[url]http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/04/10/shooting.spree.ap/index.html[/url]

Policeman suspected in shooting spree that kills 5

April 10, 2002 Posted: 3:16 AM EDT (0716 GMT)


DOVER TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (AP) -- [b]A veteran police officer went on a rampage in two New Jersey towns, killing five of his neighbors and wounding two people, police said.[/b]

Authorities were searching early Wednesday for Edward Lutes, a Seaside Heights police officer for 15 years. He remained at large in a blue 1995 Buick Regal.

"We do believe he's armed with firearms," said Dover Township Police Chief Michael Mastronardy.

The shootings started in Dover Township around 10 p.m. Tuesday in two homes.

Two of the unidentified victims were in a house located next door to Lutes' home and the other three victims were in a house across the street.

A sixth person was wounded and taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River. It was not immediately known where the victim was at the time of the shooting.

Lutes later went to nearby Barnegat Township and shot Seaside Heights Police Chief James Costello, Mastronardy said. He was hospitalized in stable condition at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune.

Mastronardy and Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Gregory Sakowicz could not give a motive for the shootings.

When asked if Lutes might be going after other targets, Mastronardy said all precautions have been taken for anyone who could be a threat.

Doug Mayday, 37, who also lives in Lutes' neighborhood, said he was driving when a police officer in riot gear ran out of bushes and waved him through. He also saw police with rifles drawn in the vicinity of the shooting.

[b]The initial shootings happened about a mile from the street where a retired police officer is accused of killing four people in February.[/b]

John E. Mabie is charged with four counts of murder, accused of killing his granddaughter and three neighbors on February 21 as he went from house to house firing a revolver.

"It's just a sad time for the community," Mastronardy said.

This guy should definitely be disarmed, and locked up. His actions however do not reflect those of the majority of LEO's in this country, and should be taken for what they are. The actions of ONE individual. That he happened to be a LEO is irrelevant.

There was a thread about the psych. testing in place in the LE community to help screen candidates, and the overall inadequacy of them. Any fool can lie, and some can beat the 50% accurate polygraphs too. As the size of our society continues to increase, so too will the number of morons/nut jobs/fools/liberals...... in it. Since our police force is drawn from our society, the number of these individuals found on LE will increase proportiately with the number in society.

Again, the actions of a few do not represent the whole. Thankfully MOST people realize this or else we would have ALL been disarmed a LONG time ago.

I don't disagree.  You're preaching to the choir as far as how I personally view these incidents.  I'm just wondering why the Brady Bunch isn't trying to disarm everyone, including LEOs.

[beer]

Hear, Hear!! Sorry to have misinterpreted your intent. You really shouldn't be encouraging them though. Kinda like at the zoo

"Thank you for not feeding the animals."

Hey, can we put them in a zoo, display them so all can see the worlds finest examples of whiners?? Maybe if we gave them nice big open areas to run around in during the day. Climate controlled enclosures at night. Three squares a day. The works. They would be totally safe from the outside world, and that's what they really want, we should just give it to them.

What can you say, there are NUTS everywhere.

This fucking coward hid behind his badge his whole life, a buddy I went to college with knows him.All i can say is New jersey taxpayers have a nice police dept to thanks for costing them billions in lawsuits.If 1 of his neighbors would've been able to own a black rifle none of this bullshit would have happen!!!!![}:D]

That was intelligent.

A sad time for the kommunity ,mastronardy said
That is an understatment,hell this clown needs some serious help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thx for your 2 cents !!!!!! [}:D]

FYI, New Jersey is a state, and police dept's are local (city) agencies.

Just out of curiosity, what if that one neighbor (black rifle owner) had not been home, would it still have made a difference??

I was referring to the neighbors that was murdered !!!!!!!!! SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FYI Everything has a trickling effect, locals get suited pass it on to the taxpayers,just like the ENRON,KEATINGS S/L,ETC. thx again[}:D]

Glad you are such an authority that you can speak on the mindset of others. What if they were allowed, but not of a mind to?? What if that neighbor, having never been under fire, had missed, that happens you know. We can what if this to death, but none of it WILL change this.

As for the trickle down effect, this is partially true. However if you are referring to this incident as costing the taxpayers billions, I think this will most likely result in personal liability suits. The department will not likely be held accountable for the actions of an officer on his time, those are his actions, not the departments. But thanks anyway.

Just out of curiosity, what do the gun laws have to do with it? I know NJ has some pretty strange ones, but the presence of a "black rifle" had no real bearing on this.  A 30-30 or an old side by side 12 gauge would have been all that was needed.  It was the mindset of the victims, not the availibility of weapons at fault here. Probably not a single one had a gun of any type even within reach. Bet you also this guy has been mentally setting off alarms for months, and no one did anything.

Is there capital punishment in NJ ? If not, there needs to be...I don't care if this loser was an LEO.

As USP40C stated earlier, the actions of a few do not represent the whole.  This just goes to show that there are bad apples everywhere.  I think the point that we are all trying to enforce is that the general population is no more pre-disposed to go on killing sprees as police officers, but our freedoms are often trampled on as a result of incidents like this by civilians.  

I'd shoot people, too, if I had to drive one of those...

[:D]


Sad day, actually, very sad day...

Proposed Brady Bunch press release:

"While the recent events in New Jersey involving a rampant police officer are tragic, we all should be thankful for New Jersey's progressive approach to common sense gun legislation, which doubtless prevented numerous tragedies of this magnitude or even greater."

It's always easy to claim something *didn't* happen thanks to some stupid law. [:(!]

N.J. Cop Suspected In Shooting Rampage Found Dead
Five Dead, Two Wounded In Shooting

POSTED: 7:24 a.m. EDT April 10, 2002

DOVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- A police officer wanted in a shooting rampage that left five people dead was found shot to death Wednesday, authorities said.

Edward Lutes, a Seaside Heights police officer for 15 years, was found dead in his car, Dover Township Deputy Chief Vincent Pedalino said.  A prosecutor says it appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The veteran Seaside Heights patrolman has been the focus of an overnight search.

Authorities say Lutes shot and killed five neighbors and then wounded his boss last night.


There was no word on a motive.

The first shootings happened last night in Lutes' neighborhood in Dover Township, a New Jersey shore community still reeling from a February rampage in which a retired police officer allegedly killed four people.

Two of the victims in the latest rampage were in a house next door to Lutes' home, and the other three were in a house across the street.

Police say Lutes later shot Seaside Heights Police Chief James Costello, who's hospitalized in stable condition.

[red] If he shot and killed 5 other people, wounded 2 others, then shot and killed himself, how many people died? [:)][/red]

Just as there are some bad gunowners, there are some bad cops.

Bash them if you wish but in my line of work
(firefighter/ paramedic) I depend on them for the safety of me and my crew and I most definitely want them to be armed.

Besides, unarmed bobbies look like fags!

What in the hell is wrong with you incessant cop bashers?

We are only hearing one side of the story from the biased media.

News conference guy said "suspect" used an MP5.  Maybe these guys shouldn't be allowed to take their MP5's home with them anymore.

I think the Brady Bunch didn't know he used his probably dept issued MP5.

This I can agree with 100%. If there is no reason that a civilian would need an MP5, there is no reason that a LEO would while off duty. I realize that a peace officer is a peace officer on duty or off in many places, but an off duty LEO has no business doing dynamic entries, thus no need for an MP5. (unless the powers that be, all knowing as they are, see fit to let me and you have one too)

[heavy]     [uzi]

Because of one incident?  Take away his MP5?

So if he wouldn't have had his Evil Black rifle this wouldn't have happened?

What IF he was on the SWAT team?  I guess if there's a SWAT call out the hostages are going to have to wait a little longer since he has to go to the station first to get his weapon.

Not intending to flame here but i hate when the weapon's at blame instead of the crazed lunatic...

Oh BTW, Kentstate is a Jackass

I did not mean to imply that the weapon was the problem, my USP will kill ya just as dead as an MP5 will. Hell my .22 will for that matter.

While I thought about the SWAT question you raised, and agree, but is there not typically some sort of MCC involved in most of their call outs?? Add a weapons cabinet, and problem solved.

The last line of your post says a mouthfull.

As i stated a buddy of mine actually knew the piece of shit!!!!!

       Where does it state in  my post that I blame the weapon 'Johninaustin'.

Seth that does break an "ar15.com rule " ,and I do take it as u stated it personal,as for   USP40c it goes for u also!

Imbroglic, where in my post was a bashing of a cop!! And did any see this happened within a mile of the feb.21 shooting!![:O]

Sure would like to see the defence the pricks come up with for the mabie clown!!

Take all dept. guns from all cops unless on duty!!! period!!!!!!!!!!!! No exceptions

Man, when was this guy up for psych evaluation?

As for being on the SWAT team, one would have to assume he was.  But since US soldiers can't even bring their M16's home with them, why the hell should he?  As for the hostages having to wait for a guy to get his gat, tough shit.

kentstate4,

I will have to disagree with you on this:

What if he had a take home department vehicle? (I do)  What if he goes on duty from his house?  (I do)  

Hmmm....tell me I can't take my duty weapon
home...that would be sorta' hard to do since I own it.  Oh, I also own my 9mm AR and my tac shotgun that are both used for work.

I don't want to get in the middle of some flame war, but [b]it does NOT matter if he was allowed to take his duty firearms home![/b]

They guy could have just as easy went on a killing spurt with a private owned firearm or even a knife for that matter...maybe a baseball bat of a bow and arrow.

The firearm he used in the murders ARE NOT A FACTOR!  

just my 2 cents.  I know some of you won't agree with me and some will.  That is what makes this board great...you can give you opinion and usually no one will jump you for it.  Remember we still have the 1st Amend.

medcop


edited to add: Please don't judge all LEO because some nut job went nuts.  

You don't think this is personal, not to mention that this man is not even able to defend himself here.
Should I point out that you are stating the opinion of another as if it were fact, you should really have a personal reference to someone before you anounce your deep knowledge of their character. I am not implying that this guy was in the right in any way in what happened, just that it ain't really fair to start pointing fingers and whining about your own tactics, as I simply agreed with the stated opinion of another. Oh, but what's that, I have personal experience with you to draw from in my decision to agree, and you have the opportunity to prove us both wrong. Maybe one day you will try to do so........Probably not though

NJ has capitol punishment like it has concealed carry.  Both are "on the books" but never used.

I heard on news radio that one of the victims managed to get a gun out, but it did him no good.

Why? Did the BG have his body armor on as well as his MP5?

A little more up-to-date:
[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020411/ap_on_re_us/shooting_deaths_22[/url]

And an excerpt:

Usp40c, You win I'm wrong . thank again!!!

Medcop , I never stated that!To take your personal weapons from u or any one else , just the dept.'s guns from all cops !! no exception!!

Also I don't personal attack people for there posts he, I state my opinion of that facts, reported to me by the media,and fellow postee's.

p.s. I think there should not be any take home cars for any civil workers. No exception!!!!!

Oh yeah, well [:P] [:P] [:P]!!!!!!!!!!