Halloween prank that didn't go as expected.

[Blee1099]

CEDAR LAKE, IND. -- An off-duty police officer who dressed up as an ax-wielding man in what he intended to be a Halloween prank was shot and wounded by a man who believed he posed a threat, investigators said.

The shooter fired at Rick Conoway as the St. John police officer emerged from a wooded area and approached a Halloween night bonfire party outside a home, Lake County Sheriff's spokesman Michael Higgins said.

Conoway was taken to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition with two gunshot wounds to the face.

Sheriff's authorities, who were still investigating the shooting Sunday, gave this account:

Daniel Frederick, of Cedar Lake, arrived at the party and was told by people there that police were looking for a man in a gray sweathshirt who was wearing a white mask and carrying an ax. They also said he had been seen running after children in the neighborhood.

Frederick then returned to his nearby home and picked up a .32 caliber handgun. An hour later, he returned to the party with the gun.

 

[Soundguy01tx]

What the crap!?! Im sorry, but who picks up a gun as protection? I mean, I dont want to sound like I dont care, I do... butits halloween night, I expect to see crazy crap like that, and if I see hi goin after someone, Ill try to stop him, but with shots in the face? Someone was out of control... Just my opinion...
--Bryan

 

[DarkMan]

Actually, I was thinking what a great marksman the guy must be. Two head shots, and you know they were in a hurry. That ain't easy. What he seems to have forgotten is the warning... "Stop. I have a gun." That would have saved everybody a lot of trouble.

I've got nothing against packin' heat. There are too many real weirdos out there.

I'll wager that the cop who took the bullets feels pretty dumb. I'll bet, in hind-sight, he knew better than to scare is buddies when they were legally armed. I wouldn't go playing Friday the 13th around Gerald, for example. He might open his tissue box.

 

[Soundguy01tx]

well, i understand what your saying, I too have no problem with carrying. and your right, he did not say "stop i have a gun". I think he reacted without thinking about what his other options might have been. The reason I say this is he went home and got his gun. He didnt go home and get a base ball bat, or a spray of mace... he got a gun! On Halloween night, with kids running around in the streets, I would try to carry proection, YES! But a weapon that has the potential to be lethal? I dont knwo about that...
--Bryan

 

[mmpc]

I agree that this guy acted rashly - especially with the shots to the face, but you have to remember this little detail:

"...was told by people there that police were looking for a man in a gray sweathshirt who was wearing a white mask and carrying an ax. They also said he had been seen running after children in the neighborhood." (Emphasis added)

If I'd been told that by reliable sources (friends, etc.) - even with it being Halloween - I might've retrieved my gun for safety too. That said, I most certainly would've said something like "I have a gun" before I shot...

Strange story! My only other question is, where was Shannen Doherty?

 

[Crazy5711]

As far as mace or a baseball bat go, the axe is sharp and has too much reach to use those for self defense. I do believe he should have been more careful. Nice shooting though. Remember, don't run out of the woods towards a bonfire wearing a mask and yeilding an axe.