Man Killed By Police In Omaha, Nebraska For Possessing Cell Phone

Dateline: 1998

As he exited his vehicle after being stopped by Omaha Police Division officers,
Omaha native and Gulf War veteran Marvin Ammons was shot to death by Omaha
Police Division officers who claimed they believed the cell phone in his hand
was a handgun.

Later, after all officers were cleared of the charges, the survivors of Marvin
Ammons filed a federal lawsuit in Omaha against the Omaha Police Division.
During the proceedings of this lawsuit, Ammons family attorneys forced then
Interim Omaha Police Chief Charlie Circo to release tape recordings in the
police's possession of Ammons and his cell phone calls.

Later still, the Douglas County, Nebraska judiciary announced that no requests
were ever made by the Omaha Police Division for wiretap permission nor had any
Douglas County, Nebraska judge ever issued any wiretap order, EVER. This was
printed in the Omaha World Herald with a Douglas County judge making the
statement.

Douglas County is the legal entity presiding over the city of Omaha, Nebraska.

Yet, the Omaha Police Division claimed the stop of the vehicle driven by Marvin
Ammons was a routine traffic stop. The man had broken no laws, and they
murdered him for having a cell phone in his hand.

The federal judge presiding over the case denied Ammon's family attorneys the
option of presenting the wiretapped recordings in court and the lawsuit was
dropped.

Later still, the nephew of Marvin Ammons was arrested in another so called
routine traffic stop where the OPD discovered a handgun and quantity of
marijuana. Apparently, the police, who had been conducting illegal wiretap
surveillance on the Ammons family had confused the voice of Marvin Ammons with
that of his nephew and were on their guns ready to kill when they stopped the
vehicle of Marvin Ammons prior to his nephew's arrest.

The entire episode is being covered up to this day. Not a finger was lifted by
the cellular service providers in the Omaha, Nebraska area, including Sprint
PCS, to protect their customers from surveillance by the police or other
criminal eavesdroppers, nor was any effort by the FCC or any other federal
agency to bring the police and their informants to justice.

And you want me to buy a cellular telephone?

---

› See More: Man Killed By Police In Omaha, Nebraska For Possessing Cell Phone

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (NiceGuyTJ) wrote:

> And you want me to buy a cellular telephone?

I'm real sure you can find some story you don't like about a butter
knife, too.

Have fun spreading mayo with your fork.

You're a lunatic.

so they just decided to pick someone to wiretap and it happened to be
him? wtf are u trying to say man, obviously it was a random
wiretap...ya right.


On 09 Nov 2003 23:07:09 GMT, [email protected] (NiceGuyTJ) wrote:

>Dateline: 1998
>
>As he exited his vehicle after being stopped by Omaha Police Division officers,
>Omaha native and Gulf War veteran Marvin Ammons was shot to death by Omaha
>Police Division officers who claimed they believed the cell phone in his hand
>was a handgun.
>
>Later, after all officers were cleared of the charges, the survivors of Marvin
>Ammons filed a federal lawsuit in Omaha against the Omaha Police Division.
>During the proceedings of this lawsuit, Ammons family attorneys forced then
>Interim Omaha Police Chief Charlie Circo to release tape recordings in the
>police's possession of Ammons and his cell phone calls.
>
>Later still, the Douglas County, Nebraska judiciary announced that no requests
>were ever made by the Omaha Police Division for wiretap permission nor had any
>Douglas County, Nebraska judge ever issued any wiretap order, EVER. This was
>printed in the Omaha World Herald with a Douglas County judge making the
>statement.
>
>Douglas County is the legal entity presiding over the city of Omaha, Nebraska.
>
>Yet, the Omaha Police Division claimed the stop of the vehicle driven by Marvin
>Ammons was a routine traffic stop. The man had broken no laws, and they
>murdered him for having a cell phone in his hand.
>
>The federal judge presiding over the case denied Ammon's family attorneys the
>option of presenting the wiretapped recordings in court and the lawsuit was
>dropped.
>
>Later still, the nephew of Marvin Ammons was arrested in another so called
>routine traffic stop where the OPD discovered a handgun and quantity of
>marijuana. Apparently, the police, who had been conducting illegal wiretap
>surveillance on the Ammons family had confused the voice of Marvin Ammons with
>that of his nephew and were on their guns ready to kill when they stopped the
>vehicle of Marvin Ammons prior to his nephew's arrest.
>
>The entire episode is being covered up to this day. Not a finger was lifted by
>the cellular service providers in the Omaha, Nebraska area, including Sprint
>PCS, to protect their customers from surveillance by the police or other
>criminal eavesdroppers, nor was any effort by the FCC or any other federal
>agency to bring the police and their informants to justice.
>
>And you want me to buy a cellular telephone?

NiceGuyTJ wrote:
> Dateline: 1998
>
> As he exited his vehicle after being stopped by Omaha Police Division officers,
> Omaha native and Gulf War veteran Marvin Ammons was shot to death by Omaha
> Police Division officers who claimed they believed the cell phone in his hand
> was a handgun.
>
> Later, after all officers were cleared of the charges, the survivors of Marvin
> Ammons filed a federal lawsuit in Omaha against the Omaha Police Division.
> During the proceedings of this lawsuit, Ammons family attorneys forced then
> Interim Omaha Police Chief Charlie Circo to release tape recordings in the
> police's possession of Ammons and his cell phone calls.
>
> Later still, the Douglas County, Nebraska judiciary announced that no requests
> were ever made by the Omaha Police Division for wiretap permission nor had any
> Douglas County, Nebraska judge ever issued any wiretap order, EVER. This was
> printed in the Omaha World Herald with a Douglas County judge making the
> statement.
>
> Douglas County is the legal entity presiding over the city of Omaha, Nebraska.
>
> Yet, the Omaha Police Division claimed the stop of the vehicle driven by Marvin
> Ammons was a routine traffic stop. The man had broken no laws, and they
> murdered him for having a cell phone in his hand.
>
> The federal judge presiding over the case denied Ammon's family attorneys the
> option of presenting the wiretapped recordings in court and the lawsuit was
> dropped.
>
> Later still, the nephew of Marvin Ammons was arrested in another so called
> routine traffic stop where the OPD discovered a handgun and quantity of
> marijuana. Apparently, the police, who had been conducting illegal wiretap
> surveillance on the Ammons family had confused the voice of Marvin Ammons with
> that of his nephew and were on their guns ready to kill when they stopped the
> vehicle of Marvin Ammons prior to his nephew's arrest.
>
> The entire episode is being covered up to this day. Not a finger was lifted by
> the cellular service providers in the Omaha, Nebraska area, including Sprint
> PCS, to protect their customers from surveillance by the police or other
> criminal eavesdroppers, nor was any effort by the FCC or any other federal
> agency to bring the police and their informants to justice.
>
> And you want me to buy a cellular telephone?

Whether you obtain a cell phone for anyone's use is up to you.
Whether it, or anything else, is in your hands when the police point
guns at you is their business. Picking an argument with the police on
the side of the road is the last thing anyone needs. If anything's
improper with the situation, there'll be a far better opportunity to
straighten things out later. Forgetting these altruisms could be fatal.


--
jer email reply - I am not a 'ten' ICQ = 35253273
"All that we do is touched with ocean, yet we remain on the shore of
what we know." -- Richard Wilbur

If you don't believe what has been said on this post, check out the archives of
the Omaha World Herald.

The details are in the article reporting on the progess of the Ammon's family's
lawsuit.

Marvin Ammon's cell phone killed him in more ways than one.

"NiceGuyTJ" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Dateline: 1998
>
> As he exited his vehicle after being stopped by Omaha Police Division
officers,
> Omaha native and Gulf War veteran Marvin Ammons was shot to death by Omaha
> Police Division officers who claimed they believed the cell phone in his
hand
> was a handgun.
>
> Later, after all officers were cleared of the charges, the survivors of
Marvin
> Ammons filed a federal lawsuit in Omaha against the Omaha Police Division.
> During the proceedings of this lawsuit, Ammons family attorneys forced
then
> Interim Omaha Police Chief Charlie Circo to release tape recordings in the
> police's possession of Ammons and his cell phone calls.
>
> Later still, the Douglas County, Nebraska judiciary announced that no
requests
> were ever made by the Omaha Police Division for wiretap permission nor had
any
> Douglas County, Nebraska judge ever issued any wiretap order, EVER. This
was
> printed in the Omaha World Herald with a Douglas County judge making the
> statement.
>
> Douglas County is the legal entity presiding over the city of Omaha,
Nebraska.
>
> Yet, the Omaha Police Division claimed the stop of the vehicle driven by
Marvin
> Ammons was a routine traffic stop. The man had broken no laws, and they
> murdered him for having a cell phone in his hand.
>
> The federal judge presiding over the case denied Ammon's family attorneys
the
> option of presenting the wiretapped recordings in court and the lawsuit
was
> dropped.
>
> Later still, the nephew of Marvin Ammons was arrested in another so called
> routine traffic stop where the OPD discovered a handgun and quantity of
> marijuana. Apparently, the police, who had been conducting illegal wiretap
> surveillance on the Ammons family had confused the voice of Marvin Ammons
with
> that of his nephew and were on their guns ready to kill when they stopped
the
> vehicle of Marvin Ammons prior to his nephew's arrest.
>
> The entire episode is being covered up to this day. Not a finger was
lifted by
> the cellular service providers in the Omaha, Nebraska area, including
Sprint
> PCS, to protect their customers from surveillance by the police or other
> criminal eavesdroppers, nor was any effort by the FCC or any other federal
> agency to bring the police and their informants to justice.
>
> And you want me to buy a cellular telephone?

A Google search turned up this:

(http://www.ratdogdick.com/askratdog/rd092198.shtml)

"First, we determined the Omaha incident really did occur. The World-Herald
was all over the story, reporting that suspect Marvin Ammons approached
Sears' patrol car with a gun, first in his waistband, and then waving it
crazily over his head. Post-mortem testing placed Ammons' alcohol level at
..203 -- twice the legal limit in Nebraska -- and traces of cocaine were
found in his urine."

The only reference I was able to find regarding a cell phone was from a
CROATION mobile phone site (http://www.mobil.hr/)

"Nakon sto je policija Nebraske zaustavila automobil, van je izasao muskarac
i posegnuo rukom u dzep za mobilnim telefonom. Panicno reagiravsi policajaci
su poceli pucati misleci da muskarac, kasnije identificiran kao Marvin
Ammons u ruci drzi oruzje. Marvin je preminuo a u ruci mu je ostao mobitel.
Policajci su krivicno gonjeni i oslobodeni po svim tockama optuznice. Marvin
je bio zaustavljen tjekom rutinskog policijskog nadzora i nije napravio
nikakav prekrsaj osim sto je posegnuo za mobilnim telefonom. Obitelj
poginulog ulozila je zalbu ustavnom sudu. Slucaj se dogodio 1998 godine.
Autor: Tomislav Vinsek"

The Omaha Weekly Reader
(http://www.thereader.com/createpage.asp?ContentID=1453) has this story
regarding the officer involved:

"Todd Sears Retires
The pension board granted Todd Sears, the Omaha Police officer who shot and
killed Marvin Ammons in 1997, his request to retire. Sears said he was
suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He will receive more than
$30,000 for his yearly pension."

The only information regarding a lawsuit was from Yorknewstimes.com
(http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories...21000009.shtml)

Web posted Monday, August 21, 2000

Ammons shooting case closed

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The last lawsuit from the police shooting of Marvin
Ammons was dismissed last week.

The lawsuit was dismissed Thursday by Douglas County District Judge Richard
J. Spethman at the request of attorneys for the city and Douglas County.

The lawsuit had been filed by Ammons' mother, Ollie Marie Reaves, and
father, Leon Ammons, who died before the case could be heard.

The family claimed that the city and county acted together in keeping them
from seeing their son's body after he was shot by police Oct. 26, 1997.

When they did see him, the body was in poor condition, the family alleged.

Ammons' internal organs could be seen in a nearby bucket.

The judge ruled the body was evidence in a possible crime, and the city and
the county coroner were performing their duties in preserving the body.

There is no legal obligation for police to provide family members with
access to a body after a possible crime, the judge said.

Spethman also found the family viewed the body in a similar condition at a
mortuary where officials no longer had control of the body.

Ammons family attorney David Herzog said the decision disappointed him and
he planned to consult the family to see if any more action will be taken.

The police and coroner had an obligation to make sure the body and bullet
wounds were not disturbed after the shooting, Assistant City Attorney Tom
Mumgaard said.

The shooting of Ammons during a police traffic stop raised concerns in Omaha
about police tactics and racial tensions. Ammons was black while the
officers involved, Todd Sears and Troy Kister, are white.

The officers were cleared of wrongdoing.