In a growing controversy with the local Vietnamese community, San Jose police have refused to release 9-1-1 tapes that would clarify what they knew about Daniel Pham’s mental health. Pham, 27, was shot dead in Berryessa on Mother’s Day after allegedly slashing his brother’s throat. His family claims they informed police that he was mentally ill.
The San Jose Mercury News today reports that Sgt. Ronnie Lopez says releasing the tapes would interfere with the integrity of an ongoing investigation. Other police officers have called for greater transparency in handling the sensitive case.
A more appropriate headline, “San Jose Mercury Desperate to Create Controversy in Pham Shooting.”
How absolutely pathetic. The “controversy” alleged in the opening sentence of the piece is nowhere supported in the article. A dead suspect’s angry father and one prissy activist does not a controversy make. The “refusal” alleged is nothing more than a case of the police department following a standard procedure which, on this particular occasion, doesn’t sit well with the muckrakers at our local newsletter.
I suspect we’d get better journalism from the Mercury if local merchants would quit “refusing” to advertise in it.
Why is Metro/SJI regurgitating the Merc’s flawed reporting?
The purpose of alternative media to provide an independent voice. You’re letting us down!
“Pham, 27, was shot dead in Berryessa on Mother’s Day after allegedly slashing his brother’s throat.”
Give me a break! So I guess now the SJPD needs to take courses in Psychology before stopping a crazy person, who usually has 10 times the strength of a “normal” person, from murdering people.
The irresponsibility of the Mercury News reporting something like this, in the manner in which it has is just appalling. The investigation isn’t even concluded, and SJPD is already being blamed for a mentally ill man’s attack on his family. Unbelievable really.
This 911 is called EVIDENCE. The Mercury or SJI is not the JURY, much as they would like to be so. This evidence, along with the other evidence, will be provided to the jury at the Grand Jury hearing to protect both the person calling 911 and the officers and the integrity of the case. The 911 tapes will be released, just not on the Mercury’s timetable. As a note, when this article was released in the Mercury the posters were so negative towards the article the Mercury practiced censorship and erased the posts at least 3 different times.
Whether Mr. Pham was sane or a raging lunatic has little bearing on what is an appropriate police response when they reach a scene with knowledge that the knife-woelding man confronting them has already slashed one throat. The response should be to the conditions at the scene. When confronted with a knife-wielding person who presents an immediuate threat to life and limb, consulting with a shrink is not realistic. This ain’t T.V., and if a cop dies, he stays dead.
#2—all the news that fits Metro’s agenda, they reprint.
#6 said, “Whether Mr. Pham was sane or a raging lunatic has little bearing on what is an appropriate police response”.
Maybe Mr. Pham should have downsized, especially in these uncertain times. I remember back in the booming 1990’s, I was paranoid and delusional, but now I’m just nuts. People need to cut back.
I have counted 5 different times that the Mercury has “updated” the original article, thus causing all prior posts to be deleted.
There is no material difference in the 5 different “updates” with a few words changed.
Since the majority of the posts pointed out how ridiculous both the reporter (use that term lightly) Sean Webby, along with the Mercury is for trying to create some new “controversy”, it seems obvious the Mercury is practicing censorship by deleting negative posts. This is disgraceful and the antithesis of what a newspaper should strive for as a cornerstone of its own purpose and existence.
The Mercury is going under because they have forgotten how to report objectively and factually, while trying to squash criticism or its articles.
Wow. I think maybe we need another article on the growing controversy between the police department and the ‘people who love their relatives’ community.
And I can’t believe how acceptable it is, in this day and age, to just claim ‘others say . . .’
‘Other police officers’. Citation please. ‘Other journalists’ wouldn’t be caught dead turning in this copy.
#7 Congratulations! Ah,the wonders of modern pharmacology.
You said:“Maybe Mr. Pham should have downsized.” Maybe Mr. Pham should not have slit a relative’s throat; maybe he should have taken his meds as you did; maybe he should not have advanced on police officers while waving a knife.
#8—do any reporters remain at the Murky News, or are they all just pursuing their personal editorial policy in every article they write?
#9—Scott Herhold is no Joe Friday. He wants only those facts that fit his conclusion.
Since Herhold seems to think he knows so much about what mistakes the Police make, I make a motion that we send Herhold, not the Police, out on the next domestic violence call that has a weapon involved. We can have him wear a microphone, and camera on his person, so that when he gets the crap knocked out of him, we can all see it first hand. Can I get a second?
#11—you got a REASOUNDING second from me. Hey, why stop there?? Send Weeby and Raj out there, as well. Let’s have them confront a crazed individual weilding a deadly weapon and see if their squishy/toucy-feely talking to him and his relatives works.
Scott Herhold continues to attack SJPD because they will not release the 911 tape [1].
What is Mr. Herhold’s objective here asking for police to release only one tiny and probably useless piece of evidence? Why is Mr. Herhold not asking for an early release of witness statements, officer statements, autopsy reports, evidence that would be much more likely to show exactly what happened?
We can only conclude that Mr. Herhold’s objective is to generate controversy where there is none. Mr. Herhold knows that a conclusion about the shooting can only come from evaluating all the evidence in total. Instead Mr. Herhold takes the low road trying to inflame the community for what? More advertising dollars?
[1] http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_12462717?nclick_check=1#article_comments