Wednesday, July 24,
2002
San Angelo police
kill drug suspect
By Erin Quinn
San Angelo Standard-Times
SAN ANGELO - Police
fatally shot a man during a pre-dawn raid on a San Angelo residence
Tuesday.
The man was identified as David Moses Chappa, 21. Justice of the
Peace Jerry Jennison, who ordered an autopsy, said Chappa died
of multiple gunshot wounds, but wouldn't speculate on how many.
Police Chief Joe Gibson said law enforcement personnel were carrying
out a search warrant for methamphetamine. The Rio Concho Multi-Agency
Drug Enforcement Task Force suspected Chappa had drugs and a firearm.
The San Angelo SWAT team made a "dynamic entry" into
the house, Gibson said. Neighbors said they heard an explosion,
but Gibson would not elaborate on the tactics police used.
Gibson said police identified themselves and shouted for the residents
of the house to get down. He said he did not know whether Chappa
was sleeping at the time of the entry.
Chappa started firing at the officers, and police shot and killed
him, Gibson said. Details of what took place inside the house
were still under investigation Tuesday.
Gibson said one other person was in the house and two were outside.
All three were detained for questioning. No arrests had been made
Tuesday evening.
Gibson did not how many shots were fired. None of the officers
was injured.
Gibson said that officers are trained to protect themselves if
deadly force is used against them.
Policemen "had no option but to respond the way they did
to survive," Gibson said. "They did a good job."
Chappa has had previous arrests on charges of unlawful carrying
of a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance.
Gibson said the drug task force had been watching Chappa for "some
time." He declined to say whether or not drugs were found.
The Texas Rangers and San Angelo police detectives are investigating
the shooting.
"We execute search warrants about 50 times a year,"
Gibson said. "If we have information that they could be harmful,
we use the SWAT team. You always hope for the best, but prepare
for the worst."
Contact Erin Quinn
at 915-659-8260 or equinn@texaswest.com
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