than your statement being mere speculation, for what it is worth, Colby had opportunity to do what you stated and did not. Now you could fear for the safety of those Greene County deputies as they had obviously been out foxed by the wily and illusive Colby in the pastoral Virginia countryside, but even in Mayberry the deputy had a least one bullet in his shirt pocket for defense.
Geek: I am not basing anything off of what his stepmother said. The basis is from public records.
I am really sorry for the loss of your friend. It is so hard to lose someone you love and cared for. I hope your heart will mend.
Did u know him personaly? If not how do you know everything you are sayin about him is true?
RIP Colby Wade Eppard on Facebook has 395 members and counting.
So sorry for the loss!
tina, i have a witness, would you like to speak to them????
if so ..get my number from Hawes Spencer, and we can meet you and he can tell you the same story, he PULLED me off of the car as Colby was driving away becauce the glass was cutting my arm...sorry you dont believe me.
wangitus(the wonder donkey) this is to you, read below:
quote: ââ?¬Å?Since when did the charge of ââ?¬Å?unauthorized used of a vehicle” warrant a high speed pursuit and a chase through the woods?”
Interesting thought. While working in Greene County one evening, we had a suspect escape into the woods after his ditching a stolen car. About 30 minutes later, in the Sheriff’s Office, the then Lt Donnie Michaels asked me why I wasn’t out in the woods chasing this guy. I explained how I personally felt we needed to back off, let this guy think the heat was off, and then we could snatch him up when he least expected it. A few hours later the suspect was spotted walking down the road, freezing cold and tired, and was ready to voluntarily turn himself in.
Even later in the evening, Lt Michaels looked at me and called me a ââ?¬Å?know-it-all smart a**”. :)
So this is a true story but yet you are telling me I'm the reason that people that Colby are created. Please, get over yourself. You do not know Colby or anything except what you are hearing in the news. I really think you should take a look at the big picture and you'll see the cops had plenty of chances to catch Colby and they chose not too. Just as Colby chose to do what he did. I really honestly believe "the shootout" could have been avoided.
WTF: My bad. I am so sorry. I am thinking you knew what I meant. How is this for you: Greene ?
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and point out my one error. It must be heck when you are reading most of these post from some folks that do not know how to spell. I am telling you, there are times that I am so confused with what they are trying to "get out", that I just refuse to read anymore and refuse to try and make sense of what they are saying. Once again, thanks.
Amen to Dakota. I totally agree!
An intelligent discussion of whether the police acted properly given the circumstances, which was very interesting and compelling as it included comments from one of the last people to see Colby Eppard alive and because the author of the article commented also, has descended into something quite different. Now we have posters claiming they would commit a Class D felony by discharging a firearm into a moving occupied vehicle, if they alone perceived, as non law enforcement, that someone had run them or a family member off the road. Perhaps the reason that a few police in some jurisdictions do overreact, is disordered thinking such as this.
Yesterday afternoon as I took a relative to UVA medical center to a doctors appointment,and as we returned to second floor of the deck, an elderly man in an old car with two other occupants hit me with his car as we walked well off the vehicle travel path. He drove off and parked above us. As a woman comfortable and skilled with handguns, did I fire on him ? Of course not. Details of the incident were reported to law enforcement, and the CCTV account of the incident is available for them to peruse. Today, someone will begin the process of deciding whether this man should ever be behind the wheel of a vehicle again.
The Aunt of Eppard is the one that started this whole ordeal by calling police stating her vehicle was stolen. We have no clue what she said to law enforcement when she made the statement. The police chased Eppard. I guess they should have just told the Aunt that it was a family matter to handle it herself or they could have told her to call his momma. But those fools did their job. Eppard stole a police car. I guess the police could have just wrote the car off and said to hell with the crime that was committed. And then when they finally caught Eppard he opened fire on them. I guess they should have not worried about the boy that threatened them over the airways and should have ignored the bullets that were coming at them. They should have allowed him to empty the gun in his hands and just shot him in the leg. What a bunch of idiots. They did everything wrong. If they would have only followed the rules and guidelines when Eppard stole his Aunts truck, he'd still be alive today.
I pray that none of you that are casting doubt on the cops involved need them to help you out one day. If your vehicle gets stolen, buck up and just buy another one. If someone speds and runs you off the road, just carry on with your day. And if someone shoots at you, kneel behind a rock and wait until the gun is empty. When it is, go hold their hand and tell them God loves them.
Ken. Being a good samaritan is wonderful. I don't host any anger towards her. Her story simply doesn't make sense. When someone is committing a crime they really don't take the time to do all the talking and have a conversation like Hicks said she had with Eppard. He was in a police car, with a busted window, and the flashing blues on. It would have been a little hard for him to have not been seen. So why stay at Maupins store longer than needed. Hicks "did' tell two stories. Here she stated Eppard had beer in the car, but did NOT get it from Maupins. She told her mother that Eppard purchased gas, dip, and a 6 pack from Maupins.
She also said she tried to take the keys out of ignition and tried to take the gun. Does anyone actually believe that? If you do, you are far dumber than she is.
quote: "If indeed the official account of the events is true..."
How will the public ever know if the official account of the events are true and accurate?
More than a decade ago the Virginia State Police investigated the alleged wrongdoings of three or four Albemarle County deputy sheriffs. They of course were cleared of all wrongdoing during this investigation by the Virginia State Police.
The family was extremely upset and requested that a trooper or investigator not personally known and familiar with the sheriff and deputy sheriffs re-investigate the allegations. During the second investigation, the deputies were charged with crimes.
(For what it's worth, I think the deputies were innocent of all charges. There was a lot of politics involved in the entire mess and they became scapegoats, IMHO!)
Caitlin, you're wasting your time. You won't change the minds of those people who wish death upon others, or those who applaud such death.
My daughter had a very traumatic experience at the the hands of an out-of-control green behind the ears red headed stepchild rookie at age 5. She has never recovered from it. Every time we see a cop in traffic or passing now, she asks me if the cop is a good cop or bad cop. Being a teenager now, I often wonder how she would react if some loud mouthed rookie was to get on her case again now.
As I said, I realize there are bad cops. We will never really know the whole truth, but I would rather put my faith in the uniform than in the general public. I stand by what I posted earlier. If this yahoo shot at the cops, than he got what was coming to him, it doesn't matter if he was a "good boy" or not. Good boys usually don't have rap sheets or steal police vehicles or shoot at cops anyways, so I'm not really inclined to believe you, sorry. And, generally, if you shouldn't take something but do anyways, it is STEALING.
Sorrow: Thanks for sharing that web.
Ser: I do agree with you 100%
Gasbag: Just so you know, all of the officers involved where not rookies. I agree with you that some of these officers on the streets now (not just this area, but the entire country) are arrogant and cocky. But the several officers I knew directly involved in this case would not just gun down Colby, unless he was a direct threat. I think having bullets fired at your is a direct threat.
Also, can you find and post a snitbit of that case you were referring to the ACSD over a decade ago. I have tried to "jog my memory" on that one...and can't seem too...
"but I would rather put my faith in the uniform than in the general public."
... I don't know if I necessarily would...
Caitlin: "You people have no room to say he was a bad kid. Yes, he had gotten in trouble before but if you really wanna know, he promised himself no matter what he would NEVER go back to jail."
So he was man enough to keep a promise to himself but not to the judges that repeatedly let him go on the promise of not causing any more trouble. So in addition to being arrogant he was also selfish.
I only hope that at least one person reading these posts realizes how STUPID this kid was and learns what happens when you do STUPID things.
AugustaCounty
I am glad you enjoyed the video , That officer had the patience of Jobe . I hope you watched the video "sorrow" posted as it is GREAT , full of truth and narrated by Paul Harvey .
GSOE I like your style, as it stands , I try to steer clear of getting into a battle of ignorance with an internet bully . Plus he sounds really big and scary pecking on that keyboard . Im' skeert .
sorrow Thank you for posting the video
Dakota
Dakota,
I did watch the video "Sorrow" posted. It was great.
:)
Caitlyn. I know you had the best of intentions with what you posted above about Colby being a good kid and him promising he would never go back to jail. I am sorry for the loss of your friend. However stealing a police car after wrecking his aunt's truck was surely going to get him a first class ticket to the big house.
AugustaCounty, it was when the deputies were accused of converting a man's possessions for their own personal use. Trooper J B Watson investigated the allegations. But Watson had worked this area and had known the deputies and sheriff involved for years.
A second trooper was brought in to re-investigate the case after the family raised cain. Criminal charges were placed after the second investigation.
I know I will never be able to change the minds of some of you heartless people but I just want you to realize that you have no room to talk when you didnt know him. I know taking his aunts car is still stealing (Im not stupid) all I was saying is its not like he set out for crime and yes I also know that he inclined the situation and stealing a cop car was a "ticket to the big house" but what I was saying is after they were gonna pull him over he would have had charges put on him. Get it now? Colby never wanted to hurt anyone. I believe he felt it was the only way to fufill his promise to himself. If he was trying to hurt someone he would have hit one of the police men with one of the fired shots. Colby wasn't stupid nor arrogent or selfish. You people have no heart and no respect for Colby or those in mourning.
I have seen several comments where people wonder how Colby could have had time to go get gas and talk. What happened was that after leaving the Greene cop in the woods, he disappeared in the police car for quite some time while the cop was getting back to civilization, and was only recovered when an Albemarle cop saw papers streaming out of a police car near Georgetown Rd. It was after that report that a high speed chase ensued on 29 bypass. Colby had plenty of time to calm down and take a different course. There was not a chase from the very beginning to end. Colby really did choose to make this last crazy stand.
caitlin, I'm sorry, but as fun as Colby might have been as a drinking/hunting buddy, as "cool-ass" as he may have seemed, as funny as he might have been (with his hi-larious rebel yells and all), you simply cannot say that someone who runs other people off the road (i.e., the driver of the Daewoo on Rosebrook Road) is not "selfish." That's exactly the defintion of selfish: "my desire to get away from the cops who are chasing me for something by the way that I did wrong is more important than your safety."
it's true that you aren't going to change the minds of anyone who drives these roads and worries now and then about speeding selfish a-holes who think only about their own perceived needs.
you're also not going to change the minds of anyone who has a different, perhaps higher standard for what constitutes a "good" kid (let alone a great kid). I know some pretty good teens. they do things like volunteer. they have jobs. they don't have ridiculous issues with "rules." they figure out a way to contribute to the larger society they live in. if the standard for being a good person is simply "sh*tfire, I had a hell of a lot of fun hanging out doing marginally legal things with this person," then god help us all.
Ser
I hope you are getting help in the area of anger management, communication, relationships, with an emphasis to relating to those in crisis and in being a constructive force in at least, the work world. Attacking a young person for poor grammar and a perspective borne of knowing that a friend of hers was splattered over Earth with a hollow nosed round, is not constructive. Certainly,as an adult, you can relate to how a young person might view what happened, coupled with natural loyalty. rational or not.
So far, we know that Colby Eppard was a child who spent time in foster care, had a serious head injury, and at some point had a stepparent who allegedly was involved in child molestation. He had multiple trips to Residential Treatment Centers. He was behaving in what could rationally be described as a manic episode. He was allegedly driving a truck that belonged to his aunt and had an accident in it. (However, no one really knows whether he, in fact, had permission) There is good evidence that he did indeed take a police vehicle and taunt police. He was drinking beer underage, and we have no idea what the potential interactions were between the alcohol in the beer, and the probably psychiatric medications a young man with Eppard's history would likely be taking. Until an autopsy report is released, including a toxicology report, we have no clear idea as to why this person would act with broad and apparent irrationality.
Interestingly, there is an abundance of people all over the area who share a deep and abiding admiration for a young person they saw quite differently than you do. For someone who had almost no chances to live a normal life, he certainly inspired people and was loved by them. This is one of the issues that has made this case so enigmatic and so interesting. Perhaps THIS should be John Grisham's next story.
Although there is value in the discussion of what happened to Colby Eppard, there is no value in villifying him.
When in the future, you are pushed to your limit, your anger management skills are tested, your spouse leaves you, you have an ill child, and you have an untoward reaction to the antidepressant your family practitioner prescribes, and you act out, I hope that those around you extend a bit more consideration for you, and for your friends than you have for the young friends of Mr. Eppard. They know what happened to him. Allow them to remember the friend and the gentle soul that they know, at least in their memories.
Jk... yada yada yada...
I understand that these people need to grieve the loss of a friend. I also understand that he is gone.. and if we simply grieve the loss then the situation will repeat itself over and over. The system failed to accept responsibility to deal with this kids problems in a way that places societies need for safety equal to his rights to be a screw up.
They should hsve tried harder to fix him but when they realized those efforts were failing they should have incarerated him and made sure he would not have the opportunity to do what he did.
There are millions of americans out there who had it way worse than him who did not do the things he did.
This is simply a case of a suicide bomber who tried to tske other people with him but failed. His death was a statement to the world that no one was going to tell him what to do.
At least he got what he wanted.
Caitlyn. The ONLY reason Colby didn't shoot one of the officers is because they shot him first!!!
And there is a HUGE difference between a good kid and a bad kid. Just because Colby had friends and was a nice guy that made people laugh didn't make him a good kid. He was a man and had been in trouble with the law before. He also threatened the police officers over the airways while in the car.
While he was in Free Union, he could have walked away on foot and disappeared. Instead he decided to go through town. Knowing damn well that the law was looking for him. Hard to conceal an unmarked speeding car with a busted window!!!
I would like to think that our youth is much smarter than some of the crap comments you all have put on the Facebook Page of Colby Eppard RIP. You guys are threatening others for their opinions and for simply calling Colby a punk. You all are old enough to act more mature. You are our future. And that is scary as hell!!!!
quote: "...the cops from 3 different counties unloaded their guns into an 18 year old boy. Colby was hit 22 times..."
Sounds like "street justice" for the offenses of "contempt of cop".
Sorta reminds me of the kid in New York who didn't speak English and was trying to hand his wallet to the cops. They shot him 40+ times and claimed they thought his wallet was a gun.
I doubt the cop shoppes will ever deny or admit Colby Eppard was hit 22 times. The public will most likely never be given access to the video of the shooting as well.
quote: "The cops should have hit him 22 times. Once you are committed to stop him dead there is no reason to stop firing until you know for a fact that it is over."
Things sure have changed. If this is what is being taught in the police academies now?
When I went through the police academy, we were taught to "double tap" to the chest, meaning two shots. We were never taught to empty a 15 round magazine into somebody, and then reload and do it again.
Some of you people are downright scary if you carry a weapon. It would be interesting to know if the thought or belief of shooting somebody 22 times would be enough to have a Concealed Weapons Permit revoked from a civilian.
I support the open carry of a firearm, as allowed by Virginia law. And I support the issuance of concealed weapons permits. But I do believe a few Concealed Weapon Permits have slipped through the cracks and should never have been issued in the first place. Especially since the requirements to qualify have been lowered even further this past year.
Anyways after Colby’s cop chase ended; the cops from 3 different counties unloaded their guns into an 18 year old boy. Colby was hit 22 times. I’m pretty sure that we don’t even shoot mass murderers 22 times let alone 18 year olds with mental instabilities""
"22 times"? Thats a little too dramatic. It's amazing anyone else didn't get caught up in the crossfire.
Who said Eppard was shot 22 times? Personally I don't care if they all emptied their rifles. He shot at them ancame towards them. You DON'T stop shooting until the man is down!!!
Why are people so ignorant?
Colby was shot 22 times? Where is the source other than a post here?
Colbys mother was told that her son was hit 22 times. And i am a family freind. And Tina fyi Colby was dead standing up after he was shot in the head and neck. Can you imagine being shot 22 times? Or can you imagine haveing a son being shot 22 times? Colby was not mentally stable. And Drmoolah Colby did not choose to die. He was scared as any person his age would be after making a dumb choice.
Any bullets fired after he was dead could not be cruel and unusual punishment because he would not be alive to experience it.
Reasonable force to arrest is one thing. Eliminating a deadly threat with resounding force is another.
This wasn't the Outlaw Josey Wales, this was a guy who was shooting at police officers. The responded accordingly. The would and should do it again if something like this reoccurs.
With all the budget cuts coming down the pike soon, they might not be able to afford to do it again. They might have to limit every suspect/victim to 10 rounds or less.
Speaking of budget cuts, I saw a county police car at Fashion Square Mall tonight. It had the small center caps on it. Guess budget cuts have caused them to stop purchasing the full size wheel covers? The little center caps have their pros and cons.... con- they look plain downright tacky.... pro- they look "intimidating" and "macho" for the rookies. :)
I got a lot of catching up to do . I give it to the Hook crowd for reader input .
GSOE "I doubt the cop shoppes will ever deny or admit Colby Eppard was hit 22 times. The public will most likely never be given access to the video of the shooting as well."
This is one thing I hope your wrong about , The creditability of ALL dept's involved , including the VSP would clearly be called into question if video is denied or withheld .
Dakota
Gasbag quote: "They might have to limit every suspect/victim to 10 rounds or less."
You are truly sick! Does your mommy know your are using her computer?
quote wigwamsnarkydog: "this was a guy who was shooting at police officers."
Allegedly! Where is your conclusive proof? Were you there?
lol
The proof is in the 911 dispatch tapes. They said suspect is shooting at officers. Do you think they actually lied to cover up because they were planning to kill him?
Tina quote: "The proof is in the 911 dispatch tapes. They said suspect is shooting at officers. Do you think they actually lied to cover up because they were planning to kill him?"
Cool Tina. Where can we listen to the tapes, too?
It's kind of interesting that all you folks have access to the number of times Colby was hit, if he was "standing up dead" (whatever that means)...and so forth. If there were 20 officers on site, each "double tapped" their weapons 20 x 2 = 40 / with 22 hits. Sounds reasonable.
As for this "mentally ill"...ohhh Colby was mentally ill, cut his some slack crap. What are the police suppose to do...yell out..."Hey you, what is your mental status"..before they return fire? WTF???
Someone...please post the link to where you obtain the info you do on Colby and this incident...and most importantly that the main three cop vehicles didn't have their recorders working that day. Some of this info is MADE UP STUFF by posters just wanting attention.
http://policelink.monster.com/videos/videos/22279-the-defenders-creed
....and last but not least I am sure....
for all you folks that are all "excited" about the budget cuts and possibly local officer losing their jobs....
I hate to say this, but I hope like H3ll that you or someone you might know will need POLICE ASSISTANCE....and that due to the lack of officers on the street...you will have to "take a number"...
Ooops, sorry about that. That wasn't very nice...just like it's not nice that you wish job loss on your neighbors...your public servants...who are willing to serve and protect no matter how much you hate them.
Stupid help? Sounds to me like you don't know the proper procedure when, as LE officers we have to make a split second decision. I am sorry, but I am not going to stand there and let some "adult kid" shoot at me. If I were in the same position as the other officers that day, I would be double tapping my weapon.
Do the math silly goober. If you have 20 officers double tapping their weapon...20 x 2 = 40 right? He was only hit 22 times per your "information". Hmmmmmmmm, just over 1/2 shots fired hit him.
I will say that I will continue to serve and protect my community regardless of your advise to serve and protect elsewhere. If you don't want the service and protection of me or my fellow LE officers, may I suggest that you move? And what does this mean, And don't give your patrol cars away. idoits!" Last time I checked stealing is not considered "giving away"...
You guys are getting creepy. Go to bed.
i never mentioned anything about lawlessness ser. I respect cops and what they do as a whole but they are under the law too. They are not just because they have badges. And yes those barely legal 18 year olds are kids in Iraq fighting for their country. Where they are does not change the fact that they are kids. And it does not take tox screenings to count the number of bullet holes in someone. Also, why would a grieving mother lie about a report given to her?
Awl thank Tina & ser!!
I must say that "..." it's "i" before "e" except after "c"...example: it's friend; not freind. and it's received; not recieved"...just for the record.
And for another record clarification: "it doesn't take a tox screening to count the number of bullet holes in someone"....UM, It also doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that stealing, driving like a fool, stealing again, side swiping vehicles, firing a weapon at cops isn't going to get you a pat on the back and a hug!!!
BTW, according to the newspapers, Colby was born in March; therefore he didn't "just" turn 18. ;)
So long as all the bullets hit him before he was on the ground then I say they did the right thing. They invested an extra 20 dollars worth of bullets to eliminate the threat this kid was placing on the public.
I suppose if a sharpshooter had shot him once in the leg, and he had managed to get a round off that killed an officer on the way down and then they arrested him and let him go stay with John Hinkley (he shot Reagan and Jim Brady))for a few years you people would be happy?
The world is better off without this guy. He had a death wish. It came true. End of story.
Gasbag, so is Chipotle the new Arby's??
Jenkins: and i was only pointing out that I seen them and I don't sweat it, because I trust LE officials. I know that when needed they are there.
quote: "Jenkins: and i was only pointing out that I seen them and I don’t sweat it, because I trust LE officials. I know that when needed they are there."
Yeah. This explains how Morgan Harrington totally vanishes into thin air with dozens of cops within a tenth of a mile from her. :)
Sorry to use such a disturbing example, but anybody who assumes that the cops can and will protect them is living in a fantasy world.
Well it's a good thing that we all have opinions... ;)
-a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.
-a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.
at any rate, I might not be the sharpest pencil, but I think I know who you are.....
quote: "I think I know who you are..."
Of course you do!
quote: "GASBAG: THERE WERE A H3LL"
What?
quote: 'Is is the duty of the LE to hold everyone’s hand????"
Absolutely not. The courts have ruled on this in several lawsuits against cop shoppes where people felt they were not protected from the criminal element by said cops.
This is why I think it's totally absurd for you to claim you know the cops will be there when they are needed.
quote: "Gasbag. I cannot believe you actually used Morgan Harringtons disappearance as an example."
Why can you not believe it? Look up in the replies and it's there in black and white.
It's the best example in the world of cops not being able to protect the public. Above I mentioned "dozens of cops within a tenth of a mile of Morgan". Considering the type of concert it was I suspect there were probably as many as 100 cops from 4 or 5 jurisdictions present when Morgan Harrington disappeared. How can the cops be blamed? Well, simply put, unless I am mistaken... they are hired to work traffic and maintain order and public safety in and around the John Paul Jones arena.
quote: "Gasbag: You did not address my other statement of ââ?¬Å?there were alot more civilians at the concert than LE officials”Šand none of those civilians saw anything."
Not true. There were several civilians who reported sightings of Morgan Harrington both before she entered the concert and after she was denied re-entry once she stepped outside.
If I was Morgan Harrington's parents I would be mad as hell at both the John Paul Jones arena and any cop or security guard present on the evening of this concert.
This is why I have insructed my daughter to head straight for Chipolte's if she finds herself in need of assistance on that side of town. And to head straight to the cop shoppe downtown if she needs help on the east side of town. I personally think we have a serial killer on the loose. Just like we had a serial rapsit terrorizing the public here for 15 years -- until a victim finally spotted him at a Burger King.... where the cops took the cup he was drinking out of and tested DNA resulting in a match. Had this victim not spotted the serial rapist, he would still be on the loose in this city raping women! Any yet, who took credit for this infamous arrest of a serial rapist? The cops of course!! :)
Gasbag...We don't know what happened to Morgan. We don't know if she was abducted or if she walked away and willingly got into a vehicle with someone. So it is impossible to use this as an example when you nor I know the facts that surrounds her disappearance.
It is bad enough all this has happened, this boy is gone. This ias an absolute tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of this young man and to the people around him who tried to help him. Yes we do not know what he was going through but he had been trying to get help.You all just need to think about everyone involved and not just speculate. This could have ended differently,God only knows what really happened. Colby Wade Eppard, may you soul rest in peace. God be with you all.