Police Shoot, Kill Fleeing Suspect on Lodge

**Zacha341** · July-04-10, 03:57 PM

Perhaps Feiger better look into this....

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...ge-20100702-mr

Updated: Friday, 02 Jul 2010, 5:48 PM EDT
Published : Friday, 02 Jul 2010, 7:11 AM EDT

myFOXDetroit.com Staff Reports

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Surveillance video from Novi Police shows them in pursuit of an armed robbery suspect -- 34-year-old Edward Worthy. It's 11:15 Thursday night on the Lodge Freeway in Southfield. Worthy got out of his car and tried to get away.

But Southfield Police started shooting. They're not saying how many bullets were fired. Worthy was hit numerous times as he tried to run up an embankment at the Lodge and Mt. Vernon.

"All of a sudden, this gentleman started running up the side of the expressway and bullets [[began) to [[ring) out. Bullets [[were) everywhere. I could see them hitting the ground. I saw them hit him and hit his body. I saw him turn a 360 and fall down, and we just said, 'Dear God, did you just see that,'" said Gilbert Vaughn.

Police say they were acting on information that Worthy, a known felon, was armed and dangerous.

It all started Wednesday afternoon at the Barrels of Wine party store in Walled Lake when Worthy allegedly robbed the owner at gunpoint.

"I was just really mad at that point because... it was the second time," said Trisha Watterson.
She says this was the second time Worthy had robbed her. The first time was at knifepoint in 2008. This time he played the lottery, grabbed a Coke and pulled out a gun.

"Said give me all your money and put it in this bag. So, obviously I did," Watterson said.
She and another employee were put in a back room. Watterson ran out in time to get the license plate number, a rental car registered in Worthy's name.

Novi Police set up surveillance at Worthy's apartment at Novi Road and
14 Mile Thursday night, but Worthy spotted them and took off. They gave chase as shown in the surveillance video and followed him down Novi Road, east on I-696 and onto the Lodge.

"This is a violent felon armed with weapons, has committed an armed robbery, committed armed robbery in the past where he was armed with a sawed off shotgun. This is an individual with an extensive criminal history who should not be on the street," said Novi Police Chief David Molloy. "I support the officers in their attempt to catch this fleeing felon, absolutely."

But it went beyond catching him. At the Lodge, Southfield Police joined in the chase, and when Worthy crashed and tried to run, two Southfield officers fired their guns killing him. They're now on administrative leave.

Novi officers did not fire. It's not clear whether the suspect was even armed
at the time, and police aren't saying how many times they shot Edward Worthy, but the robbery victim is relieved police took the action that they did.

"I applaud them. I really do," said Watterson. "I don't have to worry about this guy anymore and neither does anybody else."

The Oakland County Sheriff's Department is now investigating at the request of Southfield Police.

**Whitehouse** · July-04-10, 04:04 PM

Here we go again....

Call it a coincidence but just an hour ago "Bowling for Columbine" was on TV here again, in the Netherlands. I don't have to explain the contents of that movie I think.

lilpup · July-04-10, 04:20 PM

old news: http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=6163

**Meddle** · July-04-10, 04:27 PM

Ummmmmm, when did they rename Northwestern Highway?

Last I knew, The John C. Lodge started at Eight Mile Rd.

lilpup · July-04-10, 05:38 PM

Google maps shows the Lodge name carried up to I-696, with Northwestern running from I-696 to Orchard Lake Rd. Was the Lodge officially extended to I-696 as part of the I-696 project?

**FlyingJ** · July-04-10, 05:40 PM

Whitehouse-I know! It's far better to be like my next door neighbor's niece, college student took a job to earn some money-when the Men With Guns turn up @ her Quik-Pik, rob her & the till, abduct her & drive her out to the backwoods. Strip her. Beat her. Rape her. Shoot her for fun & leave. Then some kids tobbagganing can find her nude, frozen, violated corpse the next day. Got it. But Michael Moore is grateful this State never had the death penalty....unless you were a poor college co-ed unlucky enough to work for Quik-Pik, Mike.

P.S. "Bowling For Columbine" was excreable. You read Dave Cullen's book & there's a laundry list of facts that Moore got completely wrong-or perpetuated falsehoods as fact, to suit his own ends. Only he would be lazy enough to go across the Bluewater & have a couple high school students ditching outside a Sarnia Taco Bell pontificating about Colorado high school students & pass it off as "documentary"

**Meddle** · July-04-10, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Google maps shows the Lodge name carried up to I-696, with Northwestern running from I-696 to Orchard Lake Rd. Was the Lodge officially extended to I-696 as part of the I-696 project?

I don't know. I don't remember it going out that far, but it could have.

**daddeeo** · July-04-10, 06:14 PM

Let's leave Michal Moore out of this.
If the guy was considered armed and dangerous, they could be justified in shooting him.
I just hope it wasn't an informal firing squad.
Not to say it wasn't a bad thing but we do have laws and you just can't have cops deciding to take out guys without trials.
I say, "Give him a fair trial and then hang em."

bartock · July-04-10, 06:25 PM

FlyingJ - hard to knock the first point, as this is the fulcrum [[eh, maybe wrong choice of word...especially in the US) in the risk/benefit of these things.

The Moore movie...I'll just say I found it somewhat interesting until he brought in the guns/race thing. I'm amazed at how often opportunism and greed is painted as the intentionally depletion of a certain race of people. It is too easy to pretend who the enemy is when that happens, as we see all too often in this area.

Southfield Police and Fieger go way back. Good for the police if he gets the case. His firm is actually good, in a professional sense. He is all about big verdicts and ignoring what comes after. Cases that go to trial do not end with the verdict and, all too often, he forgets that settlements provide insurance to both sides.

**BagAJellyDonuts** · July-04-10, 06:39 PM

Nobody is denying that Worthy has a record.

Are some of you trying to justify any of his family filing suit against Southfield?

That's just plain crazy. When cops have absolutely no doubts that a person they want to arrest has a history of carrying, IMO the cops have every right to use all possible means to stop the scumbag.

You'd rather have Worthy "get a chance" that may place you at risk?

Worthy chose to run. All bets off. He could have easily killed people that were in his way. He's no loss.

**fryar** · July-04-10, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Ummmmmm, when did they rename Northwestern Highway?

Last I knew, The John C. Lodge started at Eight Mile Rd.

Just another city-dwelling journalist getting the details wrong on the suburbs.

bartock · July-04-10, 07:08 PM

I should clarify where I said it would be good for the police if Fieger takes the case. I think Southfield Police would ultimately have an easier time defending the case if Fieger took a "personal interest" in it.

bartock · July-04-10, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by fryar

Just another city-dwelling journalist getting the details wrong on the suburbs.

This is from Wikipedia, but the link it cites is to a Detroit News article "History of the Lodge Freeway." Looks like there might be reason for confusion.

"...the northern terminus is in West Bloomfield at the intersection with Orchard Lake Road. M-10 was built in segments throughout much of the 1950s and 1960s. It carried several different names before the entire route was finally officially named The John C. Lodge Freeway in 1987[2."

[[Yes, our 4th fesitivities are over). - edit - except for possibly my metabolism.

**unclefrank** · July-04-10, 07:31 PM

He will not be missed

**Novine** · July-04-10, 08:13 PM

"When cops have absolutely no doubts that a person they want to arrest has a history of carrying, IMO the cops have every right to use all possible means to stop the scumbag."

I'm going to bet that most area police departments don't give their officers that kind of latitude. The guy sounds like a dirt-bag. But if he was running and it's found that he was unarmed, that's could be a problem for the Southfield officers.

**Zacha341** · July-04-10, 11:17 PM

Yes, we live in a highly letigious society where everything can lead to the courts. Or a "settlement"......

Originally Posted by BagAJellyDonuts

Nobody is denying that Worthy has a record.

Are some of you trying to justify any of his family filing suit against Southfield?

That's just plain crazy. When cops have absolutely no doubts that a person they want to arrest has a history of carrying, IMO the cops have every right to use all possible means to stop the scumbag.

You'd rather have Worthy "get a chance" that may place you at risk?

Worthy chose to run. All bets off. He could have easily killed people that were in his way. He's no loss.

**BagAJellyDonuts** · July-04-10, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

"When cops have absolutely no doubts that a person they want to arrest has a history of carrying, IMO the cops have every right to use all possible means to stop the scumbag."

I'm going to bet that most area police departments don't give their officers that kind of latitude. The guy sounds like a dirt-bag. But if he was running and it's found that he was unarmed, that's could be a problem for the Southfield officers.

If he was running?

Worthy had a record of armed crime.

I'm sorry if it goes against PC "thinking" but for the pittance that cops make for the crap they have to put up with, if they have to make a decision that leaves no doubt that they will go home that night, so be it.

BTW, so far haven't seen anybody step forth trying to suck a buck off of society just because they are related to this "alleged" criminal.

**Russix** · July-05-10, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

...
She says this was the second time Worthy had robbed her. The first time was at knifepoint in 2008. This time he played the lottery, grabbed a Coke and pulled out a gun.

Once your deemed to be armed, unless you make an excoriating gesture of surrender, your pretty much dead meat.

**kathy2trips** · July-06-10, 03:57 AM

"Armed and dangerous" is all I need to hear. A known menace off the streets without the city expense of a show trial? Priceless!

**Meddle** · July-06-10, 07:17 AM

At the Lodge, Southfield Police joined in the chase, and when Worthy crashed and tried to run, two Southfield officers fired their guns killing him.

It's not clear whether the suspect was even armed at the time, and police aren't saying how many times they shot

They could be in deep, deep stuff. If he wasn't armed and was running away from the officers [[not posing an immediate threat to them or others), the shooting won't be justified.

**Detroitnerd** · July-06-10, 07:59 AM

Generally speaking, a certain segment of the population does not like the idea of police shooting people in the back as they're fleeing. It just seems unsportsmanlike.

**Farrer** · July-06-10, 08:04 AM

Generally speaking, a certain segment of the population does not like the idea of people robbing legitimate businesses with threats of armed violence. It just seems criminal.

**Hermod** · July-06-10, 08:15 AM

Everyone on this board is always analyzing Detroit's problems. worthy and his ilk are the vast majority of Detroit's problems. Scratch one small part of Detroit's problem.

**Detroitnerd** · July-06-10, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by Farrer

Generally speaking, a certain segment of the population does not like the idea of people robbing legitimate businesses with threats of armed violence. It just seems criminal.

Oh, go jump in a lake. We all know he wasn't a boy scout, for cryin' out loud. Lots of folks just happen to like this idea of a fair trial by a jury of peers, you know? When police start capping people in the back, a fair amount of people get squeamish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctcZT3Suci8

**Novine** · July-06-10, 08:41 AM

"I'm sorry if it goes against PC "thinking" but for the pittance that cops make for the crap they have to put up with, if they have to make a decision that leaves no doubt that they will go home that night, so be it."

Are you a real police officer or just pretending to be one on here? Most departments have strict policies about when officers can shoot. When officers start taking a "shoot first" approach, you end up with dead innocent civilians and huge lawsuits.