Church Fire is Arson Case - Suspect Later Died in Police Incident

[Blue Gardener]

This is interesting, I bet there's a lot more to this story other than what's being reported.

http://www.theiowachannel.com/news/4013995/detail.html

"DES MOINES, Iowa -- Investigators concluded that a fire that destroyed the historic St Mary's of Perpetual Help Rosemount Catholic Church Dec. 9 was intentionally set."

"Officials said the suspect was killed the evening of Dec. 9 in an incident with Des Moines police. If alive, Tracy Jon White, 44, would have been charged with setting the fire."

[Bluzmann57]

1. Need clarification here

Why do you say that you think there's a lot more to this story than what is being reported? Because the police officer shot the guy AFTER HE PULLED A GUN? The police are trained to defend themselves and quite frankly, if I was a cop and a suspect pulled a gun on me, I think my reaction would be that my life may be in danger and I have the right to at least wound him. Maybe the cop isn't a sharpshooter. The guy was probably moving and the cop may very well have been trying to wound him and missed. If this is not why you have questions about this case, then I'm sorry. Please enlighten me. Not familiar with the case.

[Blue Gardener]

2. I was thinking more about this guy's history

I don't blame the cops at all for shooting him, if he had a gun they have every right to defend themselves.
I'm just wondering about why this guy thought it was a good idea to burn down churches, and what led the police to him as a suspect.

[Bluzmann57]

3. Ok thanks for the clarification

Its getting old when people blame the cops for killing a man or woman when they are justified in doing so. I'm getting a bit defensive about this issue and this is coming from a guy who had several run-ins with police in my younger days. Not for arson or anything like that though.

[Blue Gardener]

4. Remember the guy in Coralville about 1-2 years ago?

Ran from the cops on his motorcycle and went through a schoolyard. They shot him, and as far as I'm concerned they really had no choice. I have a friend who had his girlfriend renting her basement at the time. By all accounts this guy was bad news, and I have very little doubt if he had been able to get to the gun he had in his backpack, he would have started shooting. The police couldn't risk that with a school full of elemetary children a few yards away.

[HuskiesHowls]

5. You left out the interesting line here....

<snip>
"It is unknown why police believe White is responsible for the church fire."
<snip>

I wonder if there's more to it, also.