Shooting of officer 'was very quick, totally unexpected'

A note for brer robot:

If you truly believe that laws create crime, then get on down to your polling station and change them. Perhaps there will also be an item on the ballot which would fund the hospitalization for severly mentally challenged individuals who live among us who actually believe that laws are at fault for creating crimes.

I hope everyone here is smart enough to realize NA Girl is full of it.
NA girl. If you were ever a hard drug addict you would have totally different views of marijuana. It does not affect your depth perception. The brain cell theory is a proven lie. The motor skill theory is a joke. What organs (plural) does is seriously damage? I smoked it for 18 years. I'd like to know, because according to my doctor I'm doing just fine, and my real experience supports none of your fake claims.
You need to research WHY it's illegal. Not repeat passe propaganda.
Google "Why is marijuana illegal?". You will get the REAL answer.
It has nothing to do with health, but with misinformation, racism, economics, and political gain. Marijuana is so not a big deal that it makes no sense for it to remain illegal. Usage won't increase, just all the people that have been hiding it for years can for lack of a better term "come out of the closet". Like I said earlier listen to someone with experience. ROCK bottom huh?.....Oh man thats serious.

Coming from a recovering hardcore drug addict, IMO, Marijuana was my gateway drug that led to serious cocaine addiction and should NOT be legalized for economical gain, no matter what. I used to live on that pink cloud, too, I've learned since that I was defending it so I could keep using it and not be forced to face reality. How can any of you think it would be okay to legalize it? All it does is kill brain cells, seriously damages your organs, impairs motor skills, and that's just the tip of the iceberg! I remember driving while smoking and by the grace of God I never killed anyone because my depth perception was way off. Basically, it completely ruined my life and now I have to rebuild it from the bottom up. ROCK bottom up.
I am deeply sorrowful for that officer and his suriving family. It's so acenine that his children will grow up without their father now because some people don't wish to face themse

You could put pot dealers out of work by legalizing marijuana.
YOU COULD ALSO SAVE COPS LIVES BY LEGALIZING MARIJUANA.
It's the laws not the drug itself that creates crime. It's the laws that ended this cops life not marijuana.
This cop died over a half a pound. Half a pound is not a lot at all. That is not even close to what's considered to be a BIG drug bust. Half a pound of marijuana is enough for about 8-10 people out of the thousands that smoke it here in hampton roads.
This cop died to keep 8 people from smoking marijuana. Thats a sad fact.
Weeed does not hurt anyone, it can make you hungry and tired, thats about it. I have yet to find anything that can fix a stomach cramp or ache better or quicker than marijuana. Its not a miracle but hey neither is advil. I have smoked it for almost 20 years. I rarely drink, and I don't do any other drugs. I live a successful life with a very blessed family.
Listen to someone

I can tell you that this man did not die in vein for doing his job. It is against the law to buy, sell, or use drugs and these guys are law enforcement officers thats what they do. Let me ask you this....if this guy sold pot to your 10 year old what would you do about it? Let him have it and get high as a kite? These guys are out there doing what they do for the future of your kids and the rest of the kids in our cities to assure a safe place for them to live now and in the future. For the Chief's comment of it being unexpected means that he along with the dept are hurting, have a lack for the proper words to describe the ordeal and are shocked that there are proper security measures that they go by to protect their own from things like what has happened and it was very unexpected that someone would come out and just shoot him to rob him of the money he had for the drugs. Remember people, there is alot of collection of informa

Thanks for the info. I didn't know that. My church is by his church and I very much hope to do that (pay my respects). Cheers, MGM

A good question, but they can be charged with killing a police officer even if they (dumb and dumber) did not know. Det. Phillips was acting in a plain clothes role and he was with in his legal authority. Stop by the church to pay your respects.

Legalize pot already so this poor guy didn't die in vain. What about the recent cop death in Chesapeake? Two deaths so close together--Hmmmm kinda sounds like someone is trying to tell us something. Maybe we should start listening.
And how is everyone so sure that the weapons were all illegal? Come on already...

Am I right in assuming that one cannot be charged with the specific crime of killing a law enforcement officer unless that person knows it is a law enforcement officer? Cheers, MGM

Come on guys.. LEGALIZE MARIJUANA already.

No amount of marijuana is worth the life of a police officer.

Alchohol is much more damaging to society than marijuana.

Let this be the last officer who loses his life over marijuana.

There will always be two points of view. Those that blame it on everything under the sun and make excuses, and those silly simple minded people like me that don't see life so complicated. It's about right vs. wrong, decisions, greed, and how you treat your fellow man. These killers would be evil no matter what they were doing. If it weren't for people like Officer Phillips, the dregs of society would be stabbing or clubbing people to death for their tennis shoes if they could. IMO, those in the first group are the first ones to cry for police anytime they feel threatened. It truly is a thin line between order and chaos. I thank the Phillips family for your service and sacrifice.

News 3 said they only had minor scrapes with the law. Bull! These guys should have been executed a long time ago.They were convicted felons with guns runnig the roads.

My most heartfelt prayers go out to the officers family, friends and the department he loved! Rest in peace!

I am deeply saddened by this senseless killing. I pray for the Phillips family. I am perplexed by the Police Chief's statement of the killing being "totally unexpected" though. I would think this sort of violence would always be expected when dealing with drug users and dealers. Besides, weren't we all taught at an early age to, "always expect the unexpected!"

For those of us who believe that this article should only be evoking compassion and pity for the officer's family (who may well read these comments), pls don't give the ones with the "guns and drugs" agendas any feedback or debate on their suppositions.

There is a time and a place to debate this (there will be another article sometime--I guarantee it), but if you agree that this is not the time and place, pls stick to that conviction and refuse to argue, no matter the provocation. If someone is being truly ugly, flag their comment and let the Pilot deal with it. Okay? Cheers, MGM

I pray for the family of the fallen officer. God bless him and may God be with his wife and children during these troubled times.

Let's not waste tax payers money prosecuting these two criminals. From what I understand, the one that did the shooting has 6 prior felonies. What the hell is he doing out on the streets? The judicial system favors criminals, violent criminals at that. So let's not waste tax payers money on prosecuting them, or housing them in jail.

I have two bullets, one for each one and I would be more than happy to pull the trigger free of charge.

It angers me to see good people get hurt, killed, raped, robbed just becuase the judicial system favors criminals.

20 years is 20 years, 10 years means 10 years, and life mean life. Not 20 years and only servce 10 or life and only serve 20. The judge who let this 6 time felon out should be fired and compensate the family.

Sadly, another officer has been killed thanks to the failed "War On Drugs" policy that our brilliant politicians have bestowed upon us. My thoughts and prayers go out to the officer's family. If drugs were LEGAL and regulated like alchohol and tobacco, this could have been prevented. Don't even get me started on a rant.

As a former beach resident, I had a few run-ins with the VBPD, all traffic type stuff. All officers were very professional and, hard to admit, almost friendly.

From a family of Philly cops, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Detective Phillips, his plice family, the citizens of Virginia Beach and all of Hampton Roads. The Thin Blue Line has indeed become thinner.

Because both 'suspects' deserve it.

To the family, I am sorry for your loss. Anyone who puts themselves in harms way to protect those who cannot protect themselves is a hero. Such is the case with this officer.

Hopefully, by attempting to rob the officer, Carter has earned the opportunity to join death row. First degree murder won't get him there and since the officer was not in uniform, they probably cannot charge him with the killing of a police officer.
I hope the indictment will change to Capital Murder.

Chris33, you should be ashamed of yourself, using this terrible tragedy as a platform to spew your slanted political agenda. I am a former police officer and am intensely disgusted by you and your comments.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Virginia Beach Police and most of all to the family who has lost an honorable man, husband and father.

Marijuana can't harm you like real drugs.

I wonder if Mike Vick would agree with that idea-afterall, it was for "a little Marijuana" that Mike Vick's cousin was being sought out that toppleed him, sening him to jail and costing him a multi-million dollar football career.

I also wonder if the family of the slain Detective would agree that "marijuana can't hurt you"......

I'll bet they don't.....

Totally fast I can buy because it only takes a second to kill someone with a gun but, unexpected? Just look who you are dealing with! How can you say anything is "unexpected"? Don't try to sensationalize something using the wrong descriptors.

Cigarettes, lotto tickets, beer, candy, the cash on hand to go buy beer, cigarettes, candy, drugs. That's why clerks are robbed and killed all the time. And sometimes police are killed responding to those crimes. As well as innocent citizens. That won't stop if drugs are legalized. The criminal element doesn't want to work, they want things for free, often things other people have.

I'm tired of the pro/anti drug and gun comments that have been posted here. I thought we were above that kind of crap on this board.

A law enforcement officer in my town has died in the line of duty. Yes, he is a hero; he had an undercover job...the most dangerous assignment he could get.

Let him be mourned, and his memory be celebrated.

Let's stop with the drug and gun posturing. Give his family, friends and fellow officers some peace and respect.

Enough!

Wrong again, Chris. The gun-hater falsehoods perpetuated are disproven by facts from the National Safety Council (an international not for profit public service organization) statistics. This is the total of certain types of unintentional deaths for 2006: Poisoning 25,300 deaths 8.5/100,000 population. Falls 21,200 deaths 7.1/100,000. Drowning 3,800 1.8/100,000. Firearms 680 0.2/100,000--in the bottom of causes tracked. Unless you're a victim of a crime or shot by a citizen, the police or you're a criminal shot by a criminal, having a gun in your home doesn't make you more likely to be shot. Not having a gun to defend yourself certainly can get you killed by a criminal--all they need is their fists and feet to do it, too. You can ask the criminal to let you dial 9-1-1 first--they'll be done before the police get there. The gun-haters are still stinging from their loss in the Supreme Co

May God comfort you and yours as you deal with your loss. There are no words from strangers capable of lessening the anguish. Know that this officer, like most, knew the risks and went to work anyway. That makes him a hero. People like him make the world better than it would be for the rest of us, and we should celebrate his life as an example of how we are supposed to be.

A war on drugs like crack, cocaine, and heroin is one thing, but the war on marijuana is just plain stupid. Marijuana can't harm you like real drugs. The perpetrators here were just bad people that made a living on real drugs, and marijuana is just part of the selection. I don't know what world johnl20927 lives in, but I haven't heard of any cops getting killed over a "bad cigarette deal". These guys know they're not going to make money on legal substances. If marijuana were legal the police could spend more time on the the illegal drugs that do real harm to people and society. I'm sure that johnl20927 is a good person, but because he has never smoked marijuana, he automatically puts people that do into the dark world of "drugs". The truth is John that somebody you know, work with, and like probably smokes marijuana, and you don't even know it. Sometimes dealing with people like these killers are the

We lead the industrialized world in gun deaths. Why? Because America is awash in guns. If you own a gun you or a member of your family is 3-5 times more likely to die a gun death.

Killing and crime would NOT stop if drugs were legal. Cars, big-screen TVs, ATHLETIC shoes, I-Pods even lotto tickets and cigarettes are all LEGAL and people rob, stab, shoot and kill to get them all the time. Criminals don't want to work--they want to steal and get things for free. That applies to legal products of all kinds. Compound that with addiction to a drug (physical or psychological) and you have a society that would be out of control.