TheAgitator.com
Derrick Foster Speaks
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008Foster, remember, is the former Ohio State University football player accused of shooting and wounded two police officers during a drug raid in Columbus. He had no prior criminal record, had a conceal carry permit for his gun, wasn’t involved with any illicit drugs, and has a spotless record of employment as a code inspector for the city of Columbus. Foster admits he was at the house the police raided to shoot dice, but says he had no idea the raiding officers were cops.
"What I heard was a boom," said Derrick Foster. "Like somebody was trying to kick in the door."
Foster, who played football at Ohio State, told 10TV News that he never heard anyone identify themselves as police officers.
"The first reaction from everyone inside was we were being robbed," Foster said. "We’re being robbed."
Foster admitted that he went to the East Rich Street house to gamble. He also said he brought his gun - which he had a license to carry - for self-defense.
"My whole mentality was, if there were robbers, I want them to know somebody’s in here with a gun," Foster said. "Go away."
According to Foster, someone else inside the home fired the first shot.
"Whoever was outside fired back in, and that’s when I un-holstered my gun and I fired two shots," Foster said. "Basically, I was firing two shots, like a warning shot."
[...]
"They feel like, hey, this guy’s a criminal," Foster said. "I’m not that. I’m not that — and I want them to know I’m not that."
"I’m more remorseful than any person could ever be. This is something that has to stick with me for the rest of my life."
The police don’t seem to have any such regrets.
Officers Garrison and Gillis did not comment on the pending court case, but said anyone who opens fire on another person needs to be held accountable.
"I think any person that has a firearm and is willing to shoot at any person is a dangerous person," Garrison said.
I wonder if that would include the officers who blindly fired back into the house.
Incidentally, this was the third drug raid of the night for the Columbus narcotics SWAT team. The police say the house Foster was in was "a suspected crack house." That doesn’t appear to be the case. No one in the house has been charged with any drug crime. The only charges stemming from the raid are the attempted murder and felonious assault charges against Foster and Michael Gravely for their reaction to the raid. It looks like there wasn’t even enough gambling going on to merit a charge.
It would be nice to see the Columbus media ask some tougher questions, here. Upon what evidence did the police conduct this raid? Why was this "a suspected crack house?" Why no drug charges? What does the affidavit say? Where there any controlled buys at the house? Is it typical for the narcotics unit to conduct three raids in one night? Early reports described a witness who claims to have heard police give an order to smash in the house’s windows just prior to the raid. Did that witness hear an announcement? Was it loud enough to be heard by the people inside?
“…is the former Ohio State University football player player convicted of shooting and wounded two police officers. ”
Has he been convicted already? My memory can be a little fuzzy but I thought this just happened about 3 weeks ago.
Whoops. My bad. Fixed.
Thanks.
If you pull the string in their backs (any cops) one of their five silly pre-programmed statements adresses this, that they’re “the Only Ones qualified” to do that.
By the way, theCitizenNothing above is different from this Citizen Nothing, who usually posts at Hit & Run. But I don’t disagree too much with the sentiments expressed.
Is there a lawyer out there willing to pursue a against the PD for no-knock raiding unnecessarily?
I haven’t been over to H&R in a while, sorry for confusing the name. I started using it when a ‘roided-up goon at copswritingcops called me out for being just a citizen nothing, not an elite LEO with post-human abilities and judgement (and 2yrs of college).
I wondered if you guys were the same person. I guess not.
And I’m sorry, if some unidentified assailant shoots at you through a door, you have all the moral justification you need to shoot back.
And you know, maybe if there are so many people who don’t know these are cops, you’d think the freakin’ cops would be a LOT more punctilious about making sure the whole damn neighborhood knew they said they were cops.
Anyone even trying to break into your house is a threat and justifies whatever means necessary to stop it. I will not wait until the intruder sucessfully makes it into my home to then politely inquire if they’re a criminal or a cop, or a criminal pretending to be a cop, or a criminal who is also a cop.
Something drives them to invade with impunity. This is a big part of why armed citizens are so dangerous to agents of the state (when they engage in these types of activities), and why they prefer unarmed subjects instead.
As an armed (for now) citizen (for now) I’m able to protect my family well at the expense of armed invaders. Increasingly those invaders are our public servants.
I don’t think reporters for local new outlets ask tough (embarrassing) questions of any city government department unless someone who works for the city has already been charged (making them fair game). I think local news relies on cooperation from the cops in order to get the news they need (cost effectively) without investigating. Piss off the cops and that reporter will suddenly find himself at a disadvantage when competing for information with other news media.
Besides, the bad guy is the one who was arrested. Everybody knows that.
I keep a shotgun loaded in my apartment. Also take care to keep it in good working order and sometimes go out and practice shooting it.
I feel much safer having it handy in case of a break in. (It has happened to the apartment below me - in the middle of the day. I was home and unarmed at the time. Luckily the guy was satisfied with what he got in that one stop and didn’t go to another apartment.) If it happens to my place - and I really don’t hope so- I will shoot first and verify the intentions after.
If police insist on performing “no-knock/no announce” raids like these, it’s a no-brainer that there is going to be some officers getting shot. What kind of policy is this? With the amount of armed citizens, it’s going to happen more and more.
Hopefully someone with sense changes this idiotic policy and decides the loss of life is not worth it.
This whole situation just sounds like the Ryan Frederick case all over, but without any actual fatalities.
What the hell are the cops doing shooting through a closed door? If the place is supposed to be a “drug house” they have no idea who might be in there.
Another big questions I have about this story is why is it relevant to the story that he played football in college? Every article I have seen about this mentions that irrelevant fact.
Another big questions I have about this story is why is it relevant to the story that he played football in college? Every article I have seen about this mentions that irrelevant fact.
Former Ohio State football player + Columbus, OH = “he’s one of the good ones”.
Ah. Not caring about football in any way, I usually don’t see these things.
3 raids in one night? Do those cowboys wear spurs that jingle jangle?
I’m getting tired of waiting for these guys to raid a senators house so this era can finally be over with…..le sigh.
Yes it’s designed to get people to realize he’s not a criminal that deserved his treatment. Which the reality is that just because someone is a criminal doesn’t mean they deserve whatever happens to them. It’s one of the harder concepts to get across to people.
It’s why people never can understand the ACLU and KKK representation. If you want the rights to apply to you, they have to apply to everyone or you can quickly find yourself as an “undesirable” or “not considered deserving” etc.
There fixed it for Garrison. Frankly, I think the guy is a completely disingenuous jerk, exactly the wrong person to hand special powers too along with a gun.
Which is why 10TV wont be asking any tough questions. Don’t want to mess up the cozy relationship that gets them their ratings.
According to this story, he was denied bail at his preliminary hearing this morning.
The reason the judge gave was the seriousness of the case. It also turns out that he will have another bail opportunity next week, when a grand jury meets to officially indict him. According to the story, the indictment is expected.
Or maybe the grand jury will have some guts. . . . Nah.
No Bond. Just watched the news.
The thugs/officers showed up “in force” including the head of the FOP. The 1 injured guy was there ( other cop is undercover and his face and voice are hidden in interviews).
13 People wrote letters in support of Foster including 5 Buckeye teammates and former NBA ( and OSU Basketball) Jim Jackson. The principal of a high school in my town and charities also wrote supporting letters.
This is what the FOP guy said to the camera
” The 13 people who wrote letters obviously weren’t there when he was hanging out at a crackhouse shooting police officers.”
Where’s the crack?
i know this man (foster) personally for years. he has never been in trouble and is a good person. i carry a firearm also, and if u come into my domain unannonced and fire at me…….id rather be judge by 12 than carried by 6!!!! im praying for a good outcome
My bad.. here is the quote
“These individuals that wrote these letters surely weren’t with him at 10:30 at night in a crack house with a large amount of firearms and drugs,” Gilbert said.
Ok, where the fuck are these LARGE amounts of drugs that they seized? hmm?
And what the fuck does being somewhere at 10:30 at night have to do with anything? I forgot black adults were supposed to have a curfew.
Nuts.
i think that any one who thinks these raids are unlawfull are criminals them selves! who ever is against this are those who are doing the stuff that causes cops to raid. i think derrick foster is getting exactly what he deserves!!!!!!!! and then some. these police officers are trying o clean up our streets and make thm safer for our children. those who don’t agree are drug dealers, domestic violence repeaters and thing as such. and if derrick foster is such a good person, then why is he in a drug house w/ a gun in the middle of the night baracaded in. gambling, yeh right!!!!! nice try derrick, but i hope you get exactly what you deserve!!!!!!!!!!!!! you and michael t gravely!!!!!!!!!!!