Confusing Picture Emerges After Patricia Cook Shot To Death By Cop She Was Dragging

**Whisper** · February 11th, 2012, 04:20 PM

Patricia Cook

CULPEPER, Va. (WUSA) -- An eyewitness to a fatal police shooting in Culpeper, Virginia is contradicting the State Police version of the story.

Kris Buchele says he saw a Culpeper Town Police officer shoot 54-year-old Patricia Cook to death in the Epiphany Catholic School parking lot at around 10 a.m. Thursday, February 9.

Buchele is a carpenter who was working on the house next door. He says he heard loud arguing outside and looked through a window where he had a clear view of the school parking lot. Cook was in her Jeep Wrangler .

State police say Cook rolled up the window, catching the officer's arm inside, and then dragged him.

Buchele says it didn't happen that way. He describes an encounter which looked and sounded like the officer shooting a person a point blank range, not because he feared for his life, but because the woman did not obey his order to stop rolling up the window.

"He was right next to the vehicle. He had one hand on the door handle and one hand on his weapon. And she was rolling the window up. And they were exiting out of the parkng lot.

The window was half way up he said 'stop or I'll shoot.' I really didn't think he was going to do it. But she got the window all the way up and that's when he shot. And then she took a left out of the parking lot here and he stepped out in the street and fired five more times," said Buchele.

Buchele says the officer was not dragged and that he shot her before she drove away. He says he didn't have his arm caught because the officer's left hand was on the door handle and right hand was holding a weapon. Also, he says he distinctly saw her roll up the window all the way before the officer shot out the glass and killed her.

"I'm angry, frustrated, sad, and fighting back tears right now, " said Gary Cook, Pat's husband of eight years. He doesn't understand why a police officer would shoot his unarmed wife multiple times.

"Personally I think it may be an overreaction, maybe excessive force, but I can only surmise that," Cook said.

Cook says he doesn't know why his wife was in the parking lot of the Epiphany Catholic School. Their couple's pastor at Culpeper United Methodist Church thinks she may have been there searching for work with children because she loved her volunteer role teaching Sunday school at their church.

Gary Cook is filled with questions along with grief over his wife's killing. He is contacting an attorney to pursue possible legal action.

No charges have been filed. The Virginia State Police are investigating with the assistance of Culpeper Police and the Culpeper Sheriff's Department.

Virginia State Police say that the police officer had his arm caught in her driver's side window, and was dragged alongside the vehicle as she drove away.

According to Virginia State Police, at approximately 10 a.m. Thursday, Culpeper Police got a call about a suspicious women sitting in a Jeep Wrangler in a church parking lot in the 300 block of North East Street. The officer started talking to Patricia A. Cook, 54, of Culpeper. State police say that for some reason, while the officer was trying to get her identification, Cook "suddenly closed her driver's side window trapping the officer's arm and started driving away dragging the officer alongside."

Police say the officer repeatedly asked her to stop but the car kept going. Then shots were fired, and the Jeep wrecked in the 200 block of North East Street.

Cook was shot by the officer and died at the scene.

Her remains have been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Manassas for examination and autopsy, police said
[...]

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/18...man?hpt=ju_bn4

CULPEPER, Va. - Investigators are trying to figure out what led to a police shooting that killed a 54-year-old woman in Culpeper.
A telephone pole on North East Street is where police say the confrontation between Patricia Cook and a five-year veteran of the Town of Culpeper Police Department ended.
Ironically, it began about 75 yards up the street outside of the church Cook attended. And if you had to pick a person least likely to be shot and killed by police, the victim's next door neighbor said it would be Patricia Cook.
She’s always talked really nice, and always smiling and laughing with you,” said Robin Herndon, a neighbor of Cook’s. “It’s just a shock.”
Investigators say she was shot and killed by a Culpeper Police officer responding to a call about a suspicious person at around 10 a.m. Thursday.
[...]
Instead, Herndon says Cook, a petite woman with blond hair always in a neat bun, didn't have children of her own, so she would make gifts for her neighbor's children, and always took the time to say hello.
Virginia State Police are in charge of the investigation now. The officer is on paid administrative leave
[...]

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/virg...#ixzz1m6fLE5St

**Valasca** · February 11th, 2012, 04:59 PM

Let's view dashcam footage. IF he turned on the lights (which activates the camera.)

**daffodil** · February 11th, 2012, 06:52 PM

If the witness is telling the truth, don't you think they can find out whether or not the window was fully closed or not when it was shot out. If it was closed, the cop is lying.

**Whisper** · February 11th, 2012, 06:53 PM

I have read and reread all the articles on it and its really fucked up

**Silvahalo** · February 11th, 2012, 08:25 PM

It's so bizarre. Why would she close the window on the cops arm and drive off w/ him? I'm curious to find out just what happened, hope they figure this out sounds like she was a nice lady.

**cubby** · February 11th, 2012, 08:30 PM

Don't you think, if he was truly trapped by the window and being dragged down the street, that there would be injuries to his arm of some sort, scratches, scrapes, bruises or something?

I think that my first reaction would have been to break the glass with the butt of the gun instead of shoot her, cause what if her foot got stuck on the gas and really did drag his ass down the street?

Ths is hinky as all hell, if you ask me.

**Robynne** · February 11th, 2012, 08:44 PM

Okay, so he shot out the window to break free? So, then why fire more shots?
I think she was probably jut sitting there and when the officer fired the first shot, that's when she hit the gas. To get away from the crazy ass on a power trip.
But that's just what I am thinking.

**Bridget217** · February 11th, 2012, 09:01 PM

Very fishy. I think the cop made a decision on impulse to draw his weapon and fired it to follow through then just had to think of SOMETHING to make it seem like a good decision. She was unarmed and so even if she was shooting up dope in that damn parking he had no call to shoot her. I feel awful for her husband.

**cubby** · February 12th, 2012, 02:31 AM

Really cause if she was unarmed, and I'm sure she was, he had no reason at all for even drawing his weapon, and shooting up to 5 times at her, no way was he justified if she was running away, may as well been shooting her in the back. He is dirty, and if we can figure that out, then surely to goodness his fellow cops can, if they really want to.

**Aena** · February 13th, 2012, 02:48 PM

They will say the weapon she was armed with was her vehicle, they do it all the time @cubby that is justification for shooting an unarmed person in a vehicle. I think his story stinks but he will probably get always with it, they always seem to.

**biteme** · February 13th, 2012, 03:08 PM

Is this an affair gone bad?

**LeaveMeBe** · February 13th, 2012, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by biteme

Is this an affair gone bad?

Wow. That didn't even cross my mind mind, but now that you mention it...things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

My first thought was this guy was just an ass waiting for an opportunity like this, but those feelings probably have more to do with my ex-husband, who is a cop. I can totally see him doing something like this because he's a bully, an asshole and he hates women. I really hope the truth comes out, and I have a gut feeling that the truth isn't what LE is painting it to be at this point in time.

**Whisper** · February 13th, 2012, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by biteme

Is this an affair gone bad?

Never know theres been a couple cops lately killing mistress and usually mistress is preg and they dont want wife to find out
One near me just before xmas,cop took mistress out to where cops practice shoot and killed her there
She was preg and he was married

**Whisper** · May 14th, 2012, 11:46 PM

Gary Cook Sues Culpeper Police Officer In Shooting Death of his Wife Patricia Cook

CULPEPER, Va. (WUSA) - The husband of Patricia Cook, 54, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Culpeper, Virginia police officer who shot her to death on February, 9, 2012.

Gary Cook is asking for $5 million in damages from Officer Daniel Harmon-Wright (a/k/a Daniel W. Sullivan).

[...]
The lawsuit, filed on May 11, 2012 in Culpeper County Circuit Court, says Officer Harmon-Wright carried through on his threat to shoot Mrs. Cook if she did not stop rolling up her car window and do as he demanded. It says he shot her at close range and continued firing at her as she attempted to depart.

The lawsuit says "Defendant Harmon-Wright did not have his hand or arm trapped inside the car window of Mrs. Cook's Jeep at any time during this incident."

It also says the officer was not dragged by Mrs. Cook's vehicle and that he suffered no injuries as a result of Mrs. Cook's actions. It says she did not user her vehicle as a weapon and did not try to strike or injure the defendant.

The lawsuit says, "When Defendant Harmon-Wright attempted to bully and coerce Mrs. Cook into complying with his commands by raising his voice and threatening to shoot her, she was lawfully entitled to refuse to comply with his commands and was was lawfully entitled to depart unharmed and unhindered."

Virginia State Police first said that the officer fired in self-defense because she had caught his arm in her window and was dragging him. But an eyewitness told WUSA 9 News that he clearly saw the officer's left hand on the door handle and his right on on his gun. The witness said that the officer's arm was not caught as he yelled at the woman to stop. The witness said he was stunned when he saw the officer shoot and continue shooting as Cook drove away.

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/20...ife?hpt=ju_bn4

**Redshoes** · June 16th, 2012, 11:56 AM

Daniel Harmon-Wright, murder suspect in shooting death of Patricia Cook, has history

CULPEPER, Va. (WUSA) - Murder suspect and Culpeper police officer Daniel Harmon-Wright turned his face to avoid cameras on Friday as he left the Culpeper County Courthouse under heavy security. Judge Timothy Sanner set Daniel Harmon-Wright's bail at $100,000 secured bond on Friday.

He's charged with murder and three other related counts in the shooting death of 54-year-old Patricia Cook. The housewife and Sunday school teacher was unarmed sitting in her Jeep Wrangler in a Catholic school parking lot.

The first two shots, at point blank range, hit Cook in her face and arm, but were not fatal, said Special Prosecutor Jim Fisher. But the other five shots Harmon-Wright took as he stepped into the street and fired at Cook as she drove away, were the ones that killed her, according to Fisher.

Court records show photos of three holes in the back of the Wrangler's soft top. Fisher said one bullet pierced the headrest and went into Cook's brain. Another severed her spine and hit her heart.

Defense Attorney Daniel Hawes says his client saw Cook as a threat to himself at first, and then to the community. Hawes says Cook was acting recklessly and assaulted Harmon-Wright by rolling up her window and trapping his fingers. Hawes says Harmon-Wright stepped onto the running board and shot Cook because he feared bodily harm. Hawes says Cook drove away with the sunshield still on the windshield and could not see, so was therefore putting others in danger.

When it was suggested to Hawes that perhaps Cook was just trying to get away after having been shot twice, he said, "She's not on trial. What was going through her mind is not on trial."

In argument against granting bond, Fisher revealed a incident that happened exactly one month before the fatal shooting of Cook, which led to a reprimand of Harmon-Wright for using excessive force with his firearm and forcing his way into a Culpeper home without a search warrant.

more at link... http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/20...d-jury-witness

**Redshoes** · June 16th, 2012, 11:59 AM

Former Culpeper, Va., police officer charged with murder was hired despite objections

A Culpeper, Va., police officer charged with killing a Sunday school teacher was hired despite the objections of superiors who said his excessive drinking and attitude made him a poor choice, prosecution filings show.

Daniel Harmon-Wright, 32, had also been disciplined as an officer, including once for forcing his way into a home and brandishing his weapon without probable cause or a warrant, according to a prosecution motion in opposition to his request for bond.

The details emerged Friday as the Gainesville resident was granted a $100,000 bond by a Culpeper judge. Harmon-Wright, who has been suspended without pay, is facing a murder charge and three other charges in the shooting of Patricia Cook, 54, of Culpeper while responding to a suspicious-person call in February.

“Two officials after a full background [check] recommended that Mr. Harmon-Wright not be hired as a police officer,” special prosecutor James Fisher told reporters after the hearing. “That was, of course, overturned.”

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...jOV_story.html

**darich** · June 16th, 2012, 02:50 PM

Thank you for the updates. I had been wondering. I thought the guy was getting away with murder. Glad there were witnesses.

**cubby** · June 16th, 2012, 03:27 PM

I love the quote from the defense attorney, "She's not on trial. What was going thru her mind is not on trial."

The victim is always on trial, the victim is always picked apart at a trial, why is it different this time? Because if you think about what she was thinking then you're going to decide she was fleeing for her life, not trying to hurt this guy!

**DamagedGoods** · June 16th, 2012, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by cubby

I love the quote from the defense attorney, "She's not on trial. What was going thru her mind is not on trial."

The victim is always on trial, the victim is always picked apart at a trial, why is it different this time? Because if you think about what she was thinking then you're going to decide she was fleeing for her life, not trying to hurt this guy!

Especially when his client's defense is that she caught his arm and dragged him, and proceeded to put the general public at risk. But that's not trying to put the victim on trial. It's only putting the victim on trial if it hurts his own case.

**Krystal** · June 16th, 2012, 06:10 PM

Do newer Jeep Wranglers in soft top have real doors and windows? I owned a mid-90s Jeep Wrangler soft top and the doors where also made of the same material and the windows were a flexible plastic and they zippered closed.

The cop is clearly a criminal as far as the vehicle being a deadly weapon it must certainly is, it only takes one pedestrian struck scene with body parts scattered down the road to know just how deadly they can be. And a Jeep is even worse, they are all metal not all the fiberglass you see in most cars now. I have bought Jeeps just for that reason.

**DamagedGoods** · June 16th, 2012, 06:21 PM

Hawes says Cook drove away with the sunshield still on the windshield and could not see, so was therefore putting others in danger.

There were some interesting points made in the comments; first, how likely is it to use a sunshield in February? While they're sitting in the car? Second, how does shooting at the driver, potentially causing them to lose total control over their vehicle lessen the danger to bystanders?

**witzah** · June 17th, 2012, 10:36 AM

Cook says he doesn't know why his wife was in the parking lot of the Epiphany Catholic School. Their couple's pastor at Culpeper United Methodist Church thinks she may have been there searching for work with children because she loved her volunteer role teaching Sunday school at their church.

Affair with the pastor.

**witzah** · June 17th, 2012, 10:48 AM

Former Fairfax, Va., County cop Ted Sibert says officer had no justification to enter family's home

CULPEPER, Va.* (WUSA) - Just four months before Culpeper police officer Daniel Harmon-Wright shot and killed Patricia Cook who was unarmed sitting in her Jeep Wrangler, the officer used excessive force on the Wilson family.

"I see a gun to my face. It was terrifying, a little scary," said Patrick Wilson, 19.

Harmon-Wright was searching for Patrick's younger brother who somebody thought looked suspicious, even though he was on his way to school. Court documents say Harmon Wright drew his gun and demanded he be allowed inside. The boy's mother was scared and said no, but finally let him.

"He had no right to be in their house, should no be pushing way into the home," said Ted Sibert, an attorney, former prosecutor and former Fairfax County police officer. He says before police enter a home, they need either a warrant, consent, or an emergency situation. Otherwise, it's a violation of one's constitutional rights.

"I can't see there was any justification for entering the home and searching the house," he said.

After reading through court documents, Sibert sees similarities between that incident and the killing of Patricia Cook. "It's all about excessive use of force. It's of the same ilk."

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/20...ed-With-Murder

**witzah** · June 17th, 2012, 10:54 AM

Christine Wilson tells 9News Now that she was terrified as she looked out her window and saw Harmon-Wright pointing a gun at her door. She says he demanded that she come outside, but she refused because she had just been awakened and was not dressed. He said he was searching for her son, Chris, and demanded she let him in. She finally did, and he entered with his gun drawn and searched the home with no search warrant. He found only Patrick.

"I had just woken up and wiped my eyes and came out of my room, and there was this guy with a gun in my face," said Patrick Wilson.

It appears that the only punishment Harmon-Wright received from that incident was a letter from Culpeper Captain Ricky Pinksaw who wrote: "It is apparent that excessive force was utilized" and that "the individual who fled on foot was in fact Mrs. Wilson's son Christopher who only in the in the best light was truant from school."

Captain Pinksaw told Harmon-Wright that "our conversation about the details of the case will serve as a Counseling Session and will serve as the final disposition of this investigation." Exactly one month after that letter of reprimand and four months after the October incident at the Wilson home, Harmon-Wright would kill 54- year-old housewife and Sunday school teacher Patricia Cook.

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/20...-Harmon-Wright