Salvatore J. Culosi Sr. still can't believe his son, a 37-year-old optometrist, was a suspected sports bookie. He can't believe aheavily armed SWAT team fatally shot his unarmed son, Salvatore J.Culosi Jr., outside his Fair Oaks home Tuesday night.
And Culosi can't believe that the SWAT team's sudden descent onhis son, apparently causing one officer to accidentally fire a .45-caliber handgun once into his son's chest, is standard procedure forFairfax County police conducting a search.
'We are outraged that current police protocol would ever allowsomething like this to happen,' Culosi, 63, said last night. 'Thefact is that there was zero basis whatsoever for the officersinvolved to have any weapons drawn in this situation.'
Culosi added: 'Sal was alone and unarmed. He was compliant withpolice instructions. He made no threatening movements or gestures.There was no risk of harm to anyone. Anyone, that is, except Sal.'
A Fairfax police detective had been making sports bets with Culosifor three months, court records show, and on Tuesday night policeplanned to arrest Culosi and search his townhouse on Cavalier LandingCourt. But Fairfax Police Chief David M. Rohrer said a 17-year policeveteran with long experience in the tactical unit accidentally firedhis gun, killing Culosi.
The officer was not named, and police could not say why his gunwent off.
Although police and firearms authorities were divided yesterday onwhether SWAT teams are needed for most search warrants, as isFairfax's practice, they agreed on another point: Officers carryingguns should not aim directly at anyone or have their fingers on thetrigger until they are absolutely ready to fire.
'In my opinion, there are no accidental discharges,' said JohnGnagey, executive director of the National Tactical OfficersAssociation. Gnagey was not familiar with the Fairfax case but saidthat in general, 'Most of what we see in law enforcement arenegligent discharges, fingers being on the trigger when theyshouldn't be.'
Gnagey was in the camp that thought 'SWAT teams shouldn't be doingall warrants.' But once there, 'the weapons are not pointed atanybody.'
Fairfax police declined to discuss their tactical unit policies.But police officials acknowledged that the tactical team, usingbulletproof vests, high-powered weapons and other police tools,serves nearly all of the warrants after an investigation has foundprobable cause to seize evidence -- whether it is bloody clothes,weapons or documents.
In Culosi's case, police were looking for records they suspectedhe kept after undercover Detective David J. Baucom spent three monthsplacing bets with him on NFL games, according to Baucom's affidavitfor the search warrant. A document filed yesterday by Baucomindicates that police entered Culosi's townhouse at 10:13 p.m.Tuesday, about 40 minutes after the fatal shooting.
Police found betting slips, currency, 'suspected cocaine' and anunspecified amount of 'U.S. currency,' according to Baucom's'Inventory of Seized Property.' Sources close to the investigationsaid that police found $38,000 cash in Culosi's home and that thesuspected cocaine was a small amount.
Though most Fairfax officers are issued 9mm handguns, tacticalunit officers sometimes are issued more powerful weapons. Policeconfirmed yesterday that Culosi, who graduated from Bishop O'ConnellHigh School and the University of Virginia, was shot with a .45-caliber pistol made by Heckler & Koch, a larger weapon thatauthorities said would not have a trigger that could be easilytripped.
'It's a very safe gun,' said David Yates, a local firearms trainerand range safety officer. 'Very high quality. Not a hair trigger.Very reliable. Very accurate.'
Yates said there were two possible reasons why Culosi was shot:'Ignorance and carelessness.' And because police said the officer washighly trained, he couldn't have been ignorant of gun-safetyprocedures, Yates said.
'We're looking at this with the benefit of hindsight,' Yates said.'But it's not an accident.'
Stuart A. Meyers, head of OpTac International, which trains policeand counterterrorism tactical squads worldwide, said threatassessments should be done before search warrants are served. Butbecause SWAT officers are better trained and equipped, Meyers said,'SWAT teams should serve, in our opinion, almost all search warrantswith the exception of document searches and low-level searchwarrants.'
Gnagey said tactical teams should be used only when police havereason to suspect danger. But some noted that sports bookmakers oftendeal in cash and might be expected to carry a gun to defendthemselves against criminals, if not police.
Meyers and others said SWAT officers should have their guns drawnand ready, 'but your finger shouldn't be on the trigger unless you'repreparing to shoot someone.'
Culosi's father said Fairfax police protocol of serving warrantswith weapons drawn 'should scare and frighten everyone. Such protocolneeds to be immediately changed, or an accident like this will happenagain.'
