Police fatally shoot man during domestic disturbance
June 14th, 2009 by Post StaffBy LAURA GREEN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
A Port St. Lucie Police officer responding to a domestic call shot and killed a man who police say was armed and a threat to the officers.
At about 1 a.m. Sunday, Manuel Morales’ sister called police to the home at 1513 SE Croquet Street to help her brother, Public Information Officer Tom Nichols said.
When police came to the home where Morales had locked himself in a bedroom and refused to come out, they broke in.
“Manny was armed and he failed to comply with our commands,” Nichols said. “The officers felt their safety was in jeopardy.”
Officer Albert Riccardi shot Morales twice in the left torso and is now on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure, he said. Nichols did not have the full name of the other officer in the room.
Morales was taken to a trauma center where he died.
Nichols would not identify the weapon Morales was holding. Police are still investigating, he said.
Tags: domestic, Port St. Lucie police, shot
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June 14th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I wonder how someone locked in a room can jeopardize the safety of someone outside the room??????????????????????
I mean, it would probably have been a better idea leave the door between you.
June 14th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
At least PBpost is reporting the update, TCPalm is still saying the police will update. Thanks PB Post for getting the facts and reporting it!! Wish TCPalm would follow your lead
June 14th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
To “wgpb”
Typical response of someone who just doesn’t know or think through the problem.
Someone called the police to the scene because there was some sort of disturbance, the police didn’t just go door to door to find something to do. On the scene of a domestic, police cannot just leave, as a matter of fact they are required by Florida law to arrest someone who commits domestic Battery. The suspectin the room could have had ANY type of weapon hidden and if the police leave without determining if he has a weapon or arresting him the person that was originally attacked by the suspect could be in a life threatening situation. Obviously the suspect did something that the police were required by law to arrest him for. The police had to act or face disciplinary action or termination from their job. The police do not have the luxury of picking and choosing where or what type of situations they will get involved in.
June 14th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
TC PALM IS A JOKE. AND ONCE THEY REPORT THE WHOLE STORY, THEY WILL GET IT WRONG!
WE WEREN’T THERE. AND WHY SHOULD THE PO-PO PUT THEMSELVES AT RISK TO NOT GO HOME BECAUSE SOME NUT JOB DECIDED HE DIDNT WANT TO PLAY BY THE RULES?
I’M SURE SIS FEELS GUILTY FR CALLING. BUT SHE SHOULD BE GLAD HE DIDNT HARM HER LIKE WE HEAR WITH OTHER NUT JOBS IN OUR SOCIETY.
YES HE WAS A NUT JOB…PROB HIGH ON SOMETHING OR WASN’T TAKING HIS MEDS.
June 15th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Question posted by WGPB:
How someone locked in a room can jeopardize the safety of someone outside the room?????
Answer:
Bullets fired at a close range (for example, inside of a house) can easily travel thru certain types of material, in this case, doors.
I am servicemember currently deployed in the Middle East, reading the Post online keeps me close to home even though some stories are as tragic as this one. Anyhow, one of the parts of training that our 21st century military and law enforcement personnel undergo extensively is the process of entering a building and clearing a room. Some of the most dangerous spots to be on these situations are doorways, wether they be open or close, just because of THIS type of incident happening. I am sure that the officer in question determined the threat to himself and his partner as soon as they broke into the room thru the doorway and shot the suspect before the suspect did the same to them.
Or at least that would be the only reason that would warrant such an escalation of force.