A Texas Deputy Executed In Cold Blood
DR. DREW PINSKY, HLN HOST: Tonight, a Texas deputy executed in cold blood. Is they are a linked to Black Lives Matter. Plus, a reporter and photographer murdered on live T.V., hear what Alison Parker`s father wants us to know tonight. It all starts right now with the "Top of the Feed." A 47-year-old sheriff`s deputy, never saw it coming. He was shot in the head and back, 15 times. Take a look.</s>SHERIFF RON HICKMAN, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF: Deputy Darren H. Goforth, 47- year-old, ten year veteran was literally gunned down at a service station just down the road in what appears to be an unprovoked, execution-style killing.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Investigators are still searching for a motive, but the county sheriff says he believes Goforth`s death may be linked to Black Lives Matter.</s>SHERIFF HICKMAN: This rhetoric has gotten out of control. We have heard "Black Lives Matter," "All Lives Matter." Well, cops lives matter too. So, why will not we just drop the qualifier and just say "Lives Matter."</s>DERAY MCKESSON, ORGANIZER AND ACTIVIST, "BLACK LIVES MATTER": The only charged rhetoric of the movement has been about, "I am holding officers accountable."</s>PINSKY: Joining us, Evy Poumpouras, Security Expert, former special agent with the secret service. Vanessa Barnett, HipHollywood.com. Mike Cathewood, my "Love Line" and KABC co-host. We are on 790 AM at noontime; host of "Chain Reaction" on GSN. Areva Martin, attorney and legal commentator. And, with us as well, John Cardillo, former New York City Police Officer, host of the "John Cardillo" show at 1290 WJNO. Vanessa, my question to you is, has the "Black Lives Matter" rhetoric just gone too far?</s>VANESSA BARNETT, HIPHOLLYWOOD.COM: No. I do not know what the connection in this case is as of right now. There has not been a motive established. All we know is that the man, who allegedly did this crime was black and that the officer was white. That is all the information that we have right. So, to connect the two does not make sense to me, when the Black Lives Movement is not at all about gunning down officers.</s>PINSKY: Well, there was some crazy rhetoric over the weekend in Minnesota. John, it was in Minneapolis, I think, was not it? When they were saying fry the police or something?</s>MICHAEL CATHERWOOD, "LOVE LINE" AND KABC CO-HOST/ HOST OF "CHAIN REACTION" ON GSN: Pigs in a blanket.</s>PINSKY: Pig in a blanket. John, did you see that stuff.</s>CATHERWOOD: Yes, yes. "Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon and do not forget New York City". "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now." Chanting over and over. It is ridiculous to say "Black Lives Matter" did not insight this. It has actually become a radical terrorist hate group.</s>PINSKY: Well, hold on. Wait, wait, wait. We jumped way into this argument here fast. Let me -- hang on.</s>BARNETT: -- at this point, that is ridiculous.</s>PINSKY: Yes, let me -- Mike, let us talk about the guy that alleged perpetrator.</s>CATHERWOOD: Yes.</s>PINSKY: He had quite a sheet, right?</s>CATHERWOOD: Yes, I mean he has definitely had quite a history. Shannon Miles, he is 30 years young. Harris County Texas Sheriff says he has a history of resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct with the firearm. While he has had several run-ins with the police, he has no prior interactions with this officer.</s>PINSKY: Wait, I heard he was actually put away in a state psychiatric hospital.</s>CATHERWOOD: In 2012, Dr. .Drew, he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial after allegedly attacking a man in a homeless shelter, where he was staying. And he was sent to a mental hospital for six months and then declared competent. But, they could not try him for that case, because they never found the victim.</s>PINSKY: See, Evy, what kills me about all these cases, and the one we are going to talk about later as well is, oftentimes, it is people with mental illness getting their hands on guns.</s>EVY POUMPOURAS, SECURITY EXPERT/FORMER SPECIAL AGENT WITH THE SECRET SERVICE: Yes.</s>PINSKY: Should they have access to guns if you have that -- if you are six months in state mental hospital?</s>POUMPOURAS: No. And, if you look at the law, the law is all screwed up, that is why they keep trying to redefine these gun control laws. The law says, if you are deemed mentally incompetent, that means that a judge or a court or some other entity says, you are mentally incompetent, then they put you in an institution, then you cannot get a gun.</s>PINSKY: Ever?</s>POUMPOURAS: Yes, technically --</s>PINSKY: Depends on the state.</s>POUMPOURAS: Depends on the state, depends on the circumstances. But, listen to this. Let us say you still suffer from the same disorder.</s>PINSKY: Yes.</s>POUMPOURAS: Let us say, you have a mental issue.</s>PINSKY: Yes.</s>POUMPOURAS: And, then you decided on your own, "You know what? I am going to go get help. And, voluntarily, I go to get some help from an institution. I can still get a gun, because I put myself there." So, the law has to so many quirks and issues. What they need to do is redefine.</s>PINSKY: Areva, come on now. Is that what we should be worried about as opposed to "Black Lives Matter?"</s>AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. We should be worried about the mental health issues. One of the things as Mike read that guy`s wrap sheet, I did not hear you read that he was a member of "Black Lives Matter." So, I am not sure how they are making this huge connection between this group, which primarily sprung up on social media, have been talking about police accountability, not talking about killing police officers. Now, are there some fringe members, are there are some people who are on the fringes of this group who may hate police officers? Absolutely, all groups have fringe members, but you cannot hold the entire "Black Lives Matter" movement, which is responsible for so many good things that are happening, like today, 7,000 Los Angeles Police Officers, who are wearing body cams for the first time in the history of Los Angeles.</s>PINSKY: And, by the way, taxpayers are not paying for it. It was donated by private donations. So, it was something --</s>MARTIN: But, the whole movement to get body cams, you have to draw some correlation between the protests by groups like "Black Lives Matter."</s>CATHERWOOD: I think Areva`s point is very important. Dr. Drew, after you left the radio show today in the afternoon at KABC, I took nothing but calls from black citizens. Some of them are law enforcement themselves saying that, these radicals that may be dressing themselves up as the "Black Lives Matter" movement, do not in any way represent either them as members of the Black Lives Movement or African-Americans period.</s>PINSKY: Mike, hold on. Evy, hold on. John, I want to relive a moment that I have right here in the set, like last week. If you guys could get the tape for me in the control room. We had a guy -- you will remember this, John, who got up in the audience, right? And made some pretty inflammatory remarks. Let us play that if we could. All right?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE AUDIENCE MEMBER: It is only a matter of time before the people start shooting at the police and say whether they are shooting at us. It is like they do not realize that they are kind of starting a revolution.</s>PINSKY: If anything, you worry that could happen.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes.</s>PINSKY: Yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE AUDIENCE MEMBER: I am saying, it is just a matter of time before it happened.</s>PINSKY: Well, you are saying it is going to happen. Be careful. Be careful.</s>RYAN SORBA, CHAIRMAN OF THE YOUNG CONSERVATIVES OF CALIFORNIA: It has already happened in New York --</s>PINSKY: Be careful.</s>PINSKY: And, then, John, you reacted to that rather strongly? .</s>CARDILLO: Oh, yes.</s>PINSKY: You want to have at it again? How do you connect between -- Is that guy -- people are starting to think that way because of a social movement?</s>CARDILLO: Let me explain this, because I have been studying the "Black Lives Matter" movement and digging in very deep. Recently, the new Black Panther Party and the Nation of Islam have very visibly called for the murders of police officers in whites. And, before I am cut off, it is important to understand that they have provided with the explicit permission of "Black Lives Matter" perimeter security at their events -- at "Black Lives Matter" events. "Black Lives Matter" groups are marching with banners that say "Black Lives Matter," calling for the murder of police. Now, before people shut me down and tell me this did not happen, there is streaming video on 500 sites showing it did. So, "Black Lives Matter" is absolutely responsible for the incendiary rhetoric that leads to violence against police and law abiding citizens.</s>PINSKY: But, Vanessa, again, is it just the periphery? Do they need to take responsibility for that?</s>BARNETT: Just spouting off ignorant comments that you almost cannot even respond to. No, they are not out here, attacking and killing police officers. You are taking one isolated incident and then there was another incident in New York from people -- from rogue radical people, who are not paying in dues to "Black Lives Matter." That is not what we have here. And, I do not know why you are so threatened by me saying my life matters. Black Lives Matter and that is OK. I am not saying your life matter any less, so for you to be threatened by that because you have people -- a group of people coming together for good --</s>CARDILLO: No one is threatened by it.</s>BARNETT: No one is going out and not the majority of that group is asking for cops to be murdered. You are just spouting off ridiculous things to get on T.V., and no one is here for you. No one is here for you.</s>PINSKY: Hang on. Let me go to the audience. Hang on, John. Hold on a second, Vanessa. Yes, sir, go ahead.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE AUDIENCE MEMBER: Well, first of all, I would like to give my condolences to the deputy and his family. My heart goes out to them.</s>PINSKY: Well, Areva, the point is well taken. And, maybe Black Lives Matter is ill-serving their point, their defense --</s>MARTIN: I disagree with that, Dr. Drew.</s>PINSKY: -- by in anyway being associated with the things that John says they are being associated.</s>MARTIN: Well, I disagree with that. Black Lives Matter have had an incredible impact on the constitutional policing in just one year that they sprung up after the death of Mike Brown. So, I think they are absolutely on point. And, as to Vanessa`s point, when we say black lives matter, we are not saying that white lives do not matter, or that police lives do not matter. All lives matter.</s>PINSKY: But, John feels that there is some elements in there saying --</s>MARTIN: But, you have to recognize Black Lives Matter is calling attention to the issue of racial disparities in policing as it relates to African- Americans. That is real.</s>PINSKY: Hang on.</s>MAR TIN: You cannot dismiss that.</s>PINSKY: Last thought, Evy. John, hold on. We got to take a break.</s>POUPOURAS: I got to -- I want to just say something.</s>PINSKY: Very quick.</s>POUMPOURAS: You know what? I do not exactly -- I do not agree with what John is saying, black lives do matter and they should be allowed to express themselves. But, the other thing, I want to point out is this, the moment we have a white officer get involved in a shootout with an African- American, automatically, that stereotype is in there, that "Oh, this must have been racist." So, I just feel like it is just happening on both sides. And, before we make judgments, white, black, whatever, we should know what happened before we start calling people racists.</s>PINSKY: All right. Next up, I got a friend of the slain deputy joining me. And, later what the parents of a murdered daughter reporter saying tonight. We are back after this.