Someone forgot to bring the "drop gun".

Sunday, July 22, 2001
Last modified at 2:02 a.m. on Sunday, July 22, 2001
© 2001 - The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Out of the Ruins
Robinson's family begins task of rebuilding


By DIRK FILLPOT
Avalanche-Journal

Richard Robinson, who nine days ago was charged with killing a Lubbock police officer, has a lengthy physical and emotional recovery ahead of him, his attorney said Saturday.

''It was a living hell for the past seven days,'' Dan Hurley said.

On July 13, police went to the Robinson home at 3229 87th St. in response to a domestic disturbance. Robinson, 47, was alone and reportedly armed and suicidal. SWAT officers surrounded the house.

Several hours after responding to the scene, the SWAT team moved up to the house and broke windows to clear an entry for tear gas.

During that operation, Sgt. Kevin Cox suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head from a high-velocity firearm. In the hail of gunfire that followed, Robinson suffered two gunshot wounds.

Later that day, Robinson was charged with killing Cox. Friday night, the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office dropped the capital murder charge against Robinson after ballistics tests showed that weapons found in his home could not have fired the fatal shot.

As with the family of the fallen officer, it is also time for the Robinson family to rebuild, said Robinson's longtime friend Paige McGlaun Dominick.

''I think, after this, that a lot of people are going to need counseling. I think a lot of people are going to need help,'' she said.

''It's going to be a long time before he can continue on with his life. His house is in shambles,'' perforated by up to 100 bullets, Dominick said. ''Not to take away from the Cox family, but Dick's family has been pretty shattered by this also. This is a horrible thing that has happened.''

Dominick, who went to high school with Robinson and Hurley, was among friends and family who gathered with Robinson after he was released from jail Friday night. His wife, Laura, and other family members were preparing to visit him when they received word of his impending release.

''We had to tell him repeatedly last night that he is not to blame for this, and I love him and I would do anything in the world for him,'' Dominick said Saturday. ''This is too good of a man for this to happen to. If it can happen to Dick, it could happen to anybody. I just thank God that we have him back.''

(continued)

Hurley said that Robinson was receiving medical attention Saturday and was unavailable to talk with reporters.

Hurley said he hopes that all parties can reach an agreement and avoid a lawsuit over damages suffered by the Robinsons.

The deadly standoff July 13 raises important questions about police policies that need to be addressed, he said.

''I think we should reflect and decide whether that type of militaristic response is necessary in those types of situations,'' Hurley said.

Police spokesman Bill Morgan has said that the potential volatility of such incidents demands a SWAT response to ensure the safety of everyone involved ­ officers, suspects, bystanders and the public.

''I feel like he was very mistreated. This whole thing was handled wrong,'' Dominick said. ''I don't know why they used so much force on this. It got real blown out of proportion real fast.''

In time, Dominick said, people will learn that her friend did little to provoke officers to open fire on his house that day.

''Dick never touched a gun the entire time he was inside the house,'' during the standoff, she said. ''I'll stake my life on that.''

Hurley added: ''He was very adamant and emphatic that he never ever fired a single shot. I feel confident, because that is the truth. He did not fire a shot.''

Many of the guns Robinson had in the house were antiques which he inherited when his father died in December, Hurley said.

''We're hoping to get lots of questions answered as we go along,'' he said.

Police say they will continue to investigate the shooting. Investigators don't know the source of the fatal shot or if Robinson fired any weapons during the incident. At the request of police, FBI weapons experts will examine the scene Monday.

Dominick said Robinson expressed much concern for the Cox family when friends and family gathered Friday night.

Hurley sad, ''It's just an absolute tragedy that a police officer lost his life under those circumstances. We're praying for the Cox family and whoever is determined to be responsible.''

First off I want to express my feelings that the mere mention of an article that is the least bit derogitory towards police or questions their competence/ethics is technically LEO-bashing.  I personally won't condone this behaviour.  Therefore this thread needs locked in the worst way.

Since it isn't locked, help me get this straight...They (who?) call in SWAT to bust a cap in some suicidal guys ass?  AND they screw even this simplest of tasks???  This mission (suicide prevention???) is some kind of high risk assaignment?  Seems to me that surrounding the residence and waiting it out would ALWAYS be the best solution for the solo suicider.  Hell even some half-wit working at the suicide hot line has a 99.9% success rate in preventing suicides.  Sounds decidedly better than Lubbock's own Ninja inc.

Being all alone he must have found a really creative way to have smacked the ol' lady around enough to get the SWAT team involved.

If this Dick Robinson cat wasn't the one who was the LEO-Basher(tm) then who was???  A shooter at the grassy knoll. (I heard that they are a Texas phenomenom) Bwaaahaaaahaaaa!!!  The freaking Bullet Fairy must have shown up and dropped a MatchKing in officer Cox's ear!

I guess for the tasteful JBT-Bashers the real kicker is the delicious irony here if it was another LEO that pulled the trigger;  Do they prosecute to the fullest the person who is a cop-killer, or do they cover for the shooter because after all he too is a cop, and the police never do anything wrong correct?  Of course if the Bullet Fairy ends up being charged whith this all bets are off.

All of this wouldn't have happened if they would have just off'ed Mr. Robinson.  It is sooo much easier to blame the dead guy.  Now every piss-ant libertarian will use this as another example of the so-called police state we live in!  And on top of that you wouldn't worry so much about the cash register sounds you are hearing from ever lawsuit happy attorney in the Republic of Texas.  

To whom it may concern....Nice Shootin' There TEX!
[frag]

I think Invictus needs to lay off the espresso in the morning.  [:)]

Seriously, though.  You want the thread locked because it contains info that is detrimental to one or more LEO's?  I'm certainly no cop-basher.  Several of my friends are ex-LEO.  But wanting to quash any info referring to police in a bad light is censorship, plain and simple.

Some people just want to keep up on the news.  Some are LEO's, and they might want to be kept abreast of news in the LEO community.  Sure, there are some cop-bashers out there, but don't assume anything that mentions bad police activity is cop-bashing.

And even if the original intent is cop-bashing, most readers will probably just ignore that stuff and read the news article.  They're capable of making their own decisions.

Because, if they dont call swat for every "emergency situation" they would hardly ever get to play with their hardware that we taxpayers so generously buy for them.
flame on leo bashin guys !!!
[x]

um, i would like to point out that it is merely a news article and you are jumpin' the gun on it being LEO bashing.



So as input I would like to add:

Has anyone ever watched COPS.  For heaven sake 80% of LEO calls are 'family beef's' and half of everyone at the call is depressed and suicidal.  Maybe all LEOs should just be (not-so)SWAT.

Zaz