ongbok: Except for they didn't wait for them to get out of the car before they started shooting at them.

Eyewitness testimony says that cop and his buddy opened fire first.

Taking an armed ride-along to serve a warrant is highly suspicious to start with. The whole thing stinks, and makes the crazy people sound sane.

I read TFA. And I agree with the sentiment in this thread. That being: Even though the reporter and all these people around them are saying "the brothers murdered this cop and his friend", that doesn't appear to be the case.
This looks like they knew they were about to be ambushed, by cops no less. So they took steps to make sure they weren't the ones full of bullets.

Even the reporter here is making look like this cop and his buddy were just going to get some donuts, and got shot for no reason.

There are 3 sides to every story: This person's side, that person's side, and the truth. I'm swaying toward, the truth here is on the brothers defending themselves.

The cops in this country are just as evil and corrupt as the politicians.

I don't trust any of them.

There is more to this story.

I'm pretty good at reading between the lines.
These pigs are corrupt and unlawful. Happens every single day.

ActionFigure: mr lawson: ActionFigure: by getting killed?

yup....

How were they assholes?
Do you know more about the case than the couple of stories linked to?
They were serving a warrant to crazy people.
The cop even had a friend of his with him in a "ride along" type situation.

Or are you lumping all police together as assholes?

The warrant serving is the police story. The Brothers who weren't convicted after 3 attempts say they came to kill them

So even after 3 trials, and a bunch of people saying we don't know or they aren't guilty you just assume the cop & friend were still in the right ?

And the police story smells a bit as why would 1 police officer take a civilian to serve a warrant on a failure to appear, with the brothers known to police as hostile and possibly violent ? In this day and age those warrants get served by tactical units more times than not.

mr lawson: But the ride-along guy was armed as well.

Sounds like the crazy wasn't all on one side.

Just because you're a crazed conspiracy theory nutjob doesn't mean the police AREN'T trying to kill you.

ActionFigure: mr lawson: DeathCipris: http://www.wate.com/category/181419/houston-brothers-murder-trials

FTA: "The family of Mike Brown was awarded $5 million in damages in April 2012 in a wrongful death suit against the Houstons."

HOLY SHIAT!

yeah...the cops were asshole and got their asses handed to them.

by getting killed?

Possibly. It isn't at all hard to imagine a cop showboating with a friend or relative in the car. That showboating could include physical violence, intimidation, or a violation of someone's constitutional rights. Not everyone just bends over for that sort of treatment, especially from someone acting under color of authority. The lack of information in the stories is pretty damning.

Didn't say it was wrong for them to get paid, but it does sorta shine some more light on what happened and why the situation has come to the boil that it has. Unlike the article posted by subby, which just sorta makes the two guys look like asshats flying a "we got away with it" flag.

10News spoke to Rocky Houston Thursday afternoon about the photos. He wouldn't confirm nor deny if he posted the photos on this sign or on Facebook, but said he would leave the display up.

I hereby dub thee, Rocky Houston, King Of All Trolls.

Seriously, hats off to this guy. Kill a cop, get away with it, post pictures of his corpse on your front lawn. He must be able to plow fields with his balls.

How do you not get convicted of killing a cop in Tennessee?

twiztedjustin: Two brothers named Rocky and Leon, and they're white?


UNPOSSIBLE

Of course they're white. If they were black they'd be on death-row.

master_dman: The cops in this country are just as evil and corrupt as the politicians.

I don't trust any of them.

There is more to this story.

I'm pretty good at reading between the lines.
These pigs are corrupt and unlawful. Happens every single day.

I'm pretty good at reading between the lines. What I hear you saying is "I can't be trusted".

special20: Oliver Twisted: Anyone out there know the story behind the initial shooting?

google-fu:
"Prosecutors claimed the pair went to serve an outstanding arrest warrant for Rocky Houston on a charge of failure to appear in court. The brothers insist the men came to kill them. Prosecutors couldn't prove who shot first, and no jury ever found either Houston guilty of any crime in either man's death."

It seems dubious at best that someone serving a warrant would take a friend on a ride along.

Gyrfalcon: They get served just like this one, by a cop and his partner or a couple of deputies

It was a cop and his non-cop friend. Highly irregular. Might be why they're dead now.

ongbok: mr lawson: ActionFigure: How were they assholes?
Do you know more about the case than the couple of stories linked to?
They were serving a warrant to crazy people.
The cop even had a friend of his with him in a "ride along" type situation.

Or are you lumping all police together as assholes?

from what i remember, the cops HATED these guys and had been trying for years to trap them in to anything so they could lock them away. The story (kindda corroborated with evidence) was they came and started shoot at the brothers first and the brothers returned fire. Not all cops are assholes, but these seemed to be..at least the one cop not the ride-along guy. But the ride-along guy was armed as well.

Except for they didn't wait for them to get out of the car before they started shooting at them.

That doesn't mean the people in the car didn't shoot first.

Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom: How the fark do you get into a shootout with the police and not get convicted? fark FB photos, that's the real story.

Stand your ground laws.

Two criminal trials with "evidence" like this, and no conviction?
There is waaayyy more to this story.

Also from what little I gathered from some of the comments, this wasn't your ordinary "ride along". The guy was a former cop (one post said he was on disability) and he had a firearm with him.

Something is wrong here, no doubt about it.

cerwen: ha-ha-guy Well I think we can pretty much be assured next time the police come these guys property, they will be coming to kill them.

Rocky and Leon are probably the most law-abiding citizens in the state - especially on the road.

If I were them, relocation would be the first order of business, likely to another country. These boys got really lucky with the jury and the fact this never got appealed further up the food chain. It seems dumb to taunt the local PD and further press your luck. All they'll do is scare the hell out of everyone and ensure that when they do get shot, the grand jury that looks into it doesn't really give a fark.

mr lawson: ActionFigure: How were they assholes?
Do you know more about the case than the couple of stories linked to?
They were serving a warrant to crazy people.
The cop even had a friend of his with him in a "ride along" type situation.

Or are you lumping all police together as assholes?

from what i remember, the cops HATED these guys and had been trying for years to trap them in to anything so they could lock them away. The story (kindda corroborated with evidence) was they came and started shoot at the brothers first and the brothers returned fire. Not all cops are assholes, but these seemed to be..at least the one cop not the ride-along guy. But the ride-along guy was armed as well.

Except for they didn't wait for them to get out of the car before they started shooting at them.

clyph: Sounds like the crazy wasn't all on one side.

far from it

ha-ha-guy Well I think we can pretty much be assured next time the police come these guys property, they will be coming to kill them.

Rocky and Leon are probably the most law-abiding citizens in the state - especially on the road.

ActionFigure: How were they assholes?
Do you know more about the case than the couple of stories linked to?
They were serving a warrant to crazy people.
The cop even had a friend of his with him in a "ride along" type situation.

Or are you lumping all police together as assholes?

from what i remember, the cops HATED these guys and had been trying for years to trap them in to anything so they could lock them away. The story (kindda corroborated with evidence) was they came and started shoot at the brothers first and the brothers returned fire. Not all cops are assholes, but these seemed to be..at least the one cop not the ride-along guy. But the ride-along guy was armed as well.

ActionFigure: Get over the people who killed your friends and colleagues displaying photos of the dead bodies?
How do you "get over" that?

Suck it up and grow a pair.

Life isn't fair. Sometimes the innocent are convicted and the guilty go free. Sometimes people use their right of free speech to say things that piss you off. That is the price we pay to live in a free society that is governed by the rule of law.

special20: Oliver Twisted: Anyone out there know the story behind the initial shooting?

google-fu:
"Prosecutors claimed the pair went to serve an outstanding arrest warrant for Rocky Houston on a charge of failure to appear in court. The brothers insist the men came to kill them. Prosecutors couldn't prove who shot first, and no jury ever found either Houston guilty of any crime in either man's death."

Well I think we can pretty much be assured next time the police come these guys property, they will be coming to kill them.

Smelly Pirate Hooker: How do you not get convicted of killing a cop in Tennessee?

I'm going to guess these two were the "Get the evil government out of my life type" and the jury that heard the case were the same. Lots of that in Tennessee.

Hands down Troll of the year. No one else needs to even enter.

Hell this guy may even be the King of Trolls.

DeathCipris: Didn't say it was wrong for them to get paid, but it does sorta shine some more light on what happened and why the situation has come to the boil that it has. Unlike the article posted by subby, which just sorta makes the two guys look like asshats flying a "we got away with it" flag.

Just remember from our "theme song" Rocky Top:

Once two strangers climbed ole Rocky Top,
Lookin' for a moonshine still.
Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top,
Reckon they never will.

http://www.wate.com/category/181419/houston-brothers-murder-trials

FTA: "The family of Mike Brown was awarded $5 million in damages in April 2012 in a wrongful death suit against the Houstons."

HOLY SHIAT!

Smelly Pirate Hooker: How do you not get convicted of killing a cop in Tennessee?

Incompetent DA.

special20: That DA, and the TBI sure have a lot of butt-hurt going on.

Photos in question were evidence in the trial. That makes them part of the public record.

DA and TBI need to get over it.

"Poorest of taste" is still protected by the First Amendment.

Anyone out there know the story behind the initial shooting?