See more at http://sonomachemtrails.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Redwood Riders
The Redwood Riders came through Sonoma today and met up at the plaza.It was a beautiful day - bet they had a blast!
From their website (http://www.redwoodriders.com/home.html)
"We are dedicated to positively promoting all aspects of motorcycling with an emphasis placed on safety and rider education. Formed in 1996, the Redwood Riders is open to ALL brands/types of motorcycles and scooters. We do not care what you choose to ride, only that you love to ride! We offer monthly meetings, a monthly newsletter (The Redwood Riders Review), several ride days per month, discounts at several cycle shops, and a chance to socialize with fellow riders. Our goal is to ride safe, but most of all have fun."
ENDGAME
“Miss Hodges, would you be offended if I respectfully asked you not to call the causeway area a concentration camp?”
"I'm going to call it was it is. If I put a dress on a pig, a pig is still a pig!"
Katrina
source
Rule by fear or rule by law?
Lewis Seiler,Dan Hamburg
Monday, February 4, 2008
source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/04/ED5OUPQJ7.DTL
"The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist."
- Winston Churchill, Nov. 21, 1943
Since 9/11, and seemingly without the notice of most Americans, the federal government has assumed the authority to institute martial law, arrest a wide swath of dissidents (citizen and noncitizen alike), and detain people without legal or constitutional recourse in the event of "an emergency influx of immigrants in the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs."
Beginning in 1999, the government has entered into a series of single-bid contracts with Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) to build detention camps at undisclosed locations within the United States. The government has also contracted with several companies to build thousands of railcars, some reportedly equipped with shackles, ostensibly to transport detainees.
According to diplomat and author Peter Dale Scott, the KBR contract is part of a Homeland Security plan titled ENDGAME, which sets as its goal the removal of "all removable aliens" and "potential terrorists."
Fraud-busters such as Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, have complained about these contracts, saying that more taxpayer dollars should not go to taxpayer-gouging Halliburton. But the real question is: What kind of "new programs" require the construction and refurbishment of detention facilities in nearly every state of the union with the capacity to house perhaps millions of people?
Sect. 1042 of the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), "Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies," gives the executive the power to invoke martial law. For the first time in more than a century, the president is now authorized to use the military in response to "a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, a terrorist attack or any other condition in which the President determines that domestic violence has occurred to the extent that state officials cannot maintain public order."
The Military Commissions Act of 2006, rammed through Congress just before the 2006 midterm elections, allows for the indefinite imprisonment of anyone who donates money to a charity that turns up on a list of "terrorist" organizations, or who speaks out against the government's policies. The law calls for secret trials for citizens and noncitizens alike.
Also in 2007, the White House quietly issued National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD-51), to ensure "continuity of government" in the event of what the document vaguely calls a "catastrophic emergency." Should the president determine that such an emergency has occurred, he and he alone is empowered to do whatever he deems necessary to ensure "continuity of government." This could include everything from canceling elections to suspending the Constitution to launching a nuclear attack. Congress has yet to hold a single hearing on NSPD-51.
U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, D-Venice (Los Angeles County) has come up with a new way to expand the domestic "war on terror." Her Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (HR1955), which passed the House by the lopsided vote of 404-6, would set up a commission to "examine and report upon the facts and causes" of so-called violent radicalism and extremist ideology, then make legislative recommendations on combatting it.
According to commentary in the Baltimore Sun, Rep. Harman and her colleagues from both sides of the aisle believe the country faces a native brand of terrorism, and needs a commission with sweeping investigative power to combat it.
A clue as to where Harman's commission might be aiming is the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, a law that labels those who "engage in sit-ins, civil disobedience, trespass, or any other crime in the name of animal rights" as terrorists. Other groups in the crosshairs could be anti-abortion protesters, anti-tax agitators, immigration activists, environmentalists, peace demonstrators, Second Amendment rights supporters ... the list goes on and on. According to author Naomi Wolf, the National Counterterrorism Center holds the names of roughly 775,000 "terror suspects" with the number increasing by 20,000 per month.
What could the government be contemplating that leads it to make contingency plans to detain without recourse millions of its own citizens?
The Constitution does not allow the executive to have unchecked power under any circumstances. The people must not allow the president to use the war on terrorism to rule by fear instead of by law.
Lewis Seiler is the president of Voice of the Environment, Inc. Dan Hamburg, a former congressman, is executive director.
This article appeared on page B - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle
--- end ---
MORE:
Find the FEMA Concentration Camp Near You!
FEMA Concentration Camps
Martial Law, Inc. - KBR: A Halliburton Subsidiary
Proof of FEMA REX 84 Program
Austin, Texas
Oliver North, FEMA and REX-84
"I'm going to call it was it is. If I put a dress on a pig, a pig is still a pig!"
Katrina
source
Rule by fear or rule by law?
Lewis Seiler,Dan Hamburg
Monday, February 4, 2008
source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/04/ED5OUPQJ7.DTL
"The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist."
- Winston Churchill, Nov. 21, 1943
Since 9/11, and seemingly without the notice of most Americans, the federal government has assumed the authority to institute martial law, arrest a wide swath of dissidents (citizen and noncitizen alike), and detain people without legal or constitutional recourse in the event of "an emergency influx of immigrants in the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs."
Beginning in 1999, the government has entered into a series of single-bid contracts with Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) to build detention camps at undisclosed locations within the United States. The government has also contracted with several companies to build thousands of railcars, some reportedly equipped with shackles, ostensibly to transport detainees.
According to diplomat and author Peter Dale Scott, the KBR contract is part of a Homeland Security plan titled ENDGAME, which sets as its goal the removal of "all removable aliens" and "potential terrorists."
Fraud-busters such as Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, have complained about these contracts, saying that more taxpayer dollars should not go to taxpayer-gouging Halliburton. But the real question is: What kind of "new programs" require the construction and refurbishment of detention facilities in nearly every state of the union with the capacity to house perhaps millions of people?
Sect. 1042 of the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), "Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies," gives the executive the power to invoke martial law. For the first time in more than a century, the president is now authorized to use the military in response to "a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, a terrorist attack or any other condition in which the President determines that domestic violence has occurred to the extent that state officials cannot maintain public order."
The Military Commissions Act of 2006, rammed through Congress just before the 2006 midterm elections, allows for the indefinite imprisonment of anyone who donates money to a charity that turns up on a list of "terrorist" organizations, or who speaks out against the government's policies. The law calls for secret trials for citizens and noncitizens alike.
Also in 2007, the White House quietly issued National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD-51), to ensure "continuity of government" in the event of what the document vaguely calls a "catastrophic emergency." Should the president determine that such an emergency has occurred, he and he alone is empowered to do whatever he deems necessary to ensure "continuity of government." This could include everything from canceling elections to suspending the Constitution to launching a nuclear attack. Congress has yet to hold a single hearing on NSPD-51.
U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, D-Venice (Los Angeles County) has come up with a new way to expand the domestic "war on terror." Her Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (HR1955), which passed the House by the lopsided vote of 404-6, would set up a commission to "examine and report upon the facts and causes" of so-called violent radicalism and extremist ideology, then make legislative recommendations on combatting it.
According to commentary in the Baltimore Sun, Rep. Harman and her colleagues from both sides of the aisle believe the country faces a native brand of terrorism, and needs a commission with sweeping investigative power to combat it.
A clue as to where Harman's commission might be aiming is the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, a law that labels those who "engage in sit-ins, civil disobedience, trespass, or any other crime in the name of animal rights" as terrorists. Other groups in the crosshairs could be anti-abortion protesters, anti-tax agitators, immigration activists, environmentalists, peace demonstrators, Second Amendment rights supporters ... the list goes on and on. According to author Naomi Wolf, the National Counterterrorism Center holds the names of roughly 775,000 "terror suspects" with the number increasing by 20,000 per month.
What could the government be contemplating that leads it to make contingency plans to detain without recourse millions of its own citizens?
The Constitution does not allow the executive to have unchecked power under any circumstances. The people must not allow the president to use the war on terrorism to rule by fear instead of by law.
Lewis Seiler is the president of Voice of the Environment, Inc. Dan Hamburg, a former congressman, is executive director.
This article appeared on page B - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle
--- end ---
MORE:
Find the FEMA Concentration Camp Near You!
FEMA Concentration Camps
Martial Law, Inc. - KBR: A Halliburton Subsidiary
Proof of FEMA REX 84 Program
Austin, Texas
Oliver North, FEMA and REX-84
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Siesta Way Man Taken in Ambulance
Today, around 3:30pm, an ambulance showed up on Siesta Way in Sonoma to help a young man in pain.
About one hour earlier, I noticed a young man doubled over, holding his stomach and walking into the house across the street.
Then when the police, fire truck and ambulance arrived, I went outside to find this same man lying on his back in the driveway looking to be in great pain.
The emergency team examined him and then loaded him into the ambulance.
That's all we know at this time.
Skater Teen Tasered at McDonalds @ Hwy 12 & Verano in Sonoma
Sonoma Index Tribune version of the story
UPDATE:
According to the comment section, the McDonalds is the one here in Sonoma at Verano Avenue.
ORIGINAL POST:
The Press Democrat didn't specify which McDonalds on Hwy 12. It could have been in Santa Rosa or Sonoma. Who knows?
Tasered teen says deputy got wrong guy
Skateboarder, friends say he was trying to stop fight, not attack McDonald's worker
By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 29, 2008
source
James Moffitt said he was just trying to satisfy his hunger when he headed to a McDonald's restaurant Tuesday and ended up shot with a stun gun and arrested in what he and several friends say was a clear case of mistaken identity.
But the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said a deputy saw Moffitt, 19, swing his skateboard at a McDonald's employee during a melee that erupted when another skater, Jon McCann, allegedly clashed with restaurant personnel.
Moffitt and his friends say even the store manager ran forward to alert the deputy that he'd stunned the wrong man and that the deputy blanched at the news -- a claim authorities dispute.
McDonald's employees aren't talking. But Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Pedersen said the altercation at the Highway 12 eatery actually resulted in several fights, leading to two arrests.
Now both the skaters face prosecution for suspected assault with a deadly weapon -- their skateboards -- a felony that could lead to a sentence of up to four years in prison.
Moffitt also was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of being drunk in public and resisting arrest. He had yet to be formally charged Friday.
"I really feel strongly about this," said Moffitt, who earns a living circulating petitions. "I shouldn't have these charges on me, and I wasn't even a part of the situation."
The incident began when McCann tried to exit McDonald's through a broken door. McCann, 18, apparently didn't realize the door wasn't working, said Andrea Caudill, an acquaintance who was there.
But he finally exited another door and was accosted by several employees, including one who ultimately punched him twice, she and others said.
Moffitt and Perry approached in time to see the argument and were standing with Caudill and others trying to get the name of the worker when they realized McCann had run around the building and back inside.
Caudill said she saw McCann swing his skateboard toward a worker but stopped when a female employee stepped between them.
She said she and the others quickly pushed their way inside, where Moffitt started yelling at McCann to back off.
Moffitt, his girlfriend and four friends who witnessed all or part of the event said Moffitt did nothing but try to coax the other skater to stop fighting and get out of the restaurant.
Meanwhile, a 911 call got disconnected, although the dispatcher could hear chaotic yelling in the background, Sheriff's Lt. Scott Dunn said.
The 8:18 p.m. call was followed by additional, unsuccessful attempts by a dispatcher to get someone at McDonald's on the line, adding to the impression of a major disruption, Dunn said.
Deputy Brian Keen, a four-year department veteran, was parked across the street when the call was dispatched, Dunn said.
Within seconds, authorities said, he was at the door and watched through a window as Moffitt swung his own skateboard toward a female employee -- a charge Moffitt and his friends flatly deny.
Moffitt, meanwhile, had his back turned when Keen told him to freeze and get on the floor, witnesses said.
They said he dropped his skateboard and was putting up his hands when Keen hit the Taser trigger, sending Taser barbs into Moffitt's back.
McCann eventually was arrested and booked into the county jail, where he remained Friday with bail set at $31,000. He declined a request for an interview.
Moffitt said he endured a painful two hours handcuffed with Taser barbs in his back, a large part of it in the back of a squad car at the Sonoma Valley substation.
Moffitt conceded he was high on marijuana, which he says he uses with a doctor's recommendation for anxiety, but he denied allegations that he'd been drinking.
McDonald's personnel have been prohibited from speaking about the event, and corporate representatives said they could not comment on a matter under investigation by police.
Franchisee Steven Eng said through a corporate spokeswoman that a separate, in-house investigation into the fracas is under way.
You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.
UPDATE:According to the comment section, the McDonalds is the one here in Sonoma at Verano Avenue.
ORIGINAL POST:
The Press Democrat didn't specify which McDonalds on Hwy 12. It could have been in Santa Rosa or Sonoma. Who knows?
Tasered teen says deputy got wrong guy
Skateboarder, friends say he was trying to stop fight, not attack McDonald's worker
By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 29, 2008
source
James Moffitt said he was just trying to satisfy his hunger when he headed to a McDonald's restaurant Tuesday and ended up shot with a stun gun and arrested in what he and several friends say was a clear case of mistaken identity.
But the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said a deputy saw Moffitt, 19, swing his skateboard at a McDonald's employee during a melee that erupted when another skater, Jon McCann, allegedly clashed with restaurant personnel.
Moffitt and his friends say even the store manager ran forward to alert the deputy that he'd stunned the wrong man and that the deputy blanched at the news -- a claim authorities dispute.
McDonald's employees aren't talking. But Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Pedersen said the altercation at the Highway 12 eatery actually resulted in several fights, leading to two arrests.
Now both the skaters face prosecution for suspected assault with a deadly weapon -- their skateboards -- a felony that could lead to a sentence of up to four years in prison.
Moffitt also was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of being drunk in public and resisting arrest. He had yet to be formally charged Friday.
"I really feel strongly about this," said Moffitt, who earns a living circulating petitions. "I shouldn't have these charges on me, and I wasn't even a part of the situation."
The incident began when McCann tried to exit McDonald's through a broken door. McCann, 18, apparently didn't realize the door wasn't working, said Andrea Caudill, an acquaintance who was there.
But he finally exited another door and was accosted by several employees, including one who ultimately punched him twice, she and others said.
Moffitt and Perry approached in time to see the argument and were standing with Caudill and others trying to get the name of the worker when they realized McCann had run around the building and back inside.
Caudill said she saw McCann swing his skateboard toward a worker but stopped when a female employee stepped between them.
She said she and the others quickly pushed their way inside, where Moffitt started yelling at McCann to back off.
Moffitt, his girlfriend and four friends who witnessed all or part of the event said Moffitt did nothing but try to coax the other skater to stop fighting and get out of the restaurant.
Meanwhile, a 911 call got disconnected, although the dispatcher could hear chaotic yelling in the background, Sheriff's Lt. Scott Dunn said.
The 8:18 p.m. call was followed by additional, unsuccessful attempts by a dispatcher to get someone at McDonald's on the line, adding to the impression of a major disruption, Dunn said.
Deputy Brian Keen, a four-year department veteran, was parked across the street when the call was dispatched, Dunn said.
Within seconds, authorities said, he was at the door and watched through a window as Moffitt swung his own skateboard toward a female employee -- a charge Moffitt and his friends flatly deny.
Moffitt, meanwhile, had his back turned when Keen told him to freeze and get on the floor, witnesses said.
They said he dropped his skateboard and was putting up his hands when Keen hit the Taser trigger, sending Taser barbs into Moffitt's back.
McCann eventually was arrested and booked into the county jail, where he remained Friday with bail set at $31,000. He declined a request for an interview.
Moffitt said he endured a painful two hours handcuffed with Taser barbs in his back, a large part of it in the back of a squad car at the Sonoma Valley substation.
Moffitt conceded he was high on marijuana, which he says he uses with a doctor's recommendation for anxiety, but he denied allegations that he'd been drinking.
McDonald's personnel have been prohibited from speaking about the event, and corporate representatives said they could not comment on a matter under investigation by police.
Franchisee Steven Eng said through a corporate spokeswoman that a separate, in-house investigation into the fracas is under way.
You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.
March 5, 2008 - SFGate calls them 'jet contrails'
But I call them jet chemtrails. Photo by Frederic Larson (source)
See more chemtrail photos/videos here: http://sonomachemtrails.blogspot.com/
See more chemtrail photos/videos here: http://sonomachemtrails.blogspot.com/
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
A Word to the Wise
Why Debit Card use at Gas Stations can lead to Overdrafts
Reported by John Matarese
source
Viewers often ask me if there's really much difference between a debit card and a credit card...besides he fact that a credit card sends you a bill and a debit card takes the money now.
Yes, there is another difference --- concerning your cars gas tank --- and it can be an expensive difference!
Familiar Story
Lindsey Grey recently learned it the hard way, when she needed gas for her car.
Since she had her daughter with her, she decided to just swipe at the pump.... and not go in to pay cash
She says "I used my debit card for the convenience factor."
With 75 dollars in her account, she bought 10 bucks worth of gas, and assumed she was fine. But....
She says "a couple of days later I checked my account to see what I had available realized I had bounced a couple of things, and was hit with some 27 dollar fees that shouldn't have happened." Why the overdraft fees?
"The gas station put $50 on hold on my account," she explains, "when I had only spent $10. So by holding the $50, other things were bouncing."
Why does this happen?
The US Public Interest Research Group says more and more gas stations will place a 50 dollar "hold" on your account if you swipe a debit card at the pump.
They do it to make sure you can pay for your fillup, in these days of high gas prices.
But USPIRG says the bank may not unfreeze the money for 2 to 3 days... which can lead to bounced checks!
Don't let this happen to you
I'd make sure I had 100 dollars in my checking account before using a debit card for gas these days. Otherwise, use credit, or pay with cold hard cash so you dont waste your money.
Lindsey paid almost $100 for $10 of gas...And says she'll never do that again.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Support Our Troops - Bring 'Em Home!
5-6 PM TODAY (3/25/08) AT SONOMA PLAZA
There will be a Vigil on the Plaza Tuesday the 25th from 5 to 6 PM.
-- per icasualties.org:
U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 3992
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 8
Total 4000
Local Contact:
Ted Sexauer
P.O. Box 786
Sonoma, CA 95476
t.sexauer@mac.com
--- end ---
Protesters gather Monday evening at Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square to observe the grim milestone of 4,000 U.S. troops killed in Iraq.
SR vigil marks grim U.S. toll in Iraq
Dozens of demonstrators gather to mourn milestone 4,000th military death in Iraq
By Laura Norton
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 25, 2008
source
Anti-war activists gathered around flag-draped coffins Monday evening to mark the death of the 4,000th American service member in the Iraq war.
About 70 people, a group that included veterans, teachers, retirees and others, participated in a vigil at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa.
"Hearing about the 4,000th has made me very emotional," said Bill Simon, a Vietnam War veteran, who attended the vigil, five days after a similar gathering to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.
"It's sadness," said Simon, who served in the Air Force. "I'm sad that people are going through this. That the families, that the nation is going through this. We are a nation in a lot of pain today."
The gathering was organized by the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center. In addition to the two prop coffins covered with American flags, demonstrators held posters declaring the war in Iraq unjust and unfair.
The demonstration drew both cheers and jeers from passing motorists.
Many of those participating said they had extensive experience with protests and were out to show solidarity with those saddened by the news of the 4,000th war death -- the result of a roadside bomb in Baghdad that killed four service members Sunday.
"The 4,000 mark is a biggie," said Nancy Wilkins, a retiree from Sebastopol. "I feel increasing sadness and anger and frustration about what is happening. I'm not an angry person, but I'm feeling angry and I think a lot of other people are too."
Nine service personnel from Sonoma and Mendocino counties have been killed in Iraq. Two local civilians also have died.
A protest at Old Courthouse Square last Wednesday marking the fifth anniversary of the war drew 200 people.
Those present Monday joined people across the nation, as peace groups such as Berkeley-based Code Pink and national chapters of peace and justice centers held rallies and vigils to mark the mortality milestone.
In Santa Rosa, anti-war activists said they had followed the death count and knew the day to mark the 4,000th service death was quickly approaching.
"I've been dreading it," said Ken Davis of Santa Rosa. "I want them all to come home safely. I firmly believe there are other nonviolent ways to solve our problems."
You can reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat.com
There will be a Vigil on the Plaza Tuesday the 25th from 5 to 6 PM.
-- per icasualties.org:
U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 3992
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 8
Total 4000
Local Contact:
Ted Sexauer
P.O. Box 786
Sonoma, CA 95476
t.sexauer@mac.com
--- end ---
Protesters gather Monday evening at Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square to observe the grim milestone of 4,000 U.S. troops killed in Iraq.
SR vigil marks grim U.S. toll in Iraq
Dozens of demonstrators gather to mourn milestone 4,000th military death in Iraq
By Laura Norton
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 25, 2008
source
Anti-war activists gathered around flag-draped coffins Monday evening to mark the death of the 4,000th American service member in the Iraq war.
About 70 people, a group that included veterans, teachers, retirees and others, participated in a vigil at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa.
"Hearing about the 4,000th has made me very emotional," said Bill Simon, a Vietnam War veteran, who attended the vigil, five days after a similar gathering to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.
"It's sadness," said Simon, who served in the Air Force. "I'm sad that people are going through this. That the families, that the nation is going through this. We are a nation in a lot of pain today."
The gathering was organized by the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center. In addition to the two prop coffins covered with American flags, demonstrators held posters declaring the war in Iraq unjust and unfair.
The demonstration drew both cheers and jeers from passing motorists.
Many of those participating said they had extensive experience with protests and were out to show solidarity with those saddened by the news of the 4,000th war death -- the result of a roadside bomb in Baghdad that killed four service members Sunday.
"The 4,000 mark is a biggie," said Nancy Wilkins, a retiree from Sebastopol. "I feel increasing sadness and anger and frustration about what is happening. I'm not an angry person, but I'm feeling angry and I think a lot of other people are too."
Nine service personnel from Sonoma and Mendocino counties have been killed in Iraq. Two local civilians also have died.
A protest at Old Courthouse Square last Wednesday marking the fifth anniversary of the war drew 200 people.
Those present Monday joined people across the nation, as peace groups such as Berkeley-based Code Pink and national chapters of peace and justice centers held rallies and vigils to mark the mortality milestone.
In Santa Rosa, anti-war activists said they had followed the death count and knew the day to mark the 4,000th service death was quickly approaching.
"I've been dreading it," said Ken Davis of Santa Rosa. "I want them all to come home safely. I firmly believe there are other nonviolent ways to solve our problems."
You can reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat.com
Monday, March 24, 2008
Forgiveness
May the LORD Jesus Christ bring healing and hope to the families suffering...
3/26/08 UPDATE
Stabbing survivor, 14, recounts attack
By Glenda Anderson and Martin Espinoza
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
source
March 26, 2008 LAKEPORT - The survivor of a brutal knife attack that left her 10-year-old sister dead Friday spent Tuesday afternoon huddled with her family in the doctor's office her father uses to see patients.
The trauma of last week's attack was still very real.
"Last Friday me and my sister were walking, and this man came out and tried to kill us," 14-year-old Kristen Walker said, after first asking her step-mother if it was OK to speak. It was all the young girl could muster before breaking down in tears.
She was stabbed at least once in the abdomen and wore a dressing over the wound Tuesday as she recovers. Her sister, Tessa Walker, succumbed to "multiple sharp force injuries" Friday, according to a release Tuesday from the Lake County Sheriff's Department.
The man accused of the attack, James Roland Pagan, 31, appeared in court Tuesday and was charged with murder, attempted murder, mayhem, infliction of injury on a child, assault with a deadly weapon and special allegations that include the use of a knife and infliction of great bodily injury.
"He's looking at life" if convicted of the charges, said Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
The charges do not add up to a capital case, he said.
The stunned community has rallied to support the Walker family and are touched by their expressions of forgiveness.
Still unknown is what drove the attacker to stab two young girls on Firethorn Road in the quiet gated community of Hidden Valley Lake.
"We have absolutely no idea what the motive was," said Lake County Sheriff's Chief Deputy James Bauman.
Pagan did not enter a plea Tuesday. He was assigned a court-appointed attorney and told to return to court April 11.
Following the hearing, Pagan's family offered condolences to the Walkers in a written statement distributed by Pagan's mother.
"To the family of Tessa Faith Walker, it is with heavy heart and our deepest sympathy that we come to you in words to try and express our sorrow for the loss of your daughter and the pain your family has had to endure.
"We can only pray that the pain and sorrow of losing your loved one be lightened by the grace of God."
The Pagans declined further comment Tuesday. But on Saturday, Pagan's mother said her son had mental health issues.
The Pagan home is just around the corner from the Walkers' house in the Hidden Valley Lake subdivision, but it appears the victims and suspect were not acquainted, Bauman said.
The attack is believed to have occurred in or near the street somewhere between the suspect's home and the victims' home, said Sheriff Rod Mitchell.
The victims' father, Ronald Walker, was alerted to the stabbings when Kristen came running into the house, he said.
Mitchell said Walker, a Lower Lake physician, administered first aid to Tessa on the side of the road.
But the child succumbed to her wounds and was pronounced dead at Redbud Adventist Hospital in Clearlake.
Walker was treating patients from his modest office Tuesday and declined to talk about the case.
His eldest daughter, 18-year-old Sarah, was also at the office and said her 10-year-old sister was a joy.
"She was always doing something to brighten somebody's day."
When asked if she was angry, she replied, "What can you do? It's not going to bring her back."
Tessa Walker is one of the county's youngest homicide victims, but not the youngest, according to District Attorney Jon Hopkins.
He said the youngest he knows of was a 4-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in 1999.
The child's killer, Anthony Sidbeck, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Hopkins said.
Pagan appeared in court Tuesday shackled and dressed in a red-and-white-striped jail shirt and green-and-white-striped pants.
He expressed no emotion as he first listened to, then read the charges filed against him.
Mitchell said he cannot provide additional details of the attack because the criminal investigation and reports are not completed.
--- end ---
ORIGINAL STORY
Another article: Family Forgives
Girls' family forgives stabbing suspect
By Glenda Anderson
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 24, 2008
source
The father of the 10-year-old Lake County girl stabbed to death Friday said his family has forgiven the neighbor suspected of the crime.
“We are very grateful to those who are supporting us with their prayers,” Lower Lake physician Dr. Ronald R. Walker said in a written statement. “We forgive the man who took our daughter from us, even for this short time, for by forgiving others, we ourselves are forgiven.”
James Ronald Pagan, 31, is in county jail on suspicion of killing Tessa Walker and wounding her sister, Kristen, 14, Friday afternoon in the gated community of Hidden Valley located about halfway between Middletown and Lower Lake in southern Lake County.
He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, according to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
Sheriff’s authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attacks or details or the circumstances surrounding them.
Dr. Walker said in his statement that family members are relying on their Christian faith during a difficult time.
”We are grieving the loss of our very precious daughter, Tessa Faith Walker — a beautiful, intelligent, happy and alive young woman, full of dreams, including being a doctor like her “daddy” — by this senseless act of violence.”
“We are very thankful that our daughter, Kristen Marie Walker, is doing well physically and that she is now home with us,” he wrote.
--- end ---
Jesus said, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14,15
3/26/08 UPDATE
Stabbing survivor, 14, recounts attack
Motive a mystery; suspect's family offers 'deepest sympathy' to 10-year-old victim's family
By Glenda Anderson and Martin Espinoza
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
source
March 26, 2008 LAKEPORT - The survivor of a brutal knife attack that left her 10-year-old sister dead Friday spent Tuesday afternoon huddled with her family in the doctor's office her father uses to see patients.
The trauma of last week's attack was still very real.
"Last Friday me and my sister were walking, and this man came out and tried to kill us," 14-year-old Kristen Walker said, after first asking her step-mother if it was OK to speak. It was all the young girl could muster before breaking down in tears.
She was stabbed at least once in the abdomen and wore a dressing over the wound Tuesday as she recovers. Her sister, Tessa Walker, succumbed to "multiple sharp force injuries" Friday, according to a release Tuesday from the Lake County Sheriff's Department.
The man accused of the attack, James Roland Pagan, 31, appeared in court Tuesday and was charged with murder, attempted murder, mayhem, infliction of injury on a child, assault with a deadly weapon and special allegations that include the use of a knife and infliction of great bodily injury.
"He's looking at life" if convicted of the charges, said Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
The charges do not add up to a capital case, he said.
The stunned community has rallied to support the Walker family and are touched by their expressions of forgiveness.
Still unknown is what drove the attacker to stab two young girls on Firethorn Road in the quiet gated community of Hidden Valley Lake.
"We have absolutely no idea what the motive was," said Lake County Sheriff's Chief Deputy James Bauman.
Pagan did not enter a plea Tuesday. He was assigned a court-appointed attorney and told to return to court April 11.
Following the hearing, Pagan's family offered condolences to the Walkers in a written statement distributed by Pagan's mother.
"To the family of Tessa Faith Walker, it is with heavy heart and our deepest sympathy that we come to you in words to try and express our sorrow for the loss of your daughter and the pain your family has had to endure.
"We can only pray that the pain and sorrow of losing your loved one be lightened by the grace of God."
The Pagans declined further comment Tuesday. But on Saturday, Pagan's mother said her son had mental health issues.
The Pagan home is just around the corner from the Walkers' house in the Hidden Valley Lake subdivision, but it appears the victims and suspect were not acquainted, Bauman said.
The attack is believed to have occurred in or near the street somewhere between the suspect's home and the victims' home, said Sheriff Rod Mitchell.
The victims' father, Ronald Walker, was alerted to the stabbings when Kristen came running into the house, he said.
Mitchell said Walker, a Lower Lake physician, administered first aid to Tessa on the side of the road.
But the child succumbed to her wounds and was pronounced dead at Redbud Adventist Hospital in Clearlake.
Walker was treating patients from his modest office Tuesday and declined to talk about the case.
His eldest daughter, 18-year-old Sarah, was also at the office and said her 10-year-old sister was a joy.
"She was always doing something to brighten somebody's day."
When asked if she was angry, she replied, "What can you do? It's not going to bring her back."
Tessa Walker is one of the county's youngest homicide victims, but not the youngest, according to District Attorney Jon Hopkins.
He said the youngest he knows of was a 4-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in 1999.
The child's killer, Anthony Sidbeck, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Hopkins said.
Pagan appeared in court Tuesday shackled and dressed in a red-and-white-striped jail shirt and green-and-white-striped pants.
He expressed no emotion as he first listened to, then read the charges filed against him.
Mitchell said he cannot provide additional details of the attack because the criminal investigation and reports are not completed.
--- end ---
ORIGINAL STORY
Another article: Family Forgives
Girls' family forgives stabbing suspect
By Glenda Anderson
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 24, 2008
source
The father of the 10-year-old Lake County girl stabbed to death Friday said his family has forgiven the neighbor suspected of the crime.
“We are very grateful to those who are supporting us with their prayers,” Lower Lake physician Dr. Ronald R. Walker said in a written statement. “We forgive the man who took our daughter from us, even for this short time, for by forgiving others, we ourselves are forgiven.”
James Ronald Pagan, 31, is in county jail on suspicion of killing Tessa Walker and wounding her sister, Kristen, 14, Friday afternoon in the gated community of Hidden Valley located about halfway between Middletown and Lower Lake in southern Lake County.
He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, according to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
Sheriff’s authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attacks or details or the circumstances surrounding them.
Dr. Walker said in his statement that family members are relying on their Christian faith during a difficult time.
”We are grieving the loss of our very precious daughter, Tessa Faith Walker — a beautiful, intelligent, happy and alive young woman, full of dreams, including being a doctor like her “daddy” — by this senseless act of violence.”
“We are very thankful that our daughter, Kristen Marie Walker, is doing well physically and that she is now home with us,” he wrote.
--- end ---
Jesus said, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14,15
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Resurrection Day!
By Kelly McGinley
www.thebereanchronicles.com
www.thebereanchronicles.com
"...the 'church' called the resurrection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after the sex goddess of Babylon, Easter..."
After I was born again, not only was I saved, but I was born into reality. There were two things I learned that were earth shattering to my short Christian walk. The first was that most who call themselves "Christians" did not believe God's Word. I was shocked! I thought when salvation took place that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ meant we believed His Word. All of it, Genesis through Revelation. We did not have a choice. It is submission to the Word of God. Although I did not know much of God's Word at the time, I did know it was absolute truth.
My first realization something was amiss was when I was sitting in my Sunday School on Sanctity of Life Sunday and I was the only pro life in the room. Then I began to see that Christians believed in evolution, were pro abortion, and tolerated homosexuality. The Lord Jesus was not known as the Creator of the Universe, Almighty God, Everlasting Father and the Word become Flesh. Sin, repentance and hell were never talked about.
Seeing all this play out, the Holy Spirit caused me to realize the Way is truly narrow and few find it. He caused me to see that these people are saved to a false Christ. One they have created in their own mind, or have been falsely taught.
While I was still reeling from the first blow, the second wave hit me. This shock was the result of the first problem, not believing or obeying God's Word.
The second insight was finding out that the "church" called the resurrection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after the sex goddess of Babylon, Easter! Easter is the moon goddess worshiped in Babylon and beyond. She is the goddess of fertility from which we get the term Estrogen, the female sex hormone. Plus the word, Estrus which means the sexual excitability of mammals or being in heat.
The worship of Easter was basically an orgy as seen when Moses came down from the mountain. Her first temple was in Babylon and the gate to her temple was seen on T.V. nightly during the Gulf War II news casts. You can find remains of her temple from Nineveh in the British Museum. Archaeological digs in the Middle East are finding more information of the worship of Easter.
Easter has many names depending on which culture: Ashteroth, Ashtarte, Ishtar, Venus, Aphrodite, Semiramus, Diana, and Mary. Easter has a son named Tammuz. In Ezekiel 18:14 in the Lord's house, the Angel of the Lord is showing Ezekiel a "greater abomination, a woman crying for Tammuz". She is known as the "Queen of Heaven" and the "Woman riding the Beast" in Revelation.
The story of Easter and Tammuz can be learned by going to your local library children's section, where there are several books on Ishtar and Tammuz. Or you can check out the Witchcraft section of your local book store. The story differs from culture to culture. It starts off as Easter gives birth to Tammuz at the winter solstice. He grows up and reimpregnates Easter. Tammuz dies at Sam Hein or Halloween, then goes to the underworld. Easter goes to the underworld to get him back. In order for Tammuz to be allowed to come back to earth, Easter must stay in the underworld for 6 months of the year. While she is gone, all earth dies until she resurrects in the east at the spring equinox. This cycle continues year after year.
Mixing the pagan celebration of fertility into the celebration of the resurrection is a severe insult to the Creator of the Universe, and the pastors that lead us into this sin need to repent. God does not wink at ignorance, especially willful ignorance.
The thing that gets my goat the most about this is that everyone knows about this except us sitting in the pews. Hollywood is laughing at us and making movies to mock us. The movie "Chocolat", came out a couple of years ago in the theaters. There is a big connection between chocolate and sex. This movie showed the pagans celebrating Easter and the church down the street celebrating Easter. That made me even madder when I realized Hollywood knew about this but those in the church did not. The witches and Satanists know and they have no respect for us using that word. Check out some books on witchcraft and you can learn a lot about Easter. Heavy metal music groups use the name of Ishtar. Children's books about Ishtar and Tammuz can be studied at your local library. One book available on Amazon is titled "Ishtar Rising: Or, Why the Goddess Went to Hell and What to Expect Now That She's Returning". Most all female studies at the universities teach about the goddess Easter.
The symbols of bunny rabbits, eggs, and chocolate are symbols of sex and fertility. The obelisks and orgies in groves of trees are all in worship of Easter and Tammuz. Obelisks such as the Washington monument plus the one in St. Peters square are phallic symbols as well as trees like the Christmas tree. The Yule log turning into a Christmas tree is also a phallic symbol representing Tammuz's birth.
Satan always tries to imitate all that God is doing. But you may be wondering how all this became intertwined into the church. We can start from Babylon to Alexandria, Egypt, to Rome, and the anti-Semitism of the Catholic Church. The first couple hundred years after Pentecost, the fellowship was mostly Jewish. Most Gentiles who were saved worshipped God the way He directed in Leviticus 23, except blood sacrifices were no longer needed. So early Christians celebrated the Passover week which included the feast of Passover, representing the shed blood of the true Lamb of God occurring on the Passover. The feast of unleavened bread represents the burial of the Lord Jesus plus Jesus being the Bread of Life. Thirdly, the Feast of First Fruits which occurs on the morrow after the Sabbath after Passover, is the Resurrection Sunday. And Jesus is the First Fruit of the resurrection.
Constantine along with the Catholic Church began to kill Christians who celebrated the Passover week. They, through force, demanded the pagan celebration of Easter to be the Christian celebration.
There are several ways we can react to this new information. Some folks are indifferent. Some get angry at the messenger. The biblical way is to search the matter completely and if found to be true, repent and submit. As Joshua stated before entering the Promised Land in Joshua 24:15, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
In Mobile, Alabama, every spring, men whose identities are always kept secret, go under the groves and have sodomy. Fourteen were just arrested and the media in Mobile will not give out all their names. Two names they did give out, one an ex legislator and the other a sports editor. Last year a judge threw out their arrests. I expect the same this year. I believe these men are celebrating Easter and Tammuz, as this is how it has been celebrated for centuries.
This paganism in the church is a sign to me of the anti-church and not the true church of the Living God. This is definitely the beast's system and the scriptures exhort us to "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins." Revelation 18:4
MORE:
Easter Sunday or Ishtar Pagan Day
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Hot Tub Death May Not Have Been a Drowing
My deepest condolences to the family during this time of loss. May the Lord Jesus Christ bring comfort and healing to each one I pray.
Woman's death in hot tub not a drowning, investigators say
By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
3/21/2008
source
A Boyes Hot Springs woman who died in a hot tub at her home late Thursday likely succumbed to a medical condition, authorities said Friday.
The woman, Patricia Schoenfeldt, 58, died shortly after 11 p.m. while in the hot tub with another family member at her Baines Avenue home in a neighborhood across Highway 12 from Boyes Boulevard, authorities said.
Emergency dispatchers first understood she might have drowned, and coroner’s detectives had some questions as well, Sonoma County sheriff’s officials said.
But investigators quickly decided she probably had some kind of medical problem, sheriff’s Lt. Scott Dunn said.
“Initially, we were prepared to look at it as a suspicious death,” Coroner’s Sgt. Mitch Mana said, “but we are not currently doing so.”
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, they said.
Woman's death in hot tub not a drowning, investigators say
By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
3/21/2008
source
A Boyes Hot Springs woman who died in a hot tub at her home late Thursday likely succumbed to a medical condition, authorities said Friday.
The woman, Patricia Schoenfeldt, 58, died shortly after 11 p.m. while in the hot tub with another family member at her Baines Avenue home in a neighborhood across Highway 12 from Boyes Boulevard, authorities said.
Emergency dispatchers first understood she might have drowned, and coroner’s detectives had some questions as well, Sonoma County sheriff’s officials said.
But investigators quickly decided she probably had some kind of medical problem, sheriff’s Lt. Scott Dunn said.
“Initially, we were prepared to look at it as a suspicious death,” Coroner’s Sgt. Mitch Mana said, “but we are not currently doing so.”
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, they said.
Herman the Giant German... Bunny that is!
I LOVE this photo! It's been around a while but thought I'd post it today.
This BIG ol' bunny, Herman, lives on a farm in Berlin, Germany, with his owner, Hans Wagner.
Read more about Herman here.
And Herman even has a MySpace page!
http://www.myspace.com/hermanbigbunny
This BIG ol' bunny, Herman, lives on a farm in Berlin, Germany, with his owner, Hans Wagner.
Read more about Herman here.
And Herman even has a MySpace page!
http://www.myspace.com/hermanbigbunny
Friday, March 21, 2008
Today is Purim
What is Purim?
"Jews in Israel and around the world are celebrating Purim, the holiday marking the escape of the Persian Jews from a plot to exterminate them devised by Haman, vizier to King Ahasuerus who ruled Persia in the 5th century BC. The Book of Esther tells the story of the plot and the reversal of fate by which the community was saved. Among the good deeds Jews are obliged to fulfill during the holiday is "mishloah manot"- the sending of portions [of food], and "matanot la'evyonim"- gifts, charity to the poor." source
To learn more about the day, read the book of Esther in the Bible and below are few verses from chapter 9:
26 Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.
30 And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
31 To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.
32 And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.
REPORT
Sadly, there was a tragedy in Israel as a pastor's son was handed a gift containing a bomb - may the Lord heal this young man we pray in Jesus name. Read more here.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sheriff Press Release: March 19 - Preliminary Autopsy Results- Heather Billings
Preliminary Autopsy Results- Heather Billings
Sheriff's Department
County of Sonoma
Hall of Justice
2796 Ventura Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95403 (707)565-2511
www.sonomasheriff.org Bill Cogbill
Sheriff/Coroner
Press Release (source)
Preliminary Autopsy Results- Heather Billings
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 7:20, PM
On 3-19-08, an autopsy examination was conducted on Heather Kathleen Billings at the Sonoma County Coroner's Office. The preliminary cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds.
The autopsy revealed that Billings was struck by three bullets of similar caliber, consistent with the type fired from a handgun. The wounds were to Billings' upper chest. The wounds demonstrated an upper to lower, front to back, left to right trajectory. These three wounds were in close proximity of each other with consistent paths.
The wounds caused significant damage to the heart, right lung, and liver. There was evidence of disease process to the liver and pancreas, though in itself not considered life threatening.
The autopsy also showed that Billings had numerous scars on her upper arms, legs, and stomach area of varying age.
Toxicology tests have been requested, and may take several weeks. The Coroner's Office anticipates posting a press release with toxicology results when they become available.
Questions regarding the autopsy examination may be directed to Detective Sergeant Mitch Mana at (707) 565-5070. Any questions regarding the field investigation should be referred to the Santa Rosa Police Department.
Prepared by: Det. Sgt. Mitch Mana
Chief Deputy Coroner
Sonoma County Coroner's Office
Coroner’s Case # 08-0364
(707)565-5070
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Mother Disputs Police Account of the Killing of her Daughter
(May the Truth be revealed, may the lies be exposed, may the deceived wake up, may the sinner repent and may souls be saved I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. To shoot and kill someone holding a razor blade is way over the top - and now the mother who was there, says her daughter dropped the razor blade! PLUS, the police shot the girl THREE TIMES - TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS! This is a very sad tragedy. The police need to come clean and stop trying to cover their tracks with lies. May the Lord comfort the Smith family at this time of loss. cp)
WATCH THE VIDEO (CLICK HERE) TO HEAR THE MOTHER'S ACCOUNT!
MORE PHOTOS
Patti Smith reacts as she describes her daughter's shooting.
Rohnert Park shooting account disputed
By DEREK J. MOORE and RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
source
The mother of a Rohnert Park woman shot and killed Sunday by police said Tuesday her daughter followed an officer's orders to drop a razor blade and did not present a danger to anyone but herself.
Patti Smith, who lived with her 31-year-old daughter at Smith's Cornell Avenue home, said her daughter, Heather Billings, had removed the blade earlier that day from a disposable razor and was using it to carve gashes in her arms, prompting Smith to phone 911 for help.
In the living room where the fatal encounter took place, Smith said she bent down to retrieve the blade after her daughter dropped it. She said she then placed the blade on a glass-covered table at the Rohnert Park officer's instructions.
Smith said it is her belief her daughter was headed for the front door when the officer shot Billings in the chest.
"After the first time he shot my baby, I said, "what are you doing?' He walked up to her and shot her two more times,'" Smith, 52, said at her modest house, where a large bloodstain still marked the light blue carpet.
Police on Tuesday officially identified the dead woman as Heather Kathleen Billings. Billings also used her maiden name, Heather Smith, according to family members.
Smith's version of events differs sharply from that of police, who say the officer acted in self-defense when Billings kept advancing toward him with the blade still in her hands.
Santa Rosa police, who are investigating the shooting, previously described the item as a "straight-edged razor blade" and said Billings wielded it as a "weapon."
On Tuesday, a Santa Rosa police spokeswoman described the item as a 2-inch blade from a utility knife. She said the blade did not come from a shaving razor.
Family members were incensed that police described the item as a weapon, however, and insisted that it could not be perceived as a threat.
"I don't care if she had a razor blade and attacked" the officer, said Don Burns, Billings' uncle. "The amount of force was way out of hand."
According to a police evidence log provided by the family, police seized two "razors" and three bullet casings after the shooting.
Authorities on Tuesday identified the public safety officer involved as Robert Lankford, 29, and said he has worked for the Rohnert Park department for 11 months.
He previously worked as a CHP officer for six years out of the CHP's Rohnert Park office, said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat.
Lankford was the first officer on the scene and others officers were en route, police said.
Lankford was placed on paid administrative leave as a matter of routine after the shooting, the fourth in the past year involving a Sonoma County police agency and people suffering a mental health crisis.
Billings, who has a lengthy criminal record, was seeing a psychiatrist and she had been prescribed antidepressant medication in the past, according to the family. However, her mother said she was not taking any medications of that type at the time of Sunday's shooting.
Smith said her daughter was a recovering alcoholic who had been sober for six months but on Saturday relapsed and was drinking beer and vodka.
Posted on the refrigerator door inside the house is the daily morning prayer adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous.
In the bedroom Billings shared with her 11-year-old son are several of the boy's homemade drawings, including one of a goofy monster and the words, "I love you this much."
The boy was at home Sunday but in another room when his mother was shot. He came out of his room afterward to see what had happened, Smith said. He is now staying with other relatives.
Smith said her daughter began drinking and running away from home as a teenager as a way of numbing the trauma of being sexually abused as a child.
After earning her GED, Billings lived in Oregon and Washington before she returned to Rohnert Park, where she lived with her mother while receiving welfare payments.
Smith said Billings, who stood about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed close to 180 pounds, suffered from pancreatitis related to her heavy drinking.
"Her medication was alcohol," Smith said.
Billings' drinking picked up again Sunday, and she began cutting herself in the bathroom, Smith said. When she started yelling and overturning furniture, Smith made the decision to call for help.
"My goal was to get her into an ambulance and sewn up at a hospital and treatment for her depression," Smith said.
It wasn't the first time Rohnert Park police had been dispatched to the house.
Police records show officers have been there 29 times since 2004, Banayat said.
Several calls were from neighbors complaining about barking dogs. But Banayat said most were for disturbance calls involving Billings and her mother.
Billings had been arrested 10 times in Sonoma County since 1995 and, of those, had three convictions.
In 1995, she was arrested and convicted of theft and was given two years' probation.
In 2001, she was arrested and convicted of drunken driving and given three years' probation. That probation later was extended to this April after a subsequent arrest and conviction for check or credit card forgery in 2001, according to records.
The other seven arrests, all dismissed, involved allegations of drugs, drunken driving, giving a false identification and driving on a suspended license. The last case was an arrest in 2005 for alleged trespassing.
She spent 41 days in the Sonoma County Jail from two cases in 2001.
In Marin County, she was sentenced in October 2005 for a conviction involving misdemeanor drug possession, said a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.
Court records show she failed to appear for hearings several times, apparently leading to an arrest warrant served at her Rohnert Park home in October 2006.
Billings was due to appear Tuesday in Marin County drug court for a misdemeanor drug possession charge, court officials said.
That record aside, Smith said her daughter was making an effort to turn her life around, before things started unraveling on Sunday.
In her 911 call, according to police, Smith told operators that her daughter "might have some psych issues" and that Billings was "tearing things up around the house."
She also told operators her daughter had hit her.
On Tuesday, Smith described the blow as a soft slap on the cheek and said she did not fear for her safety.
Lankford arrived at the home at about 3:51 p.m. and entered through the unlocked front door after he heard screaming from inside the residence, police said.
Smith said she walked into the living room to see the officer and her daughter standing several feet apart facing one another.
She said the officer was standing with his back to the front windows, next to a grandfather clock that is near the front door.
A trail of blood droplets shows the path Billings took from the bathroom where she had been cutting herself into the living room, where Smith said she stood next to the coffee table.
What happened next is in dispute.
Police said Billings kept moving toward Lankford while holding the razor blade in her right hand and ignoring the officer's repeated demands for her to drop it.
Smith, however, said Billings dropped the blade and did not make any threatening moves toward the officer. She also does not recall her daughter saying anything during this time.
Smith was at a loss to explain how Billings wound up next to the grandfather clock with the officer turned and facing her from the opposite direction, his gun drawn.
Asked if Billings had lunged at the officer, perhaps forcing him to quickly adjust his position, Smith said that was not the case.
"I was right there," Smith said. "If my daughter had any fault in this, I would be honest and tell you."
Smith said her daughter collapsed to the floor after the officer shot her in the chest.
She said the officer fired two more shots after Billings already was on the floor.
"He was actually very calm," Smith said. "Too calm."
Burns said a doctor that treated Billings at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital told him she had been shot three times in the chest.
An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Banayat on Tuesday again confirmed the police account. "We stand by our press release," she said, noting more information will be released as the investigation continues.
After the shooting, Smith and Billings' son were quickly escorted out of the house. Smith said investigators interviewed her later that night at a nearby hotel.
On Monday, Smith said she returned to find her house "torn apart." Investigators had taken away several items for evidence, including prescription medication for Billings.
Smith said she has not had an opportunity to think about planning a memorial service for her daughter.
The family has made contact with several attorneys, however, while mulling over their next steps.
"We just want to set the story straight," Smith said.
News Researcher Michele Van Hoeck and Staff Writer Lori A. Carter contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writers Derek J. Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com and Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or rrossmann@pressdemocrat.com.
WATCH THE VIDEO (CLICK HERE) TO HEAR THE MOTHER'S ACCOUNT!
MORE PHOTOS
Patti Smith reacts as she describes her daughter's shooting.
Rohnert Park shooting account disputed
By DEREK J. MOORE and RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
source
The mother of a Rohnert Park woman shot and killed Sunday by police said Tuesday her daughter followed an officer's orders to drop a razor blade and did not present a danger to anyone but herself.
Patti Smith, who lived with her 31-year-old daughter at Smith's Cornell Avenue home, said her daughter, Heather Billings, had removed the blade earlier that day from a disposable razor and was using it to carve gashes in her arms, prompting Smith to phone 911 for help.
In the living room where the fatal encounter took place, Smith said she bent down to retrieve the blade after her daughter dropped it. She said she then placed the blade on a glass-covered table at the Rohnert Park officer's instructions.
Smith said it is her belief her daughter was headed for the front door when the officer shot Billings in the chest.
"After the first time he shot my baby, I said, "what are you doing?' He walked up to her and shot her two more times,'" Smith, 52, said at her modest house, where a large bloodstain still marked the light blue carpet.
Police on Tuesday officially identified the dead woman as Heather Kathleen Billings. Billings also used her maiden name, Heather Smith, according to family members.
Smith's version of events differs sharply from that of police, who say the officer acted in self-defense when Billings kept advancing toward him with the blade still in her hands.
Santa Rosa police, who are investigating the shooting, previously described the item as a "straight-edged razor blade" and said Billings wielded it as a "weapon."
On Tuesday, a Santa Rosa police spokeswoman described the item as a 2-inch blade from a utility knife. She said the blade did not come from a shaving razor.
Family members were incensed that police described the item as a weapon, however, and insisted that it could not be perceived as a threat.
"I don't care if she had a razor blade and attacked" the officer, said Don Burns, Billings' uncle. "The amount of force was way out of hand."
According to a police evidence log provided by the family, police seized two "razors" and three bullet casings after the shooting.
Authorities on Tuesday identified the public safety officer involved as Robert Lankford, 29, and said he has worked for the Rohnert Park department for 11 months.
He previously worked as a CHP officer for six years out of the CHP's Rohnert Park office, said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat.
Lankford was the first officer on the scene and others officers were en route, police said.
Lankford was placed on paid administrative leave as a matter of routine after the shooting, the fourth in the past year involving a Sonoma County police agency and people suffering a mental health crisis.
Billings, who has a lengthy criminal record, was seeing a psychiatrist and she had been prescribed antidepressant medication in the past, according to the family. However, her mother said she was not taking any medications of that type at the time of Sunday's shooting.
Smith said her daughter was a recovering alcoholic who had been sober for six months but on Saturday relapsed and was drinking beer and vodka.
Posted on the refrigerator door inside the house is the daily morning prayer adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous.
In the bedroom Billings shared with her 11-year-old son are several of the boy's homemade drawings, including one of a goofy monster and the words, "I love you this much."
The boy was at home Sunday but in another room when his mother was shot. He came out of his room afterward to see what had happened, Smith said. He is now staying with other relatives.
Smith said her daughter began drinking and running away from home as a teenager as a way of numbing the trauma of being sexually abused as a child.
After earning her GED, Billings lived in Oregon and Washington before she returned to Rohnert Park, where she lived with her mother while receiving welfare payments.
Smith said Billings, who stood about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed close to 180 pounds, suffered from pancreatitis related to her heavy drinking.
"Her medication was alcohol," Smith said.
Billings' drinking picked up again Sunday, and she began cutting herself in the bathroom, Smith said. When she started yelling and overturning furniture, Smith made the decision to call for help.
"My goal was to get her into an ambulance and sewn up at a hospital and treatment for her depression," Smith said.
It wasn't the first time Rohnert Park police had been dispatched to the house.
Police records show officers have been there 29 times since 2004, Banayat said.
Several calls were from neighbors complaining about barking dogs. But Banayat said most were for disturbance calls involving Billings and her mother.
Billings had been arrested 10 times in Sonoma County since 1995 and, of those, had three convictions.
In 1995, she was arrested and convicted of theft and was given two years' probation.
In 2001, she was arrested and convicted of drunken driving and given three years' probation. That probation later was extended to this April after a subsequent arrest and conviction for check or credit card forgery in 2001, according to records.
The other seven arrests, all dismissed, involved allegations of drugs, drunken driving, giving a false identification and driving on a suspended license. The last case was an arrest in 2005 for alleged trespassing.
She spent 41 days in the Sonoma County Jail from two cases in 2001.
In Marin County, she was sentenced in October 2005 for a conviction involving misdemeanor drug possession, said a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.
Court records show she failed to appear for hearings several times, apparently leading to an arrest warrant served at her Rohnert Park home in October 2006.
Billings was due to appear Tuesday in Marin County drug court for a misdemeanor drug possession charge, court officials said.
That record aside, Smith said her daughter was making an effort to turn her life around, before things started unraveling on Sunday.
In her 911 call, according to police, Smith told operators that her daughter "might have some psych issues" and that Billings was "tearing things up around the house."
She also told operators her daughter had hit her.
On Tuesday, Smith described the blow as a soft slap on the cheek and said she did not fear for her safety.
Lankford arrived at the home at about 3:51 p.m. and entered through the unlocked front door after he heard screaming from inside the residence, police said.
Smith said she walked into the living room to see the officer and her daughter standing several feet apart facing one another.
She said the officer was standing with his back to the front windows, next to a grandfather clock that is near the front door.
A trail of blood droplets shows the path Billings took from the bathroom where she had been cutting herself into the living room, where Smith said she stood next to the coffee table.
What happened next is in dispute.
Police said Billings kept moving toward Lankford while holding the razor blade in her right hand and ignoring the officer's repeated demands for her to drop it.
Smith, however, said Billings dropped the blade and did not make any threatening moves toward the officer. She also does not recall her daughter saying anything during this time.
Smith was at a loss to explain how Billings wound up next to the grandfather clock with the officer turned and facing her from the opposite direction, his gun drawn.
Asked if Billings had lunged at the officer, perhaps forcing him to quickly adjust his position, Smith said that was not the case.
"I was right there," Smith said. "If my daughter had any fault in this, I would be honest and tell you."
Smith said her daughter collapsed to the floor after the officer shot her in the chest.
She said the officer fired two more shots after Billings already was on the floor.
"He was actually very calm," Smith said. "Too calm."
Burns said a doctor that treated Billings at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital told him she had been shot three times in the chest.
An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Banayat on Tuesday again confirmed the police account. "We stand by our press release," she said, noting more information will be released as the investigation continues.
After the shooting, Smith and Billings' son were quickly escorted out of the house. Smith said investigators interviewed her later that night at a nearby hotel.
On Monday, Smith said she returned to find her house "torn apart." Investigators had taken away several items for evidence, including prescription medication for Billings.
Smith said she has not had an opportunity to think about planning a memorial service for her daughter.
The family has made contact with several attorneys, however, while mulling over their next steps.
"We just want to set the story straight," Smith said.
News Researcher Michele Van Hoeck and Staff Writer Lori A. Carter contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writers Derek J. Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com and Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or rrossmann@pressdemocrat.com.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Update on Rohnert Park Killing
Slain Rohnert Park woman had criminal record
By LORI A. CARTER AND RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
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Details emerged Tuesday about the life of the 31-year-old Rohnert Park woman shot and killed by Rohnert Park police Sunday, including revelations of a misdemeanor criminal history stretching more than 10 years involving drug and alcohol abuse.
Santa Rosa police Tuesday identified the woman as Heather Kathleen Billings, 31. Family members said Monday she also was known by her maiden name, Heather Smith.
Police on Tuesday also identified Robert Lankford as the Rohnert Park public safety officer who shot Billings after responding to a dispute between her and her mother.
Family members Tuesday disputed the police account of the confrontation and whether Billings was holding a razor blade at the time of the shooting.
“When the officer told her to drop it, she dropped it. She was not interested in hurting anyone except herself," said Patti Smith, 52, the mother.
Lankford, 29, has worked in Rohnert Park as an officer and firefighter for 11 months, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat said.
He previously worked as a CHP officer for six years out of the Rohnert Park office.
According to Lankford’s account of the incident, provided in a statement from Santa Rosa police, who are investigating the shooting, Billings was uncooperative and “would not comply with the officer’s numerous requests to drop the weapon.”
Police said Billings advanced toward the officer and Lankford fired. Police have not released information on the number of shots fired. Family members said Billings was shot three times.
Lankford was placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting, normal procedure in such cases.
Billings’ criminal history started in 1995 and extended until the time of her death, according to court records.
She was due to appear in Marin County drug court Tuesday for a misdemeanor drug possession charge, court officials said. She also was expected in Sonoma County court in April.
Billings was arrested 10 times in Sonoma County since 1995 and of those, had three convictions.
In 1995, she was arrested and convicted of theft and was given two years probation.
In 2001, she was arrested and convicted of drunken driving and given three years probation. That probation later was extended to this April after a subsequent arrest and conviction for check or credit card forgery in 2001, according to records.
The other seven arrests, all dismissed, involved allegations of drugs, drunken driving, giving a false identification, driving on a suspended license. The last case was an arrest in 2005 for alleged trespassing.
According to court records, Billings spent 41 days in the Sonoma County Jail in total from two cases in 2001.
In Marin County in October 2005, she was sentenced for a conviction involving misdemeanor drug possession, said a spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office.
Court records show she failed to appear for hearings several times, apparently leading to an arrest warrant being served at her Rohnert Park home in October 2006.
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Police officer identified in Rohnert Park shooting
By RANDI ROSSMANN AND MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
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The Rohnert Park public safety officer who on Sunday shot and killed a 31-year-old Rohnert Park woman was identified Tuesday as Robert Lankford.
Lankford has worked in Rohnert Park as an officer and firefighter for 11 months. He previously was a CHP officer for six years, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat said.
Lankford was placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting, normal procedure in cases of violence involving officers.
Police also formally released the identity of the shooting victim, Heather Kathleen Billings of Rohnert Park. Billings also goes by her maiden name, Heather Smith, according to family members.
Rohnert Park police Lt. Jeff Taylor said Lankford had participated in a training program aimed at instructing officers how to respond to mental health crises. The eight-hour training is based on curriculum from Sonoma County’s new Crisis Intervention Training.
Taylor, who made it clear he was not commenting of the specifics of Sunday’s shooting, said 51 patrol officers participated in the Rohnert Park training in mid-January. He said the training helps officers to deal with people suffering mental health problems.
But he said an officer may use deadly force whenever there is a threat to his or her life or the lives of others. It doesn’t matter whether the threat is from a violent felon or someone with mental illness, he said.
“Force is determined by the amount of threat against the officer,” Taylor said.
Rohnert Park’s policies for the use of deadly force are based on state and federal laws, he said, adding that the use of “objectively reasonable force” is based on what the officer knew at the time he or she was being threatened.
The county’s crisis intervention training, which is being spearheaded by the health department’s emergency psychiatric services and the Sheriff’s Department, recently graduated its first round of 30 officers: 10 from Santa Rosa, 19 from the Sheriff’s Department and one from Healdsburg.
Another training session is scheduled for May, and Taylor said Rohnert Park has been given two slots for that training.
In other information released Tuesday afternoon, Banayat said officers have responded to the Cornell Avenue home where Billings lived with her young son and mother, Patti Smith, 29 times since 2004.
The calls ranged from complaints by neighbors about a barking dog to repeated calls about a disturbance at the home involving Billings and her mother, Banayat said.
An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
Slain Woman was Heather Smith
Police: Slain RP woman had weapon
Report says 31-year-old shot by officer after she refused orders to drop straight-edge razor blade
By RANDI ROSSMANN and Laura Norton
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 18, 2008
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A woman shot and killed by a Rohnert Park police officer Sunday was armed with a straight-edge razor blade she refused to drop as she came at the officer, investigators said.
But a family member of 31-year-old Heather Smith, a single woman living in Rohnert Park with her mother and pre-teen son, said the shooting was the tragic conclusion of a desperate family seeking help.
"It's just completely insane," said Edward Burns, who said he was a cousin of Smith's now living in New York City. "Apparently Heather was feeling suicidal, and my aunt Patti called 911 as a last resort to get some intervention because there was nothing left to do. She called 911 to save her daughter, and the result was quite the opposite."
Police from both Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa, now the lead investigative agency, have refused to identify the officer or the person shot, or elaborate on many of the details surrounding Sunday's shooting.
They did confirm that a 31-year-old woman was shot after an officer responded to a call from a resident seeking help on Cornell Avenue, a home listed as the residence of Patti and Heather Smith. Heather Smith is also known as Heather Billings on address records.
Police said a resident of the house called at 3:46 p.m. seeking help with her daughter, whom she said had been drinking and "might have some psych issues," according to a statement released Monday by the Santa Rosa Police Department.
The caller said her daughter hit her in the face, was "tearing things up around the house" and had cut herself.
Five minutes later, an officer arrived and approached the front door. The officer heard screaming from inside the residence, according to the statement.
The officer opened the unlocked front door and found a woman holding a blade in her right hand. Her left arm was bleeding.
The woman moved toward the officer, still holding the blade, according to the statement. The officer ordered her repeatedly to drop the blade and stop advancing. But the woman would not stop, and the officer opened fire, said Sgt. Lisa Banayat, spokeswoman for the Santa Rosa Police Department.
The death is the second to involve a police officer in Sonoma County this year. In Santa Rosa, 24-year-old Jesse Hamilton, a mental health client, was shot by a Santa Rosa officer after Hamilton came at officers with a weapon.
In that case, a stun gun was initially used but failed to stop Hamilton, authorities said. It was unclear whether the Rohnert Park officer had access to nonlethal weapons in Sunday's incident.
The shooting also raises concerns similar to those surrounding the death of 16-year-old Jeremiah Chass a year ago. He was shot and killed in a struggle with two Sonoma County sheriff's deputies after he became psychotic and violent at his family's home.
Deputies were cleared in the shooting. But it remains a catalyst for discussions about mental health care in Sonoma County and helped spur additional training for law enforcement in responding to mental health crises, training that included Rohnert Park officers this year.
Banayat said the Rohnert Park officer feared for his safety and the safety of the others in the home when he fired his handgun.
An autopsy was expected to be conducted today.
Police would not say how many shots were fired but confirmed there was only one officer on the scene.
Burns said his cousin was shot three times, at least once in the chest. He said Heather Smith was holding a blade at the time of the shooting and Patti Smith was in the room. Heather Smith's child, Kyle, was apparently not in the room at the time, Burns said.
Banayat said she didn't know if the officer carried a Taser stun gun and in a statement said detailed information would not be released until interviews with witnesses could be completed.
Lt. Jeff Taylor of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said he could not comment on Rohnert Park police protocol, access to nonlethal weapons or officer training for dealing with psychological situations.
Steve Donley, Rohnert Park city manager, said officers typically carry Taser guns, pepper spray and batons as nonlethal weapons.
Donley said he did not know the specifics of Sunday's shooting but said in close life-threatening situations, an officer's use of a nonlethal weapon might not be appropriate.
"In general, if someone is using deadly force against you, a Taser is not the weapon you could use," he said.
Donley said Rohnert Park police officers recently participated in a countywide training for law enforcement on interacting with mentally ill patients.
Donley said Rohnert Park police did have protocols in place on how to treat suspects dealing with psychological disorders.
Neighbors of the Smiths said officers had been to the home repeatedly, but they said they didn't know why. Police officials Monday said they would not release a history of police calls to the home.
On Monday, a small memorial was left in front of the home. Sitting near a white picket fence and the sidewalk, someone had left a tall candle in a glass container decorated by a picture of Jesus on the cross. Next to it was a dark pink azalea plant with an unaddressed card.
You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.
Report says 31-year-old shot by officer after she refused orders to drop straight-edge razor blade
By RANDI ROSSMANN and Laura Norton
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
March 18, 2008
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A woman shot and killed by a Rohnert Park police officer Sunday was armed with a straight-edge razor blade she refused to drop as she came at the officer, investigators said.
But a family member of 31-year-old Heather Smith, a single woman living in Rohnert Park with her mother and pre-teen son, said the shooting was the tragic conclusion of a desperate family seeking help.
"It's just completely insane," said Edward Burns, who said he was a cousin of Smith's now living in New York City. "Apparently Heather was feeling suicidal, and my aunt Patti called 911 as a last resort to get some intervention because there was nothing left to do. She called 911 to save her daughter, and the result was quite the opposite."
Police from both Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa, now the lead investigative agency, have refused to identify the officer or the person shot, or elaborate on many of the details surrounding Sunday's shooting.
They did confirm that a 31-year-old woman was shot after an officer responded to a call from a resident seeking help on Cornell Avenue, a home listed as the residence of Patti and Heather Smith. Heather Smith is also known as Heather Billings on address records.
Police said a resident of the house called at 3:46 p.m. seeking help with her daughter, whom she said had been drinking and "might have some psych issues," according to a statement released Monday by the Santa Rosa Police Department.
The caller said her daughter hit her in the face, was "tearing things up around the house" and had cut herself.
Five minutes later, an officer arrived and approached the front door. The officer heard screaming from inside the residence, according to the statement.
The officer opened the unlocked front door and found a woman holding a blade in her right hand. Her left arm was bleeding.
The woman moved toward the officer, still holding the blade, according to the statement. The officer ordered her repeatedly to drop the blade and stop advancing. But the woman would not stop, and the officer opened fire, said Sgt. Lisa Banayat, spokeswoman for the Santa Rosa Police Department.
The death is the second to involve a police officer in Sonoma County this year. In Santa Rosa, 24-year-old Jesse Hamilton, a mental health client, was shot by a Santa Rosa officer after Hamilton came at officers with a weapon.
In that case, a stun gun was initially used but failed to stop Hamilton, authorities said. It was unclear whether the Rohnert Park officer had access to nonlethal weapons in Sunday's incident.
The shooting also raises concerns similar to those surrounding the death of 16-year-old Jeremiah Chass a year ago. He was shot and killed in a struggle with two Sonoma County sheriff's deputies after he became psychotic and violent at his family's home.
Deputies were cleared in the shooting. But it remains a catalyst for discussions about mental health care in Sonoma County and helped spur additional training for law enforcement in responding to mental health crises, training that included Rohnert Park officers this year.
Banayat said the Rohnert Park officer feared for his safety and the safety of the others in the home when he fired his handgun.
An autopsy was expected to be conducted today.
Police would not say how many shots were fired but confirmed there was only one officer on the scene.
Burns said his cousin was shot three times, at least once in the chest. He said Heather Smith was holding a blade at the time of the shooting and Patti Smith was in the room. Heather Smith's child, Kyle, was apparently not in the room at the time, Burns said.
Banayat said she didn't know if the officer carried a Taser stun gun and in a statement said detailed information would not be released until interviews with witnesses could be completed.
Lt. Jeff Taylor of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said he could not comment on Rohnert Park police protocol, access to nonlethal weapons or officer training for dealing with psychological situations.
Steve Donley, Rohnert Park city manager, said officers typically carry Taser guns, pepper spray and batons as nonlethal weapons.
Donley said he did not know the specifics of Sunday's shooting but said in close life-threatening situations, an officer's use of a nonlethal weapon might not be appropriate.
"In general, if someone is using deadly force against you, a Taser is not the weapon you could use," he said.
Donley said Rohnert Park police officers recently participated in a countywide training for law enforcement on interacting with mentally ill patients.
Donley said Rohnert Park police did have protocols in place on how to treat suspects dealing with psychological disorders.
Neighbors of the Smiths said officers had been to the home repeatedly, but they said they didn't know why. Police officials Monday said they would not release a history of police calls to the home.
On Monday, a small memorial was left in front of the home. Sitting near a white picket fence and the sidewalk, someone had left a tall candle in a glass container decorated by a picture of Jesus on the cross. Next to it was a dark pink azalea plant with an unaddressed card.
You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.