DS McGehee hired out of nepotism, psych test waived, kills

[Gino diFonzo]

Aldo Alvarez survived his injuries actually, so the "kills" should be removed from the title of this thread.

Here's a couple links to the story:
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_...eputy-arrested

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_...ursday-morning

The concerns expressed here are still valid however; this shooting is yet another dubious PBSO OIS, rife with inconsistencies, questionable use of deadly force, political oversights, and a tragic victim.
Basically, an unarmed, mentally challenged neighbor just had to be shot multiple times, because he turned into a murderous burglar by breaching McGehee's driveway. Looks like there is no objective evidence of the claimed physical attack, malicious intent, or burglary either. If the news reports are accurate, according to McGehee's own reported account, there was no physical contact at all, besides a possible handshake! No verbal threat to do physical harm either. In fact, Alvarez is 36 years old, and it looks like he has absolutely no prior history of violence or burglary whatsoever.
I can't find any reference, in any news piece, to any object Aldo was accused of attempting to steal. How does one burgle a home from the driveway exactly, when the owner is standing in it, directly in front of you, you are attacking him, and you live directly across the street? :?

I'm sure McGehee's relationship to the Sheriff, as well as his absent psych evaluation, will guarantee a fair and impartial investigation. :wink:

And reported last night in the article telling us the "victim" got bail, and no that is not a mistake he was a victim, the evidence doesn't even match the story told. Shell casing were found in the grass and driveway and if you listened to the 911 tape MsGehee sounded like a teenager about to pee his pants. In reality he was frightened not by any actual actions of the victim, but by the victim's size and appearance. Perhaps if McGehee had had a psychological he would have been ruled out as a deputy because of his lack of maturity and inability to respond to people who are different from himself.

And reported last night in the article telling us the "victim" got bail, and no that is not a mistake he was a victim, the evidence doesn't even match the story told. Shell casing were found in the grass and driveway and if you listened to the 911 tape MsGehee sounded like a teenager about to pee his pants. In reality he was frightened not by any actual actions of the victim, but by the victim's size and appearance. Perhaps if McGehee had had a psychological he would have been ruled out as a deputy because of his lack of maturity and inability to respond to people who are different from himself.

lol cops are still human my civilian friend.

If you're 5'9 and maybe 165 lbs and you're staring up at a guy who's 6'4, 240 lbs, and acting violently towards you, ON YOUR PROPERTY, without provocation - I'll bet you'd be pissing your pants too and glad you had a gun to shoot him with.

Deputies are not supermen capable of defeating violent, mentally unstable suspects twice their size with secret ninja kung-fu skills.

Wake up and smell the reality. The "poor mentally ill neighbor" was a violent subject who has been Baker Acted many times and had no right to challenge the deputy on his own property. You would have preferred the neighbor killed or mortally wounded the deputy first before getting shot? Seriously?


All that aside, McGehee probably isn't the best deputy (yes I do know him), and yes he didn't take any of the pre-employment testing. That is definitely going to hurt him far worse than anything else.

And reported last night in the article telling us the "victim" got bail, and no that is not a mistake he was a victim, the evidence doesn't even match the story told. Shell casing were found in the grass and driveway and if you listened to the 911 tape MsGehee sounded like a teenager about to pee his pants. In reality he was frightened not by any actual actions of the victim, but by the victim's size and appearance. Perhaps if McGehee had had a psychological he would have been ruled out as a deputy because of his lack of maturity and inability to respond to people who are different from himself.

lol cops are still human my civilian friend.

If you're 5'9 and maybe 165 lbs and you're staring up at a guy who's 6'4, 240 lbs, and acting violently towards you, ON YOUR PROPERTY, without provocation - I'll bet you'd be pissing your pants too and glad you had a gun to shoot him with.

Deputies are not supermen capable of defeating violent, mentally unstable suspects twice their size with secret ninja kung-fu skills.

Wake up and smell the reality. The "poor mentally ill neighbor" was a violent subject who has been Baker Acted many times and had no right to challenge the deputy on his own property. You would have preferred the neighbor killed or mortally wounded the deputy first before getting shot? Seriously?


All that aside, McGehee probably isn't the best deputy (yes I do know him), and yes he didn't take any of the pre-employment testing. That is definitely going to hurt him far worse than anything else.

If the situation occurred exactly as McGehee described then I agree, deputy or not, nepotism or not, he did what had to be done to protect himself. However, I am not so quick to sign on to his theory of events. I think it's plausible to say that the situation went a bit like this: Alvarez started acting strangely, McGehee gets scared and shoots him.
Bradshaw and the upper administration have known McGehee for over eight years. They knew that he wouldn't pass the psychological testing to become a sworn deputy. So instead of finding him a great job in a civilian capacity they waive the testing. That is completely outrageous. The deposition of McGehee and, to a greater extent, Van Reeth are going to be interesting to read. Why would you waive, of all things, psychological testing for an applicant? There is simply no legitimate answer to that question. The answer that Barbera came up with (that since he was a former civilian employee, it was waived) doesn't hold water because all deputies that I know who were civilians prior to being sworn had to go through all the testing.

And reported last night in the article telling us the "victim" got bail, and no that is not a mistake he was a victim, the evidence doesn't even match the story told. Shell casing were found in the grass and driveway and if you listened to the 911 tape MsGehee sounded like a teenager about to pee his pants. In reality he was frightened not by any actual actions of the victim, but by the victim's size and appearance. Perhaps if McGehee had had a psychological he would have been ruled out as a deputy because of his lack of maturity and inability to respond to people who are different from himself.

lol cops are still human my civilian friend.

If you're 5'9 and maybe 165 lbs and you're staring up at a guy who's 6'4, 240 lbs, and acting violently towards you, ON YOUR PROPERTY, without provocation - I'll bet you'd be pissing your pants too and glad you had a gun to shoot him with.

Deputies are not supermen capable of defeating violent, mentally unstable suspects twice their size with secret ninja kung-fu skills.

Wake up and smell the reality. The "poor mentally ill neighbor" was a violent subject who has been Baker Acted many times and had no right to challenge the deputy on his own property. You would have preferred the neighbor killed or mortally wounded the deputy first before getting shot? Seriously?


All that aside, McGehee probably isn't the best deputy (yes I do know him), and yes he didn't take any of the pre-employment testing. That is definitely going to hurt him far worse than anything else.

This mentally challenged man was no threat except in McGehee's mind. It is obvious from all of the PBSO killings and shootings of unarmed citizens that their training is lacking in how to properly utilize the "Use-of-Force Continuum." Instead they go directly from threat to use of deadly force. Perhaps our training unit could use some new blood and training themselves. And, of course the need to go back to appropriate background and psychological testing is more than apparent.

[Gino diFonzo]

@ Excessiveforce:
Yup, here's a link to the article:
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_...d-house-arrest
I haven't heard the 911 call, but due to other facts that have been reported, I tend to agree with your general analysis.

@ Justsay No:
I think your post is absolutely true, and the Guest post just prior to yours conveys the most likely progression of events and causes. The waiving of psychological testing is unsettling to say the least.

lol cops are still human my civilian friend.

We are all human, my friend; this does not exclude anyone from having to justify the use of deadly force. For example, George Zimmerman is on trial for 2nd degree murder right now, and violent physical contact is specifically alleged, w/ physical injuries in his case. You don't have to be on your own property for "stand your ground" to apply, so I think the fact that Deputy McGehee was in his own driveway doesn't change the relevance of the Zimmerman scenario all that much (but I could be wrong).

If you're 5'9 and maybe 165 lbs and you're staring up at a guy who's 6'4, 240 lbs, and acting violently towards you, ON YOUR PROPERTY, without provocation - I'll bet you'd be pissing your pants too and glad you had a gun to shoot him with.

Not quite, but the sentiment you propose isn't unreasonable; I'd probably be hoping the piss running down my leg doesn't screw up the cell phone in my pocket so I can call the cops as I retreat into my home. :snicker: Seriously though, I think you over-simplify the situation just a tad.
To clarify, according to the Palm Beach Post article, http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/ne...ome-in-/nXkkj/ Deputy McGehee is described as being 5'10'' tall, 180lbs, and Aldo Alvarez being 6'3" tall, "over 200lbs". This doesn't exactly reflect the "David and Goliath" scenario your exaggerated figures portray.
He's still bigger than Deputy McGehee though, so I'll throw some piss your way, because McGehee had never seen Aldo before and didn't know he was his neighbor or why he was acting the fool. Also, McGehee didn't have his pistol on his person, but inside the garage as far as I can determine, so the extra confidence of knowing I had the weapon would have been mitigated somewhat by concern over whether or not I could get to it in time if needed.
But I must inquire, how does one "act violently", with no verbal threat of violence, and no real violent contact? The Post article states that Aldo attacked McGehee, but does not specify the nature of the alleged attack, and that "The deputy was not injured in the incident." Did Aldo run at Deputy McGehee? Did he throw a punch? Furthermore, from the Palm Beach Post article and Stormes' initial statement on camera, Aldo asked McGehee if he was a cop, and "was shaking the deputies arm". I don't recall ever seeing the "arm shake" promoted as a reliable way to down an opponent. I wasn't there, but it seems like Aldo was just shaking McGehee's hand out of respect for his profession.
Neighbors, mentally handicapped or not, approach property owners while they are standing in their driveways all the time "without provocation". So, this is not an act of aggression in and of itself; Aldo could have been soliciting donations for the special olympics, or just anxious to meet a real live policeman like the ones he's seen on "Cops".

Deputies are not supermen capable of defeating violent, mentally unstable suspects twice their size with secret ninja kung-fu skills.

With all due respect, the hyperbole weakens the credibility of your position. Aldo is not exactly twice Deputy McGehee's size, I haven't seen any definitive, objective evidence that he is "violent" by nature, and he wasn't a "suspect" in any crime prior to his encounter with Deputy McGehee. Furthermore, super human strength, or esoteric ninja kung-fu skills aren't needed to simply retreat and close a garage door.

Wake up and smell the reality.

Again, the hyperbole. This statement is usually employed to divert attention away from reality.

The "poor mentally ill neighbor" was a violent subject who has been Baker Acted many times . . .

Can you name at least one person that Aldo Alvarez has attacked in the past? Or can you reference an objective history of violence? Any prior arrests/convictions for example? Being Baker acted could just mean that Aldo tried to harm himself, or recklessly displaced furniture. Aldo's parents stated that he "would never hurt anyone." Unless they're liars, one can reasonably assume from this statement that Aldo has never hurt anyone, so how can you in good faith characterize Aldo as violent? (Please read these as honest questions, not rhetorical challenges).

. . . and had no right to challenge the deputy on his own property.

See now, here's the statement that bothers me, because it appears to be loaded with egotistical entitlement and laced with contempt. I'm afraid that this attitude may be far more responsible for Aldo's injuries, than anything he actually did. The addition of the bullshit burglary charge, speaks volumes.

You would have preferred the neighbor killed or mortally wounded the deputy first before getting shot? Seriously?

To answer the question directly, no, but exactly when was a determination made that Aldo was trying to KILL Deputy McGehee? Again, the hyperbole. Actually, I would have preferred that Deputy McGehee found a way to resolve the situation that didn't involve the use of deadly force, and that he and Aldo shared an ice cream in the name of community solidarity. I'd also prefer, that if Deputy McGehee is going to open fire on an unarmed man, that he be legally and morally justified in doing so, and that his story be devoid of any indefinite cliche's or vagaries:
As per the WPTV linked article, "Nine shell casings were found both inside the garage and outside the garage in the driveway and grass". How do shell casings wind up on the driveway and grass, outside the garage, when Deputy McGehee is claiming that he only opened fire because Aldo "cornered him" inside the garage? Shouldn't there only be shell casings in the corner of the garage then? And NINE? Was Aldo that fearsome, and/or is McGehee that bad a shot? Seriously, a 23' deep garage places them a maximum of 21' away from each other, and that distance hardly qualifies as being cornered! Did Deputy McGehee aim his weapon at Aldo, so Aldo could see it, and warn him he was about to get shot before he opened fire? Why did Deputy McGehee move Aldo from inside the garage to the driveway? This move in particular seems highly suspicious; wouldn't the Deputy want Aldo to be found by a third party still inside the garage to support the claim he was cornered? It isn't exactly easy to move a limp 6'3'', over 200lb body.
I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe, that Aldo is so mentally handicapped, that after he asked Deputy McGehee if he was a cop and McGehee said yes, he decided to attempt to subdue McGehee and then burglarize his house in the middle of the day. The vague details, the all-too-familiar "being aggressive" generalization, the lack of corroboration for Aldo's alleged violent behavior, the location of the shell casings and the wounded Aldo, and the psych waiver, all need to be addressed.

All that aside, McGehee probably isn't the best deputy (yes I do know him), and yes he didn't take any of the pre-employment testing. That is definitely going to hurt him far worse than anything else.

Appreciate your candor in the matter. Keep the Faith.

"It is however true that in the State of Florida, a Sheriff can deputize anyone, with absolutely no need to conduct any particular background investigation, etc. HOWEVER, to comply with FDLE standards, as well as Federal employment regulations, EVERYONE must undergo the exact same treatment with regard to the hiring practice.

So although a Sheriff can deputize Joe Blow without any background/poly/psych, or even without a LEO cert or any formal training, he can NOT legally perform the duties of Law Enforcement in the state of Florida without certain requirements being met. Of those, LE Certification, Psychological Exam, and Background Investigation are required. Polygraph/CVSA are recommended but NOT required."

The above 2 paragraphs are from page one - in response, you are mistaken. Go read the Florida Constitution. The Sheriff is the ONLY constitutional officer, and thus the HIGHEST law enforcement officer in the county. He can deputize anyone he likes, and the deputies have the SAME law enforcement capacities as the Sheriff.

Most States have the same thing, hence the reason why you hear Sheriffs all over the country saying they will arrest any Federal officers who come in to their county and try to disarm citizens.

You really need to study this and know just exactly what the role of a Sheriff is, especially since we are looking at the Fed Govt trying to take away the 2nd Amendment, whether by force or by law.

[Gino diFonzo]

Okay. You seem to be very knowledgable, so if all you say is true, why are federal marijuana busts still happening in county jurisdictions where pot has been legalized, and elected Sheriffs publicly oppose federal intervention (not rhetorical)?
I don't mean to go off-topic, so:
How does any information you've presented, challenge or address the valid concerns regarding the feckless "facts" surrounding this OIS? Do you think that the lack of psychological testing, was not a product of nepotism or negligence?