Spokane7
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September 28, 2011 in City
Family grapples with shooting death
A distraught James Rogers called parents ‘over and over’ before police standoff
Stefanie Van Vlaenderen, left, and Angela Crigger, the niece and sister of James Edward Rogers, look at family photos Tuesday at Crigger’s house in Liberty Lake. Rogers was killed during a police standoff Monday night.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
James Edward Rogers spent Monday driving around the Spokane area, calling his family.
Depressed and distraught, the 45-year-old father of seven said it was over – that he had his father’s shotgun and planned to use it on himself. His family frantically searched for him, eventually learning of a police standoff on the lower South Hill with a man in a van.
It had to be him, said Rogers’ father, Alonzo Rogers, who owns the van his son took from their Deer Park home Monday.
Family rushed to the area of Hatch Street and Seventh Avenue to help officers persuade Rogers to surrender, but gunfire interrupted Rogers’ sister’s phone call with police.
She learned of his death three hours later. The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office determined after an autopsy Tuesday that Rogers died of gunshot wounds but would not say how many.
Now, as a multi-agency team led by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office begins its investigation, Rogers’ family questions why police fired as a negotiator pleaded with Rogers to surrender, reminding him of his seven children.
Authorities released few details Tuesday about the gunfire other than to say that Rogers “continued moving around inside the van and refusing (a) negotiator’s requests that he surrender.”
“I don’t feel it was right,” Alonzo Rogers said. “They could have waited for me.”
Witnesses said police continued to negotiate with James Rogers after he threatened to kill them and said he had plenty of ammunition. The fatal shots were fired at 8:24 p.m. – nearly two hours after police first encountered Rogers.
In a home video shot by a bystander and provided to media, the negotiator can be heard telling Rogers that “we just mean to help.”
“You need to put the shotgun down. James. This is not a solution, bud,” the negotiator said. “We understand you have seven kids. They will need their dad in the future – they will need to talk to you.”
About six gunshots are then heard, but Rogers and the firing officer or officers cannot be seen in the video.
Alonzo Rogers said he believes the shooting was the result of inadequate training or the work of an officer who wanted to be a hero “or just a stupid jerk.”
Police first encountered Rogers after a woman called 911 at 6:28 p.m. to report a suicidal employee armed with a shotgun at SL Start, an assisted-living facility for disabled people at 811 S. Hatch St. The woman said the man fired a shotgun once near or from the van and may have shot himself, but detectives have not verified that claim, said sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan. A representative for SL Start declined to speak to The Spokesman-Review Tuesday.
Police tried blocking the parking lot exit to prevent Rogers from leaving, Reagan said, but Rogers backed into a brick wall and drove across a lawn to avoid the patrol car. He drove northbound on Hatch but tipped the van on its side while trying to turn on Seventh, Reagan said.
Rogers refused to leave the van, and officers – joined by the Spokane police SWAT team, the sheriff’s helicopter and the bomb unit’s robot – tried for nearly two hours to talk him into surrendering.
Police have not said how many officers fired shots, but Reagan said arrangements are being made to interview more than 20 officers who responded to the scene.
Detectives are also seeking other witnesses and emphasize that “anything witnesses saw or heard could be critical to the investigation,” Reagan said.
Meanwhile, Rogers’ family spent Tuesday trying to comprehend his death. Family said Rogers graduated from Clarkston High School, worked as a military police officer until the mid-1990s and was an experienced baker. His children range from age 5 to 24, including a son in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
Rogers’ sister, Angela Crigger, cried Tuesday as she looked through photos of him as hospital chaplains sat nearby. Her children soon arrived at their Liberty Lake home and were told of their uncle’s death.
She said her brother, whom she described as her best friend, stopped by SL Start to say goodbye in what she believes was another cry for help.
“I know he was crying out for help – I know it,” Crigger said. “He wouldn’t have killed himself.”
Rogers had worked for SL Start for about a year as a care provider for disabled residents but had recently been told by the state that he needed to undergo alcoholism counseling to keep his license, said Alonzo Rogers.
James Rogers served six months in prison for a drunken chase with police in Whitman County in 2010. He underwent rehabilitation for alcohol abuse but had likely started drinking again, his father said. He was depressed about the counseling requirement and had been told he needed to pay about $350 a month instead of attending free counseling at the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center, his father said.
“That started him downhill,” Rogers’ father said.
Alonzo Rogers said his son worried about losing his job and felt hopeless. He said so when he called Tuesday. Alonzo Rogers and his wife Barbara didn’t realize he’d left the home with their van and shotgun until he told them.
“He kept calling us over and over” and said where he was – a grocery store, a restaurant – but he was always gone when family arrived, Alonzo Rogers said.
Rogers said his daughter contacted police when she learned of the standoff and told them the shotgun was broken and difficult to reload. But the gun could fire a single round.
“We don’t know if there was even one in it,” Rogers said.
Police have not said if Rogers ever fired a shot.
Human trafficking suspects released 
D Statler on September 28 at 3:08 a.m.
This sounds like a terrible tragedy. Alcohol and guns have never made a good match. My sincere regards for the kids and the Rogers family and friends.
Growing up with and living with an alcoholic has taught me what I never want to be like.This reinforces my beliefs about drinking and the effects there of. We are lucky that there were no more victims or casualties.He could have killed his co-workers,police or even his kids in this state of mind/ drunkenness.Alcohol can be worse than many illegal drugs.
The police negotiators don’t take two hours to negotiate and then shoot for no reason. Rogers had to have made a sudden / threatening movement to start the shooting.
Lets not put the blame where it doesn’t belong here. The blame belongs to Alcohol and a piss poor economy. The police were doing what we pay them to do. Lets just be thankful nobody else (especially law enforcement) was seriously hurt here.
empyrius on September 28 at 4:05 a.m.
Either one of two futures shall come to pass . . .:
1) The international banksters and their American government will continue to dupe countless more of our future-less children into going into one, some, or even all, of the various wars they have going on around the world; and then the kids come back to “the homeland” and become coppers enforcing the banikers mans’ foreclosures with ever increasing militancy . . .
Or
The future-less masses of American 20 and 30 somethings will create a dynamic future once we have (well …, I am 44 and future-less) eradicated this parasite called the American government.
The Lord willing these kids will forge a true democracy responsive to the will of the people!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44697094/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/
God keep you James Rogers.
Amen
Ron_the_Cop on September 28 at 6:50 a.m.
To All
As I said in one of the other threads:
Reasoned debate is one thing but violent rhetorical comments advocating the killing of police officers are not productive for all. There are many fine men and women doing a very difficult job, day in and day out requiring split second decisions. Yes mistakes will be made after all the police are human. The key is to recognize when mistakes are made and or discover that there may be better ways of dealing with certain situations that lead to changes in policy and procedure. In other words learn from past incidents and don’t make the same mistakes.
I also replied to other comments by Squid, Brian and Valleyman in this other post too:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/sep/27/standoff-ends-with-man-dead/?comments#c349923
lewis8457 on September 28 at 7:06 a.m.
sorry for the loss my heart goes out to this family.
walk away remember dad, but don’t try for justice you wont see or be allowed any of.
there are many families in town that are going through or been through your ordeal and they still have no closure, no truth no answers, no justice.
in this city suicide by cop is rampant because the guys that should do everything they can to take the person alive simply shoot them when shift is up..
hollyjoe on September 28 at 7:26 a.m.
Lewis you are right there is no truth or justice between these two systems if it is a press release from either department it’s pretty much B.S. Good examples of this is Creach, Otto Zehm, and Dodd just to mention just a few
SpokyDaBear on September 28 at 7:54 a.m.
If you are depress or suicidal, it’s probably not a good idea to drive around with a shotgun threatening to kill yourself.
The cops will just do it for you.
And now the tax payers are stuck with the cleanup bill.
Albert on September 28 at 8:35 a.m.
I understand that the victim had consulted counselors at the VA. These professionals are nothing short of outstanding.
Throughout the local VA facility are plain-site posters, along with numerous handouts, that provide the VA Crisis Hot Line number of 800-273-8255. This is available to any vet, and I would “assume” that literally anyone who calls in, would be given expert help - like immediately.
PLEASE! if you know of anyone who needs help give them this 24/7 hot line number!!
My sincerest prayers to the family of the victim.
GDodd on September 28 at 9:47 a.m.
@2 RON WE HAVE BEEN WAITING ONE YEAR 10/24/10 they still haven’t talk to us yet
davidw on September 28 at 9:52 a.m.
@Albert — Great idea posting VA crisis line number.
The Spokane Regional Health District lists the same hotline number.
Thanks for thinking broadly and focusing on ways to help,
David Wasson
deputy city editor
Thoreau on September 28 at 11:51 a.m.
Wow. A volley of shots for a citizen with a pump-action shotgun that may have not even been fired.
These cops need to enlist and shoot the Taliban if they’re so trigger happy.
Funny thought: State provided the alcohol - State provided the lead. Either way, it sounds like the cause of death is State.
Ron_the_Cop on September 28 at 12:03 p.m.
@Albert,
I concur great post. I’m not going to comment on the specifics of this OIS.
However I believe it would be very useful to LE Incident Commanders to know of this availability of trained counselors familar with PTSD and related veterans issues.
When this situations have turned static and no immediate threat is present there is time to bring in these professionals to talk down these people in crisis. I’m sorry I don’t believe there are many in the police rank and file that get any jollies in these shootings. An OIS is not the objective of a SWAT incident with the exception of an active shooter situation such as the North Hollywood Bank Robbery where LAPD was outgunned and or Columbine. Columbine led to procedural changes in LE response.
TheRoyLarsen on September 28 at 12:29 p.m.
If it wasn’t for this forum, I wouldn’t know I was normal.
misjustice on September 28 at 8:53 p.m.
@ Ron, dude, you know that I’m your peep (tee hee) but I must question your comment about violent rhetoric calling for the killing of cops… I haven’t read any commenst calling for that.
Maybe they got removed before I saw them but I haven’t seen anything like that at all. If anything, I have read numerous posts applauding the killing of this man, a guy with mental health issues, alcohol abuse problems and probably financial problems.
Just sayin’…peep!
; )
misjustice on September 28 at 8:54 p.m.
Oops, comments (not commenst)…didn’t use spell check for the last post.
; )
Ron_the_Cop on September 29 at 3:48 a.m.
Justy,
There haven’t been any in this thread but there have been in other threads regarding OIS/OIDs. Some have been removed. Me bad. I should have been more specific.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on September 29 at 5:59 a.m.
I remember all too well the Levy (sp) case where the poorly trained negotiators finally talked him down off the edge of the Monroe Street Bridge…. and then came forward in full uniform to “help” him… and then shot him with a taser that misfired/did not work… and he jumped…… that case could have been solved with a cheesburger and a hug…. truly…. any competent Crisis Line/Suicide interventionist could have handled that better…
I can’t quite comment on this yet… but it seems that there might have been a lot of room here for better negotiation and resolution…. there is no need to use force when a suicidal person has been listened to, and heard and talked down… dr john