"...you just killed the homeowner!"

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - "...you just killed the homeowner!" (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:50:08 PM EDT

PHOENIX (CN) - A homeowner says a Phoenix police officer shot him six times in the back during a 911 home-invasion call, and the 911 tape recorded the officer's partner saying, "That's all right. Don't worry about it. I got your back. ... We clear?" The family says the officers were not aware that the 911 call was still recording as they spoke about covering up the shooting.

In their complaint in Maricopa County Court, Anthony and Lesley Arambula say an armed intruder "crashed through the front window" of their home on Sept. 17, 2008 and ran into one of their son's bedrooms.

Anthony, worried about his son who was still in his bedroom, says he "held the intruder calmly at gunpoint" and called 911.

Phoenix Police officers already in the neighborhood heard the crash of the Arambulas' window. When they approached the house, Lesley says, she told Sgt. Sean Coutts that her husband was inside holding the intruder at gunpoint. Lesley says Coutts failed to pass on that information to the two other officers.

Inside the house, the Arambulas say, Officer Brian Lilly shot Anthony six times in the back while he was still on the phone with the 911 operator - twice when he was on the ground.

The officers ran into the bedroom after Anthony told them, "You just killed ... you just killed the homeowner. The bad guy is in there."

The complaint states that Officer Lilly "admitted that it was only after Tony was laying, bullet-ridden, on the ground that he assessed the situation. The 911 tape continued to record what happened even after Officer Lilly unloaded his weapon into Tony, including Officer Lilly's post-shooting, one-word 'assessment': 'Fuck.'

"Tony believed he was going to die; the 911 tape records his plaintive goodbye to his family: '... I love you ... I love you.' Then Tony made what he believed was a dying request to the officers; he did not want his young family to see him shot and bloodied. Officers callously ignored his request and painfully dragged Tony by his injured leg, through the home and out to his backyard patio, where they left him bloodied and shot right in front of Lesley, Matthew and Zachary."

The Arambulas say the officers later dragged Anthony onto gravel, then put him on top of the hot hood of a squad car, and "drove the squad car down the street with Tony lying on top, writing in pain."

According to the complaint, Lilly can be heard on the 911 tape telling Coutts, "We fucked up."

Lilly says on the tape that he did not know where Anthony's gun was when he shot him and that he "opened fire because he heard loud noises and saw someone who looked like he might be the 'Hispanic' male they were pursuing" before getting to the Arambulas' house, according to the complaint.

The complaint states: "Sgt. Coutts knew that officers has just shot up and likely killed an innocent homeowner and the husband of Lesley, with whom he had spoken before entering the home, instead of the armed intruder. Sgt. Coutts was quick to commence the cover-up of their terrible mistake. Sgt. Coutts asked Office Lilly where Tony's gun was at the time Officer Lilly had opened fire on Tony. Officer Lilly admitted that he did not know where Tony's gun was: 'I don't know. I heard screaming and I fired.'"

Lilly later told a police internal affairs investigator that Anthony had pointed his gun in his direction, "in the 'ready' position," the complaint states. But Anthony Arambula says he was facing away from the officers, who could not have even seen his gun.

The complaint continues: "Still not knowing that he is being recorded n the 911 tape, Sgt. Coutts interrupted Officer Lilly's admission and apology with his assurance that the cover-up would commence: 'That's all right. Don't worry about it. I got your back. ... We clear?'"

After the shooting, the Arambulas say, the Phoenix Police Department treated them "like suspects in a drug bust," denying Lesley, Michael and Zachary information about Anthony's condition and denying friends and family members access to him at the hospital.

Anthony Arambula survived, but continues to suffer pain, which he expects will last for the rest of his life.

The City of Phoenix and Officer Dzenan Ahmetovic also are named as defendants.

The Arambulas seek punitive damages for gross negligence, civil rights violations, failure to supervise, excessive force, deliberate indifference to medical needs, false arrest, and emotional distress. They are represented by Michael Manning with son Morrison Hecker.

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:53:45 PM EDT

[#1]

Those cops are the biggest failures who have ever lived.

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:53:52 PM EDT

[#2]

Train much?

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:55:41 PM EDT

[#3]

heh. those people are going to be frackin' rich, and rightfully so.

edit: homeowner guy was tough as nails too...6 shots from what i assume was probably a 40? wow, he missed his calling as a rapper.

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:56:24 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
heh. those people are going to be frackin' rich, and rightfully so.

And the cops will be broke, and in jail. And rightfully so.

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:56:28 PM EDT

[#5]

He shot him twice while he was on the ground?

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:57:11 PM EDT

[#6]

no words

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:57:52 PM EDT

[#7]

Oh soooooo fucking in. I was just wondering if anything interesting was gonna hit arfcom tonight. I gotta go get some beer.

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:58:17 PM EDT

[#8]

That is all kinds of fucked up. Those two officers sound like some serious fuck-sticks.

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:58:21 PM EDT

[#9]

The part about shooting the homeowner isn't the part that is going to get them in trouble, it's the CYA talk they engaged in afterward.

So did the 911 call pick up any verbal commands from ANY officer or did 6 shot Lilly cap his ass without any communication?

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:58:38 PM EDT

[#10]

Isolated Incident

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:59:22 PM EDT

[#11]

Fucked up!

Guys deserve whatever punishment coming.

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:59:45 PM EDT

[#12]

Posted: 10/3/2009 3:59:56 PM EDT

[#13]

LINK PLEASE.
B.S. Flag rescinded as per link provided

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:00:23 PM EDT

[#14]

Guess they don't carry .45s in Phoenix.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:02:10 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

LINK PLEASE.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/09/23/Family_Says_911_Tape_Caught_Cops_Planning_Cover-Up_After_Shooting.htm

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:02:34 PM EDT

[#16]

Didn't we already have a ~30 page thread regarding this incident?

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:03:35 PM EDT

[#17]

Can you say prison?

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:04:17 PM EDT

[#18]

We need higher standards for policemen/women,This sort of thing is fucking unacceptable

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:04:24 PM EDT

[#19]

In before the cop supporters

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:04:51 PM EDT

[#20]

3 words that equal two words, come to mind.

CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION=Federal Time.

What kind of "Full retard" does not give a warning and just opens KNOWING the adult male figure of the household is not presnt with the rest of his family, it would be safe to assume he is still in the house as well as the perp, even if the other officer didn't tell them he was.

These cops parents were close relatives before marriage.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:05:07 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
LINK PLEASE.

I'd laugh if some honest homeowner wasn't shot by some not so honest cops.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:05:44 PM EDT

[#22]

The city of Phoenix should just cut their losses now and hand a blank check over to the plaintiff. Otherwise, the lawyers will have a field day with this one. And rightfully so.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:06:01 PM EDT

[#23]

In on ONE

Speed

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:06:38 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Didn't we already have a ~30 page thread regarding this incident?

Yep, it's a dupe, no new info either.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:06:53 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:

Quoted:
LINK PLEASE.

I'd laugh if some honest homeowner wasn't shot by some not so honest cops.

BS Flag rescinded as per link. See above.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:07:01 PM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:

Quoted:
heh. those people are going to be frackin' rich, and rightfully so.

And the cops will be broke, and in jail be working for another department after a lengthy suspension with pay.

Corrected for the actual outcome.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:07:06 PM EDT

[#27]

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2009/09/phoenix_officer_who_shot_homeo.php

Cop didn't violate policy.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:08:41 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:

The city citizensof Phoenix should just cut their losses now and hand a blank check over to the plaintiff. Otherwise, the lawyers will have a field day with this one. And rightfully so.

Fixed

...........their tax dollars at work.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:08:58 PM EDT

[#29]

Maybe I missed it, but did the homeowner live?

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:09:10 PM EDT

[#30]

Nothing to see here, move along. Whats wrong with you guys back the badge. Cops have a tough job bla bla bla.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:10:03 PM EDT

[#31]

The Arambulas say the officers later dragged Anthony onto gravel, then put him on top of the hot hood of a squad car, and "drove the squad car down the street with Tony lying on top, writhing in pain."

WTF?

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:10:28 PM EDT

[#32]

are these guys serioius? what a bunch of freaing d-bags!

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:11:38 PM EDT

[#33]

Epic...

No really. Like something out of a movie plot.

Beyond epic failure.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:12:48 PM EDT

[#34]

Shit happens. The city should pay up and put this one behind them.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:13:01 PM EDT

[#35]

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=933896

Panel clears policeman in accidental shooting

Homeowner hurt in hunt for intruder files suit

by Michael Ferraresi - Sept. 26, 2009 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic .

A Phoenix police officer who mistakenly shot an armed homeowner
during a search for an intruder was cleared of wrongdoing this week by
a committee that reviews such shootings.
The ruling by the Phoenix Use of Force Board determined Officer
Brian Lilly acted within police policy in the incident, in which he
fired six shots at the homeowner amid the confusion of a home invasion
last September.
The shooting hospitalized homeowner Tony Arambula, who earlier this year sought a $5.75 million settlement in the case.

Lilly and Phoenix Sgt. Sean Coutts were named in a lawsuit filed last week in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Arambula, 36, was armed and holding a suspect at bay when he
suffered gunshot wounds to his back and arm, according to the
complaint.
Arambula claimed Lilly shot him twice as he lay bleeding on the floor of his living room, his wife and two young sons nearby.
The suspect, Angel Anastacio Canales, had broken into Arambula's
home near 32nd Street and Thomas Road as officers tracked him from a
"shots-fired" call in the area.
Arambula had the gunman cornered in his 12-year-old son's room when the officer opened fire.
"This is the type of thing that so severely demeans the credibility
of these (police) review boards," said Michael Manning, the attorney
representing Arambula.
"Physically, it would have been impossible for (Lilly) to see
Tony's face or the gun," he said. "They admit on the 911 call that they
didn't warn him."
Officer Jerry Gannon, Lilly's representative from the Phoenix Law
Enforcement Association, said it took less than one minute from when
officers entered the home searching for a Hispanic male suspect to the
when Lilly reacted to seeing Arambula holding a gun.
Gannon and other members of the organization's board said the
shooting was difficult to avoid, considering the fluidity of the
emergency scene.
"If Brian would have known there was a homeowner in there, he
probably would have hesitated," Gannon said, "but if he had hesitated,
and it was the (suspect), the outcome could have been tragic."
Phoenix Public Safety Manager Jack Harris will review the Use of
Force Board's ruling and make an official determination on Lilly's
shooting.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/09/26/20090926phxarambula0926.html

ETA: Made hot.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:13:24 PM EDT

[#36]

What was the deal with riding him around on the hood of a car?

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:13:35 PM EDT

[#37]

I miss the days when FedDC would come into these threads and tell us how the cops didn't screw up.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:15:48 PM EDT

[#38]

Good thing they had been shooting 9MM and not a real cartridge like a .45, .40. 357sig or .22lr or that guy would not be telling stories.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:16:02 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:
I miss the days when FedDC would come into these threads and tell us how the cops didn't screw up.

No lacking in that department.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:18:38 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
Those cops are the biggest failures who have ever lived.

I'm "Pro-Cop" but those two assclowns need to be sent to prison. What a fucking shame for the poor homeowner.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:18:42 PM EDT

[#41]

If those criminal "cops" don't end up in jail they need to end up 6' under. This sort of shit is why we have the death penalty.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:19:23 PM EDT

[#42]

Were they trying to rush him to the hospital on the hood of the patrol car?

Holy unsafe... that's crazy.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:21:00 PM EDT

[#43]

Where's the link for the other thread?

ETA: Nevermind

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:21:03 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:
I miss the days when FedDC would come into these threads and tell us how the cops didn't screw up.

Whatever happened to him?

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:22:04 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:
I miss the days when FedDC would come into these threads and tell us how the cops didn't screw up.

What happened to FedDC? Did he get the ban hammer or just slither off?

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:22:11 PM EDT

[#46]

Snip from the news article: ""If Brian would have known there was a homeowner in there, he probably would have hesitated," Gannon said, "but if he had hesitated, and it was the (suspect), the outcome could have been tragic."

Holy mother of God....what the fuck is wrong here? The outcome WAS FUCKING TRAGIC !!!!!!!!

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:25:09 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I miss the days when FedDC would come into these threads and tell us how the cops didn't screw up.

What happened to FedDC? Did he get the ban hammer or just slither off?

He's around. http://www.ar15.com/member/member.html?id=45882

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:25:40 PM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I miss the days when FedDC would come into these threads and tell us how the cops didn't screw up.

What happened to FedDC? Did he get the ban hammer or just slither off?

Perhaps someone else knows. I haven't missed his drivel for a second.

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:26:40 PM EDT

[#49]

Quoted:
Didn't we already have a ~30 page thread regarding this incident?

Not quite 30 pages, but we did just do it.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=933896

Posted: 10/3/2009 4:27:31 PM EDT

[#50]

So, they "saw the gun" he was "pointing at them". Then, they shot him in the back, even though they claim he was facing them, pointing a gun at them.

And, after all this mess, recorded on tape, they were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Nope, no blue wall here. Good shoot.

(That family is going to be RICH. Their lawyer is going to be VERY RICH.)

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - "...you just killed the homeowner!" (Page 1 of 2)

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