Police chief: Port St. Lucie fatal shooting was justified use of force
Monday, June 15th, 2009 by Ana X. CeronBy ANA X. CERON and DAPHNE DURET
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Manuel Morales
PORT ST. LUCIE — Manuel Morales told police he had a shotgun and after midnight on Sunday he yelled at them to back off. To his family, he said he was going to die that night.
He did.
After receiving a call shortly before 1 a.m. that Morales was armed with a knife and could possibly kill the five other people in his house on Southeast Croquet Street, police asked Manuel to let them inside the back bedroom where he had barricaded himself. He didn’t.
So Officers Matthew Cuba and Albert Riccardi forced open the door and saw Morales pointing straight at them what they believed was a rifle.
Cuba fired his Taser, narrowly missing him before Riccardi fired at the man twice.
(more…)
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