A LEO friend of mine was gunned down yesterday as he confronted a man following his girlfriend after a bitter argument earlier in the day.
He's in critical condition in the hospital, and if you would be willing to include him in your prayers and thoughts, it would be immeasurablely appreciated.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Officer, suspect wounded in gunfight,
policeman not out of woods
Paul F. Gero/The Arizona Republic
A Tempe officer was shot Friday in a supermarket parking lot at Mill and Southern Avenues.
By Judi Villa and Monica Davis
The Arizona Republic
July 15, 2000
Tempe police Officer Wesley Tipton felt the bullet rip into him. Blood filled his chest. Another bullet slammed through his lower body and shattered his leg. A third pierced his left forearm.
But Tipton, 32, survived the gunbattle in a Tempe grocery-store parking lot Friday and managed to wound his suspected attacker.
"So far, he's extremely lucky," said Dr. Daniel Caruso, who operated on Tipton for about two hours Friday at Maricopa Medical Center. "But he's far, far, far from being out of the woods."
Police identified the suspect as Vern D. Pleaugh, 27.
Tipton, the second Valley officer shot in the past 10 days, was called to the Fry's parking lot at Mill and Southern avenues by a woman complaining that she was being followed by her boyfriend. She told police the man had assaulted her when she tried to break up with him.
Tipton spoke with Pleaugh for a few minutes before the suspect pulled a gun, Tempe police Sgt. Randy Fougner said.
Joe Smith, 19, said, "It was pop, pop, pop, just like a shootout. I just pulled over to the side (of the parking lot) and ducked my head." Smith said he saw the incident from his car at a nearby fast-food restaurant.
Witnesses said the pair fired at least nine shots.
"I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a movie," said Sam Phomanny, 29, of Tempe.
Mike Goodrich was driving by the parking lot when he saw the officer and the suspect with their guns drawn. By the time Goodrich stopped his car, he said, the suspect was running at Tipton, firing.
"He (the suspect) was pretty determined," Goodrich said, adding that Tipton fell to the ground while the suspect was still charging. But Tipton got off one more shot from the ground, Goodrich said, and "I think the last round put him (the suspect) down."
Pleaugh was shot in the upper body and was listed in critical condition at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn.
Tipton, a 2 1/2-year veteran of the force, was conscious and talking to doctors when he arrived at the hospital shortly after the 3:30 p.m. shooting. He was listed in critical condition Friday night. Caruso said Tipton lost the equivalent of all the blood in his body at least twice.
It wasn't clear late Friday whether the bullet to Tipton's chest had entered through his vest or through an uncovered area of his side.
In any case, the bullet "missed his heart by millimeters," said Dr. Marco Canulla, another trauma surgeon
The chest wound, the most serious of the three gunshots, tore through all three lobes of Tipton's right lung, went through the top of his liver and exited his back, the doctors said.
Tipton, who was dragged by a car last October but not seriously injured then, likely will be in the hospital several weeks. His shattered leg will require extensive surgery.
"He's got a long road ahead," Canulla said. "This is just one battle of the war."
Another recent casualty was Phoenix Officer Franklin Brown, who was ambushed and shot by three men outside Tolleson on July 5. He's recovering from his injuries.
Tempe officers gathered at the hospital Friday with Tipton's family. Among the officers was Sgt. John Schaper, who was shot 16 months ago on Mill Avenue.
"This is our worst nightmare," Tempe Police Chief Ralph Tranter said. "We all have to hold our heads up, wish Officer Tipton the best and cover each other's back."
Reach the reporters at Judi.Villa@ArizonaRepublic.com or (602) 444-8048, and at Monica.Davis@ArizonaRepublic.com or (602) 444-7946.[/quote]
------------------
John/az
"When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!
www.cphv.com
[This message has been edited by John/az2 (edited July 15, 2000).]
He's in critical condition in the hospital, and if you would be willing to include him in your prayers and thoughts, it would be immeasurablely appreciated.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Officer, suspect wounded in gunfight,
policeman not out of woods
Paul F. Gero/The Arizona Republic
A Tempe officer was shot Friday in a supermarket parking lot at Mill and Southern Avenues.
By Judi Villa and Monica Davis
The Arizona Republic
July 15, 2000
Tempe police Officer Wesley Tipton felt the bullet rip into him. Blood filled his chest. Another bullet slammed through his lower body and shattered his leg. A third pierced his left forearm.
But Tipton, 32, survived the gunbattle in a Tempe grocery-store parking lot Friday and managed to wound his suspected attacker.
"So far, he's extremely lucky," said Dr. Daniel Caruso, who operated on Tipton for about two hours Friday at Maricopa Medical Center. "But he's far, far, far from being out of the woods."
Police identified the suspect as Vern D. Pleaugh, 27.
Tipton, the second Valley officer shot in the past 10 days, was called to the Fry's parking lot at Mill and Southern avenues by a woman complaining that she was being followed by her boyfriend. She told police the man had assaulted her when she tried to break up with him.
Tipton spoke with Pleaugh for a few minutes before the suspect pulled a gun, Tempe police Sgt. Randy Fougner said.
Joe Smith, 19, said, "It was pop, pop, pop, just like a shootout. I just pulled over to the side (of the parking lot) and ducked my head." Smith said he saw the incident from his car at a nearby fast-food restaurant.
Witnesses said the pair fired at least nine shots.
"I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a movie," said Sam Phomanny, 29, of Tempe.
Mike Goodrich was driving by the parking lot when he saw the officer and the suspect with their guns drawn. By the time Goodrich stopped his car, he said, the suspect was running at Tipton, firing.
"He (the suspect) was pretty determined," Goodrich said, adding that Tipton fell to the ground while the suspect was still charging. But Tipton got off one more shot from the ground, Goodrich said, and "I think the last round put him (the suspect) down."
Pleaugh was shot in the upper body and was listed in critical condition at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn.
Tipton, a 2 1/2-year veteran of the force, was conscious and talking to doctors when he arrived at the hospital shortly after the 3:30 p.m. shooting. He was listed in critical condition Friday night. Caruso said Tipton lost the equivalent of all the blood in his body at least twice.
It wasn't clear late Friday whether the bullet to Tipton's chest had entered through his vest or through an uncovered area of his side.
In any case, the bullet "missed his heart by millimeters," said Dr. Marco Canulla, another trauma surgeon
The chest wound, the most serious of the three gunshots, tore through all three lobes of Tipton's right lung, went through the top of his liver and exited his back, the doctors said.
Tipton, who was dragged by a car last October but not seriously injured then, likely will be in the hospital several weeks. His shattered leg will require extensive surgery.
"He's got a long road ahead," Canulla said. "This is just one battle of the war."
Another recent casualty was Phoenix Officer Franklin Brown, who was ambushed and shot by three men outside Tolleson on July 5. He's recovering from his injuries.
Tempe officers gathered at the hospital Friday with Tipton's family. Among the officers was Sgt. John Schaper, who was shot 16 months ago on Mill Avenue.
"This is our worst nightmare," Tempe Police Chief Ralph Tranter said. "We all have to hold our heads up, wish Officer Tipton the best and cover each other's back."
Reach the reporters at Judi.Villa@ArizonaRepublic.com or (602) 444-8048, and at Monica.Davis@ArizonaRepublic.com or (602) 444-7946.[/quote]
------------------
John/az
"When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!
www.cphv.com
[This message has been edited by John/az2 (edited July 15, 2000).]