Bad guys come to Texas...got more than they bargained for

[Salt USMC]

Yesterday, two gunmen in Texas tried to pull off Charlie Ebdo 2.0 outside of a "Draw Muhammad" contest, with predictable results

http://news.yahoo.com/officer-shooting-muhammad-cartoon-contest-texas-005227724.html

City: 2 gunmen killed outside Muhammad cartoon contest
GARLAND, Texas (AP) — Two gunmen were killed Sunday after opening fire on a security officer outside a provocative contest for cartoon depictions of Prophet Muhammad in Texas and a bomb squad was called in to search their vehicle as a precaution, authorities said.


The men drove up to the Curtis Culwell Center in the Dallas suburb of Garland as the contest was scheduled to end and began shooting at a security officer, the City of Garland said in a statement. Garland police officers returned fire, killing the men.

"Because of the situation of what was going on today and the history of what we've been told has happened at other events like this, we are considering their car (is) possibly containing a bomb," Officer Joe Harn, a spokesman for the Garland Police Department, said at a news conference.

Police are not aware of any ongoing threat and had not received any credible threats before the event, Harn said.

Harn said it was not immediately clear whether the shooting was connected to the event inside, a contest hosted by the New York-based American Freedom Defense Initiative that would award $10,000 for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Such drawings are deemed insulting to many followers of Islam and have sparked violence around the world. According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad — even a respectful one — is considered blasphemous.

While I think events like "Draw Muhammad" contests and similar events are pretty crass, their existence doesn't justify violence. And shit, attempting a shooting in Texas? What were these derka douchebags thinking?

 

[Marine0311]

Yesterday, two gunmen in Texas tried to pull off Charlie Ebdo 2.0 outside of a "Draw Muhammad" contest, with predictable results

http://news.yahoo.com/officer-shooting-muhammad-cartoon-contest-texas-005227724.html


While I think events like "Draw Muhammad" contests and similar events are pretty crass, their existence doesn't justify violence. And shit, attempting a shooting in Texas? What were these derka douchebags thinking?

The last thoughts they had were "What a stupid idea this was now I've been shot in the hea....."

 

[Raptor]

Thankfully they weren't as good at hitting their targets as the officers.

 

[DA SWO]

We need some Hank Hill clip art.

Those inside had a pretty good reaction also.

 

[DA SWO]

From the twitterverse:

 

[nobodythank you]

From the twitterverse:

View attachment 13181

I don't care who you are, that shit is funny. This man won the internets.

 

[racing_kitty]

Their first mistake was assuming they had outgunned an art show in Texas.

Supposedly, one of the decedents had a grenade on his person in addition to small arms. However, that tidbit appears to have been scrubbed from the final report on the WFAA website. That would go a whole lot further in giving EOD justification to utilize multiple exploratory water charges while clearing the suspect vehicle of any potential explosive hazards than, say, an arbitrary urge to pop some dead Muslim's car open like a crushed tuna can with as much gusto as is allowed in the middle of a metropolitan area. They also had to verify that the deceased, themselves, did not pose an explosive hazard to the public.

I miss my old job, lol.

 

[DA SWO]

Our elected officials don't seem too upset either, unlike other big cities.

 

[Kraut783]

Two Muslim subjects travel from Arizona to Texas to shoot up "Draw the Prophet" event.

Garland Officer put them down....good job!!

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/2015/05/03/garland-curtis-culwell-center-swat/26848435/

long night for a lot of us......

 

[Kraut783]

Dang it....didn't see the earlier post!! Sorry guys.

 

[Totentanz]

Dang it....didn't see the earlier post!! Sorry guys.

I moved the posts from that thread into this one; let's keep this thread for discussion of the attack. If there are issues relevant to the Second Amendment or Gun Control topics, those are open for discussion in that thread. As it stands, however, most of the posts above pertain more heavily to the details of the attacks and the law enforcement response, and are more appropriately discussed separately.

 

[8654Maine]

Great job!

 

[racing_kitty]

Considering who the organizers of the event were (Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer), it really comes as no surprise at all that the attack took place. As was mentioned in the WFAA article I linked to in my first post, they were smart enough to shell out $10,000 to the local PD for added security at the venue.

For those who are questioning how it was that they could even find a venue to host the event to start with, hiring off duty SWAT officers to provide overwatch probably had everything to do with Garland ISD agreeing to it in the first place. Whether they agreed with the message or disagreed with the message but not the right to say it, even the most sympathetic property managers will decline to host an event if they feel that the risks inherent in that event are not properly mitigated. Do you think the Stux Gallery in NYC would have ever agreed to display "Piss Christ" if there was a credible threat that Opus Dei was going to kick in the doors and shoot up the place? I'm not talking about small caliber vandalism of polarizing art work, I mean actually shooting to kill or injure the patrons who were in attendance to support the artist.

While it may be considered crass to denigrate someone's religion, no matter which one it is and how badly you think it deserves denigration (and those of you reading this know I am referring to my own well-known bias, among others), nobody has the right to do physical harm to those who engage in said disparagement. However, we should be thankful that there are those who embrace the stereotype so thoroughly as to make identification of risk as easy as tying your shoe. Stereotypes aren't always wrong...

 

[Muppet]

That escalated quickly...

M.

 

[HOLLiS]

From the twitterverse:

View attachment 13181

Voted the best artwork by me........... Amazing what one can do with a piece of chalk.

 

[Marauder06]

Considering who the organizers of the event were what the event was about, it really comes as no surprise at all that the attack took place. ...

 

[TLDR20]

Yeah that event was basically a dare to attack, suprise! What cracked me up was the SWAT cops with suppressed M-4's, because that is neccesary in the states.

 

[racing_kitty]

@Marauder06 , while I don't disagree with your correction, the organizers have gigantic targets on their backs. These days, I'm not sure they could host an ice cream social completely devoid of all religious references without having to hire armed security to protect the event. That is not so much an indictment of them as it is of those who wish to kill them in the name of their deity.

 

[x SF med]

More wars are fought over GOD than gold.

 

[0699]

Yeah that event was basically a dare to attack, suprise! What cracked me up was the SWAT cops with suppressed M-4's, because that is neccesary in the states.

That was the fattest SWAT team I've ever seen. I wonder when they last took the PRT...