Homeless Man Holding Stick in Park Shot Five Times by Cop in Front of Dozens of Children

"I served 11 1/2 years with the VIPD and never shot anyone. I am only 5'6" and disarmed many a foe without firing a shot. In my day, if you killed anyone you were charged just like any other criminal, so you had that on your mind every time you responded to a call. You were taught self defense, including karate and boxing. I trained privately and earned a first degree black belt. I believe the proliferation in killings has to do with the training and the emphasis on the use of the weapon. We were given a baton, a black jack and handcuffs, which you could use before using deadly force. I don't think that the average officer understands what it is to be criminally charged and that is why they are so eager to use deadly force. The stress that you face when you are charged is worse than having a tooth ache. Also, the culture of the higher-up to condone and cover-up for the rank and file does the profession a disservice and puts the officers at more risk. The culture and training must change as we are living in an audio-video world. Big Brother is everywhere. - Augustin, Yahoo!, June 12, 2015



Here are accurate eye-witness quotes:

Nichelle Miller said she saw the confrontation, which took place around 10 a.m., inside the park at Northwest 13th Street and Third Avenue. It happened in front of the entrance to the Culmer/Overtown branch library. Miller said the officer fired five times.

“The man had a stick in his hand. They could have Tasered him. He was a homeless guy who’s there every morning,” Miller said. She said the man didn’t swing the pipe at the officer, but pointed it at him.

Another witness, Stephanie Severance, told Miami Herald news partner CBS4 that the officer stopped Severe, and when he began pointing the metal stick at the officer, the officer opened fire.

“The next thing you know, the man shot him,” she said. “I didn’t know whether to run, duck or hide.”

Arrest Information

Full Name: Fritz Severe

Date:03/03/2013

Arresting Agency: ORLANDO PD

Personal Information

Arrest Age:43

Current Age: 45

Gender: Male

Birthdate: 10/05/1969

City: Orlando, Florida32805 

BURGLARY OF DWELLING

STATUTE: 810.02(1)(B)(1)-4 (SECOND DEGREE FELONY)

 

Arrest Information

Full Name: Fritz Severe

Date:08/09/2013

Arresting Agency: ORLANDO PD

Personal Information

Arrest Age:43

Current Age: 44

Gender: Male

City: Orlando, Florida 32808

TRESPASS (SIMPLE)

STATUTE: 810.08-22 (FIRST DEGREE MISDEMEANOR)

Cops Shoot Homeless Man Five Times, Execute Him in Front of Terrified Children

June 12, 2015

Filming Cops - Reports have surfaced according to which a Miami police officer has opened fire on a homeless man.

They shot the man five times outside of a public library after the man failed to obey their commands to drop a stick that he had been holding.

There were dozens of families with their children right near the location of the shooting.

Children could be heard screaming and crying in terror after hearing officers pumping out the rounds into the body of the homeless man, according to witnesses.

The incident began when a citizen saw the homeless man carrying what he claimed was a “pipe” and decided it’d be a good idea to call the police.

Many homeless people use pipes or sticks or metal hangers to dig through trashcans so that they can find recyclable goods. It could be that this is why the man had the object in his hands, but we will never truly know now since the cops decided to take his life.

There were no reports that the homeless man was attempting to strike anybody with the stick.

Officer Antonio Torres arrived at the scene and commanded the homeless man to drop it.

Police claim that he “failed to comply” with their commands.

They opened fire on him and executed him.

Shortly thereafter he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Witnesses at the scene recounted that the execution was witnessed by at least 50 children who were “hollering, screaming, and running.”

Another witness said that the man was just a local homeless person whom she saw every morning.

Another witness remarked, “The man had a stick in his hand. They could have Tasered him. He was a homeless guy who’s there every morning.”

Officer Torres has been granted paid leave.

The department has assured the public that it will conduct an “investigation” into the incident.

Florida officer shoots homeless man Fritz Severe dead in front of 50 children

Shot dead: Homeless Fritz Severe, 46, was killed in Gibson Park, Miami, by police officers who were called to reports of a violent disturbance

June 12, 2015

Associated Press and Mailonline - Dozens of children attending a summer camp were left traumatized after watching a police officer shoot dead a homeless man in the middle of a Miami park.

Fritz Severe was shot in Gibson Park, in the Overtown area, on Thursday morning in front of as many as 60 witnesses - including children.

The officer, named as Antonio Torres, who has been in the force for 20 years, is said to have discharged his weapon after Mr Severe refused to drop his weapon.

But when Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes was pushed for details later, he said he could not confirm whether the pipe was brandished during the confrontation.

Officers were called to the popular park, which includes a swimming pool and tennis courts, to reports of a violent disturbance, but it is not clear what the nature of the disturbance was.

At 10am, there was some sort of confrontation, and Mr Severe was shot.

Witness Nichelle Miller told CBS Miami, said: 'I’m like, "Oh my god, he just shot this damn man five times! Five times, really? That’s ridiculous".'

Some reports suggest there may have been as many as 50 children who saw the shooting, who are understood to have been at a summer camp.

'The kids were hysterical. They didn't know what was happening. They just ran,' witness Clarence Bonner told WSVN,

The homeless 46-year-old died shortly after arriving at hospital, becoming another name on the growing list of people killed by police officers in the U.S. this year.

That list has just surpassed the 500 mark, according to The Guardian.

Mr Severe's death was also not the only fatal police shooting in Florida on Thursday.

The Miami Herald reports a suspect in a bank robbery was shot and killed in Pompano Beach, a 40 minute drive north of Gibson Park.

Llanes said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.

'I understand the anxiety that's been created across the country from police-citizen interactions, but I would ask that everyone wait for the facts of the case and not make up your own story,' Llanes told reporters. 'We will know what the facts of the case are.'

The chief added that the officer involved in the shooting, who has not been identified, will be reassigned to administrative duties pending the investigation's outcome.

Dozens of children attending a summer camp were left traumatized after watching a police officer shoot dead a homeless man in the middle of a Miami park.
Fritz Severe was shot in Gibson Park, in the Overtown area, on Thursday morning in front of as many as 60 witnesses - including children.
The officer, named as Antonio Torres, who has been in the force for 20 years, is said to have discharged his weapon after Mr Severe refused to drop his weapon.
But when Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes was pushed for details later, he said he could not confirm whether the pipe was brandished during the confrontation.
Officers were called to the popular park, which includes a swimming pool and tennis courts, to reports of a violent disturbance, but it is not clear what the nature of the disturbance was.
At 10am, there was some sort of confrontation, and Mr Severe was shot.
Witness Nichelle Miller told CBS Miami, said: 'I’m like, "Oh my god, he just shot this damn man five times! Five times, really? That’s ridiculous".'
Some reports suggest there may have been as many as 50 children who saw the shooting, who are understood to have been at a summer camp.

'The kids were hysterical. They didn't know what was happening. They just ran,' witness Clarence Bonner told WSVN,
The homeless 46-year-old died shortly after arriving at hospital, becoming another name on the growing list of people killed by police officers in the U.S. this year.
That list has just surpassed the 500 mark, according to The Guardian.
- See more at: http://www.georgianewsday.com/news/regional/339146-florida-officer-shoots-homeless-man-fritz-severe-dead-in-front-of-50-children.html#sthash.CJZWskbW.dpuf