Acquitted on Same Day as Rittenhouse Man Still Faces 30 Years in Prison for Having Had His GF Murdered by SWAT
SWAT walks free of course
Editor’s note: In case the Chauvin and Rittenhouse trials restored your faith in America’s “criminal justice system” it sadly has to be crushed again. This man had his girlfriend murdered by gun-loving bullies and clowns, and it is *he* who is put on trial, and still faces 30 years despite having been acquitted.
A Gifford man who claimed he was defending himself and his girlfriend when he fired shots at deputies during an early-morning raid in 2017 was acquitted Friday of charges that carried a life prison term.
A jury found Andrew “A.J.” Coffee IV, 27, not guilty of second-degree felony murder, three counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer by discharging a firearm and one count of shooting or throwing a deadly missile.
In a separate proceeding Friday, the same jury convicted Coffee IV of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
At his sentencing Jan. 13, he faces a maximum prison term of 30 years.
“The state will be seeking that maximum 30 years upon him,” Assistant State Attorney Chris Taylor said after court.
The charges related to a March 19, 2017, fire fight between a Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactical team and Coffee IV at his home in the 4500 block of 35th Avenue, Gifford.
His girlfriend, Alteria Woods, 21, died during the raid after being struck by 10 bullets fired by a SWAT team member, including one shot that entered her chest, records show.
The second-degree murder count, defined as an intentional killing that was not premeditated, was in connection to Woods’ death. [SO GET THIS RIGHT. The cops killed his girlfriend then charged HIM for it.]
Jurors seated last week for a trial that began Monday deliberated for about 11 hours before returning a verdict.
The jury began deliberating Thursday afternoon following closing arguments and worked until around 10 p.m. before being told to return Friday.
After court Friday, Coffee’s attorney Adam Chrzan said his client was relieved when it became clear the jury was acquitting him of the most serious charges.
“I think they weighed the evidence and applied the law and took into account the defenses that we were provided and we argued successfully, clearly, that there was some overreaction and overreach by the sheriff’s department on that raid,” Chrzan said. “They should have pulled back, they didn’t. And this is what happens when you go into a volatile situation without all the information.”
Chrzan blamed sheriff’s officials for “creating the situation that triggered” Woods’ death.
“The jury found that he was defending himself and Alteria and that he needed to do this,” Chrzan added.
Coffee on Wednesday testified on his own behalf as he did in March, during a stand your ground hearing seeking immunity from prosecution.
Then, he told Circuit Judge Dan Vaughn he and Woods had been asleep when deputies at the back of the house broke out the window to his bedroom using a pole that then detonated a flashbang device.
Moments earlier, SWAT members at the front of the house had quickly taken his father, Andrew Coffee III, into custody after a brief struggle just outside the home’s front door.
During his March hearing, Coffee IV said he thought he was being robbed when he saw what appeared to be a rifle sticking through the open window pointed at him. He insisted he didn’t know the raid was underway when he fired a .45-caliber pistol out his bedroom window, shooting it two or three times.
Deputies in turn shot more than a dozen rounds toward the bedroom window, court records show.
After the gunfire, investigators searched the house. Woods was discovered deceased on a bed in Coffee IV’s bedroom.
In the elder Coffee’s bedroom, deputies found marijuana cigarettes, crack cocaine along with 10 Hydromorphone pills and one oxycodone pill, both painkillers, according to reports.
A grand jury in July 2017 cleared SWAT team members of any criminal charges and a Sheriff’s Office internal investigation cleared them of any violations of policies and procedures.
In June, Vaughn denied Coffee’s bid for immunity under the state’s “stand your ground” law. An appeals court in October declined to overturn Vaughn’s ruling.
Taylor Friday said he respect the jury’s verdict but still rebuffed Coffee IV’s claims of self-defense.
“Obviously, we believe that the state’s case was righteous, we proved our case beyond a reasonable doubt but the jury did not see it that way for the first part of the trial,” he said. “But we are glad that justice was done and he was found guilty of the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.”
Coffee IV has a criminal record that includes four felony convictions, Taylor noted, which he said allows the state to seek an enhanced punishment for the gun conviction.
Editor’s note: All of his “felonies” are victimless and non-violent (possession of weed) or defensive (trying to keep cops from getting into his non-violent, victimless business):
His convictions include possession of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver; fleeing and eluding police; resisting an officer with violence; and battery on an officer.
The youngest Coffee was accused of punching and hurting sheriff’s K-9 dog Marco, who had visible wounds.
Coffee IV pleaded not guilty, but a jury found him guilty of fleeing or eluding police, resisting an officer without violence and causing great harm or death to a police dog, according to records. He was sentenced to nearly a year in county jail.
You unjustifiably strip a non-violent black man of his right to bear arms then imprison him for up to 30 years for not abiding by your arbitrary demand. Great job normies. Another non-conformist off the streets.
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers in a statement issued after the verdict, stood by the actions of SWAT members during the raid.
“It’s disappointing that this jury did not see that the tragic death of Alteria Woods occurred as a direct results of the actions of Andrew Coffee IV. Our deputies were there as a result of drug complaints and sales and took fire from Coffee upon which they had no choice but to protect themselves and others,” Flowers said via text.
“Our hearts go out to the Woods family as they still suffer from a loss of their daughter, but we stand by our statement that she would still be here had Coffee simply complied with law enforcement.” [That’s a climbdown from their initial lies that Coffee used her as “shield”.]
Woods’ family has said she had attended Indian River State College and worked as a pharmacy technician at a Publix store in the Ryanwood Plaza on 58th Avenue west of Vero Beach. She was studying to become a pharmacist.
In January, Woods’ mother, Yolanda Woods, filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against the Sheriff’s office and deputies involved in the raid.
That lawsuit was recently put on hold pending the outcome of Coffee IV’s trial.
Others inside the house the night of the raid have also filed federal lawsuits against sheriff’s officials, including Coffee IV, his grandmother Vivian Scott and her friend Leslie Lowery.
Source: TC Palm
For those asking, police were raiding Andrew's home on suspicion that Andrew's father had 14 grams of cocaine.
They had already detained his father before deciding to break into Andrew's bedroom.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
CORRECTION: the story that Alteria was pregnant was made up by Indian River County authorities as part of their "human shield" story against Andrew. Alteria was not pregnant. Apologies for the mistake.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
The war on drugs is why Alteria is dead.
It is long past time for it to end.
Her name was Alteria Woods, and no one else needs to be killed over this failed policy. pic.twitter.com/n8OROdJnTu
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
According to Alteria's family, she and Andrew were inseparable. The night before, they had gone to the movies, and then to the Firefighters' Indian River County Fair.
Alteria and Andrew were thrilled to welcome their unborn child into the world later that year.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
Then on that early morning, while Andrew and Alteria were sleeping, police smashed open their bedroom window and threw in a flashbang grenade.
Andrew awoke and, believing that they were being robbed, fired out the window.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
Police fired back dozens of times, hitting Alteria 10 times and killing her, then arrested Andrew.
Prosecutors and police sought life imprisonment for Andrew, and claimed to the media that he used Alteria as a "human" shield, while he was in jail, unable to speak in his defense.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
Thankfully, after reviewing all evidence, yesterday jurors acquitted Andrew of killing Alteria, recognizing that police started the fight.
Unfortunately, Andrew was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon, and the prosecution is seeking the maximum 30 year sentence for it. pic.twitter.com/JLYiu0wi9B
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
But the 2nd amendment doesn't give an exception to felons.
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Period.
And for that matter, Andrew should have never been a felon in the first place.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
All of his arrests are related to possession/distribution of drugs. The war on drugs is an utter failure that should have been ended long ago.
The war on drugs is why police broke into Andrew's home, and why he still faces jail time for defending his home.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
This woman's name is Alteria Woods.
Alteria worked at a pharmacy and was studying to be a pharmacist, and volunteered at a food bank and a pug rescue.
In 2017, police shot and killed Alteria, who was pregnant with her boyfriend Andrew's child, and arrested him for killing her. pic.twitter.com/uSmG8luEhV
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) November 21, 2021
Amerikastani on Amerikastani violence isn’t my affair. Amerikastanis killing non Amerikastanis is.
Yuri,,, is this you!
Who is Yuri?
My name is actually Yuri and this is fucking with me. Who the hell are you?
“In case the Chauvin and Rittenhouse trials restored your faith in America’s “criminal justice system” Editor….
Have to Disagree on Chauvin. Of the hundreds of cases where it was obvious the cops should have been jailed for various crimes and were not,,, this cop did nothing. His knee was not on the neck of our hero thug Floyd and besides it was normal police procedure. They had Floyd in the car where he went nutzo on them. It is the very first court case in my lifetime that the jury was actually instructed to ignore the autopsy. The hero thug died of fentanyl overdose. The millions of dollars paid to the ‘family’ were paid during the trial knowing Chauvin would be railroaded.
can never be ‘normal’ to detain someone in that way, & that certainly did contribute to his death. “Cop” was in the wrong here anyway. Everything else is simply condoning and excusing police brutality which is normal for many, in and out of America. Karma will be sweet for your kind. BTW Chinese money laundering likely had a hand in why this was allowed to happen.
What was the excuse for a military raid on this weed-pusher ?
Is there any report of these teams doing a 4 o’clock raid on criminals ?
Swat teams are supposed to get called when regular cops can’t handle a situation, but they became the norm, which is criminal conduct on the part of the state, but I’m repeating myself.
Also them SWAT are glorified as brave people, but this action on itself shows that at least THAT department is a bunch of pussies.
A sorry state the American State is in…
Shot in your own house by cops doing nothing wrong maybe watching TV and you can’t do a thing about it. That is a low low justice level country.
where is black lives matter on this?
LOL LOL War on drugs and Cocaine – 7 US Military airbases in the worlds most famous Cocaine country. Pablo Escobar was killed so that the USA Crime Syndicate could take over his operation. The US Gov has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people in their FAKE drug wars. Ms. Woods is another one killed, as thousands have been.
Civilians have the right to defend against police who are conducting unlawful activities.
This right includes deadly force!
Have you noticed, police always find either child porn or drugs after a confrontation. Must have a special officer to plant this.
I thought the same, still they guy had a record. BUT that doesn’t warrant a SWAT raid out of nothing. The procedure is clear, they have to call on the guy and ask him to surrender first. The pussies attacked a sleeping couple with full force, then overreacted to his shots like the pussies they are.