Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy Dayle Long has been charged with murdering, Samuel Vanettes, age 36 after an argument arose between the two men over a game of darts. Officer Long who is a ten-year department veteran had been drinking alone when he engaged in a conversation with Vanettes and his friends. Their conversation over who was a better dart player allegedly led to an altercation that resulted in Long shooting Vanettes three times. Vanettes was unarmed and simply trying to break up the fight between Long and another gentleman.
While legal authority is important in any civil society to keep crime in balance, unfortunately some abuse their power to the degree that they kill an unarmed man in a drunken stupor. It’s a sign that power institutions must be checked. I see clients all the time who come to me for DUI’s or traffic stops who report this kind of behavior to me.
