Sunday School Teacher Gunned Down

[steveh_131]

Patricia A. Cook Dies In Culpeper Police Officer Involved Shooting In VA | wusa9.com

An officer approached this 54-year old woman, who was parked in a church parking lot.

The police department states that when he asked for her identification, she rolled the window up (trapping his arm) and started to drive off dragging him. So he shot through the window. Then his arm was released and he fired 5 more shots at the vehicle as she drove away. Her wrangler crashed into a pole shortly after, and she died.

A witness at the scene gives the following account:

Buchele says it didn't happen that way. He describes an encounter which looked and sounded like the officer shooting a person a point blank range, not because he feared for his life, but because the woman did not obey his order to stop rolling up the window.

"He was right next to the vehicle. He had one hand on the door handle and one hand on his weapon. And she was rolling the window up. And they were exiting out of the parkng lot.

The window was half way up he said 'stop or I'll shoot.' I really didn't think he was going to do it. But she got the window all the way up and that's when he shot. And then she took a left out of the parking lot here and he stepped out in the street and fired five more times," said Buchele.

I cannot fathom why a 54-year old Sunday School teacher would purposely trap a cop's arm with her hand-crank window and hold it there while she drove off. The witnesses account makes a lot more sense to me.

I also don't understand why, even if the officer's account is true, he fired 5 more shots at her vehicle as she drove away.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

what the **** is wrong with people?

 

[1911 DeadHead]

I agree with alot of the comments on there. If he got hit arm stuck she would have had to grab his arm and hold it to get the window. No cop I ever knew would actually have his arm that far in the vehicle. Very fishy story. Wonder if the dash cam caught all of this? We may never know.

 

[SideArmed]

Should be easy enough to figure out by just looking at where the track for the window is at in the door. The policeman says his arm was caught in the door when he shot. The witness says the window was all the way up. If the track and broken glass are all the way up, the witness has it right and the officers arm could not have been caught in the window.

Also if he was dragged his shoes would be scuffed up. Why was his arm inside her vehicle long enough for her to manually roll it up to trap him?

 

[lucky4034]

WOW... the world is falling apart

 

[rambone]

I don't feel safer.

 

[femurphy77]

If she indeed trapped his arm and dragged him there WILL be some very nasty bruises even thru winter clothing. Be hard to fake something like that before any other witness' showed up. Not going to judge based on provided info but it does sound tenuous at best.

 

[Bapak2ja]

This ought to be real good!

 

[DThurston]

We aren't getting the whole story, by a long shot. Definitely something missing here.

 

[CVictor]

Unbelievable. I don't really see any way in which the officer is not to be found guilty of murder.

Like others have said, how could his arm get stuck in a manually cranking window?

 

[Classic]

To serve and protect!???????

 

[Birds Away]

I'm sure this will be the last we hear of this. Nothing to see here, folks, move along.

 

[iChokePeople]

Weird -- the officer was new to the area, having recently relocated from Ohio...

 

[SideArmed]

Weird -- the officer was new to the area, having recently relocated from Ohio...

I see what you did there...... Things that make you go, Hmmmm.

 

[steveh_131]

Definitely something missing here.

The article tells us what's missing:

No charges have been filed.

 

[BlueEagle]

Yeah, how long does it take to roll up the window with a hand crank? You'd think it would've been plenty long enough for him to get his arm out of the window, (if he did indeed have it in the window at the time.)

 

[IndyBeerman]

Weird -- the officer was new to the area, having recently relocated from Ohio...

I see what you did there...... Things that make you go, Hmmmm.

Did Daniel Harless decide to up and move out west?

 

[rambone]

 

[jgreiner]

Weird -- the officer was new to the area, having recently relocated from Ohio...

LOL.......Canton by chance?

 

[andrew]

I saw this posted in one of the comments... I still find the witness's story to be much more realistic

Has anyone taken the time to check the background of this "witness"? It's public knowledge. (VA State Court Website) Charged with B&E, possession of a controlled substance, FTA-Capias issued, and sentenced to 3 years in prison for a heroin conviction. Real credible, eh?