Another day, another Marine killed by police. First, Tucson SWAT killed Jose Guerena (please read the excellent story called "Jose Guerena Killed: Arizona Cops Shoot Former Marine In Botched Pot Raid" by Radley Balko): 

One of those homes belonged to 26-year-old Jose Guerena and his wife, Vanessa Guerena. The couple's 4-year-old son was also in the house at the time...

As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena.

Note that Mr. Guerena was completely innocent of any criminal activity and did not fire his weapon: 

The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home.

Then Scottsdale PD killed Sgt. Jason Prostrollo, lied about why had to kill him, and if that was not enough, tarnished his honor after the fact and belittled friends who cared about him. 

Now, it has happened yet again; police have shot and killed yet another unarmed Marine. This time an Orange County Deputy shot and killed Sgt. Manuel Loggins ("RIP Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. of the Marines. Killed by the police, unarmed and in front of his children"): 

A veteran Orange County sheriff’s deputy (claims/lied that) he feared for the safety of two young girls sitting in a parked car when he shot and killed a Marine sergeant in a dark parking lot near San Clemente High School, authorities said Friday.

Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. was shot early Tuesday as he started to get into the SUV where his two daughters -- 9 and 14 -- were sitting, authorities said. Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the department, said the deputy was fearful that Loggins -- who he said (supposedly) appeared to be acting irrationally -- was about to drive off with the girls.

The Tenth Generation Patriot hit the nail on the head: 

The cop, who was "doing paperwork", was probably really sleeping on the job. He woke up at the sound of an accident at his "safe hide", and sleepy and confused, shot this Marine. His confusion still apparent, he made up a story about "feeling Threatened". Later, when told his story wouldn't wash, he made up a new one, when someone told him, "For Christs sake, his kids were in the back seat!"

Police officers are acting like a badge is a license to kill. But the law for police officers is exactly the same as any other person: you can only shoot to kill to protect yourself or others from an imminent physical threat. Period.

A friend of mine who used to be a federal agent in Southern California told me that police departments in California are much better at weeding out trigger happy police officers than Arizona police departments. Let's hope that's true, and let's hope the Orange County Sheriff's Department provides a model to local law enforcement, i.e. Scottsdale PD, of what a true and complete investigation is all about. 

One note of comparison is immediately noteworthy. Southern California media is not terrified of doing its job and is not falling over backwards to congratulate and exonerate the deputy who killed Sgt. Loggins. I hope our local media (for example, E.J. Montini) heeds that lesson as well.