It came out this week that a former Missouri Sheriff’s Deputy, not only staged a shooting, leaving his patrol car riddled with bullets, but also faked being a war veteran suffering from PTSD. Linkee Israel Carillo, the ex-deputy from the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, was charged with falsely claiming to be a purple heart veteran and tampering with a department vehicle. Carillo called for help on January 31 of this year, when he claimed that he was under gun fire from three male subjects. A dozen officers from multiple nearby agencies responded. They arrived to see Carillo’s hood and windshield covered with bullet holes.
The next day, Sheriff’s investigators announced that the findings of their investigation were that Carillo had staged the incident and shot up his own police cruiser. An arrest was not made until this week, when investigators filed their case with the state. At the time of the incident, Carillo’s actions were presumed to be a result of PTSD from active duty combat. Carillo had presented a purple heart and numerous certificates for valor in battle. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that Carillo did serve in the military, however, his medals and certificates were either purchased or forged.
The police hiring process is excruciatingly invasive. It is a wonder that Carillo was able to pass himself off as a war veteran. Military service is scrutinized during the hiring process and the fact that Carillo could make claims that weren’t debunked from the start, is shocking in and of itself. After the application verification process, potential cops are subject to both polygraph testing and psychological exams. The fact that Carillo was able to make it through the hiring process shows that a determined deceptive applicant can manipulate holes in the system and hide who they really are. This, along with many of the other problems we see with officers, should be caught at this stage. It is becoming obvious that current police screening methods are not practical or effective.
The shocking thing about this staged shooting incident, isn’t particularly the incident itself. It is the fact that this is the second staged shooting event by police this year that we have been made aware of. The recent shooting death of Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, which spawned a massive manhunt, was revealed this week to have been a carefully planned and staged suicide. To have one staged police shooting is a unique event in known police history. To have two staged events come to light is absolutely unheard of. The benefit of shining a light on these incidents, is that it demonstrates that this “war on cops” is in fact a myth. The thousand plus people killed by police this year would also suggest who the real perpetrators of this war are.
Officials have not released a statement on Carillo’s motive for staging this shooting, however once the case is concluded, the internal affairs report will become public record. It will be fascinating to read the statements made by Carillo, and perhaps will give us some insight into the the mind of a criminal cop.
