Saturday, April 4, 2009 in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a mother called 911 to remove her 22-year-old son who argued over a dog urinating in the house. At7:11 a.m.EDT Richard Poplawski opened fire on two Pittsburgh Police officers responding Three police officers were ultimately confirmed dead, and another two were seriously injured.[3] Poplawski was armed with a semi-automatic AK-47-style rifle, a shotgun and three handguns protected by a bulletproof vest, and had been lying in wait for the officers, holding police at bay for four hours.The incident was the second-deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since the September 11 attacks, following a March 2009 shooting in Oakland, California Poplawski was a frequent poster on the white-supremacist Stormfront website. He held political views that the federal government, media, and banking system were controlled by Zionist interests He also posted on n Alex Jones' Infowars but was frustrated that it did not "focus enough on the nefarious roles played by Jews in all these conspiracies"
Man was a anti-zionist white supremacist
Topics- constitutional rights: feared President Obama was going to take away his rights.[10]
- CrooksandLiars -Emerging portrait of Richard Poplawski: a white-supremacist radical
- David Duke - Eddie Perkovic like
- Death sentence: Deputy District Attorney Mark V. ... should now place him on death row.Tranquilli repeatedly told the jury to give Poplawski what he "deserves." we save the death penalty for the worst of the worst – people like Richard Poplawski." three factors as to why Poplawski deserves death – that victims are police officers, he's been convicted of multiple killings and that he placed others in deadly danger. He told the jury that there could have been three more dead police officers. pittsburgh trib
- Defence attorney: Poplawski's attorney William Brennan admitted Poplawski deserved to be convicted of murder. "I assumed it was going to come to this. I'm not an idiot. I have all the same evidence you have. I believed there was sufficient evidence to convict my client of killing three police officers," "You dispassionately looked at the evidence and, quite candidly, reached the proper verdict." pittsburgh trib
- Eddie Perkovic MySpace page of Poplawski's self-described "best friend," Eddie Perkovic -- the one that contains that anti-Semitic, anti-black racist rant, recommending that folks read David Duke and the Protocols.
- Emotion: Poplawski has shown no emotion during the heart-wrenching testimony from relatives of the men he killed. He stares straight ahead as mothers, fathers, wives and children take the stand and tearfully related their memories of the slain police officers. pittsburgh trib
- Eric Kelley slain officer
- gun control: gunman feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way"
- Infowars
- media - controlled by zionists
- Nuns: nuns who taught Poplawski in school would testify that he was a bright, good student. pittsburgh trib
- Political: anti-zionist, anti-Obama anti-gun-control
- Protocols of Elders of Zion - Eddie Perkovic
- Racist: "The judge had barred evidence from the guilt phase of the trial detailing Poplawski's racist rants both in person and online." pittsburgh trib
- Stormfront
- Trial:
- Zionist: " federal government, media, and banking system were controlled by Zionist interests"
Topics Details
.CrooksandLiarsThe emerging portrait of Richard Poplawski: a white …
Apr 05, 2009 · April 2009: A white supremacist named Richard Poplawski opens fire on three Pittsburgh police officers who come to his house on a domestic-violence call ...The key is to look a little harder at the MySpace page of Poplawski's self-described "best friend," Eddie Perkovic -- the one that contains that anti-Semitic, anti-black racist rant, recommending that folks read David Duke and the Protocols. You can see Perkovic above, spouting the gun-nut line about how "he was gonna stand by what his forefathers told him to do."The page also has links to his "friends" -- including one RichP, whose page has since been mostly wiped out, except for a Paul Reubens booking mugshot. There's a high likelihood that this RichP is in fact Poplawski, because Poplawski's StumpleUpon Page -- which features his photo -- also uses a "RichP" moniker. (We're in the process of trying to double-check the IPs.)Well, as it happens, this same RichP has evidently posted at Stormfront.org -- the nation's most prominent and popular neo-Nazi Website. (True Crime Report has the links.) There, he evidently adopted the user name "Braced For Fate" and posted the following:
"Braced For Fate" also posted a long anti-Semitic rant at Stormfront, which we're printing excerpts from below the fold.Finally, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has some corroboration from other sources that indicates he fits this profile:Richard Andrew "Pop" Poplawski's ex-girlfriend said he dragged her by the hair and threatened to shoot her.
He slept with a gun under his pillow in a basement room filled with firearms and ammunition, convinced that Jews controlled the media and President Obama was scheming to take away his arsenal, friends and relatives said Saturday."He was a violent, abusive man. He dragged me by the hair, pulling me across the floor. I saw him choke his own mother. He was controlling," said Melissa Gladish, 23, of Verona, his former girlfriend who received a protection from abuse order against him in 2005. She said she had no doubt he would kill someone.
"He was never afraid of anyone. Once, he accused me of cheating on him, which I didn't do. He told me he had a gun he kept buried ... and that he would dig it up and get me," she said.
... Despite nearly four years of estrangement, Gladish said Poplawski phoned her in the midst of his standoff with police.
"He said, 'I'm dying. I'm dying. I want you to know that I always loved you. You're still my baby,' " Gladish said. "I tried to calm him down. He said he was shot and that he was dying. He said, 'I'm lying in a pool of blood.' Then I heard a lot of noise, like a scuffle, and the phone went dead."Finally, his old friend Eddie Perkovic pipes in too:Perkovic said Poplawski usually was affable and kind, but grew angry recently over fears Obama would outlaw guns. He said Poplawski owned a bullet-proof vest, an AK-47 assault rifle and at least seven other weapons, but obtained the firearms legally.
He said Poplawski feared America was "going to see the end of our times." Poplawski had little interest in clubs or sports in high school, but was a diehard Penguins fan, Perkovic said.
Another Stanton Heights friend, Aaron Bire, 22, said Poplawski "talked about Zionists controlling the media and thought Obama had good press because of his race."That meshes perfectly with the rant posted by "Braced For Fate" at Stormfront:Decoding the collapse
First, let’s review a few basic tenets that are commonly espoused here on StormFront:
1. The federal government, mainstream media, and banking system in these United States are strongly under the influence of- if not completely controlled by- Zionist interest.
2. An economic collapse of the financial system is inevitable, bringing with it some degree of civil unrest if not outright balkanization of the continental US, civil/revolutionary/racial war, SHTF/TEOTWAKI scenario etc.
2A. This collapse is likely engineered by the elite Jewish powers that be in order to make for a power and asset grab.
Now, it seems to me that there is a need to reconcile these concepts into a seamless, sensible theory about our near future.
I don’t think there is any question that item 1 is the truth. ZOG is. One can read the list of significant persons in government and in major corporations and see who is pulling the strings. One can observe the policies and final products and should walk away with little doubt there is Zionist occupation and- after some further research & critical thinking- will discover their insidious intentions.
I also don’t think there is too much debate about the eventuality of a collapse of economic and social order in this country. All signs seem to point to a once great nation in the midst its last gasp, suffocating under the weight fiscal irresponsibility. Poisoned by design by the moral decadence that is a direct byproduct of item 1.
The purpose of this thread is to tap into the collective knowledgebase of the many bright White Nationalist thinkers that peruse this forum. Please help me try to determine the most likely scenario so that we may organize ourselves around it and plan for its contingencies. If we somehow get thoroughly blind-sided at this late stage it is possible that we may never recover.
At the heart of my question is this:
If 1 and 2 are accepted as accurate, what sense does it make for 2A to also be true?
In other words: Why, seeing as how the Jews seem to have the nation right where they want it, would they now turn around and destroy it?
Common perception seems to be that if there is an abrupt collapse of social order then racial awareness among the white population will rise dramatically. The Jewish media that dictates “pop culture” could no longer elevate the negro, and reality would reveal its nature. Race-mixing would come to a halt overnight. Consumerism and materialism would cease as the people scrounge for the necessities.
It would make much more sense to keep the population content and therefore apathetic and lethargic than to stir the pot that would at the very least: create a disruption in the agenda, and at the very most: drive the elite from their places of power, which have undoubtedly been sought out and schemed after for decades.
Fortunately, as of right now, the American populace has yet to be fully racially homogenized, has yet to become even close to disarmed, and still would stand a fighting chance to throw off their chains and ensure a worthwhile existence for their children. It would make more sense, from the perspective of the Zionists, to maintain status quo and continue the drumbeat of miscenegration, continue to sound the horn of liberalism, and continue the march toward a dystrophic society in which they could never be challenged.
... Don’t get me wrong. If a total collapse is what it takes to wake our brethren and guarantee future generations of white children walk this continent, if that is what it takes to restore our freedoms and recapture our land: let it begin this very second and not a moment later. Let comfort and convenience be damned, and I will welcome the hardship and embrace the pain secure in the knowledge that our people will rise above and overcome our darkest days.
I just am beginning to think that the elders of Zion are too smart to start the war. Why would they give us the push we need? Unless greed and audacity have clouded their minds in the final hour, I just cannot see an engineered abrupt collapse scenario. We, the people, are not ripe to be picked from the tree of liberty. Not just yet. If disturbed at this juncture, the seeds of racial purity will fall again on this land and take root. Our enemies know it. They’ve got to.More as we learn it.
.Grandfather
... Poplawski was raised at the hands of Charles Scott an alcoholic, abusive grandfather.hateful and "an out-and-out racist." Every corner of that house was filled with guns, rifles, handguns. beat Poplawski's grandmother Catherine Scott, blew phones off the wall inside the home with guns"When I present mitigation evidence, please do not think it is an excuse. There is no excuse for what occurred on April 4, 2009," Brennan told the jury during his 20-minute introduction.Brennan talked about Charles Scott, Poplawski's grandfather, and called him hateful and "an out-and-out racist.""He liked guns. Every corner of that house was filled with guns, rifles, handguns. (Charles Scott) sat down at the breakfast table with a handgun next to him," Brennan said. "Mr. Scott liked to threaten people; threatened to take their lives."Brennan said that Scott beat Poplawski's grandmother, Catherine Scott, and pointed a gun at her on one occasion, playing Russian roulette. Other times Scott simply blew phones off the wall inside the home with guns, Brennan said."You're going to hear about his effect on that family unit," Brennan said. "You're going to hear about Margaret Poplawski and her relationship with her father. You'll hear about her intense hatred for her father; her alcoholism and psychiatric care; and her repeated attempts to take her own life."Read more: http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/poplawski_trial/s_744112.html#ixzz2hhd2UCux.Political views[edit]
Edward Perkovic, a friend of Poplawski, said the gunman feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon". Perkovic also stated that Poplawski "didn't like the Zionists controlling the media and controlling, you know, our freedom of speech" and that "He didn't like the control of the guns that was about to happen. He believed everything our forefathers put before us and thought that it was being distorted." Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said that Poplawski feared President Obama was going to take away his rights.[10]
Poplawski posted that he believed that "the federal government, mainstream media, and banking system in these United States are strongly under the influence of -- if not completely controlled by -- Zionist interest. An economic collapse of the financial system is inevitable, bringing with it some degree of civil unrest if not outright balkanization of the continental US, civil/revolutionary/racial war . . . This collapse is likely engineered by the elite Jewish powers that be in order to make for a power and asset grab."[11][12]
On March 13, 2009, Poplawski wrote on a white supremacist website that "ZOG (Zionist-occupied government) is... One can read the list of significant persons in government and in major corporations and see who is pulling the strings. One can observe the policies and final products and should walk away with little doubt there is Zionist occupation and -- after some further research & critical thinking -- will discover their insidious intentions."[13]Mark Potok, a representative of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) which had reviewed Poplawski's internet postings, stated that "he believed the Jews were coming, the Jews controlled society, you know, we're all under the thumb of Zionists and so on."[13] A report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) stated that Poplawski had expressed frustration that "not enough attention was being focused on the evil of Jews."[12]Poplawski was a member of Stormfront, a white supremacist website, where he was a frequent visitor and poster.[14][15]Poplawski had reportedly posted a picture of his tattoo, a "deliberately Americanized version of the iron eagle" to the website, as well as a link to a YouTube video of Congressman Ron Paul discussing with Fox News host Glenn Beck the rumored existence ofFEMA-managed concentration camps.[14][16] Poplawski last logged into Stormfront at 3:32 a.m. Saturday, only hours before the shootings.[17][18] Poplawski also frequently visited and occasionally posted on Alex Jones' Infowars website. One of his frustrations with the site, though, was that it supposedly didn't focus enough on the nefarious roles played by Jews in all these conspiracies. "For being such huge players in the endgame," he observed in a March 29, 2009, posting to Infowars, "too many 'infowarriors' are surprisingly unfamiliar with the Zionists."[14][18] Among Poplawski's "last few links from MySpace" were a Myers-Briggs personality test, and a psychotherapy chart.[11]
.Eric KelleyFrances Kelly, the mother of slain Officer Eric Kelly, broke down in tears and sobbed on the witness stand when prosecutors displayed a picture of her son when he was 5 years old."I miss the word ‘Mom.' I miss how he would call me all the time, and I miss him walking into the house," Frances Kelly told the jury. "I miss hearing, ‘Mom, it's me,' when he walked through the door. I miss his laughter and smile. When I hear a car pull up, I think about my son. When I hear the phone ring, I think it's him."Kelly read to the jury from a few pages that she had written about her son. She described how, for the first 22 years of his life, it was just the two of them together. Eric's dad was not a part of his life and she had no other children until Eric's sister was born.Kelly took a deep breath before telling the jury about her son's life. She said he was a standout athlete and played football, basketball and baseball. He stayed out of trouble when he was young despite growing up in rough parts of the city. When she worked for the city parks department, Eric would sometimes come along to neighborhood recreation centers."A lot of times, Eric would be my little protector and would try to put the kids in line when they were disrespecting me. He would say, ‘Don't talk to my mother like that. How would you like it if I disrespected your mother?'" Frances Kelly said.Her son attended college at the University of Utah and the University of Tennessee before joining the U.S. Marine Corps, where he worked as a military police officer.After serving a stint in the Marines, Kelly returned home and took the civil service test to become a police officer. He failed the first time and instead took the test for the fire department. He also retried the test for the police department. He passed both but chose to become a police officer, Frances Kelly said.Kelly's younger sister, Danyelle Cheatham, also testified. She told the jury that her older brother acted as a father figure in her life. She carries his driver's license around in her wallet.Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook
.wikipedia2009 Pittsburgh police shootings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPittsburgh police shootings Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Date Saturday, April 4, 2009
7:03 a.m. EDT (11:03 UTC)Attack type Shootout Weapon(s) Deaths 3 Injured (non-fatal) 3 (including the perpetrator) Perpetrator Richard Poplawski The 2009 Pittsburgh police shootings was a shootout that took place on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at 1016 Fairfield Street[1] in the Stanton Heights neighborhood ofPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, stemming from a mother and her 22-year-old son's argument over a dog urinating in the house.[2] At approximately 7:11 a.m.EDT, 22-year-old Richard Poplawski opened fire on two Pittsburgh Police officers responding to a 9-1-1 call from Poplawski's mother, who was attempting to get the police officers to remove her son from the home.[2] Three police officers were ultimately confirmed dead, and another two were seriously injured.[3]According to Pittsburgh Police Chief, Nathan Harper, Poplawski was armed with a semi-automatic AK-47-style rifle, a shotgun and three handguns (a .357 Magnumrevolver, a .380-caliber handgun and a .45-caliber handgun), protected by a bulletproof vest, and had been lying in wait for the officers.[3] According to police and witnesses, he held police at bay for four hours as the fallen officers were left bleeding nearby, their colleagues unable to reach them. More than 600 rounds were fired by the SWAT teams and Poplawski.The victims were the first Pittsburgh city officers killed in the line of duty in 18 years.[3] The incident was the second-deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since the September 11 attacks, following a March 2009 shooting in Oakland, California.[4][5]Contents
[hide]Richard Poplawski[edit]
Background[edit]
Richard Andrew Poplawski (born September 12, 1986)[6] lived with his mother and grandmother in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Poplawski had previously enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, but he was discharged from boot camp after throwing a food tray at a drill instructor.[3]According to friends and former acquaintances, Poplawski was first married when he was 17. His first wife was a young woman whom he had encountered whilst detained in a juvenile correctional center. The marriage lasted for almost two years. His divorce troubled him emotionally until he found a new girlfriend. This new relationship was also very unsteady and on September 14, 2005, Poplawski allegedly assaulted his then-girlfriend outside his home. A month later, Poplawski allegedly violated an order of protection by showing up at the woman's place of work. Poplawski had recently lost his job at a glass factory, and was reportedly quite upset over the job loss.[7] Neighbors also reported that Poplawski was involved in several arguments with neighbors, including a couple of fistfights, and one incident in which he insulted a black Stanton Heights resident by shouting a racial slur in his face.[3][8]Poplawski moved to Florida in 2006, and rented a room in a woman's house. However, she later evicted him after her German Shepherd disappeared while under Poplawski's care. He later moved in with the woman's neighbor, who said that he spoke lovingly about his grandmother but seemed disappointed in his mother.[9]After he returned home, he adopted two pit bull mixes from a local animal shelter, one of which would later urinate on his mother's carpet, triggering the April 4 shootings.[8]Political views[edit]
Edward Perkovic, a friend of Poplawski, said the gunman feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon". Perkovic also stated that Poplawski "didn't like the Zionists controlling the media and controlling, you know, our freedom of speech" and that "He didn't like the control of the guns that was about to happen. He believed everything our forefathers put before us and thought that it was being distorted." Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said that Poplawski feared President Obama was going to take away his rights.[10]Poplawski posted that he believed that "the federal government, mainstream media, and banking system in these United States are strongly under the influence of -- if not completely controlled by -- Zionist interest. An economic collapse of the financial system is inevitable, bringing with it some degree of civil unrest if not outright balkanization of the continental US, civil/revolutionary/racial war . . . This collapse is likely engineered by the elite Jewish powers that be in order to make for a power and asset grab."[11][12]On March 13, 2009, Poplawski wrote on a white supremacist website that "ZOG (Zionist-occupied government) is... One can read the list of significant persons in government and in major corporations and see who is pulling the strings. One can observe the policies and final products and should walk away with little doubt there is Zionist occupation and -- after some further research & critical thinking -- will discover their insidious intentions."[13]Mark Potok, a representative of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) which had reviewed Poplawski's internet postings, stated that "he believed the Jews were coming, the Jews controlled society, you know, we're all under the thumb of Zionists and so on."[13] A report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) stated that Poplawski had expressed frustration that "not enough attention was being focused on the evil of Jews."[12]Poplawski was a member of Stormfront, a white supremacist website, where he was a frequent visitor and poster.[14][15]Poplawski had reportedly posted a picture of his tattoo, a "deliberately Americanized version of the iron eagle" to the website, as well as a link to a YouTube video of Congressman Ron Paul discussing with Fox News host Glenn Beck the rumored existence ofFEMA-managed concentration camps.[14][16] Poplawski last logged into Stormfront at 3:32 a.m. Saturday, only hours before the shootings.[17][18] Poplawski also frequently visited and occasionally posted on Alex Jones' Infowars website. One of his frustrations with the site, though, was that it supposedly didn't focus enough on the nefarious roles played by Jews in all these conspiracies. "For being such huge players in the endgame," he observed in a March 29, 2009, posting to Infowars, "too many 'infowarriors' are surprisingly unfamiliar with the Zionists."[14][18] Among Poplawski's "last few links from MySpace" were a Myers-Briggs personality test, and a psychotherapy chart.[11]Shootings[edit]
At 7:03 a.m. EDT, Officers Paul Sciullo and Stephen Mayhle of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police responded to a 9-1-1 call from Poplawski's mother over a domestic disturbance. When the officers arrived at the scene, the mother answered the door, explaining that she wanted Poplawski out of the house. As the two officers entered the home, Poplawski was reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest and "lying in wait". Sciullo was immediately shot in the head. Almost immediately thereafter, Officer Mayhle was also shot in the head.[3]Officer Eric Kelly, on his way home after completing his overnight shift, heard the call for help and arrived at the scene. Poplawski then shot Kelly as he was attempting to aid Sciullo and Mayhle. Officer Timothy McManaway arrived at the scene and was shot in the hand while attempting to pull Kelly to safety, after he saw Kelly wave at him. McManaway sought cover and returned fire. Another officer, Brian Jones, suffered a broken leg when a fence he was climbing collapsed. A short time later, more officers, SWAT team members, and other law enforcement officers arrived and were fired on as well.[3]A neighbor who witnessed the incident reported "They couldn't get the scene secure enough to get to them. They were just lying there bleeding, by the time they secured the scene enough to get to them, it was way too late."[3]The standoff with police lasted for approximately four hours. Poplawski's friend Edward Perkovic said he got a call at work from Poplawski during which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you." Perkovic said "I heard gunshots and he hung up. ... He sounded like he was in pain, like he got shot."[19] According to the sources, Poplawski was shot in the leg before surrendering to authorities.[20] Poplawski was transported to UPMC Presbyterian after the shooting where he was treated under custody.[21] On April 5, Poplawski was moved from the hospital to the Allegheny County Jail.[22]Victims[edit]
The three deceased officers were:- Officer Eric G. Kelly, age 41, a 14-year veteran of the force, survived by his wife, three daughters, mother, and sister;
- Officer Stephen J. Mayhle, age 29, a two-year veteran of the force, survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, and two brothers;
- Officer Paul J. Sciullo, II, age 37, a two-year veteran of the force, survived by his parents, two sisters, and fiancée.[19]
The two wounded officers were:- Officer Timothy McManaway, age 46, a 14-year veteran of the force; and
- Officer Brian Jones, age 37, a three-year veteran of the force.
A final radio roll call for the three officers killed was held following the shooting on Saturday night, April 4.[23] On April 6, GovernorEd Rendell announced that flags at all state buildings would be flown at half-staff until the end of the week.[24]Aftermath[edit]
Investigation[edit]
Afterward, it was revealed that although Poplawski's mother had told the 9-1-1 operator that Poplawski owned guns, the operator typed "no weapons" on her computer screen, relaying the information to the police dispatcher. When the operator asked Ms. Poplawski if her son had weapons, she responded yes, and stated that they were all legal. When asked to confirm that she was not being threatened with the guns, Ms. Poplawski did not answer, instead repeating that she wanted her son out of the house. Management in the Allegheny County response center contend that the dispatcher meant to relay that no weapons were involved in the dispute. The county's Chief for Emergency Services stated that the 9-1-1 operator had been on the job for less than a year, including training, and was placed on administrative leave and offered counseling.[25]According to police interviewing Poplawski while imprisoned, he believed Mayhle to be faking his death, and so shot him again. He told police that he planned for police to kill him, but changed his mind and surrendered, hoping he could write a book in prison. Interviewers described Poplawski as unremorseful with a "cold demeanor".[26] In the hours after the standoff ended and during interviews with detectives, Poplawski bragged about his actions, telling them he thought he might have killed as many as five officers.[27]Ceremonies[edit]
Officers Kelly, Mayhle, and Sciullo lay in repose at the Pittsburgh City-County Buildingfrom April 8 until 10:00 a.m. April 9. Thousands of citizens and law enforcement officers visited the caskets, including representatives from the DC Metro Police,Montgomery County, Maryland, Cobb County, Georgia police, and 49 Troopers from the New Jersey State Police.[28][29] Beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 9, the caskets were carried to three hearses, and a procession of an estimated 1,000 police vehicles travelled, along with the Pittsburgh Firefighters Memorial; Cleveland Policeand Pittsburgh Police Dept. Pipes and Drums; Pittsburgh Fire Dept. Pipes and Drums;NYPD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums; Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipes and Drums; Camden County NJ Emerald Society Pipes and Drums; Union County NJ Pipes and Drums; Washington D.C. Regional Pipes and Drums; Cleveland Pipes and Drums; Atlantic County (NJ) Pipes and Drums; and many more pipe bands, from the City-County Building along the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway to the University of Pittsburgh's Petersen Events Center. Hundreds of officers had been standing at attention outside the center for nearly two hours. Guests at the ceremony included FBIDirector Robert Mueller; Allegheny County District Attorney Steven Zappala; county executive Dan Onorato; Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell; state Attorney General Tom Corbett; U.S. Senator Bob Casey; former Pittsburgh Police Chief Nathan Harper;and former chief Robert McNeilly.[30][31]Criminal proceedings[edit]
On April 21, 2010, a spokesman for Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala announced that he would seek the death penalty for Poplawski, whose formal arraignment took place on June 1. A county judge ordered police investigators, attorneys, court and jail personnel to not discuss the case with the media.[32]Although Pennsylvania has the death penalty on the books, and has hundreds of convicted murderers on death row, the last time the state actually executed anyone was in 1999. Since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1978, only three people have been executed, and all three had waived their appeal rights. Pennsylvania has never executed anyone who has taken full advantage of the appeal process. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, if Poplawski chooses to take full advantage of the appeal process, then even if he is sentenced to death, "it may not happen".[33]During the first week of June 2009, the case was officially assigned to Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning. On June 5, Manning ordered the attorneys to exchange discovery materials immediately, and scheduled an August 13 hearing to "address any outstanding discovery issues." Afterward, a date was to be set to hear pretrial motions, followed by a trial date.[34] Although cases are usually assigned to judges at random, an exception is made for cases that could possibly involve the death penalty. Manning was assigned to this case because during his 20 years as a judge, he has heard nearly two dozen cases where the death penalty was a possibility, including the 2001 trial of Richard S. Baumhammers, who was sentenced to death for murdering five people.Poplawski's trial was originally scheduled to start on October 12, 2010,[35] but was delayed until April 25, 2011, due to a defense request for additional time to address the death penalty aspect of the case.[36] The trial began on June 20, 2011. On June 28, 2011 Poplawski was sentenced to death after being found guilty by the jury a few days before.[37] On Saturday, June 25, 2011, the jury delivered a verdict of guilty on three counts of first-degree homicide and all other counts, after deliberating for approximately 4 hours.[38]On June 28, 2011, Poplawski was sentenced to three counts of death by lethal injection.[39]See also[edit]
- 2010 West Memphis police shootings
- 2006 Manchester, New Hampshire police shooting
- 2009 shooting of Oakland police officers
- Gun laws in Pennsylvania
- Murder of Timothy Brenton
- Lakewood police officer shooting
- Uniform Firearms Act
References[edit]
- ^ "Affidavit outlines shootings that left three Pittsburgh police officers dead". Post-gazette.com. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ a b "Dispute Led to Shootings in Pittsburgh". New York Times. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Ramit; DAN NEPHIN (April 4, 2009). "Gunman ‘lying in wait’ kills 3 Pittsburgh officers". Associated Press. Archived from the originalon 7 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ "3 officers killed in Pittsburgh shooting". Las Vegas Sun. Associated Press. April 4, 2009. Archived from the originalon 10 April 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Shooting ranks as one of deadliest in U.S. law enforcement in decades". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ Lord, Rich (April 12, 2009). "Poplawski attended North Catholic High School until he was expelled his junior year. A portrait of contrasts emerges from those who knew Poplawski". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ Roddy, Dennis B. (April 5, 2009). "Suspect in officers' shooting was into conspiracy theories". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ a b Lord, Rich (April 12, 2009). "A portrait of contrasts emerges from those who knew Poplawski". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ^ Lord, Rich (April 12, 2009). "A portrait of contrasts emerges from those who knew Poplawski". Pittsburgh Post-gazette.Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- ^ "Shooter Wearing Bulletproof Vest Guns Down 3 Pittsburgh Officers, Upset Over Losing Job". Associated Press. April 4, 2009. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ a b Roddy, Dennis. "Richard Poplawski's online trail leads neither far right nor far left. It's just confused.". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ^ a b Pittsburgh killer believes Jews control government, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), April 7, 2009. Accessed 2009-08-04. Archived 2009-08-11.
- ^ a b Police shooting suspect may have been white supremacist by KC Wildmoon, CNN, March 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Richard Poplawski: The Making of a Lone Wolf".Anti-Defamation League. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ Roddy, Dennis B. (April 6, 2009). "Poplawski was 'Braced for Fate' in days leading to attack". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ Blumenthal, Max (April 7, 2009). "What a Killer Was Watching". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ Poplawski frequented right-wing Web sites, UPI, April 5, 2009
- ^ a b Hamill, Sean (April 7, 2009). "Man Accused in Pittsburgh Killings Voiced Racist Views Online". New York Times.Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ a b PLUSHNICK-MASTI, RAMIT (2009-04-04). "3 officers killed in Pittsburgh shooting". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ "Hail Of Gunfire In Pittsburgh Leaves 3 Officers Dead". WJACTV. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ Walton, Allan (April 4, 2009). "100 bullets fired in shootout with suspected cop killer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- ^ "Who is Richard Poplawski?". WTAE-TV. April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ "Zone 5 Holds Final Roll Call For Fallen Officers". WTAE-TV. Archived from the original on 7 April 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ "TribLIVE: #(gSection.name)#". Pittsburghlive.com:8000. 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ Silver, Jonathan D. (April 7, 2009). "Critical error by 9-1-1 worker failed to note Poplawski owned guns". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
- ^ Sherman, Jerome L. (April 8, 2009). "Poplawski called unremorseful". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
- ^ "A portrait of contrasts emerges from those who knew Poplawski - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "City Mourns: Thousands Attend Pittsburgh Police Viewing". WTAE-TV. April 8, 2009. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ^ "N.J. State trooper accuses superior officer of sexually assaulting, impregnating her". Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger. December 2, 2009. Archived from the original on 6 December 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ "Thousands mourn fallen city police officers - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "Fallen Police Memorial Under Way At Petersen Center". WTAE-TV. April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ^ Gurman, Sadie (April 21, 2009). "Zappala will seek death for Poplawski". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
- ^ For those convicted, it's a long road to the death penalty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 19, 2009
- ^ August hearing set for man charged in police officer killings, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 5, 2009. Accessed 2009-08-04. Archived 2009-08-11.
- ^ Poplawski murder trial scheduled for Oct. 12, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, April 7, 2010. Accessed 2010-10-03.
- ^ Accused cop-killer Poplawski's trial delayed until April, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 29, 2010. Accessed 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Police show support as trial in officers' killings begins". Post-gazette.com. 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "Poplawski guilty on all counts". Post-gazette.com. 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "Cop-Killer Richard Poplawski Sentenced To Death". www.wpxi.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
Categories:
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- American police officers killed in the line of duty
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Suspect in officers' shooting was into conspiracy theories ...
Richard Andrew Poplawski was a young man convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, takewas a young man convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry.His online profile suggests someone at once lonely and seething. He wrote of burning the backs of both of his hands, the first time with a cigarette, the second time for symmetry. He subscribed to conspiracy theories and, by January 2007, was posting photographs of his tattoos on white supremacist Web site Stormfront. Among his ambitions: "to accumulate enough 'I punched that [expletive] so hard' stories to match my old man.""Crazy to me is going through the motions," he wrote on his MySpace profile three years ago. "Crazy to me is letting each day slip past you. Crazy is being insignificant. Crazy is being obscure, pointless."No longer obscure, the 22-year-old is charged in the worst police shooting in the modern history of Pittsburgh. No one is calling his actions anything but pointless."He was really into politics and really into the First and Second amendment. One thing he feared was he feared the gun ban because he thought that was going to take away peoples' right to defend themselves. He never spoke of going out to murder or to kill," said Edward Perkovic, who described himself as Mr. Poplawski's lifelong best friend.Mr. Poplawski's view of guns and personal freedom took a turn toward the fringes of American politics. With Mr. Perkovic, he appeared to share a belief that the government was controlled from unseen forces, that troops were being shipped home from the Mideast to police the citizenry here, and that Jews secretly ran the country."We recently discovered that 30 states had declared sovereignty," said Mr. Perkovic, who lives in Lawrenceville. "One of his concerns was why were these major events in America not being reported to the public."Believing most media were covering up important events, Mr. Poplawski turned to a far-right conspiracy Web site run by Alex Jones, a self-described documentarian with roots going back to the extremist militia movement of the early 1990s.Around the same time, he joined Florida-based Stormfront, which has long been a clearinghouse Web site for far-right groups. He posted photographs of his tattoo, an eagle spread across his chest."I was considering gettin' life runes on the outside of my calfs," he wrote. Life runes are a common symbol among white supremacists, notably followers of The National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group linked to an array of violent organizations."For some time now there has been a pretty good connection between being sucked into this conspiracy world and propagating violence," said Heidi Beirich, director of research at the Southern Poverty Law Center and an expert on political extremists. She called Mr. Poplawski's act, "a classic example of what happens when you start buying all this conspiracy stuff."Mr. Perkovic said Mr. Poplawski's parents had split when he was young."His dad's totally out of the picture," said Mr. Perkovic.According to his MySpace profile online, Mr. Poplawski lived in Stanton Heights, was an avid Penguins fan, considered Mario Lemieux his hero, and held his grandmother, Catherine Poplawski, whom he called "Cukie," in warm esteem.Mr. Perkovic said his friend essentially dropped out of North Catholic High School. Officials there would only say he was asked to leave.After the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- a day before Mr. Poplawski's birthday -- he decided to join the military, stopped going to classes and pursued a general educational development certificate."In boot camp he had missed his girlfriend so he had to make a decision ... he got himself dishonorably discharged so he could come back," Mr. Perkovic said.According to Mr. Perkovic, Mr. Poplawski tossed a lunch tray at a drill instructor.The relationship with his girlfriend, Melissa Gladish, went sour after Mr. Poplawski returned to Pittsburgh.Court records show that on Sept. 14, 2005, Mr. Poplawski attacked Miss Gladish outside 1016 Fairfield St., the same address at which he would later be accused of killing the three police officers.Miss Gladish said she had gone to Mr. Poplawski's house "and he began to argue with me and call me names. When I argued back he grabbed me by my hair and said, 'Do you think I'm going to let you talk to me like that? I don't let anyone talk to me like that."'He threatened to kill her, the records show. In a form asking Miss Gladish to list all weapons Mr. Poplawski had used, she listed "gun that the defendant says is buried in the park near his house."
A portrait of contrasts emerges from those who knew Poplawski ...
- Accused of killing three Pittsburgh police officers in an incident that shook the city's sense of security, Richard Andrew Poplawski was sometimes described as ...
http://www.zimbio.com/Richard+Poplawski/articles/4/Poplawski+Was+A+Right+Wingnut
Poplawski is a textbook case of an angry, white, paranoid, delusional dittohead who fell prey to these false claims made so that people like Limbaugh, Malkin, Coulter, Glenn Beck andO’Reilly can grab more ratings and/or sell more books for huge profits. Money and power. That’s all it is. Even David Letterman recently told O’Reilly, “You don’t believe what you say, do you.”was his answer. Of course he doesn’t. But the Poplawski’s of the world think that the Faux “news” land of make believe for profit is real:
At some point, Faux News and the rest of those I referenced above need to be held accountable for their conduct. Courtesy of Media Matters, here is the Faux News video “intro its webcast segment about ‘what the government has done to take your liberty and property away.’ And watch the Fox host introduce the ‘the one, the only, the great Alex Jones.’ The radio nut then launches into talk of the ‘New World Order’ a ‘global government’…During his webcast on FoxNews.com, Alex Jones also notes with pride how FNC’s Glenn Beck has recently been warning about the emerging New World Order on the air, just like Jones.” Listen as Jones warns the Fox News audience about the Obama”agenda” for “gun confiscation.” And watch the Fox News online host tell Jones it’s been “a pleasure” listening” to his rhetoric.” But, of course, this make believe vitriol has nothing to do with what happened in Pittsburgh. Sure.“For some time now there has been a pretty good connection between being sucked into this conspiracy world and propagating violence,” said Heidi Beirich, director of research at the Southern Poverty Law Center and an expert on political extremists. She called Mr. Poplawski’s act, “a classic example of what happens when you start buying all this conspiracy stuff.”
Richard Andrew Poplawski Blogger Terrorism
100
10/14/2013
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