Patterico's Pontifications

3/22/2009

Three Oakland Police Officers Killed, Another in Grave Condition

Filed under: Crime — Jack Dunphy @ 12:07 am



[Guest post by Jack Dunphy]

The news story is here. Sergeants Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans, and Daniel Sakai were shot to death on Saturday. Officer John Hege is reported to be in grave condition at an Oakland hospital.

Before I learned a thing about the man who had shot these officers, I told my wife he was most likely an ex-con who had shot people before. And sure enough, police have identified the shooter as Lovelle Mixon, 26, who was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon. He was shot and killed in a gunfight with SWAT officers.

May the angels receive those three brave men and guard over their comrade who yet clings to life.

And may Mixon burn in Hell.

–Jack Dunphy

UPDATE: Officer Hege was pronounced dead today at noon.

43 Responses to “Three Oakland Police Officers Killed, Another in Grave Condition”

  1. God bless the families of all four of these heroic people who gave their lives in a completely needed and often thankless effort.

    Juan (4cdfb7)

  2. My sympathies and prayers to the fallen officers adn their families. I am very sorry.

    Joe (17aeff)

  3. I’m sorry for all of them. (Lovelle Nixon, too. Only 26 years old.) I pray that there is a better life for them than was given to them by this world.

    nk (814cbe)

  4. Thank God for men such as these that lay their lives down to protect mine.

    Ed from SFV (7da696)

  5. I’m not sorry about Lovelle Mixon at all. I hope he burns in Hell. For eternity.

    As for the others (and their families); may they rest in peace…

    thebronze (aa04e5)

  6. I worked with all of these men for several years. They always gave their all to the city and the people of Oakland. It is truly a tragedy that we have lost them.

    Anonymous (014534)

  7. This seems like evidence that the person didn’t spend enough time in jail. If he was still in jail, three or four officers would still be alive today.

    j curtis (13e68c)

  8. Can’t display an appropriate image, so I’ll just link to it.

    As for the perp, this could be considered another argument against parole.

    cvproj (b1bb16)

  9. Given what’s going to happen with the CA prison system you might as well get used to it. Gonna be a lot of bodies loosed on society that aren’t exactly friendly people.

    Soronel Haetir (a3f11b)

  10. California is broke physically, psychologically and morally. They are going to let out some 20,000 more nice guys and gals for your sleep time enjoyment.

    No wonder people want to escape California – heralded as the most heavily taxed state.

    Typical White Person (6efa05)

  11. These travesties will continue in this nation, as long as we have our lame and amemic justice system. They need to determine the members of that incompetent, liberal, bleeding-heart Parole Board that loosed this cretin back into society to waste our air and terrorize the innocent, and require them to forever support and care for the broken families of these brave officers. Thank God they killed him, or he might have been paroled again in 2019…
    Jim Nichols, St. Mary’s GA

    Jim Nichols (6fce38)

  12. “May the angels receive those three brave men and guard over their comrade who yet clings to life.

    And may Mixon burn in Hell.”

    Amen

    MJN1957 (6e1275)

  13. My heart goes out to the officer’s families, but what sickens me is that this event seemed to be a long time coming. Oakland has become more lawless by the year – wasn’t a city council member gunned down in broad daylight in the downtown area less than a year ago?

    Dmac (49b16c)

  14. Oakland, previously led by Mayor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown who now presides over the CA Dept of Justice as AG (and who, you would think, would have wanted this POS kept in prison and not released back onto the streets of the town he once led);
    and currently led by Mayor Ron “Red” Dellums, who did’nt get his nick-name for any affectation of color in his wardrobe.
    “Moonbeam” wants to be Governor again, and only our worst thoughts could perceive what “Red” aspires to.
    The lives and families of four good men have been destroyed because the State of California is incapable of keeping violence locked away from the good people who pay for its’ social engineering.
    Just another reason why the roads “out” beckon, and those who depart do so without a thought of looking back to see if the lights are still on – or care!

    AD - RtR/OS (7bd49b)

  15. Gonna be a lot of bodies loosed on society that aren’t exactly friendly people.

    Comment by Soronel Haetir — 3/22/2009 @ 6:53 am

    And specifically, blacks. After all these years of equating the number of blacks in prison with racism, there is no way that Obama can allow himself to leave office without shrinking that population. The “God damn America” rant that his preacher made was about that.

    Building and staffing more prisons would mean more jobs. “Shovel ready” jobs. But like the wall on the border, they just won’t be able to find the money for that.

    j curtis (65b785)

  16. And may Mixon burn in Hell.

    I don’t have much better sentiments for the irresponsible people of the left who are (and will be) appointed to various parts of our judicial system. That’s certainly true of all the nitwits who unfortunately will be heading the list of judgeships drawn up by the guy currently in the White House.

    BTW, rampant levels of crime apparently are one of the benefits of, in one case, Hugo Chavez’s Venezula and, closer to home, Mexico, a nation whose political trends for decades have been predominantly analogous to those found in we-love–the-Democrat-Party urban America (eg, Oakland).

    Mark (411533)

  17. With the liberals strick gun control an X con got two weapons immediately upon release. Did the parole board issue them to him? The only disarmed people in Ca are the law abiding citizens.
    Code Pinko pigs should be in Ca throwing their bodies between the murderers they support and the police.

    Scrapiron (996c34)

  18. Anyone think we’ll see any rent-a-mobs protesting this shooting as with the BART situation? Not equating the two but the outrage meter will be dialed down to nothing.

    Chris (a24890)

  19. Another avoidable and shocking tragedy once again produced by the California criminal justice system. The system that is as inept as it is weak and ineffective, as are its’ politicians and courts. Life-long politicians and activist jurists whose only goal was re-election contributed to this predictable tragedy and certainly share culpability in allowing a man like Mixon back into society before all of his sentences were served completely.

    Ironically, these same cast of political characters will attend the funeral(s), not necessarily to show respect to the families and friends, but mostly because it is a grand political opportunity to get their name and face out there to show they are a “law and order” type of candidate. For the media and the politicians, the positive sentiment and respect towards law enforcement will last only as long as the ink is wet on the newspapers, then these fine men/heroes will be forgotten, except to their families and friends.

    Soon the fervor of this injustice, the inequity, and lax California laws regarding incarceration, mandatory minimums, and protection of the public will be overshadowed by rights of the prisoner, rehabilitation, and offering of a second chance for a young man who acted foolishly when he was young.

    Tell that to the families, friends, and colleagues of Sergeants Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans, and Daniel Sakai, and Officer John Hege of the Oakland Police Department. The State of California failed and will continue to fail. That is why criminals come here and stay here. The State continues, and will continue, to disappoint and proves year after year to be a haven for the lawless because this state is soft on crime, perhaps the softest, and big on attempts at rehabilitation.

    Too bad four great men had to die or be gravely wounded for some to understand the California criminal justice system is broken and is in dire straits. It is humbly suggested many of my colleagues or me could have pointed that out on March 20, 2009, before this tragedy.

    My condolences, honor, and respect go out to the families, friends, and colleagues of the Oakland Police Department.

    Irwin (978e6f)

  20. Actually, if anyone wants to see the future with Barack Obama, just take a look at what Dellums has done since he took over Oakland. Massive fraud and incompetence. Spiraling deficits and crime rates. All while Dellums flies around being a celebrity at various gatherings.

    North Dallas Thirty (4ef9d6)

  21. My prayers and thoughts for the families of the officers.

    The evil committed by Mixon will be dealt with by God the Just, of that I have no doubt.

    but some should consider what Midrash says about offering up unjust mercy to the cruel before feeling sorry about Mixon.

    Darleen (4e02c9)

  22. # 3
    I’m sorry for all of them. (Lovelle Nixon, too. Only 26 years old.) I pray that there is a better life for them than was given to them by this world. Comment by nk — 3/22/2009 @ 1:03 am

    I would consider that to be the height of injustice, why should this lowlife scumbag get a better afterlife when he didn’t care about anyone but himself.

    That is what hell is for and I hope he gets a special place in it.

    ML (14488c)

  23. When are the prisoners getting released?

    JD (537b67)

  24. (Lovelle Nixon, too. Only 26 years old.)

    Nothing more irritating than when misplaced compassion is predicated on the belief that such a sentiment is somehow, well, compassionate.

    I’d prefer for people who get touchy-feely over a ruthless thug to say, “I feel sorry for the guy because, uh, I have to confess I’m as rotten and ruthless as he is (or was)!”

    That at least would make sense and, in the big picture — eg, the judicial system getting teary eyed over hardened criminals and acting accordingly (“Good healthcare is a must for the people in our prisons!! Early parole for our inmates!!”) — would be more accurate.

    Mark (411533)

  25. Reminds me of Dukakis and his wife Kitty. When asked if he would support capital punishment on the perp released early who then raped and murdered his wife Kitty he said “NO” to the hypothetical.

    These folks never learn.

    vet66 (9d1bb3)

  26. Oakland is the future – learn from it, and act…

    tortillapete (0f37e4)

  27. At least in the story on AOL news, some of the local bystanders taunted the police. It would have been karmic justice had some of them been killed, but even I won’t wish for that.

    In Pennsylvania we get the wonderful stories about Philadelphia police officers being killed, something like eight in the last three years. And every single time it has been by someone with a record, and every single time there are stories in The Philadelphia Inquirer documenting all of the reasons that the criminal justice system failed and why these thugs should have already been in jail.

    In one particularly telling instance, the murderer had been positively identified as the guy who robbed a pizza shop, at gunpoint, two weeks earlier, whose address was known (he lived with his mother, who was a city corrections officer of all things, someone known to take a gun home at night), and against whom nobody even bothered to take out an arrest warrant.

    Another officer died because an idiotic judge, when presented with the defendant’s prior record and a deputy district attorney who pleaded for the longest possible sentence, telling her that the defendant was an irredeemable career criminal, imposed the legal minimum sentence, and then the state parole board, despite the thug’s very lengthy record of getting in trouble, violent trouble, while in prison, recommended him for early parole.

    I’m guessing that, in the next couple of days, the people of the Bay Area will be reading about how the criminal justice system had failed and how the killer should have been in jail all along.

    The angered Dana (556f76)

  28. […] that he was a thug, he was a parole violator, and couldn’t legally have the weapon he had. Patterico wrote: Before I learned a thing about the man who had shot these officers, I told my wife he was most […]

    Common Sense Political Thought » Blog Archive » Once again, our friends on the left want to place the blame everywhere but where it belongs (73d96f)

  29. the people of the Bay Area will be reading about how the criminal justice system had failed

    …And they’ll conclude that the problem stems from not enough tax dollars poured into, oh, say, daycare centers, after-school programs, healthcare services, welfare benefits, self-esteem lectures, gun-control procedures.

    And the biggest laugh is they’ll believe their viewpoint and sentiments originate from a place of decency, love and kindness.

    Mark (411533)

  30. then comes this story today that Mixon was struggling to “just make himself a better person and understand his wrongs” and that “he was struggling with adult life outside of prison”.

    My first thought upon reading that was that Mixon must not have been experiencing any moral dilemmas while illegally carrying a gun and skipping a meeting with his parole officer.

    I’m afraid that commenter #29 is correct, Mixon is already being portrayed as a victim of equal proportion and TV interview segments with black oakland residents play up the police terrorizing the populace narrative while adding as an afterthought how residents “feel bad” for the families of the slain officers.

    And almost on cue, the story shifts to the Oscar Grant case (BART police officer shooting of Grant) being delayed and a tearful family opining about how this is so unfair to them.

    jeff (e45581)

  31. May God bless those 4 officers while us mortals thank the SWAT team for making sure this scum-sucking piece of shit never made it into our judicial system. Burn in hell Mixon.

    Steve (e5c232)

  32. Why don’t they take all of out prisoners and send them Guatanomo Bay? Seems like a nice place to die…

    DS (46181f)

  33. Guantanamo Bay has more in common with Ronald McDonald House than San Quentin.

    Michael Ejercito (7c44bf)

  34. How about if we send to GITMO an equal number of prisoners from our Super Max/Pelican Bay resorts to “buddy up” with the detainees there? One on One, it should be an interesting experience; plus, as the numbers attrit, we can always send in replacements.

    AD - RtR/OS (39b1d4)

  35. Update, Mixon linked by DNA to a rape the day before he murdered the officers.

    John Hitchcock (fb941d)

  36. 35, from your link

    Too many parolees prevents officers from effectively monitoring or guiding them back into society, Corcoran said.

    See there? Not having enough government workers is what killed these officers.

    I should have been keeping a list of all the comments I’ve heard in regards to this case that attempt to absolve the killer. I could have predicted it beforehand had I known the skin color of the killer, but it’s still an amazing thing to behold.

    j curtis (95bd17)

  37. Why won’t Californians pay for more prisons?

    Hax Vobiscum (23258e)

  38. “Why won’t Californians pay for more prisons?”

    Yes, California needs more government services. Doesn’t anybody care?

    daleyrocks (5d22c0)

  39. California, they place I live, should expand and implement the death penalty much more often, that would at least help with criminals returning to crime.

    Its hard to be a repeat offender when your dead.

    ML (14488c)

  40. More consistent application of the death penalty would almost certaintly deter SOME violent crime, regardless of whether it’s an efficient or effective method overall.

    And really, it’s hard to overestimate the tremendous moral value of sparing even a single murder victim.

    Trouble is, it’s even harder to overestimate the moral cost of putting an innocent man to death.

    There are some peaceful, prosperous places on earth where murder is rare. If they can do it, why can’t we?

    Hax Vobiscum (4012df)

  41. #
    How about if we send to GITMO an equal number of prisoners from our Super Max/Pelican Bay resorts to “buddy up” with the detainees there? One on One, it should be an interesting experience; plus, as the numbers attrit, we can always send in replacements.

    Where would we get more detainees?

    Michael Ejercito (7c44bf)

  42. Af/Pak will be able to supply all that we need.

    And, to answer HackOff’s usual drivel…
    There are no innocent men (particularly in prison), we’re all guilty of something.

    AD - RtR/OS (10cf6d)

  43. Do U folks want room service to take care of one of the most dangerous cultures on earth, Ur neighbors preying on all victims in Oakland where you live. You are asking for more by not holding your leadership’s feet to the fire. Stop the lamenting and stand up. Get mad as hell.

    Question: What caused 4 “well-trained” Oakland PD officers to lose the game and their lives to anyone with a gun much less someone named Nixon, sociopathic freak behavior sewage of the day?
    Your town looks like “sociopaths in charge and at play.” Getting ready for more candle-lite vigils and laments or are you going to stop it? Your churches are frequently run by pastors who have long rap sheets of arrests and records of human abuse before they became pastors. Like our currency, your leadership and citizens permit a low culture and rotting behaviors to spread like the plague. Want to be laughed at? Tell someone you lived in Oakland. They will ask if you were shot or had a death wish. Fact!

    No one at City Hall is defining how this happened are they? Is the Chief responsible for the death of his officers if he was responsible for the quality of their training? Is anyone interested out there? Hello? How do you lose this game some more? Let’s put another Bernie Madoff on staff at the Oakland PD and 10 more as Mayor and staff plus City Council. He can calm the wretched and upset in between tsunami waves of death and destruction.

    Oakland P.D. appears in the press monthly seeking new candidates for officers. It is said most cannot qualify resulting in a shortage of officers supporting Oakland Pd? Would that be the same story if candidates were applying for safer San Rafael, California’s P.D.to become officers. Who does Oakland attract as a candidate that is so defective lacking the level of trustworthiness, competency, effectiveness, good follow-thru who is not value their own lives and wants to live 60 good years? Is it the expectation they have a better than 50/50 chance of being killed by a sniper bullet that leaves effective moral candidates looking in other communities?. PG&E will not go into redzones in Oakland after 11 am.5 days a week. Ask them. Period. Drug addicts and lunatic killers are waking up by 11:00am. and are likely to become agitated and insane needing a murder fix.

    Oakland appears to be conditionally criminalized with a failed majority culture that cannot find martyrs to become police officers. Leadership acts conditionally in their own safe interests like cheap lobbyists on Avenue K now running the Federal Government.

    Is that even possible when we view the officer who shot the innocent citizen at the Bart Station recently (and with all of Oakland enraged, CNN blasting Oakland over the world airwaves and later Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer belching concern while leaving you folks to fix terrorists who City govt is too afraid to fix) that… no one was able to be effective, nor were they able to execute well enough to keep a promise to provide accountability and review supervision of police officer combat training and consequences to make family and community life meet the standards of the U.S. Constitution: The right to PEACEFUL ENJOYMENT AND FREEDOM FROM THREAT WHERE YOU LIVE. Instead people were forced to go into the street angry as hell. Does anyone there get it? Leadership cannot do the next right thing. Your only chance is to get the hell out of Oakland if no one will act from the top down. Your loser leadership is bought off.

    This community looks like a foretaste of Bladerunner with the Piedmont citizens hovering above hoping the parolees will not come up the hill and gun them down like it does officers downtown. What do you think?

    Blah, Blah, Blah stop the heart massages and form a huge citizen’s group who sticks it to the leadership and kicks them out replacing them with integrity if you know what it is. Isn’t anyone mad as hell and won’t take it anymore?

    One last thought, businesses get the unions they deserve. This country got the leadership it permitted. Oakland got dead cops because it permitted it by accepting Parolee overdose by the courts, the Attorney General, and the Federal Govt. If this stays the same Oakland will be a place where only nitwits want to live and do business before getting shot.

    Badger

    Badger (954f51)


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