bloodrayne
01-19-2006, 01:57 AM
Cop Faces Charges In Card Game Shootings
An off-duty Maitland officer is arrested after a Casselberry poker flap leaves one player seriously hurt.
Florida - A poker game at a Casselberry home early Sunday morning came to an abrupt end when two men were shot by an off-duty Maitland police officer who was not allowed to join the game.
Officer Daniel John Metevier shot player Francis Webster in the shoulder, and Jason Granich in the stomach, according to Seminole County Sheriff's investigators.
Webster's wound was superficial. Granich's condition appeared to be serious but not life-threatening, a spokesman with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said.
Metevier, 30, has been with the Maitland Police Department since 2002. He was a full-time officer until last year when he took another job but continued to work for the agency as a reserve officer, department spokeswoman Jonni Schardine said.
Deputy sheriffs responded to a call around 2:26 a.m., about gunfire at 1842 Laurel Brook Loop, in the Oakhurst Reserve subdivision. They found Granich on the ground a few houses away. Webster, the host of the game, managed to wrestle and successfully restrain the shooter, who had run across the street, investigators said.
The police report states that Granich and a second guest, Henry Tilyaid, were at Webster's getting ready to play poker.
The trouble began when Benjamin Simanton showed up with a friend -- Metevier -- wanting to join the game.
Simanton and Metevier were told that everyone had to put up $100. The pair refused. Instead they offered to come in with $20 each, reports said.
The disagreement led to an argument between Metevier and Granich, who is Webster's cousin. Things escalated, and the off-duty officer ran out of the house with Granich chasing after him, according to reports. Next, the three men inside heard a popping sound, and came out to find Granich moaning on the ground and bleeding from a stomach wound.
Webster took off after Metevier, who fired several rounds at him while they both ran, reports said. A bullet grazed Webster on the left shoulder. He later told investigators he thought the shooter was using a pellet gun.
Wounded, Webster still managed to wrestle Metevier to the ground and kept him there until deputies arrived.
Metevier was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. Bail was set at $4,000, and he was released from jail Sunday afternoon. He could not be reached for comment.
Metevier used a semiautomatic pistol, but Schardine would not say whether it was the weapon issued to him by the department.
Schardine said Metevier has a good record with the department, although she added she had not pulled his personnel file.
"As far as we know, there had been no problems with him or any complaints that we are aware of," she said.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
An off-duty Maitland officer is arrested after a Casselberry poker flap leaves one player seriously hurt.
Florida - A poker game at a Casselberry home early Sunday morning came to an abrupt end when two men were shot by an off-duty Maitland police officer who was not allowed to join the game.
Officer Daniel John Metevier shot player Francis Webster in the shoulder, and Jason Granich in the stomach, according to Seminole County Sheriff's investigators.
Webster's wound was superficial. Granich's condition appeared to be serious but not life-threatening, a spokesman with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said.
Metevier, 30, has been with the Maitland Police Department since 2002. He was a full-time officer until last year when he took another job but continued to work for the agency as a reserve officer, department spokeswoman Jonni Schardine said.
Deputy sheriffs responded to a call around 2:26 a.m., about gunfire at 1842 Laurel Brook Loop, in the Oakhurst Reserve subdivision. They found Granich on the ground a few houses away. Webster, the host of the game, managed to wrestle and successfully restrain the shooter, who had run across the street, investigators said.
The police report states that Granich and a second guest, Henry Tilyaid, were at Webster's getting ready to play poker.
The trouble began when Benjamin Simanton showed up with a friend -- Metevier -- wanting to join the game.
Simanton and Metevier were told that everyone had to put up $100. The pair refused. Instead they offered to come in with $20 each, reports said.
The disagreement led to an argument between Metevier and Granich, who is Webster's cousin. Things escalated, and the off-duty officer ran out of the house with Granich chasing after him, according to reports. Next, the three men inside heard a popping sound, and came out to find Granich moaning on the ground and bleeding from a stomach wound.
Webster took off after Metevier, who fired several rounds at him while they both ran, reports said. A bullet grazed Webster on the left shoulder. He later told investigators he thought the shooter was using a pellet gun.
Wounded, Webster still managed to wrestle Metevier to the ground and kept him there until deputies arrived.
Metevier was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. Bail was set at $4,000, and he was released from jail Sunday afternoon. He could not be reached for comment.
Metevier used a semiautomatic pistol, but Schardine would not say whether it was the weapon issued to him by the department.
Schardine said Metevier has a good record with the department, although she added she had not pulled his personnel file.
"As far as we know, there had been no problems with him or any complaints that we are aware of," she said.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.