WDTN Dayton Ohio Weather and News |Police ID officer & victim i...

[voice of reason]

Just remember everyone that the News does NOT always get it right. I have listened to news stories where I have first hand knowledge of events and they never get it right. They've tried to paint Officer Cornwell as trigger happy. As far as any of us know, the only other time he's shot someone was only AFTER he was shot point blank in the chest. That was five years ago. Surely, if he was "trigger-happy" as some of you people have commented, we would have heard about it before now. Five years is a long time on any police force, let alone Dayton's police force. If you are so brave, you go to school, do the training, and sign up to be someone who has the guts to go into a city every day where there's more violence than you can fathom. Then you go out and try to protect all the ungrateful people out there who refuse to cooperate with police investigations when there are drive-by shootings, robberies, etc. Then those same people get their 15 minutes of fame by going on the news and saying the police don't do anything to protect them. I'm sure you'd like to sign up for that, right? Cut the officer a break. He didn't act recklessly. He identified himself, told Labensky to surrender, Labensky refused, then posed and imminent threat to the officers as well as anyone in his way. Tasers wouldn't have done anything with the windows up, and I'm pretty sure a car will still move if the tires are blown out, at least for a little while. That is, long enough to do serious and/or fatal damage to someone. I would like to thank Officer Cornwell for doing his job and protecting all those people.

[none]

We'll never know what would have happened if he shot the tire out, will we?

We'll never know what would have happened if he shot Lary once in the shoulder, will we?

He shot 5 times, to kill!

[i know]

none ... you dont shoot tires out with people and cops all around. that would be like shooting a robber in a mall or in a school. why dont you teach cops to shoot tires and in the leg/ shoulders.

[none]

Let's end this string and let Lary rest in peace.

[Darrin]

is this society for real. I feel for larrys family srry for your loss and intend no disrespect.When you are ask to pull over by a police officer you do so .This is a perfect example of why.OK larry wasnt the robber but larry looked very close and in a car chase in night im sure its hard to get a posotive id untill you get the car stopped.Larry wasnt stopping and ended up in someones yard back yard at that seems like larry was a threat.Larry had to see the bright light behind him and since its not xmas we can rule out that santa clause was in pursuit of larry. Itsa scarey world for you and me and even they cops who put thier lifes on the line for us daily. Put your self in thier shoes and tell us what you would do. Would you hsave used your super esp power to find out oopz we are chasin wrong thief this one only stole a car.Would you have used your super streangth to grab the back bumper pik the car up and toss it to a safe place so as no cops or car thiefs get hurt. realy switch shoes n tell us the best way

[40 tons]

I guess I just wonder how I would feel if that house in the cruisercam was mine. I would be glad that nobody else was injured but the man who was BREAKING THE LAW. What if he had driven into that house and killed a child who had never hurt anyone? what if it was your child?
I do feel for the family, I lost my uncle a while ago to an overdose. I don't blame the dope dealer, I blame my uncle.
Any realistic law abiding citizen will see the officer did his job by the book. I would also like to thank officer cornwell for doing a fine job of keeping the streets safe while working in a thankless profession. Keep your head high!

[Wake up People]

After reading these posts, I am amazed at how out of touch people are with reality. Remember, this isn’t Hollywood, it is real life. Everyone is placing the responsibility of larry’s death on the police for ‘not shooting out his tires’ or shooting him in and arm/leg that wouldn’t have been fatal. Come on people.
His death is tragic regardless of how you look at it, but remember that it was larry’s decisions that led to his death. People say that he was unarmed. I say that he was armed with a 4,000lbs weapon that kills more people each year than handguns. So what if he "may" have been stuck in the mud and spinning tires. Would you wait for a gunman to pull the trigger of a gun first before firing to make sure his gun was loaded?

Larry had numerous opportunities to stop the events that led to his death that night:
1. He could have pulled over right away and allowed the police to sort things. He didn’t.
2. He could have ended the chase and surrendered. He didn’t.
3. After ramming a house, fence, etc he again could have placed the vehicle in park exited the car and surrendered. He didn’t.
For everyone throwing around the suggestions of how the cops could have handled things differently, you should be asking those same things of larry.

How many of you making comments have ever actually shot a handgun? How many have shot a handgun under great stress?(i.e. someone else shooting at you or attempting to run you over?) When faced with a threat and under stress, you can’t be expected to aim for and hit someone’s arm or leg so that the shot isn’t fatal. Isn't the whole point of shooting someone to essentially kill them? This isn’t Hollywood where you can shoot a gun out of someone’s hand from 40 ft or aim for thieir knee or shoulder. The first priority is to stop the threat, center mass, generally at least 2 shots. Even after being shot twice at center mass, it is still possible for the person to still be able to continue the attack for 30 seconds or more (or in this case driving the car) at which point you continue to shoot until the threat has ceased. To blame the cops for not shooting him in the arm or leg instead is just ludicrous.

If I am ever face to face with a cop with his weapon drawn, I am sure going to listen to what he tells me to do. Being able to sort things out later in a court of law is sure better than pushing daisies from 6ft under!

[Cass]

you people say stop judging the cop he was doing his job well at the time the cop knew nothing about Larry none of this criminal stuff so but like it was stated earlier how could he have heard them identifying himself when the windows were rolled up? lets stop harping on it all and let the professionals (Internal Affairs of the Dayton City Police Dept.) take care of it they will decide if what he did was right or wrong they are the experts right?

[It Doesnt Matter]

obviously no one on here has even seen the cruiser cam video. on one cruiser there is 15 seconds from the time the cop car is stopped to the time Lary was shot. All that is heard on that video is "Get out of the car! Get out of the car! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!" an in another cruiser video none of that is even recorded and all you hre is the motor of the car reving.... it sounds to me like a rookie cop lost his composure and shot a man who was scared for his likfe and trying to get away and the dayton police, by the way who are a bunch of wortheless people, are trying to cover it up!

[GiveMeLiberty]

Just a guy wrote:

<quoted text>
Well his worst decision ever was trying to run over several officers that were in persuit of him. You can sit there and monday morning quarterback the situation all you want, but the bottom line is, the officer acted well within the bounds of his scope of duty and made the right decision. That officer saved the lives of other officers by ending the pursuit right there.

What kind of pathetic logic is this? How can you prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he "tried to run over several officers?" I would love to see the empirical evidence. Following your logic, anytime a person engages in reckless operation of a vehicle or is in the act of fleeing a police officer, they should be shot to prevent them from endangering innocent people. The questionable killing of this individual makes it so clear that people should be required to have more than a high school education before they're allowed to become gun wielding police officers. Otherwise, we get idiotic control freaks with badges who like to fire guns because they like to hear the loud noise. Pathetic.

[Darrin]

Why run from a police officer in 1st place.You can out run the car but you cant out run the radio. Why not just stop and take your punishment for stealing a car the robberiers would have been rules out as wrong suspect but still would be a car thief<alive as well>. What if the car hada went thru the house instead of the fence more than one could be dead and 1 woulda been truely inocent. I do agree some of the police here and everywere are alil over board and do alot of harrasing that is unneeded. I watch at night and see cruisers fly thu stop signs 5 at a time with no lights on half hour later 5 fly bck thru stop sign bck to bck with no lights on.I allways thought once they broke the speed limit the emergency light should come on. I have actully called 911 cause of teen being loud and vulgar breaking beer bottles and watched . They drove by and never stopped. I watched me neighbors car get trashed by his ex while a cruiser just drove by did nothing then hour after the incodent here they come 3 strong to take 1 report. But in this situation from what I saw sofar I think larry shoulda just stopped.

[Ashley Smith]

My car is the one that was driven by Larry that night he stole it 5-03 at about 3 in the afternoon from behind my husbands work. Let me tell you how violated I feel it cost ME $205.00 to even get it back cause I had to pay the tow bill, and he also did about $5000 in damage I have to pay for. Im sorry he is dead, but why should I have to pay for his crime spree my husband works very hard to pay our bills and what right did he have to take what we pay for. I have 3 small children and he took from them as well. Now we are left to suffer from his mess. My husband has no car to drive to work to even try to pay for the damages he caused which we couldnt afford any way. Sorry but people like him need to start working for the things they have instead of stealing what others work for. We are a young married couple with a 4yr old a 2yr old and a 1yr old, why did a grown man need to take from us why did he feel deserved it more than we did??? Sorry to rant and rave but I am very very upset and wanted my side heard to.

[Ashley Smith]

exactly wrote:

Ditto on the crack comment. He would have eventually killed an innocent person.

Justice not really done cause he stole my car and used it in that chase and I was stuck to pay the $205 for the tow bill and still have to pay $5000 to fix the damages he caused to my car. What kind of Justice is that when I'm stuck to pay for his BAD CHOICES

[none]

ashley.....

Get insurance, you loser! Bigger issues here than your stolen car.

[Dave]

Ashley Smith wrote:

<quoted text>
Justice not really done cause he stole my car and used it in that chase and I was stuck to pay the $205 for the tow bill and still have to pay $5000 to fix the damages he caused to my car. What kind of Justice is that when I'm stuck to pay for his BAD CHOICES

You are paying for your own BAD CHOICES...
Apparently you CHOSE not to purchase comprehensive auto coverage. I guess you gambled and lost.
Call 1-800-SAFE-AUTO, or GEICO.
It's so easy a caveman can do it!

[darrin]

I think those that call Ashley names because she feels robbed is bigger loser than she will ever be. You all suport a crackhead as a "good person" yet you call a mother of 3 trying to make it thru life a loser.Nowonder larrys life took the turns it did you all are as guilty of his crimes as he is because you told him Its ok your still a good person. And to you that assume she didnt have insurance have you heard of liability insurance . It pays for dammages cause to the other vehicle not your own.You call a workin family losers what a crok

[none]

I have heard of "liability insurance". It is the minimum coverage that is required by law.

Have you heard of proper grammer?

[none]

FYI - I misspelled grammar to make a point!

[darrin]

none wrote:

I have heard of "liability insurance". It is the minimum coverage that is required by law.
Have you heard of proper grammer?

Have you heard of kiss my azz. oops did i mispell something?

[Ashley Smith]

First Off Thank you darrin.... and as for you others seems as though you care nothing about they people that were violated by this "wonderful person" and another fact you dont know.. They also found a purse in my car that wasnt mine when contacted the woman who owned it she said someone walked in her home monday around 10pm and took it off her table with her in another room and child sleeping in bed. Sounds like an innocent guy right driving a stolen car, with a stolen purse, drugs and needles all over the car???? FYI I have insurance but cant really afford to have the car totaled out since Ive already paid 3yrs on it and its ALL we have you arrogant a**. Sorry Im not a rich person who can afford for others to take advantage of me. Insurance doesnt buy you a new car or didnt you know that. No I dont believe he deserved to be killed but look at it this way if he had been more worried about earning a living instead of taking from others who work there butts off for what they have then he wouldn't be dead would he? Life sucks and we are broke but I would never take from someone else. He not only took my car he destroyed it, he wasnt worried about me or my family and the price we had to pay for his actions, and he wasnt thinking about his family either, look at the pain and drama he caused them he was worried about himself and getting his next score. He just paid the ultimate price for his choosen life style. So why is it you think I deserve to pay for it as well, he choose to steal the car, he choose to steal the purse, he choose to do and have the drugs as well as run from the cops. So where in that senario are my bad choices? No wonder this worlds gone to hell theres to many people like you defending the guilty and sh*ting on the innocent, or maybe you just defend those with the same lifestyle as your own?????