Spokane7
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September 28, 2011 in City
Man killed by police fired shot before chase began
A reportedly armed and suicidal man shot to death by Spokane police Monday night has been identified by family members as James Edward Rogers, 45.
(Full-size photo)
A suicidal man who was shot to death by police during a nearly two-hour standoff apparently fired a shotgun outside his workplace before officers arrived, according to information released today by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
A sheriff’s K-9 team recovered a portion of a shotgun shell known as a wad in the area where a witness said James Edward Rogers fired a shot before fleeing in a van. No one was injured by that shot in the parking lot.
But about two hours later, Rogers, 45, was killed by Spokane police after refusing commands to put down the shotgun and exit the overturned van, which he had crashed at East Seventh Avenue and South Hatch Street while fleeing officers.
Authorities have given no indication of why officers felt they needed to shoot Rogers after nearly two hours of negotiations.
Investigators are interviewing citizens and officers who witnessed the shooting and canvassed the neighborhood Tuesday gathering witness accounts.
Detectives also interviewed Rogers’ coworkers at SL Start, an assisted living facility at 811 S. Hatch. Rogers had worked for SL Start for about a year when an employee called 911 Monday to say he was suicidal and in possession of a firearm.
Authorities recovered the shotgun and are searching the 1993 Chevrolet van today, said Sgt. Dave Reagan. The sheriff’s office is leading the investigation.
The van and shotgun belong to Rogers’ father, Alonzo Rogers. Rogers’ family had spent Monday looking for him as he called them repeatedly from different locations, talking of suicide. Rogers was an alcoholic, family said.
Rogers’ sister, Angela Crigger, was on the phone with police when she heard the gunfire. Alonzo Rogers was en route to the scene to help police persuade his son to surrender.
Alonzo Rogers said the shotgun was difficult to reload because of a malfunction. “He would have had to take time to dig it out and put in another one,” Rogers said.
Rogers doesn’t know if his son had extra shotgun shells in the van.
“I’ll be curious to see if they found any in the van,” he said today.
Reagan would not say if the officer or officers who fired shots have given tactical briefings or full interviews but said the information will be released “in the near future.”
Human trafficking suspects released 
Mike1950 on September 28 at 3:03 p.m.
Let’s see, armed and already fired the weapon, suicidal but couldn’t do it himself so let’s make the police do it for him. What a position to put someone else in. I feel sorry for both his family and for the officers who are called out in cases where the person wants “suicide by cop” as a final outcome. Doubtless many have already jumped on the bad cop, killer cop bandwagon painting all episodes with the same brush. Each and every situation is as different as night and day. Walk a mile in the shoes of the police officers who face these situations and then pop off with your broadbrush accusations.
mauijim on September 28 at 4:04 p.m.
Thanks Mike,
One of the more sensible comments lately.
hunternomore on September 28 at 4:09 p.m.
Let’s see. Every time a “cop” shoots someone this blog is full of police commenters telling everyone “we should all walk a mile” and then we would “understand” these situations. Seems like they are the ones to “pop off” every time it happens. But “broadbrush accusations”, that’s a good one, very creative! As for walking in their shoes, the expectation is that common sense and maturity prevail in someone involved in “law” enforcement. No need to “walk” in their shoes.
Kivaari on September 28 at 4:19 p.m.
Haven’t most people noticed that 5 shootings by Spokane police in the last year were all suicide by cop deaths? Dodd, Corporon, Groom, Dennis and Rogers. The shooting by SCSO in North Spokane county was an attempted suicide, but he lived.
The recent shooting in Issaquah was a suicide by cop. Some studies have shown that 50% or more of the shootings by police are deliberate suicide cases.
zelda on September 28 at 4:23 p.m.
There’s an armed standoff seemingly once a week in Spokane. If the cops shot and killed the person in every SWAT case Spokane would have a higher homicide rate than most major metropolitan areas.
Let’s be sensible about this. Rogers was a seriously mixed up guy driving from place to place with a shotgun. There were lots of witnesses to his behavior and past tendencies.
The_Seer on September 28 at 4:56 p.m.
I don’t believe for a second in the notion of suicide by cop. Is it really that hard to kill yourself that you need the po po to help?
Please.
I love, just as in the Creach case and Otto Zehm, how the “investigators” leak “information” piecemeal so that by the end we’ve all been handheld through their latest connect the dots fantasy. Next we’ll learn the victim was pointing the gun and yelling “you’ll never take me alive” instead of hanging upside down in his seatbelt dazed from rolling his vehicle.
The_Seer on September 28 at 5:00 p.m.
Who wants to bet if the IP addresses of the first two commenters could be traced to the Lolly Cop Guild Headquarters?
Suicide by cop. What, we don’t have any tall enough buildings? What about the Monroe Street Bridge? No one has a garden hose to stick in a tail pipe and driver’s side window? What happened to hammering a handful of barbies? Didn’t he have a supposedly loaded shotgun?
Again, enough with this suicide by cop mirage.
The_Seer on September 28 at 5:03 p.m.
We represent The Lolly Cop Guild
The Lolly Cop Guild
The Lolly Cop Guld
And in the name of
The Lolly Cop Guild
We welcome you to Spokanistan!
Everyone now, sing along!
zelda on September 28 at 5:10 p.m.
So the cops killed him in cold blood for absolutely no good reason as if he were a rabid dog in the streets?
As cynical as I am, I find this hard to believe.
But it’s come to this now. There has been so much misbehavior and corruption on the part of local law enforcement that any time they do something by the book and according to procedure (if that’s the case here), the public doesn’t believe it. Total loss of credibility. It’s a long climb out of the swamp to re-earn Spokane citizens’ trust.
BlondeSquawker on September 28 at 5:14 p.m.
The Seer: They’ll get you, my pretty….and your little dog, too!
Squid on September 28 at 5:41 p.m.
“He was posing a threat to the community because he was armed,” said DeRuwe.
Just thought I’d carry that comment over from another article on the same incident.
I’m apparently a threat, whenever I’m at home, or during hunting season. I wasn’t aware that I was a threat. Hope I’m not suicidal too.
avboden on September 28 at 6:08 p.m.
People are actually finding fault with the cops shooting this nutjob? Wow…i’m surprised the supermarket isn’t out of aluminum foil for all your hats!
nutjob has gun
nutjob shoots gun
nutjob won’t exit van with gun in highly populated area
nutjob gets shot and killed
what part of that isn’t adding up for some of you?
The_Seer on September 28 at 6:12 p.m.
zelda: Bingo!
Kivaari on September 28 at 6:34 p.m.
@ seer Are you seriously denying the well documented cases of suicide-by-cop phenomenon? Even the many cases where the decedent leaves an apology note to the officers. Or the ones that tell people ahead of time what they intended to do. Even the BC cops did a study and found over 50% of the decedents left notes or told people of their intentions. Look to the many cases where an idiot attacks the police with a non-working firearm. Or like Dodd with an obsidian knife. Given the right conditions cops are often able to save the person using alternative methods. But some people just want to go out in a hail of police bullets. Cowards, each and everyone of them. Why did Groom discuss suicide, then point a gun at his friend? Why did Corporon, already institutionalized for suicidal ideations, go on a shooting spree? Why did Dennis pick up the knife after the officers entered the home? Why did Rogers call people and stop at his work place with a gun say he wanted to die? Why did the man a few years back call the police talking suicide, then great them at the door with a pistol shoved in their faces? He lived, but that was modern medicine at work.
Kivaari on September 28 at 6:35 p.m.
Zelda, Good comments.
SpokyDaBear on September 28 at 6:43 p.m.
They always shoot the suicidal ones…
The_Seer on September 28 at 6:44 p.m.
Didn’t Jack Kervorkian spend years in federal prison for assisting suicide?
Just sayin….
Kivaari on September 28 at 7:27 p.m.
@ Seer, Yes, but Kevorkian wasn’t being rushed by a man with a knife or being shot at by some loon.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on September 28 at 7:35 p.m.
Kivaari, neither was this guy, he was sitting in an overturned crashed van. Yes, he might have been armed, but I still fail to see how this guy surrounded by armed police officers posed a threat to anyone sitting in an overturned crashed van.
Also, pretty crappy the police wouldn’t let the family talk to this guy before the shot him, even though the family was trying to.
misjustice on September 28 at 8:05 p.m.
I’d be interested to know how many folks carry concealed? Guess they are all a threat to the community also?
I seem to remember the hue and cry going out when Starbucks decided to allow folks to carry on their premises, are those people also a threat; because the vocal minority at the time shouted down any concerns expressed about loaded guns being brought into a coffee house.
And what about those endearing Tea Party folks? You know, the ones that like to walk around at political events strapped? Guess that they are now a threat to the community, also?
@ My peep, I think that you are correct. RE: IP addresses.
Kivaari on September 28 at 8:18 p.m.
Liberal, This man was a threat to anyone within view of him. Had he had a slugs or buckshot his kill radius was quite extended. The police have no knowledge of what ammo he may have. He had already shot once. So, if you were an officer maintaining a perimeter around him, and he aimed his shotgun at you, would you risk taking a load of lead? Were the police just supposed to back off and leave the neighborhood?
Misjustice, Armed honest citizens are not a threat to the public. This man was a mental case with a prior history of suicidal ideations. He was a convicted felon. He had a troubled life. He couldn’t carry a legal concealed handgun. He wasn’t supposed to fire a shot. He was supposed to stop for the police, not crash his fathers van. His family members were not denied the opportunity to speak to him. Read the other reports where the father said the police were making special arrangements for him to come to the scene. Rogers died before that could be arranged. He obviously forced the issue.
Kivaari on September 28 at 8:25 p.m.
Misjustice, What about those TEA party people? What about legal carry? How often do honest citizens with permits go on shooting rampages? Since more states then ever allow concealed carry, and violent crime has gone down, is there a relationship? Let me answer that for you. When ever a state has instituted a SHALL ISSUE permit system or eliminated the need for a permit the crime has gone down. There were no up-ticks in shootings by permit holders. When the bad guys don’t know who is armed, they are more careful. Police officers , real police officers, not political appointees in east coast cities, favor concealed carry. American society has been helped by the increase in gun ownership and concealed carry. Even liberals are finding that concealed carry is a good thing for them. After all, criminals don’t care if you are a socialist or a constitutionalists.
Kivaari on September 28 at 8:32 p.m.
Squid, Who are you a threat to? You are probably not a threat to any honest law abiding citizen. You may pose a threat to bad guys. Rogers was obviously not a good guy. Good guys don’t steal a shotgun, go around taking shots, threatening suicide, getting into a police chase, crashing, and going into a standoff with police. I just don’t see any relationship between an honest person and this dead guy. I’ve never done any of those things so I don’t fear the police. Now I don’t trust cops in Chicago, New Orleans, LA, Newark, Boston, DC, Portland or NYC.
Squid on September 28 at 8:49 p.m.
Deer, elk, and pheasants, mostly. Sometimes grouse.
Kivaari on September 28 at 8:59 p.m.
Squid, That’s fair game. I don’t like killing anything, but I am always prepared to do my duty.
GaryP on September 28 at 9:50 p.m.
I still don’t get why they couldn’t have waited for him to fall asleep, then cover him with quickcrete which usually sets in an hour or so. Then take the shotgun from him since he wouldn’t be able to move. I feel I know a lot about this stuff since I watch tv quite a bit. Why don’t the police ever call Doug Clark to the scene for his advice? He seems to know a lot about a wide range of issues…
Kivaari on September 28 at 10:01 p.m.
GaryP, I think you are on to something. Maybe Clark can send your suggestion to the FBI-HRT and the Homeland Insecurity Chief. Or giant bullet proof airbags……………
lewis8457 on September 28 at 11:05 p.m.
so our highly trained police don’t understand that when the victim is yelling shoot me they are not supposed too?
It is there job to take the person in alive, so the courts can do their duty we are all due our day in court. hahaha
If the van was upside down he wasn’t going anywhere why cant they just wait him out or throw tear gas bomb in the window? Chocolate eclairs ready at Safeway?
I just don’t understand why with all their special skills which they get paid big money for, mean nothing it is just point and shoot.
Yes I just love how they give pieces of info now he fired a shot before this chase took place, what does it matter SPD? It will be justified anyway Ozzies two faced crew will being doing the investigation.
Well lets all pray this will be the only cop murder we see before it gets to cold for them to be outside shooting folks. Myself I am hoping for a very long cold winter.
nslopeofw on September 28 at 11:46 p.m.
Avboden-
It has nothing to do with him having a gun/mentally challenged, as the police here have proven the need to kill all who fit that description anyway. All you need is a rock, and it becomes a deadly weapon that requires the police to shoot you 3 times. Or, if you scare a property owner who has a right to protect his business, then tell him to drop his weapon, and when he allegedly doesn’t, you blow him away. Then you go on paid vacation and dont do an interview for 6 weeks, while your buddies cover up all the evidence.
Now we have a suicidal man trapped in an overturned van, who’s family is not being allowed to talk to him. The only one allowed is the cop negotiator who was obviously not very successful, followed by the trigger happy Spokane law enforcement gang smoking his azz.
The lack of trust with the cops is due to all of the killings that have happened. Remember, we were told that Otto lunged at the cop with a deadly (plastic soda bottle) weapon, only to find out through the store video it was a lie.
As long as the Po Po keep thinking they can get away with civilian murder, they will keep doing it. They need to be accountable.
Finally, the Otto Zehm issue is getting attention from non “you scratch my back, i’ll scratch yours” investigators. We need a guilty verdict, and a few firings before we will start trusting the lying, cover up “peace officers” of Spokane.
The_Seer on September 29 at 8:07 a.m.
kivari: The cops didn’t know he allegedly fired a shot at his workplace prior to this encounter. Or are they suddenly Kreskin?