James Cummings

A deputy and state trooper were shot while enforcing an eviction, by a tenant more than $4500 in arrears. A relative described the tenant as the family 'wild one' and stated that it's not 'unusual , to fight for his rights'.

Here’s the man who police say ambushed and tried to kill cops during a seven hour standoff

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Police in Carter County, Missouri have released the name of the man who they say shot two police officers on Friday, resulting in a seven hour standoff.

According to Cpl. Dallas Thompson with Missouri State Highway Patrol, the standoff ended just after 5 p.m. when the suspect surrendered to the SWAT team.

It all started when four officers were serving an eviction notice to James D. Cummings.  That’s when the 31-year-old of Van Buren, Missouri reportedly shot a deputy and a state trooper.

He’s now being held at the Butler County Jail with no bond, charged with four counts of felony first degree assault/serious physical injury and four counts of armed criminal action.

According to police, they used every negotiating tactic in the book during the standoff.

They were finally able to get him  to surrender peacefully before anyone else was hurt.

“Someone could’ve died. They just didn’t get into a little tussle on the side of the road. I mean he pulled out a weapon. If you pull out a weapon and start shooting at people you’re expecting to kill them,” said Cpl. Thompson.

Using a loud speaker, Highway Patrol SWAT spoke to him until finally he left the residence with his hands up and surrendered.

“You don’t know what you’re approaching,” said Cpl.Thompson. “You don’t know who’s in the house. You don’t know what their intents to harm you are. So when they open the door and open fire, if you are able to walk away from that with even some serious injuries you can heal from, we’re very thankful.”

A judge ordered him to leave the home on Monday and pay more than $4,500 in back rent, according to court documents.  That court order gave permission for the sheriff’s office to forcibly remove Cummings if he refused to leave the property.

They officers tried to serve the eviction notice at 9:51 a.m., and they say that’s when Cummings began firing from inside the residence.

He hit a Carter County Sheriff’s deputy and a MSHP trooper, who most likely wouldn’t have survived if they weren’t wearing bullet-resistant vests.

Sgt. Parrott says the deputy was shot three times, getting hit in the leg, groin and chest.

The trooper was shot in the shoulder and vest and was able to escape on his own.

There was another trooper was on scene when the two officers were shot, and he was able to pull the injured deputy from the porch to safety.

“Gun fire opens from inside the house you’re not sure where it’s coming from, two officers go down one was able to extricate himself. Then the other officers were able to help the (deputy) who was down and get him to safety, and get medical attention to him as quickly as possible,” said Cpl. Thompson.

Sgt. Parrott says the injuries the two sustained are considered non-life threatening.

The trooper was released from the hospital and the deputy was in stable condition at a St. Louis hospital.

According to MSHP Cpl. Dallas Thompson, a SWAT team moved in closer to the house after that.

According to police, negotiators with SWAT and FBI then spent more than six hours trying to make contact through a variety of means, including calling the house, yelling and using bull horns.

“Initially we did not have the SWAT team here yet,” said Cpl. Thomspon. “So the officers that were there were taking a tactical stance back so they could have some cover. We were trying to talk through telephone calls and no one would answer. We were trying to yell through a bull horn, no one would answer. So once we got the property equipment here for the safety of the officers that helped us out drastically.”

 
The SWAT team brought in a robot so they could  search the home without putting other officers in danger.  Their hope was to have the situation wrapped up by nightfall.

“We wish it was ended already,” said Cpl. Dallas Thompson with Missouri State Highway Patrol said before the suspect surrendered. “Once things get dark it gets even more dangerous for the officers an everyone involved.”

The brother and father of the suspect told local media outlets they also tried getting in touch with him… and couldn’t understand what had happened.

“To fight for his rights? No that’s not out of character.” said one family member. What is he like? “Hardworking, takes care of his family, he’s wilder, he’s the wild one -and I’m the responsible one,” said another family member.

After he surrendered, police spent hours searching Cummings’ home for firearms and other evidence.  They didn’t find anyone else in the home.

“Once we start getting the scene secured and start cleaning things up we are going to open that road way back up and the people that have been away from home all day trying to get back home will be able to do so. We appreciate their patience. They’ve been very nice to us, and helpful by staying out of the area,” said Cpl. Thompson.

Gov. Mike Parson weighed in on the situation in a Facebook post, saying the officers were ambushed.

 

 

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt commented on the shooting in a Tweet.

We’re glad that the two officers involved in the standoff earlier today are going to be okay, and we’re praying for a speedy recovery! This is another important reminder of the dangers our brave law enforcement face every day when protecting the communities they serve.

 

Other agencies also left messages for the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol.

 
 
LET Unity

Across state lines in Chicago, we saw another officer wounded the day before.

It happened less than 500 miles up the road.  Officers were serving a search warrant at a home in Wheeling, Illinois about 6:30 p.m. Thursday when a person fired shots from inside, striking an Illinois State Police officer.

The officer, a 32-year-old, five-year veteran of the state police, was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the release from ISP said. The trooper is expected to make a full recovery.

Fortunately, this did not wind up with another officer lost in the line of duty. We are currently closing in on 80 officers killed this year while on duty.

A person was taken into custody and is expected to appear in bond court today.

“The men and women of the Illinois State Police again and again display bravery simply by doing the job they were sworn to do,” said Brendan F. Kelly, acting ISP director. “This officer, and all first responders who responded today, showed uncommon valor in what is becoming an all too common situation.”

The warrant was being served in connection with a traffic stop earlier that day on Interstate 294. The person on the warrant was wanted on multiple felony charges including forcible detention, aggravated assault to a police officer and aggravated unlawful restraint.

The state police did not provide any more details about the traffic stop nor if the person they took into custody for the shooting was the same person they were seeking to arrest with the warrant.

Meanwhile, while the men and women in uniform are literally putting their lives on the line, politicians are using their sacrifice as literal cannon fodder for their campaign fundraising efforts.

“At least three, no wait…five, actually six officers have been shot so far.”

Virginia Delegate Mark Levine was providing a running commentary in an online, social media driven effort to solicit campaign funds, using the shootout and the officers injuries as fodder for his campaign cannon, blasting out requests for contributions to help him and other Democrats get elected in Virginia in hopes of enacting gun control.

His Facebook post, in its entirety, reads (complete with typographical errors):

“I’d be willing to lay money that the shooter(s) is/are using the kinds of mass-killing military-style assault weapons that I am trying to ban in Virginia. Since they kill humans quickly and well (but are not as good for hunting or self defense), they are the preferred weapons for mass murderers nationwide.

Virginia Republicans insist that we must allow terrorists, criminals, and gangs to have easy access to these weapons of war. They insist that Virginia voters support this and oppose background checks which would separate law-abiding gun owners from criminals.

And Virginia Republicans have said in no uncertain terms they will take NO action to reduce gun violence in Virginia until after Virginia voters go to the polls in November. That’s why they refused ANY discussion on ANY measure to stop gun violence and ended the session our Governor called which was devoted to this one issue.

Are Republicans right that Virginia voters prefer massacres over restrictions on criminals and terrorists?

Are Republicans right that we should just get used to gun violence and daily massacres?

I don’t think so. I refuse to accept that massacres should be normal in America.

What do you think?

If you agree with me that the vastly increasing rate of gun violence should never be normalized, will you contribute to help Democrats flip the Virginia Legislature? For every dollar donated today up to $10,000, I will give $2 from my campaign to a Democratic candidate who supports universal background checks and an assault weapons ban.

Go here to contribute: http://markfordelegate.com/donate

And if you’re complaining that I’m seeking to “politicize” the tragedy, I assure you that ONLY politics can stop the next one. Only a new General Assembly can write the laws that have been shown time and time again to dramatically reduce the killing.

Virginia police BEG for these gun laws year after year. Pleae contribute what you can. If you personally want to make a difference and reduce gun violence in Virginia and across the nation (where, evein in other states, many victims in the Northeast are killed by easily purchased guns), here’s your chance to make a difference.”

He was immediately called out by people who ACTUALLY know what they’re talking about on social media:

Creative wording Mr. Delegate. You ARE in fact a Delegate in Virginia, right? Are you familiar with the Virginia Code § 18.2-308.2? It is, in fact, unlawful for a felon to purchase, possess, or transport firearms. AND it is already unlawful under § 18.2-308.2:1 to sell to felons. You should look it up. I wouldn’t want you to publicly embarrass yourself by passing false or disingenuous information.

But while we’re at it, would you please define, in detail, a “mass-killing military-style assault weapon”?

Standing by for your response. But I don’t think you will. You’ll probably just delete my comment. At which point I will simply post screenshots of my post on your page.

Once again, we see a politician politicizing the suffering of people that are in a fight for their life. While all the officers were treated and released, Levine was certainly trying to capitalize on a scenario that could have turned out much worse for the initial hostages, the Philadelphia Police Department and innocent bystanders.

 

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The staff of Law Enforcement Today is comprised of mostly career cops, as well as their avid supporters. Cumulatively, we possess nearly a century of experience in the business of police work. Our backgrounds derive from the East Coast, West Coast, South and Upper Midwest. We are the voice of law enforcement, connecting with our readers throughout the entire country and uniting the Blue Family. We have our finger on the pulse of American Law Enforcement and endlessly support our brothers and sisters who hold the Thin Blue Line.

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