1600 block of Thomas Ave. in PB.
By Frank Gormlie / OBRag
The killing by San Diego police of a man in Pacific Beach has raised some serious questions – although no one is asking them.
Now identified, Missouri resident Timothy Gene Smith was chased and then shot and killed by a San Diego Police officer around 3pm on Wednesday, November 4th in the1600 block of Thomas Avenue in PB. Police and press initially reported that he was wanted on felony warrants and was “armed and dangerous”.
Veteran cop Sgt. Scott Holslag believed, we are told, that the man being chased – Smith -, after being bitten by a police dog and after scaling a fence and getting out on a ledge, was reaching for a weapon in his pants, when Holslag fatally shot him in the torso.
No weapon was found.
The news and reporting of the shooting and killing of Smith on Wednesday was drowned out by the other incident going on that day, where a man with a rifle shot 20 or more rounds at police, plane flights were delayed, neighborhoods were evacuated, and who surrendered to police unharmed.
This is in steep contrast to how police handled the incident with Smith in PB, where the man was chased and then executed.
Now we are learning that Smith was not even wanted in Missouri, – that his girlfriend was.
According to San Diego Fox5, Smith “was not wanted by authorities in Missouri, a bondswoman familiar with the case said Thursday.
It was his girlfriend who was wanted on drug charges … Janie Sanders, 32, was wanted on a warrant for drug possession after failing to appear in court. She was arrested after refusing to come out of a Pacific Beach apartment.
Did San Diego police just kill an unarmed man who wasn’t even wanted?
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The number of people being killed by police is unsettling. Far too many unjustified & wrongful killings! Huge changes are needed…it will happen, slowly.
However, the majority of our police officers are good, decent human beings …doing a difficult job.
Could this latest shooting been handled different…maybe.
But it seems unfair to blame the police for shooting this man – the man chose to ignore verbal commands and tried to get away…again this was his choice.
How can we blame the police officer for protecting himself from a perceived threat?
Im not saying the police are always right…but running from, grabbing for unknown objects, threatening, punching, etc are things that could get you shot.
Im just saying….
This is another case where the individual officer can’t be blamed for the shooting but the Police can be. The Police have skewed their cop mentality so far toward the protect (themselves) end that they’ve forgotten the serve part. The officer followed his training that has conditioned all cops to shoot first at any possible sign of danger — to him/her self.
Rationally, after the man had tried repeatedly to flee, the chances that he would suddenly choose to use a weapon that he had all along are pretty low. But, thinking of such a thing is not part of the training cops get.
Why did he run? What was he reaching for? Now, nobody will ever know.
He ran because they have Guns & he didn’t want to be killed.
SDPD is out of Control. That’s a fact.
Nothing even on the TV news re it at all except wrong info.
Sad sad sad.
True…we will never know what he was reaching for.
But, why not hold this guy accountable for his role & actions that ultimately created the deadly situation…and not be so quick to blame the police for protecting themselves, especially when they are dealing with unpredictable people who have no respect for laws!
We should not ignore the criminal element that often creates these deadly situations.
I will admit ~ I have had several police encounters (unfavorable results each time)
But, I was raised to respect the law. The rules were pretty simple…
if the police order you to STOP running! stop running! …you might get shot.
Avoid reaching into pockets for cigs, keys, cell phone …you might get shot.
Also, never wave a real gun, water gun or metal object at a police officer…you might get shot.
And…its never ok or nice to walk up and punch a cop in the face. Its rude and …you might get shot.
The rules have not changed.
Ignore them….you might get shot…and you can blame the cop!
Police depts. everywhere are under heavy public scrutiny ….rightfully so!
But blaming the police for every incident is unfair and will only reinforce the negative within the already strained communities.
Well said. To minimize the risk of being shot don’t screw around with a cop. Just follow orders and you will come out alive in most cases.
Let’s be real, “no religion.” You’ve created here false conditions hoping to get police-friendly responses. You say “police everywhere are under heavy scrutiny.” By whom? Do you know locally the agency investigating police? You say “blaming the police for every incident is unfair,” but I wonder who you are addressing when you say it; the guy next door whom you perceive is a criminal, or the one who wrote this article who did no such thing?
You have a case of a man running from a cop. He was shot by the cop and is dead. Did he wave a gun, real or unreal, at the cop, as you say? What makes you warn us not “to walk up and punch a cop in the face” ? !
Yes, Mr. Smith is accountable for his action. But, nothing that he did warrants “the death penalty.” His right to due process was violated by the police.
Sorry, but the “rules” HAVE changed.
Used to be police didn’t shoot people running away.
Used to be mouthing off to a cop might get you arrested, now it can often get you shot.
Used to be striking an officer got you arrested, not shot.
The Blue Wall, us-versus-them attitude of police bureaus all over the country has gotten too terrible to ignore.
It is more apparent that some people who should never have been approved are wearing badges. Coupled with the still-growing militarization of even the smallest police department, we now have an out-of-control de-facto police state: blindly obey all badges or face summary punishment and possible death.
Even a high school student found out the hard way what can happen if you “fail to obey” even the most minor “command” of a “peace officer.”
Sorry Mr. Religion, your apologetic tenor is misplaced. More and closer inspection and control over police departments is what’s needed.
hey guys,
Im with you about the problems in our police depts. (everywhere)
Although, I don’t think the rules have changed….at all! IT has NEVER been ok to run from police, It has NEVER been ok to mouth off to an officer, It has NEVER been ok to strike an officer < as in the Ferguson case. At least that's how I was raised.
As a parent would you tell a child its ok to do those things, break the law, be disrespectful, do whatever you want, rules don't apply to you…and there is no risk or consequences for that kind behavior? that's insane.
Police shootings are nothing new (root of problem)but now we are hearing about it.
Exposing the truth is the first step in bringing change…and here we are.
Did anyone else see the news 8 piece on this story
According to their story…Dog the Bounty Hunters son told police he was here hunting bad guy…armed & dangerous…be on look out. He was hired to get the lady…not her traveling companion. The man was wanted and considered armed & dangerous….sounds like this kid and his over sized ego played a major part in this tragic story.
Dad immediately flew into town wrangled his son away, damage control.
he is such a douche!
Don’t go puttin’ words in my mouth — it’s unsanitary.
I NEVER wrote that it’s “OK” to do any of those things. Just that cops used to be much less shoot-first than they are now.
Yes, the account in the U-T also mentioned Son of Dog, and that the bounty hunters from MO. were actually after the woman first, not Smith.
I grew up with Timmy…another thing not mentioned is he was shot in the back! He was unarmed no warrants and shot in the back! A murder is what took place and no one is doing anything about it!
I live in the apartment above the alley and saw the entire thing. They murdered him. From when they started chasing him to when he was dead lasted about 15 mins. They shot him three times and didn’t even try cpr until about 2 mins after he was shot. When paramedics arrived they just continued cpr for about a minute and then all stood around cracking jokes. It was disgusting.
Chase, did you record any of this?
What were some of the jokes you heard?
Hello chase i am denise sanders>> janie sanders mother and tim smiths mother in law and i would like to talk to you more in depth about this officer involved shooting and what you witnessed .Please email me here at madmax19631@gmail.com