Ciara Meyer, 12, Killed in Eviction Confrontation Between Father, Constable (PA)

[chipbennett]

Constable shows up to serve eviction notice. Father pulls rifle on constable. Constable fires shot at father. Shot goes through father's harm, hitting and mortally wounding daughter, behind him:

Girl, 12, killed in eviction confrontation between father, constable

The girl was standing directly behind her father, 57-year-old Donald B. Meyer, when a constable shot Mr. Meyer in the arm, state police in Newport said Tuesday.


The bullet passed through Donald Meyer’s left upper arm and struck his daughter, identified by family members as Ciara Meyer. She was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled Wednesday.


Pennsylvania State Constable Clarke Steele was at the Pfautz Apartments on Rebecca Drive in Penn Township with an eviction order for Meyer and his family. Police said Meyer opened the door and shut it. He then reopened the door and exchanged words with the constable before leveling a loaded .223 caliber rifle that had been slung and concealed along his body, police said.


With the rifle pointed directly at his chest, police said Steele, who was in uniform, unholstered his .40 caliber duty handgun and fired one shot.

The fault clearly lies with the father, who pulled a rifle unlawfully on the constable. He was duly arrested on a litany of related charges.

However:

1. Rule Four
2. This is why hollow-point ammunition is a thing.
3. How does one "conceal" a rifle?

 

[actaeon277]

Idiot dad will probably blame the officer.

Poor officer will wonder if he could have done something different.

 

[Bigtanker]

This sucks for all involved.

Dad shouldn't have pulled a gun. Sorry, but it's all on him.

Officer was defending his life. He will probably have problems for quite some time dealing with this.

Prayers out to all involved.

 

[T.Lex]

.

 

[voidsherpa]

If the gun was pointed at him why did he only fire a single shot? Whole lot of gray it seems.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

1. Rule Four

You mean to tell me that those mean, old rules actually apply?

2. This is why hollow-point ammunition is a thing

It happens with hollow points.

3. How does one "conceal" a rifle?

Hold rifle along right hip side. Blade leftside of body to officer.

 

[blacknwhite]

Tragic story. The POS should be tried in the murder of his daughter. Regretfully this officer will live with this for the rest of his life.

 

[ajeandy]

Stupid games......

 

[chipbennett]

You mean to tell me that those mean, old rules actually apply?

So I'm told - depending on whom you ask.

I don't think the constable should be held in any way liable for the bystander being shot. The father bears all the liability, because he created the threat that justified the use of deadly force in self-defense.

But there's a part of me that recognizes that, while the constable (rightly) won't be held liable, if a non-LEO in a similar situation had the same thing happen, there would be some hot-shot prosecutor all too willing to bring criminal charges. So, I consider how I would act in such a situation, which brought me to my next point:

It happens with hollow points.

I'm sure it does; however, I'd love to see actual statistics, because I would assume that it happens far less-frequently with hollow-point rounds than it does with ball rounds.

Hold rifle along right hip side. Blade leftside of body to officer.

Makes sense, thanks. It would appear, then, that the thug intended to ambush the constable. Even worse.

 

[jd4320t]

Never allow a child to be part of the fight. She should've been his first priority.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Seems pretty cut and dried to me.

Resident aims rifle at constable. Constable fires, hits intended target, bullet exits fatally striking resident's daughter. Tragic, but not much the Constable could have done different, fact notwithstanding that I am sure that there are some who would argue that he should have taken one for the other team whether he was aware of the girl's presence or not (I didn't see anything indicating her proximity so she could have been on the other side of the room when struck by the exiting bullet).

Never allow a child to be part of the fight. She should've been his first priority.

I would agree, but you are a rational-minded parent. This joker apparently was not.

 

[ajeandy]

Any clown that decides to draw on a cop is a moron.

 

[chipbennett]

Seems pretty cut and dried to me.

It is, and maybe I should have been more clear.

I'm looking at this in the context of "how would it be if I were in the same situation?" Rule Four was violated here - though almost certainly, out of necessity. I'm assuming the constable was using ball rounds, which lends more credence to the argument in favor of using hollow-point rounds (because hollow points lessen the probability and severity in such instances in which Rule Four is and must be violated).

 

[BADWOLF]

Poor officer will wonder if he could have done something different.

You mean like retreat to a safe distance and call for backup from his patrol car. Hmmm ya I hope he wonders if he could have done something different.

 

[chipbennett]

You mean like retreat to a safe distance and call for backup from his patrol car. Hmmm ya I hope he wonders if he could have done something different.

How do you retreat from a rifle, pointed at you from contact range?

 

[hopper68]

You mean like retreat to a safe distance and call for backup from his patrol car. Hmmm ya I hope he wonders if he could have done something different.

Yep, because a SWAT team busting in has a lesser chance of injuring people.

 

[MilliJac]

How do you retreat from a rifle, pointed at you from contact range?

Can you NOT run faster than sound? I was under the impression that everyone could... Am I a superhero?

 

[Kutnupe14]

How do you retreat from a rifle, pointed at you from contact range?

You don't.... unless you're hoping on the good will of the BG not putting a round in your back.

 

[T.Lex]

How do you retreat from a rifle, pointed at you from contact range?

Vewy vewy cawfuwwy.

Back to your self defense point, in my (now-stale) experience, prosecutors are/were reluctant to file charges against anyone who had an apparently valid self defense claim. It would take significant evidence that the SD was bogus to get the charges.

The fact this guy was (nominally) an LEO is what put him in this position. "Normal" non-LEO people are less likely to be knocking on deadbeat's doors. So, even from a starting point, if you managed to get into a position of having someone draw on you, it would have started as an innocent interaction.

Something akin to, "Hey, nice beard." Then the stuff gets real.

Assuming completely innocent buildup to the draw, I find it difficult to envision an Indiana prosecutor pursuing criminal charges, regardless of the result. KF and Fargo - with far more (and recent) experience in that world may disagree. I would defer to them.

 

[IndyDave1776]

You don't.... unless you're hoping on the good will of the BG not putting a round in your back.

If he had any good will, he would not be a BG pointing a gun at the guy trying to hand him his walking papers.