Monday, October 11, 2010

Vivian attorney, 2nd amendment advocate, killed by law enforcement officers

Vivian attorney John Morneau was shot and killed yesterday afternoon by an Arkansas law officer. The shooting occurred just inside the Arkansas state line.
Morneau owned property in Ida and had been involved in an apparent boundary dispute with an adjoining landowner.
Agents from the Arkansas Game & Fish Wildlife and a Miller County Deputy said they had warrants charging Morneau with assault, criminal mischief and harassment. They allege that he had shot at other people as a result of the dispute. The officers said that when they identified themselves as police officers, Morneau pointed a gun at hem. He was shot with a rifle.
In July Morneau published this comment on a blog about the 2nd amendment.
  • The real reason that we have the Second Amendment is so that when all other means fail, we can use deadly force to resist any form of tyrrany foreign or domestic. Government serves at our pleasure and not the other way around. We have an unalienable right to self defense. We also have the right to submit. That is our choice, not the government's.
Without knowing any details, I just wonder why they didn't go through channels and have the warrants served at his home or office by Louisiana authorities.  It seems to me that they knew he might be confrontational and approaching him on the property when they should have known he would be armed was not the best course to take.
I would like to hear more of their side of the confrontation, and hopefully it will be provided.

19 comments:

  1. From what I've read about him, he carried a gun everywhere he went. He was apparently a big advocate of LA.'s "open carry" gun law.

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  2. I think this incident and others like it is a trend that is increasing in this country. The "Government" shoots first and asks questions latter. On this particular incident, we will have to wait and see what is "alleged" to have occured.

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  3. Do you have any idea what kind of pressure law enforcement is under in this kind of situation? Its very easy to arm chair quarter back and speculate, while law enforcement has only seconds to make a decision that could save their life or the lives of others. Law enforcement's last resort is to shoot. Officers dont just walk around shooting people for no reason!
    Here's an idea, wait for more details before forming an opinion.

    Anon @ 3:08, "it is a trend that is increasing in this country", Hey why dont you do us a favor and move to another country then.
    "Alleged" to have occurred is what you said, you are trying to say that they are lying?

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  4. Note to self: Don't point a gun at the cops. They tend to not like that.

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  5. If the next door neighbor had shot at me, and was continuing to threaten me with a gun over the property line, I would not be wanting the authorities to wait and "go thru channels" to serve him with an arrest warrant.
    It does sound a like suicide by police, in that the man must have known that he would be killed if he pointed his gun at the officers.

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  6. there's plenty of police shootings where questions about the cops' actions are legitimate and urgent.
    unless there's some more facts than in the story, this ain't one of 'em.

    according to the story, this is a nut case with history of threatening neighbors with guns, who then points two pistols at the cops. given his background, the question isn't why the cops didn't go through normal channels, it's why they didn't bring more firepower.

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  7. Something is wrong about this. If they had called him to come in for the warrants he would have. He was a really nice man and everyone liked him. Why didnt they just go to his office?

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  8. Two Arkansas wildlife and fisheries agents and a Miller County deputy show up, armed to the teeth, to serve a warrant on a man who undoubtedly lives in Louisiana, with the hopes of catching him on a disputed piece of property, knowing he may be armed and hunting. To the douchebag authorities up north, it's called a PHONE. Call Caddo Parish and have a deputy appear at his office in Vivian, even catch him at court in Shreveport. Hell, you could have called HIM. He would've been taken to Miller County, had a bond hearing, posted it and waited for his court date. Your stupidity and egomania forced a confrontation (assuming your "story" is true) and is responsible for the death of a very respectable 71 year old native American man. Try using your damn brains instead of your scrotums from now on... dumbasses.

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  9. Anon at 12:23, your obviously a moron.

    Next time lets wait til the old guy kills a few folks, then say hey do you mind if we arrest you, could you come down to the station so we can put you in jail.

    Hey idiot, get your head outta your rear, leave the police stuff to the police and the idiot stuff to........well yourself.

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  10. Dont you just love it when ignorance comes out in all aspects. You people cannot wait to find out all the facts before jumping to conclusions.

    The guy threatened his neighbors with guns, carried guns on him at all times. Oh, but its the cops fault not the guys. Easy to finger point when you don't have a clue what happened.

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  11. misdemeanor warrants should not be served in the woods, they should be served through the local police department. I could not imagine our Sheriff doing this to an Arkansas resident.
    John was old, hard of hearing and a gentle man.

    Let us always remember that we are lucky to have good law enforcement in our parish. Evidently, right accross the border it is not hte same.

    God bless the man and his family, and I pray that the truth about this misdeamenor warrant will come out soon. No man should be served with a warrant in the woods, and no man should die over a misdeamnor warrant.

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  12. Sure is easy to talk about the police when your not the one who has to do it. The people who critisize the police are the very same ones that call the police then complain when a cop doesn't show up in what that person thinks is a timely manner. If you think the police are ignorant, and the job is easy I say strap on a bullet proof vest, grab a gun, and get your ass out on the streets. Otherwise stop all the complaining, and critisizing everytime you think the police have done something questionable. Most of the time it's not questionable at all. Most of the time it's people who have no idea about the law, or how it is supposed to be enforced. Until you are confronted with an armed man, and you think that your life could be in danger you have no idea how you would respond. These guys do it everyday.

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  13. Sure, all "gentle men" walk around constantly armed and point weapons at law enforcement. Just because you have the right to do something doesn't make it sane or even normal to do it.

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  14. Can anyone tell me why they served him with a misdemeanor warrant on a sunday while he was in the woods? What kind of officer would not serve him at work?

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  15. Amazing that so many people blame the police instead of the man who pointed guns at them while they were serving him with arrest warrants.

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  16. There are plenty of people who are big advocates of Louisiana's open carry law. This in itself does not make people dangerous. I know a lot of people who are armed at all times. All of them very responsible people.

    I do not know all the details of this story, but it does present some questions for law enforcement, and I am afraid if people do not wake up, when they finally do they are going to find themselves in a police state.

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  17. I met this man once. I was on his property, in announced and unidentified, conducting a routine insurance property inspection. When I encountered him, he had his pistols on both hips. During the entire encounter, he was courteous, calm and very patient. At no point did he ever lay a hand on his guns, act like he was going to reach for his guns or show any signs of aggression. Seems to m if was such a gun toting "nut" waiting for the first opportunity to shoot someone, I would have been the perfect and obvious choice.

    I didn't know the man, nor do I know all the facts leading to this event, but there are few questions that are not being addressed. The least of which are: why were Arkansas officials serving a warrant to a Louisiana citizen, in the middle of the woods on a Sunday evening? Why was he shot with a rifle and not a pistol? If events were as reported, seems the officer would have drawn a sidearm. The use of a rifle suggests that someone was in a cover position waiting for the man.

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  18. If it is your land, then it is YOUR LAND, when you purchase land from the top to " the bottom" it is yours to do with which u please, no other man or beast has the right to trod your land.. This is American Law, has been American Law and will GOD Willing BE American Law. I see it all the time.. GOD be with you Attny M, you were wronged, May your family and friends recover from this and Dan R Keele, The Lord is with you I Promise

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  19. If it is your land, then it is YOUR LAND, when you purchase land from the top to " the bottom" it is yours to do with which u please, no other man or beast has the right to trod your land.. This is American Law, has been American Law and will GOD Willing BE American Law. I see it all the time.. GOD be with you Attny M, you were wronged, May your family and friends recover from this and Dan R Keele, The Lord is with you I Promise

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