Arizona cop allegedly murders man for asking for a warrant

Daniel Rodriguez, 29, of Phoenix, Arizona and his mother are having a nonviolent dispute. Mother calls the cops. Cops show up. Rodriguez asks to see a warrant. Whatever happens next leaves Rodriguez (and the family dog) shot to death and a police officer who testifies that his partner, Richard Chrisman, put his gun to the unarmed Rodriguez’s head when asked for a warrant, replied with “I don’t no warrant, motherfucker”, and soon afterwards executed him following a “heated argument and scuffle” – during which Rodriguez was tased twice. Because that’s the nonlethal alternative we keep hearing about.

They then bring on some fidgety union fellow who does his best to maintain the presumed innocence of Officer Chrisman, though his defense is somewhat undercut by the fact that he looks like he wishes he could evaporate in smoke on the spot.

I’m all for due process and presumption of innocence, including in the case of Officer Chrisman. But we have both a grieving mother and a fellow eyewitness cop claiming that Chrisman threatened and murdered an unarmed victim on the site. It’s hard to get more compelling testimony than that – or to deny it actually happened.

I’m not entirely clear on the need for police officers to show a warrant if they respond to a call and are then invited into the house, but I’m still quite certain that the proper response to being asked for one is not to threaten to shoot the resident in the head. Just sayin’.

On a slightly lesser note, we can also add one more family pooch who’s paid the ultimate price for being in the presence of cops.

(via @todayspolitics)

Tags: Daniel Rodriguez • Richard Chrisman • Elvira Fernandez • Frank Marino • Phoenix, AZ