Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Off-duty SDPD officer identified in alleged road rage shooting

OCEANSIDE -- "Police weren't saying much Monday about a suspected road rage incident Saturday night in which an off-duty San Diego police officer shot and wounded a Camp Pendleton woman and her 8-year-old son.

The off-duty officer, Franklin "Frank" White of Oceanside, fired an undisclosed number of shots during the incident, which happened at about 9:30 p.m. in a shopping center parking lot off Old Grove Road, said Oceanside police Sgt. Kelan Poorman.

The woman and child remained hospitalized Monday, but authorities said their injuries were not life threatening.

White is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the Oceanside Police Department's criminal investigation and an internal review by the San Diego Police Department, Chief William Lansdowne said Monday. White has worked for the San Diego Police Department since October 2005.

Poorman said the incident apparently began when one car cut off another car in traffic. He said one driver followed the other driver to the parking lot of the Lowe's Home Improvement store on Old Grove Road, where the shooting took place. He declined to say which car White was driving.

The other driver, a white female in her 20's, was not armed, according to Poorman. Parties from both cars called police, he said.

Poorman said he did not know whether White -- who was accompanied by his wife at the time of the incident --- was inside or outside of his car during the shooting, or whether White acted in self-defense.

"I think that's probably why the shots were fired, but I'd be speculating," Poorman said.

'Police weren't saying much' sums it up fairly well now doesn't it.

The privileged few seem to be the Only Ones truly innocent until proven guilty, and I'm certain there is a logical reason he opened fire on a car containing a woman and child. Why, she probably did something unforgivable such as shooting him the bird and as we've seen time and again, LE doesn't take too well to criticism.

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