Two Dead After Stand-off Response

Two dead after Sydney armed stand-off

March 7, 2016 4:26pm, AAP

Three men have been shot, one fatally, and a gunman remains holed up inside a Sydney business.

Two people are dead after a six-hour police stand-off in a Sydney industrial estate which ended with the gunman taking his own life.

Tactical response officers swarmed Ingleburn signage business Inline around 10.45am on Monday after three brothers were shot, one fatally, over what's believed to be a business dispute.

The gunman, who was thought to be armed with an assault rifle, holed up in the factory unit as negotiators tried to get him to give himself up.

Nearby local businesses and surrounding streets were sent into lockdown, with police telling people not to go near windows.

Three hostages were released from the factory building in Heald Street just after 5pm and officers then found the gunman's body.

"(Police) located three persons, factory workers, hiding in that unit," Acting Commander Mark Brett said.

"A further search of that unit located a male deceased.

"It's believed that person died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

He would not say when the man died, and said this was now a matter for the homicide squad, though it's understood he may have died several hours before police entered the building.

Police have also not confirmed his identity, though he is believed to be a 33-year-old who some media are naming as Finks bikie gang associate Wayne Williams.

"We have a suspect in mind and that's all I'm prepared to say at this time," Mr Brett said.

The victim of the shooting on Monday morning is believed to be 43-year-old Michael "Mick" Bassal, and the injured men his two brothers.

The surviving brothers are being treated at Liverpool Hospital, where distraught family have gathered.

One of the men required emergency surgery, while the other suffered superficial injuries to his lower body.

A person of interest was arrested earlier in the day at the industrial estate and led away in handcuffs, allegedly for hindering the police operation.

Streets remain shut around the second generation, family-owned business and traffic is being diverted away from the area, which is still being treated as a crime scene.

Staff at neighbouring businesses had been told to stay in their factory warehouses, but police allowed a number of cars to leave the factories mid-afternoon before the end of the stand-off.

"Police told us not to go near windows," an employee at one local business told AAP.

Another said the area was usually quiet and without incidents.

"I'd never really noticed the business before today," he said.

"Nothing happens here."

Response:

Its kind of pitifully sad, reading this article. You think of all the securities we think we have, and then realize that nothing is ever really "safe". We have the mentality that nothing could harm us, but just like these men, we could die anytime. The victims of this homicide were unfortunately targets, and the article clearly addresses the issue and how the government is planning on solving it. There is of course a bias towards the dead and wounded, but almost everyone who reads the article would agree with their side, considering it was only a business matter. AAP does efficiently acknowledge the series of events and provide awareness for local citizens. Overall, it was a disappointing incident, but is being quickly and decently addressed by leaders. 

Citation:

AAP. "Two Dead after Sydney Armed Stand-off."
Herald Sun. Herald and Weekly Times, 7 Mar. 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. <http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/doubleshooting-in-southwest-sydney/news-story/915368e0af9efb03b37bc28ff9739555>.

Kenyan Teen Shot Response

Kenyan teen fighting for his life after being shot three times by police in the US

By Reuters | Monday, Feb 29th 2016 at 11:08

Protesters threw rocks at police in Salt Lake City after officers shot a black teenager who was attacking a man late on Saturday, authorities said.

Relatives of the teenager identified him as Abdi Mohamed, 17, and told the local Fox 13 television news channel he was in a coma at a hospital after being shot three times. Police said he was in critical condition.

The Salt Lake City Police Department said he was shot after officers in the downtown Rio Grande area saw two people attacking a male victim with metal objects and ordered the pair to drop their weapons.

"One of the males complied and dropped the weapon, the other continued to advance on the victim and was shot by officers," the department said in a statement on Sunday.

The shooting came as police departments across the United States face increased scrutiny over allegations of excessive force against black people and other minority groups. High-profile killings of unarmed African-American men by police led to national protests and spawned the "Black Lives Matter" civil rights movement.

One man who said he was a witness, Selam Mohammad, 19, told reporters his friend, the teenager who was shot, was holding a broomstick and had been fighting with an older man before the officers arrived.

"He barely even turned around. ... My friend didn't do anything," Mohammad told the Deseret News newspaper.

Scores of police, some of them carrying riot shields, responded to the scene where crowds of angry onlookers hurled abuse, rocks and bottles at the officers. Authorities said four people were arrested for civil disorder.

The department said two officers were involved in the shooting and that both had been placed on routine administrative leave pending the investigation.

It said both officers were wearing body cameras, but that the footage was not being released yet because of the probe led by the Unified Police Department.

Fox 13 quoted relatives as saying Mohamed moved to Utah from Kenya about 10 years ago and lived in West Valley City with his girlfriend and their son.

His girlfriend, Becca Monson, told the channel he was a "really caring, good, loving" boyfriend and father.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski said in a statement that while the investigation continued, "there is no doubt what happened is a tragedy for all involved and for our entire city."

Response:

This fascinating incident is a probably a more commonly seen happening, but it is eye opening all the same. Even though we repetitively see these things on TV or in the news, we pass by them like just another shooting. Despairingly, these "just shootings" are now a common occurrence and we passively address them.



Citation: Reuters. "Kenyan Teen Fighting for His Life after Being Shot Three times by Police in the US." Standard Difital. The Standard Group Limited, 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://www.sde.co.ke/article/2000193338/kenyan-teen-fighting-for-his-life-after-being-shot-three-times-by-police-in-the-us/>.