Expert tells cop-slay trial of high-powered rifle

By MENSAH M. DEAN
Philadelphia Daily News

[email protected] 215-854-5949

The Chinese-made assault rifle used to kill Police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski in May 2008 had the power to pierce body armor, a police firearms expert said yesterday in court.

"It can go right through it," Kenneth Lay, a supervisor from the Police Department's firearms laboratory, said during the Common Pleas trial of two men accused of robbing a bank and helping to murder Liczbinski, 39.

While being questioned by Assistant District Attorney Jude Conroy, Lay explained that the SKS assault rifle can fire bullets at a speed of 1,500 miles an hour, and that those bullets "mushroom" upon impact with a target to create greater damage.

An autopsy of the officer's body turned up bullet fragments in his pancreas, lower back, spine, left arm pit, left arm, right pelvis and right chest wall, Lay said.

A bullet jacket was recovered from his liver and a mushroomed bullet was found in his right chest wall, Lay said.

Liczbinski was not wearing a bulletproof vest the morning he was attacked at Almond and Schiller streets in Port Richmond.

The driver's-side door from Liczbinski's police cruiser was on display in the courtroom. A bullet hole is clearly visible just to the upper right side of the "Philadelphia Police" shield.

Police killed gunman Howard Cain, 34, soon after the shooting.

Cain's accomplices, Eric Deshann Floyd, 35, and Levon T. Warner, 41, could receive the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors say the three robbed the Bank of America inside the ShopRite store at Castor and Aramingo avenues before fleeing in a stolen Jeep, with Liczbinski on their trail.

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Comments

Posted 07:52 AM, 07/17/2010

ItsABlackThangYouWouldntUnderstand

All bullets "mushroom" to some degree upon impact due to hydrostatic shock or penetrative contact with a hard object (such as a patrol car's door). To hype up the story and make it sound as if these bullet's were somehow special "cop killers" or something equally fantastic instead of a standard 7.63 x 39 mm FMJ obeying the laws of physics is disingenuous. Just about ANY high powered rifle bullet will easily go through standard Kevlar body armor commonly worn by police officers. There is nothing new about this.

Posted 10:50 AM, 07/17/2010

DonQ

This article is full of half-truth and empty hype. There's nothung special about that SKS rifle, other than the fact that it's an old, cheap and often smuggled infantry weapon from the East bloc. Any bullet strong enough to kill deer will penetrate the body armor police wear. The 7.63x39 is actually on the weak side of that formula. Does that make the three million deer hunters in Pennsylvania potential cop killers?

Posted 10:56 AM, 07/17/2010

John Law

Ladies and Gentilmen...let's review the crime problem in Killadelphia over just the last year...K? Let's look at Gov. Rendell, the State Parole Board, The Mayor, City Council, State Attorney General and remember the following small, partial list of State Parole Offenders who made the papers....Besides Murchison and Wilson (The PIAZZA MURDERS) and Porter, Evans, Bryant, Wooden (Murderers), let's add Carrisquillo (Child Savager), Shaw (Frankford Rapist), don't forget Burgess and Ballard (Serial Killers); Giddings, Cain, Warner (COP KILLERS); Wilson, Norman, Magee, Lassister, Hill, Trinsey, Wise, Latham, Bryant and the 4 out of the 5 gunmen who murdered "Piggy" the mother of 4 children (All are Shoot-Out Artists and again were under State Parole "Supervision"). Why were they on the street and kept on the street? Money. To save money. State Budget Monies that were spent on "No Bid" and well over $63 million on other "Inappropiate" Contracts that went to Campaign Contributors and friends of Governor Rendell. Why are so few Parole Violators being sent back to prison for serious offenses and even kept on the street while they have new open court cases...like Carrisquillo? Why are there so few State Parole Field Agents in Kiladelphia? Why are 2,000 State Inmates being released each month? MONEY. The Mayor, City Council, State Legislature, State's Attorney General have all been told for 2 years now about this SCANDAL and they have done nothing to stop it. Studies...proposed legislation...it’s all more opiate for the masses. Want to help? Encourage all the victims and surviving family members to sue the State. Ask our Mayor and City Council to sue the State and get our money back! Email [email protected] and ask them to investigate and prosecute "The Rendell Murders", they'll know what you are talking about 215-861-8200. The President's Comment Line = 1-202-456-1111. Remember State Parolees are responsible for our Murder and Crime Rates. Take action...make some calls.

Posted 03:54 PM, 07/17/2010

oakster

What is the point if it can penetrate body armor,if the man was not wearing body armor?The 7.62x39 has been around since 1943...and will pierce some body armor.The 30/06 will pierce more.So what?The crime was the murder...understand?Not the bullets...the bullets and gun didn't do this themselves.Am I getting through?

Posted 05:12 PM, 07/17/2010

John Law

Psst...Folks, here's what’s going on. The BOTTOMLINE and common thread in the INQUIRE series on Courts, Bail, Witness Intimidation and Guns... is STATE PAROLEES! Pennsylvania's Parole Release Rate is an UNBELIEVABLE 55%! That's so far above the national average, it's "Stupid". Good news is, it was 67% for a long time. Since 2003, Rendell has released about 100,000 State Prison Inmates and Parole Board Chairman McVey has been artifically controlling the Parole Failure Rate by NOT issuing arrest warrants for Parole Violators! No arrest warrant = no violation = supervision success = $39,000 saved in State Budget Funds per inmate, per year = SGT. Liczbinski's Murder = SGT.McDonald's Murder = The Piazza Murder's = the Frankford Rapist = BURGESS, THE SERIAL KILLER AND RAPIST and all the other State Parolee Murders (Like Michael Ballard and Warren Wooden who just murdered 5 people about 3 weeks ago) Rapes, Shoot Outs, etc. = The Largest Open Air Prison in America and First in our Nation in COP Killings (like SGT McDonald)!. We have 1/6th the population of New York City, but 6 Times the crime...why? State Parolees. Well over 9,000 Murderers, Drug Dealers, Rapists prowling, unsupervised since 2003. The State's Attorney General (Corrupt Corbett), the State Legislature, Mayor, and City Council have all been notified in writing, with evidence and have done NOTHING.. . Folks...even if we fix the Courts, Bail, Witness Intimidation and Guns and the DA’s Office...if we don't stop "The Rendell Murders"...we "ain't fix'n not'n"! See you at the bottom of the Fox Hole! Oh, and would the last tax paying citizen escaping "Killadelphia", please turn out the lights :-)