Douglas Steven Cloud: Anatomy of a shooting

The Shooting

Oct. 8, 2006 at Acura of Riverside Dealership

J. Taliaferro stated that he was later told during an interview by Riverside Police detectives that Cloud "pulled a shotgun and is now under a sheet". J. Taliaferro said he and his sons did not see a shotgun.


----Excerpt, Butch Warnberg's report on the Cloud shooting

Eyewitness Accounts

(excerpts, Butch Warnberg's report)

The Suspect

Douglas Steven Cloud:

Cloud was hit with five rounds and died at the scene.

The Officers:



Officer Nicholas Vazquez:



Vazquez stated that he stepped away from the car, drew his weapon again and fired four or five shots at Cloud. The first round was aimed at the upper torso. Cloud "did not move" and there was not much reaction. In order to stop the threat he then fired three or four more rounds aiming at the upper torso. Johansen then fired several rounds after Vazquez fired his first round.




Officer David Johansen:


Johanen said he saw Cloud reach down between the seat and center console area with his right hand. When he brought hs hand out it was "very deliberate". Cloud's left hand was free. Johansen said because the radio call was a robbery he thought, "the chances were pretty darn high" that Cloud was coming up with a weapon. Johansen said it happened so fast, "he was not willing to wait to see a weapon" Johansen said, "If I would have waited, I would have been shot."

Johansen said his primary concern was a gun and not the vehicle hitting anyone. He said, "I drew my weapon and fired one round." Johansen thought the round hit Cloud in the upper torso. Johansen stopped firing because Cloud's hand stopped moving. Johansen said he heard Vazquez fire his gun and thought Vazquez had probably fired first. Stennett was not in the way when they fired. Johansen did not hear anyone tell Stennett to disengage.




Officer Brett Stennett:



Stennett said that Vazquez told him to "get back..." Stennett started to draw his weapon and Vazquez fired three times and Johansen fired twice.




Officer Bryan Crawford:



Crawford stated that when he reached the driver's side of the vehicle he heard a single gunshot, followed by four or five a second or so later. He saw Vazquez with his gun in his hand, and saw the gun recoiling as the shots were fired. He didn't notice if anyone else had fired. No warnings concerning a weapon were heard and no weapon was seen.



Sgt. Rene Ramirez:



Ramirez exited his vehicle and could see Officers Vazquez, Johansen, Stennett and Crawford standing on the driver's side of the vehicle. The officers were facing the driver's door and some of them had their guns drawn. He heard two shots, and believed that Vazquez had fired.




The Witnesses:



Frederic Eugene Cagle:


Cagle stated that he watched as Officer #1 took "about a half of a step back and to his left, then fire one shot into Cloud's head between the "base of the chin and the forehead". The sequence of shots were described as 1st shot, (short pause 1 to 1.5 seconds), then 2nd shot, 3rd shot, 4th shot, in quick succession. Cagle stated tht officers #2, #3 and #4 had their weapons out but he did not believe any of them fired.




Danny Fred Lane:




Lane said his attention was drawn back to Mr. Cloud's vehicle when he heard the first gun shot. Lane looked back towards the car and realized that Mr. Cloud had not been pulled from the vehicle. One officer was pointing his gun into the vehicle in a downward trajectory into the front seat. Lane said immediately after the first shot, the car began to accelerate and rev up. The officer hesitated for an instant and fired three additional rounds. Lane said he could not see Mr. Cloud's position in the car at that instant. The car continued accelerating and screeching to a point at which Lane thought the car was going to "blow up". Lane said the car never moved. The tire suddenly blew out and the car engine stopped.



Lane stated that he did not see any other officers fire their weapons and only heard four shots. Lane said that after the shooting the officers stood next to the car with their guns drawn and pointing inside the vehicle. The officers remained there for an instant and then slowly moved away.








Theodore Brown:







The officers were standing essentially side-by-side in a slight arch facing the driver's door. The second officer closest to the back of the car fired at Cloud. Brown described the officer as a male with Asian features and short black hair. Brown said he could not describe any of the other officers. Brown said four shots were fired with a short pause between the 1st shot and the remaining three rounds that were fired in quick succession. Brown stated that he saw Cloud's body first go "up" and then "over" toward the passenger seat.



Brown stated that immediately after the shooting, the officers just stood there. The Asian officer looked very pale and the other officers were looking at him in a way that Brown believed suggested the shooting wasn't right. Brown said he initially thought the officers must have seen a gun.









Shawn Daskam:







Daskam stated that once the officers had stepped away from the car, the other officer directly in-line with the driver's door, hesitated slightly and fired one shot. Daskam said that Cloud slumped over in the seat and he was no longer visible. The officer hesitated again and fried three additional shots in rapid succession. Daskam said that he believed only one officer fired.









Juan Manual "Manny" Dominguez:







Dominguez stated that the vehicle continued to accelerate and the entire group of officers stepped slightly away from the car. One officer had his gun pointed at Cloud and fired one shot, paused for an instant, and then fired three more times.




Riverside Police Department Initial Press Release (Oct. 8, 2006)



(excerpt)


The officers fired shots as they tried to take him into custody. American Medical Response and Riverside Fire Department personnel were called to the scene to render aid. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene.





Riverside Police Department Update ( Oct. 10. 2006)



(excerpt)


Officers told investigators they feared the vehicle would strike one or more of them if it gained traction, and that the suspect repeatedly reached for the center console of the vehicle.

According to the initial investigation, one officer fired four times; a second officer fired once. The suspect was struck in the upper torso. American Medical Response and Riverside Fire Department personnel were immediately summoned and the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene.



The Riverside Police Department briefing before the CPRC, October 2006



The officers became more concerned about their safety they said, after Cloud freed himself from their grasp on him. The wheels of the car were spinning and turning, after Cloud regained his position in his seat. At that point, Vazquez fired four times and Johansen fired once, because they feared for their safety if Cloud was able to steer the car in their direction.







The Riverside Police Department applied for a grant which could help it do more DNA tests for "cold cases".





Portland CopWatch has announced the following forum will be held in response for the city government's failure to both hold a forum on the discussion of the recommendations in consultant Eileen Luna-Firebaugh's report, but also to allow public testimony during any "workshops" planned by the city government.

Luna-Firebaugh was retained by Portland to review the Independent Police Review and the Citizen Review Committee and submit recommendations on improving both.





For Immediate Release

February 28, 2008

Contact: Dan Handelman, Portland Copwatch 503-236-3065

Community Organizations to Hold "People's Hearing" on Police
Accountability
Action Motivated by Cancelled Forum on Portland's Police Review Board
Thursday, February 28, 2008, 2:00 PM Portland City Hall 1221 SW 4th


Representatives of various community organizations will hold a "People's
Hearing on Portland's Police Review Board" this Thursday to ensure that
City Council hears their concerns. A Council hearing scheduled to take
place on Thursday was cancelled by Mayor Tom Potter, who oversaw an
assessment done on the Independent Police Review Division (IPR). Dozens of
community members were set to testify about the report's important
recommendations, to strengthen the IPR's Citizen Review Committee (CRC)
and have the IPR conduct independent investigations. Instead, members of
the community will present their testimony at a "People's Hearing" outside
of City Hall, 1221 SW 4th, at the time originally set for the hearing, 2
PM on Thursday, February 28.

There will be a table and chairs set up for the Commissioners should they
choose to attend the hearing.

The Mayor released a statement on Tuesday indicating the Council will
discuss the matter at a "work session" in March, at which no public
testimony will be taken.

Among those scheduled to testify briefly at the "People's Hearing" will
be:


--Pastor LeRoy Haynes, Vice President of Albina Ministerial Alliance
--Maria Lisa Johnson, Executive Director of the Latino Network
--David Fidanque, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oregon
--Martin Gonzalez, spokesperson for the Justice for Jose Santos Victor
Mejia Poot Committee
--Kayse Jama, Center for Intercultural Organizing
--Carol Cushman, President of the League of Women Voters of Portland
--Dan Handelman, founding member of Portland Copwatch
--Jason Renaud, Mental Health Association of Portland
--Alejandro Queral, former Director of NW Constitutional Rights Center
--Aaron Varhola, NW Constitutional Rights Center
--Marta Guembes, community member who filed appeal on behalf of Jose Mejia
Poot


Copies of many of the participants' testimony will be available for the
press and will be delivered to City Council, the Council Clerk, and
Auditor Gary Blackmer.

Mr. Renaud stated, "the report brings important, timely information about
the operations of our IPR which should be considered publicly and
responded to immediately and publicly."

JoAnn Bowman of the NW Constitutional Rights Center stated, "The community
was promised initally that this hybrid system would be evaluated after
the first year, yet it has taken over 5 years to get a review and now the
public will not have any say into the evaluation."

Most of the participants will be available for interviews after their
testimony.

For more information, contact Portland Copwatch at 503-236-3065 or
copwatch@portlandco pwatch.org.




Orange County's Citizen Review Board in Florida will be getting its subpoena power back.




It is the culmination of a battle lasting over 2 1/2 years which began when the panel subpoenaed a deputy which resulted in a lawsuit being filed by the department's labor union. A judge recently sided with the panel so now it can compel deputies to appear before it.



The new Orange County sheriff is at odds with the deputies' labor union according to the Los Angeles Times.


(excerpt)


Three weeks after the union disclosed that its members didn't support Jack Anderson's effort to become sheriff, it has challenged his proposal to pull deputies from county jails and replace them with lower-paid correctional officers.

The Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs sent a tersely worded letter to county Executive Officer Thomas Mauk, contending that labor laws prohibit such a change without a contract renegotiation -- a step the union is unwilling to take until the pact comes up for renewal in 2009.

Anderson has said he would like to hire the first lower-paid correctional officers within six months and begin the process of phasing deputies out of the county's jails.

The acting sheriff sent a response to union General Manager Mark Nichols in which he said the correctional officer plan would save from $24 million to $34 million a year -- money that is needed to maintain public safety in the county.

Anderson encouraged the union "to work with us collaboratively in this endeavor." The letter did not address whether the contract would need to be renegotiated.




In New York City, the trial of three police detectives who shot and killed Sean Bell in November 2006 outside a Queens' nightclub continued with further testimony including from a man who said he witnessed an altercation between Bell and another man not long before the shooting.


(excerpt, New York Daily News)



Hugh Jensen said the motorist struck a menacing pose when he got out of his black SUV and began jawing with Bell outside a Queens strip joint.

"Of course I thought he had a gun," said Jensen, 31, said in Queens Supreme Court. "His actions were like he had a gun ... I don't know what he had in his pocket."

Sources identified the driver as Fabio Ciocou, who is expected to testify later at the trial of the three detectives accused with killing Bell on his wedding day - Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora and Marc Cooper.

The detectives - part of an undercover team doing a sting operation at the Kalua Cabaret on 94th Ave. - contend they opened fire on Bell's car because they believed the groom or one of his two friends had gone to get a gun.

Bell and his buddies turned out to be unarmed.

Jensen, who had just attended Bell's bachelor party at the Club Kalua, said he believes Bell got into it with the SUV driver after the groom went back to the club to retrieve a hat he'd left behind.

"I seen Sean and some gentleman wearing all black going back and forth talking," Jensen said. "It was kind of aggressive. It wasn't a normal conversation."

Jensen said that as he and his other friends drew closer, Bell suddenly turned and shot them "a sarcastic grin." Just as suddenly, Bell stalked off to his car and the SUV driver got into his ride and slowly pulled away.

Moments later, the shooting started.

"It sounded like one gun at first, two-three shots," Jenseen said. "And then, pop pop, ratta-tat-tat, then a pause ... pop pop, ratta-tat-tat."




More information on the testimony of two of Bell's friends here.



Larenzo Kinred also testified that he's witnessed the shooting.




(excerpt, Newsday)



"I saw an officer shooting," Kinred finally said, dabbing his eyes with a tissue.

Questioned by executive assistant district attorney Charles Testagrossa, Kinred said that as he approached Bell's car, which had collided with a police van, he screamed out at the cop who had been firing.

"What are you doing?," Kinred said he yelled.

"Get the --- off the block," the officer replied, according to Kinred.