Derek Copp is name of Grand Valley student shot, injured by police during drug raid

ElCoolMagnefico

ElCoolMagnefico

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Messages
84
this happened at a school about an hour south of mine. in ann arbor, a few hours east, the penalty for possession is a $25 fine. this guy was shot in the chest.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALLENDALE -- Apartment neighbors of Grand Valley State University student Derek Copp say they cannot fathom what prompted police to shoot him late Wednesday in a drug-related raid.


Courtesy Photo
Derek Copp
But they said they were aware of marijuana odors in the complex.

If you came down the hallway at the right time, you could smell the smoke," said Joe Putra, whose apartment door is in the same Campus View Apartments hallway as the shooting victim.

The 20-year-old student was in serious condition at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.

Copp, a Spring Arbor native, has been at GVSU since 2007, the same year he graduated from Jackson Community College, according to his page on Facebook. He identifies himself as "a left-wing hippie peace-keeping liberal," who is seeking a film and video degree.

Copp plays the guitar and often volunteers at music festivals to see favorite bands for free, the social networking page states.

Putra described the wounded student as a "real nice guy" who was easy going. He said people would "come and go" to the apartment often, particularly last fall.

Still, he wondered why the student was shot.

"It must have been something more than just weed," he said.

Police said five officers with the West Michigan Enforcement Team, a regional drug unit, executed a search warrant on the apartment about 9 p.m. Wednesday.

An Ottawa County sheriff's detective assigned to WEMET fired one shot at the student, hitting him in the upper right chest. The student was unarmed, but police would not say whether they thought he posed a threat or what happened during the raid. The 12-year veteran deputy is on paid leave pending an investigation.

Michigan State police Lt. Cameron Henke also refused to disclose whether police found any drugs in the apartment.

Police discuss GVSU shooting

Brian Gardner, owner of Campus View Apartments, said such an incident has never happened in the complex's 42-year history. He described the complex as a quiet place where many of the university's more studious students live.

"This was just a once-in-a-blue-moon incident," he said.

He said students who live there sign a "no party" agreement that prohibits kegs and essentially classifies any gathering of more than eight people as a party.

"That's why it's so disappointing this happened," he said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/03/derek_copp_is_name_of_grand_va.html
 
no its not once in a blue moon. get that "peace officer" off tax payer pay roll for shooting an unarmed man. The hippie gave him a flower & he probably couldnt handle it so he had to shoot him instead of opening his heart.
 
All this for a hippie who was suspected of selling weed, they treated him like some crack dealer with a gun. AndI bet they didn't find anything either if they won't say. Usually they'll gloat.
 
ElCoolMagnefico said:
He said students who live there sign a "no party" agreement that prohibits kegs and essentially classifies any gathering of more than eight people as a party.

"That's why it's so disappointing this happened," he said.
Click to expand...

What the fuck? You're disappointed in the college student who smoked weed, a non-criminal activity no more illegal than taking the tag off your pillow, instead of being disappointed in the police officers who are supposed to protect the inhabitants of your complex and instead are shooting them for no apparent reason? I hope you're next you self-righteous asshole. I don't think this kid was shot because he had a keg or a party.
 
Ason Unique said:
All this for a hippie who was suspected of selling weed, they treated him like some crack dealer with a gun. AndI bet they didn't find anything either if they won't say. Usually they'll gloat.
Click to expand...

yeah if the kid even had an ounce of bud they would have claimed to have seized over a thousand dollars in drugs.

fucking pigs. that shit in cali have their trigger fingers itching?
 
Shooting of Grand Valley student Derek Copp could be career-ender for Ottawa Deputy Ryan Huizenga, who faces criminal charge
by John Tunison, Nate Reens and Barton Deiters
The Grand Rapids Press
April 06, 2009
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/04/shooting_of_grand_valley_stude.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP -- The gunshot that almost ended Grand Valley State University student Derek Copp's life last month during a drug raid at his apartment could finish the law enforcement career of Ottawa County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Huizenga.

Huizenga, a 38-year-old with 12 years on the force, will lose his state certification if convicted of careless discharge of a weapon causing injury or death -- the two-year high-court misdemeanor charge authorized Monday by Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Fink.

"If he's found guilty and a conviction is entered, it's a shall-revoke scenario," said Larry Jones, the chief investigator for the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. The state agency licenses police officers.


Huizenga is accused of shooting Copp on March 11 when he and other officers on a regional drug team served a search warrant for alleged marijuana sales at Copp's off-campus residence.

Copp, 20, was hit once in the chest by a .40-caliber handgun bullet when he went to a glass sliding door and pulled open the blinds after police knocked, a source familiar with the investigation said.

A gun-mounted flashlight shined in his eyes, causing him to raise a hand to deflect the light.

That's when Huizenga fired at Copp, who was not armed and not aggressive toward officers, the source said. The officer was among those who performed first-aid on Copp while they waited for an ambulance.

The source said police or a confidential informant had bought marijuana more than once at Copp's apartment, providing the evidence for the search warrant.

A telephone message left at Huizenga's home was not returned.

A Press reporter seeking comment at the deputy's home was turned away by two Ottawa County sheriff's deputies who advised him about trespassing laws. The deputies were in uniform and in a sheriff's cruiser.

Ottawa County Undersheriff Greg Steigenga said he was not aware of any deputies being assigned near Huizenga's home and planned to investigate the incident.

"It wasn't something that was sanctioned through our department," he said.

Sheriff's officials changed Huizenga's employment status from paid to unpaid leave on Monday after the charges were announced.

With a criminal case and internal review under way, Steigenga could not say what would happen to the deputy's career.

"It's a process we continue to work through," he said.

Huizenga is expected to be arraigned in Hudsonville District Court next week, Fink said. The Kalamazoo prosecutor was assigned the case after Ottawa Prosecutor Ron Frantz removed himself because he's a board member of the drug unit.

Huizenga is entitled to a probable cause hearing at the district court level, and if a judge finds sufficient evidence, the deputy would go to trial in circuit court.

It wasn't immediately clear if Ottawa County judges would handle the case.

Copp, a film student from the Jackson area, has been in and out of the hospital since the bullet pierced his chest, fractured two ribs and hit a lung and his liver.

The victim's father, George Copp, did not want to discuss the charges. Of his son's condition, he said: "He certainly could be better."

The family's attorney, Fred Dilley, said they are pleased by the rapid and thorough investigation.

"This is a tragedy for all involved, and Derek looks forward to getting life back to normal as soon as possible," Dilley said.

Fink, the prosecutor, said the state police investigation showed the gun was discharged in a reckless, negligent or careless manner.

Huizenga eventually did talk to an investigator, after initially refusing on the advice of police union officials, Fink said.

Copp, meanwhile, has yet to be charged with any crime. Officers found a small amount of marijuana in his apartment, Dilley said earlier.
 
Last edited:
The thing that fucks with me most about this is those close-minded assholes on other message boards that tend to say (in an uninformed manner) "Fuck that druggie, he got what he deserved."

People are SO fucking ignorant. When a government intentionally misinforms the public concerning topics of drugs, how can we trust what they say when scientific, practical knowledge directly contradicts the negative propaganda that they insist is accurate regardless of YEARS of contrary evidence
 
The war on drugs has enabled a totalitarian police state to rise and strangle freedom. Americans used to be free. The US has become like Nazi Germany or communist China.
 
fuckin scary.. lock ur doors and don't respond to late night knocks at the windows, johnny law might want to pop you in the chest for the roaches under your bed and the five bag you spotted your friend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top