It appears as there had been a small wake on the front porch. The photo was taken on Christmas morning, 2007, in the front of the house where Alfredo Losoya Vela was shot and killed by police a few days earlier.
[The remainder of this entry was revised on 2/23/2008.]
It was an unfortunate event, and it was sad that Mr. Vela died. A grand jury heard all of the evidence and ruled that the shooting by the police did not warrant any criminal charge against the police officer.
I was very upset about this shooting originally. It was unfortunate, and I thought it should have been handled differently. But it's over. It's done with. And now it's time for everyone else to get over it and move on. If this seems unfair remember that life is unfair. This is one of those things that everyone is just going to have to live with. And anyone who might think that retaliation is the appropriate response is sadly misguided.
There are no winners anytime any life is lost.
Posted by: bpb lester | January 14, 2008 at 09:25 AM
There were certainly no winners in this case, BPB Lester.
Posted by: Geo | January 14, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Yeah OR maybe the guy was your everyday typical scumbag who was willing to shoot it out with police as opposed to going to jail. Instead of trying to make the police out to be villains why don't you focus on the stupidity that put the guy in that situation to begin with. Why isn't drug dealing to certain degrees punishable by death? The dealer makes the decision to deal.. the addict makes the decision to try the product and become addictive... the addict has the potential to become a serious offender robbing and killing to get his fix. In effect the dealer is (or shares) responsible for all the lives his "clients" take. He knew the risk he was taking and obviously was prepared for it.
If you can't handle the consequences of your action then DON'T DO IT!
Posted by: C Watson | January 19, 2008 at 10:11 PM
YEA BUT WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR FAMILY MEMBER WOULD U BE SAYING ALL THIS RIGHT NOW. I THINK NOT... IMAGINE WHAT HIS FAMILY IS GOING THREW... WHEN UR FAMILY MEMBER DIES DO U SIT THERE AND GET OVER IT....WELL I DON'T. THE POLICE HAD NO REASON TO SHOOT AND KILL ONLY IF THEY ARE A COWARD.... WHEN A POLICE OFFICE IS SIGNED ON TO THE FORCE HE KNOWS WHAT HES GETTIN HIMSELF IN TO....Y CULDN'T THEY JUST ARREST HIM BUT NO THEY ARE SO QUICK TO GRAB THERE GUN...AND YET THEY CALL US FOR MONEY TO DONATE FOR THE FALLEN OFFICERS ......WELLL WHAT ABOUT CHAD SANCHEZ, FRED VELA AND ARMANDO GARCIA WHAT ABOUT THERE FOUNDATION FOR THERE FAMILY......LIKE THEY SAY INNOCENT TILL PROVEN GUILTY.......THEY DIDN'T GET THAT CHANCE DID THEY NOW..........
Posted by: CONCERNED CITIZEN | June 05, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Concerned Citizen - Yes, you are absolutely right. Those people should have been considered innocent until proven guilty. And it's very unfortunate how this turned out.
If you are a family member then you have my sympathy. It was presumptuous of me to tell anyone to "get over it." However, I hope you agree with me that retaliation is not the proper course of action.
Posted by: Geo | June 05, 2008 at 03:50 PM