Officer my be charged in killing another officer

[OfficerResource.com]

Cop in fatal wreck may be charged

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Off...e_charged.html

By Lomi Kriel and Brian Chasnoff - Express-News

San Antonio Police are recommending a charge of manslaughter against an officer who drove more than 50 mph over the posted speed limit without his lights and sirens on before running a red light and striking and killing a fellow rookie cop this month.

The Bexar County District Attorney's office will review the department's findings, before determining what charge to seek against Officer David Seaton an Air Force veteran who has been on the force for two years. Seaton remained at Wilford Hall Medical Center Monday , recovering from multiple internal injuries he sustained in the wreck.

Officer Robert Davis, a 26-year-old U.S. Marine who had been with the department for one year, suffered multiple, severe head injuries and was taken off life support three days after the accident, on Dec. 1. Davis had been clearing roadway flares in an unrelated accident at the time he was struck.

Details of the accident raised several troubling points about Seaton's actions moments before the collision: He was going between 98-102 mph down a stretch of Potranco Road with a 45 mph posted speed limit. He did not activate his lights and sirens, and the call to which he was responding to was deemed minor enough that some officers were canceled from it even before Seaton sped up and struck Davis.

According to department policy, officers can only go more than 10 mph over the speed limit when responding to a "code three" call, which is the most critical. Seaton was responding to a "code one" call, which is the least urgent. Initially radioed as "two males using blades to open packages," the call turned out to be two children stealing merchandise. Employees only called police because store policy requires it.

For Davis' family, news that the department intends to seek charges against Seaton still doesn't explain why the officer was driving so fast.

"He needs to pay the price for what he did," said Davis' mother, Uritta Carter, by telephone from her Missouri home.

But Carter, who said she has suffered severe anxiety attacks ever since her son's death, said, "In this situation, no one wins."

"(Seaton) will have to live with what he did for the rest of his life," she said. "But he's still alive and breathing. I won't ever get to talk to my son again."

[IndianaFuzz]

Hopefully if he is able to, Seaton will give the true reason for his driving. I hope he does not vapor lock and try to make up some B.S. reason because he thinks it might save his job.

[Twan007]

wow... I'm with ya Indiana... b/c I'd hate to tell this guy - but I don't think there is any "saving his job"

[Ryan]

Horribly sad. Although it makes no sense now, there has got to be a reason he was going so fast. I am not a cop so I wouldn't know anything about this, but it would seem to me that a cop wouldn't do something so drastic without cause in his own mind.

[BigDawg]

According to the story he didnt have a good reason to be driving that fast without his lights and siren. But because I dont trust the news I hope he comes clean to maybe save himself from prison time, but his career is over. If he doesnt have a legitimate reason for driving like that then he deserves what he gets IMHO.

[Ryan]

The no lights and sirens is what puzzles me. Maybe he thought he heard an officer down or something and was in such a rush he forgot to turn them on? I am stretching, I know, but that would be about the only thing I could think of

[irishmick]

Yeah, his career is more likely than not completely over. He does have a better chance of saving it, however, if he would just nut up and tell the truth.

[Twan007]

well - there are times that we fly to calls without lights and sirens - but it's very rare (and not going into detail in public) - but examples could be when you're close to backing an officer up with an open/forced door on a business (after the officer responded to alarm with motion and audio inside the business) - armed robbery in progress (maybe, i'm sure different departments have different ways of dealing with that) - active shooter situation

but most of those scenarios the lights and sirens are shut off within close proximity to the incident...

but as i've said before, i'm not gonna second guess a cop's actions - i just know that he ruined this as a career field...

maybe he can come work for our EMS or Fire Dept... they run lights and sirens to get a cat out of the tree... its policy... lights and sirens no matter what the call... at least Seaton wouldn't have to make that decision... it's made for him