Breaking News

Breaking News, By Breanna Sooter

Maurice Clemmons was shot and killed on Tuesday morning.

Clemmons shot four police officers in the Tacoma area on Sunday. There was a two day manhunt around the Seattle area for him, according to ABCnews.com.

The Wall Street Journal reported that hundreds of officers and dogs searched the Seattle area for Clemmons.

A Seattle police officer shot and killed an armed Clemmons while making a routine check of a stolen car. Others have been taken into custody for possibled aiding and abetting.

This was not Clemmons first interaction with Seattle's finest. He has a long history in Arkansas and Washington for violence, assualt and second-degree rape of a child. According to the Seattle Times, Clemmons criminal history involves five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. According to the Seattle Times, he was released last week on a $15,000 bond. Mike Huckabee, who was the governor at the time of Clemmons parole in Arkansas in 2000 is the one responsible from granting Clemmons clemency for his 95 year sentence from his 1989 arrest for aggravated robbery.The Seattle Times also reported that Clemmons has been known for his unpredictable behavior. Clemmons sister told Sheriff's earlier this year that "Maurice is not in his right mind..."

His past court experiences indicate unacceptable behavior as well. Doing anything from hiding a hinge in his sock to use as a weapon to reaching for the guard's pistol, judges have had to order extra security because they feel uncomfortable or threatened by him. According to the Los Angeles Times, Huckabee's political career could also be severely impacted by Clemmons actions. "He made some questionable decisions about clemency for inmates during his term as governor, in some cases ignoring the objections of legal experts. But in Clemmons' case, he seems to have had legitimate grounds for concern about whether justice was being served." Huckabee released this statement, "Should [Clemmons] be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990, making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him...Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers."