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Retired Oklahoma Firefighter Killed; Shot After Intruding into Police Officer's Home
ROBERT MEDLEY AND MICHAEL KIMBAL
The Oklahoman
YUKON - The retired firefighter who was shot and killed Tuesday as he barged into a Piedmont police officer's home may have been hallucinating and confused, his son said.
Devin Nemecek, 47, was killed about 8 a.m. as he pushed into the Yukon home of Jack Neumann, 37, and attacked him, Yukon police spokeswoman Klare Ly said. Neumann lives at 317 Sunrise Drive, and Nemecek lived a few houses down at 409 Sunrise Drive.
Neumann returned home from work as a Piedmont police officer to find Nemecek banging on his back door and trying to get inside, Ly said. Neumann told him to leave several times as the man barged into the house, and Neumann shot him.
Nemecek was holding a piece of metal and struck Neumann several times, Ly said.
Nemecek used an oxygen tank because of lung and heart damage from injuries suffered while fighting a fire two years ago, his son said.
Garrett Nemecek, 23, of Oklahoma City, said his father sometimes had hallucinations when his oxygen levels were low, and likely thought he was trying to enter his own home when the incident occurred.
"Last night he was having some trouble with his breathing treatments," Garrett Nemecek said. "Once his oxygen gets down to a certain level, he just doesn't know where he's at. He doesn't know his name. ... He would not be himself at all."
Nemecek said his father would never harm anyone under normal circumstances and was an upstanding member of the community who will be missed by his family and friends.
The family is working to set up a memorial of some kind to remember Devin Nemecek.
Garrett Nemecek said he didn't know why his father was outside Tuesday morning, but he had been doing yard work Monday evening and could have been doing more yard work Tuesday.
Neumann told investigators his wife and children, ages 3 and 4, were inside the home at the time of the shooting, Ly said. She said Neumann did not know Nemecek.
"As you can imagine, someone banging on the door trying to get in who is incoherent, you can understand they would be scared," Ly said.
Police release frantic 911 call
A frantic woman's voice can be heard on a 911 call released Tuesday by police. The woman was crying as she told a 911 operator a man with a crowbar was trying to break into her house.
"Shoot him," the woman yelled during the call, apparently to Neumann. A man's voice can be heard shortly thereafter yelling, "Get back!" before a gunshot rang out.
Piedmont Police Chief Jerry Koester said Neumann will be on paid administrative leave until the district attorney rules on the shooting. He described him as an "exemplary" officer who feared for the safety of his wife and two small children.
None of the officer's family members were injured.
"They are obviously shaken up and scared," Ly said.
Copyright 2011 The Oklahoman, All Rights Reserved
April 20, 2011
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Actually, the Golden Rule fits exactly as a source of good advice here.
You should want others to defend themselves against armed intruders in their homes, even if you were the armed intruder.
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That is completely bogus and it is offensive. Your accusations of high-5s are bogus. The shooting in question was justified self-defense by any rational standard. Arguing against it is an irrational position.
And Paul, if you ever hit a car with a fire engine and kill someone, you will be a life-taker, even if it wasn't intentional.
If you ventilate a fire and causes fire extension that kills a victim that you didn't know was there, you will be a life taker.
If you make the tiniest mistake and someone dies due to your mistake, you will be a life taker.
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Permalink Reply by Andy Turnham on
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Of course I really asked it! Look, when you come from a culture where guns are not a part of everyday life and death or injury by shooting is very rare, to hear of a cop shooting a person armed with an just an iron bar is, to be frank, shocking.
Where I come from cops are trained to disarm an attacker and, not carrying guns, do not use "deadly force". "Deadly Force" is such a rare resort, the province of small teams of armed police, that when it happens there is always an enquiry as to why it was resorted to.
I've heard so many times "guns don't kill it's people who do the killing" but if they don't have a gun in the first place they can't use it to kill or main. How many gun injuries in the US are "self-defense" compared with random shootings, drive-by shootings, plain old murder, accidental shooting etc.?
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Permalink Reply by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on
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Paul - I hear your frustration with the police. It sounds as though you have had a bad experience with them. However, it is important to not lump ALL police into the same situation.
This situation was not about the police. This was a man protecting his family in his own home.
There are some police that are corrupt, especially in other countries. Two of my housemates are from India - and they report the police in that country are bigger criminals than the criminals. Likewise, I live alone the Mexico border, where there are regular reports of the drug cartels taking over the police forces and making them an evil force, not a protective force.
For the most part, the police in the United States have a better history of protecting the people within the boundaries of the laws that the U.S. citizens have voted into law.
Do some police officers make mistakes - YES.
Do some fire fighters make mistakes - YES.
But those are not the largest number of police officer or fire fighters. Those situations are exceptions.
I am not a police officer, but I have a lot of friends and family who are law enforcement officers or military. While they report pride in their efforts to serve and protect the people - I have never heard one of them report being happy at killing another person for any reason. Actually, the opposite has happened - many of them report great sadness and depression and distress at having to take a life. I even have friends who have taken their own lives because they were so upset about taking the life of another person.
I am sorry that you have seen some police officers being abusive with their power. I hope that it does not happen in U.S. - though I know it does.
This situation does not sound like a police mis-use of power.
Perhaps debating the pros and cons of the police department is better served in a different forum. This is a fire fighter website - and we are not the experts on the police department and all that they do - good or bad.
Therefore I am not sure why people are trying to restore you in this thread and change your ideas from your prior bad experiences with the police - that perhaps most of us have not experienced yet in our worlds.
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OMG REALLY ??? splitting hairs...
did anyone ever tell you that you can be too smart for your own good sometimes
ROTFLMAO you crack me up...
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Paul Rambo,
Those are inaccurate generalizations.
If you hit someone with a fire truck, it is YOUR fault.
You are required to be in control of the fire apparatus all the time and running red lights and sirens are merely a REQUEST for the right-of-way.
If you don't operate the apparatus safely and kill someone, it is YOUR fault just as surely as if you had intentionally murdered them with a firearm.
Frankly, your unsafe attitude about driving fire apparatus is a lot more dangerous than a cop who kills someone attacking him inside his own home.
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Que?
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you are a smarty pants...
and it makes me laugh... when you go over the top with your smartiness...
go ahead - I dare you to tell me THAT is not a word... LOL
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That's not over the top at all - it's basic and it's literal. The hallmark of honest, fair debate is to debate the idea, not to attack the person who posts the idea.
Here's a good definition. Ad Hominem
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I know. I know. The over the top is your avid defense.
I bet you totally typed this... each... response with a straight face even...
you are just fun to mess with... LOL
let it go... lol
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That's not your decision.
"The funny thing about firemen is, night and day, they are always firemen." ~ Gregory Widen, Backdraft
"The funny thing about training chiefs is, night and day, they are always the training chief." Ben Waller, Firefighter Nation
Since I'm a training chief, I tend to try to be educational. Part of being educational is educating some of our members in how to follow the basic rules of logic, and of honest, civilized debate. When I see those basic rules being egegiously violated here, I'll continue to point it out. Civilized, honest debate is a hallmark of professionalism and appearing professional to those from outside the profession who may read what is posted here.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Hannah on
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Paul I'm sure you have had alot of action running into burning houses where you work. Don't bother bringing your fire engine to my house cause I got plenty of my own. I'm a fireman(FF2)/emt. I'm also IFSTA certified Fire Service Intructor. But being a state police officer is how I earn a living. I've helped save many more lives than I've ever taken. I've never shot anyone. Could have, but it worked out where God was watching over me and the suspect. Yesh, I've had to wrestle suspects, used control tactics, and other techniques to fight criminals.
So,I, nor my brethern police officers owe you anything except our duty to protect you. I hope you find peace about this someday. I think you've got some issues. When you are ready to debate this case or issues related to it, I will be glad to disscuss this further.
I think I'll head to work, stop and have a donut Paul. Maybe I'll ask myself why I go into burning buildings, rescue folks stranded in floodwaters, give cpr to an infant, or answer the call to stop home invaders or drug dealers?????? MAybe it's just to make my town/state/country a better place to live?????? Or could be my dream world? Maybe both, the state had the faith to hire me and give me an exceptional job rating over the last 10 years, and I'm blessed being my communities fire chief. Man, I've even been blessed with an appointment to our county fire comission. Yup, I think I'll enjoy living here in my dream world and enjoy this here donut. Thanks Paul. High 5 to you man.
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