and you wonder why we have poblems getttingour stuff

By MIKE NORRIS, Staff writer October 19, 2001

The Plano Police Department has begun an investigation into the alleged multiple shooting of a suspect who wielded an assault rifle during a drug search at a residence earlier in the week.
Investigators met Wednesday to outline their strategy for the probe, but a deadline for conclusion was not set.

"We won't rush through this," said PPD spokesman Carl Duke. "In fact, we'll probably be more methodical than usual."

It appears to be the department's first investigation of use of weapons in Plano by an external police agency.

Both DPS and Plano police officers assisted in serving the search warrant late Monday afternoon at 6300 Walling Lane, just east of Prestonwood Country Club, as part of an ongoing investigation into steroid sales.

"It was in connection with this particular investigation that the search warrant was served," said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Carl Vinger. "There's not a whole lot more we can talk about now."

Steroids and marijuana were recovered at the scene, police said.

Two DPS officers fired handguns at homeowner David Neff while serving a narcotics search warrant at his Walling Lane home when Neff picked up an assault rifle, according to police.

Investigations of police use of firearms are mandatory under departmental policies.

Both DPS and the Plano Police Department declined to release the names of the officers while the investigation was continuing.

Police allegedly shot Neff, 21, after he pointed an assault weapon at DPS officers who had smashed into the house with a battering ram and confronted Neff and three of his friends.

The number of times he was hit was not available from either police or hospital sources.

Charged with possession of more than 2 ounces of marijuana were William Bryant Harrison, 20, 249 Sellmeyer Lane, Highland Village; Shant Vinod Asirvadam, 18, 2800 Waterview Parkway, Richardson; and Neema Amir Fazli, 19, 7508 Hamner Lane, Plano.

None of the three was shot, but a bullet passed through Harrison's pant leg. All three were released on bail the day after their arrests.

Neff, who had allegedly been selling steroids, was listed in serious condition Thursday, according to Parkland Memorial Hospital spokesman Eric Wesley.

Police said charges were pending his release from the hospital and that Neff "was not necessarily facing the same charges" already lodged against the other three defendants.

One issue in the investigation is whether police identified themselves before entering the property.

DPS has denied an allegation that its agents failed to identify themselves before the raid before entering the property.

"Our people did ID themselves as police officers," said Vinger.

One of the defendants, Harrison, said Neff had a weapon because "guns and a computer" were taken from his home about two weeks earlier and the theft had left him "paranoid."

Neff was also installing alarms and surveillance cameras, said Harrison.

Harrison said Neff had previous problems involving heroin.

Three investigations are under way: the Plano police probe of DPS shootings; an internal DPS investigations of the shootings; and the DPS investigation of the four suspects.

Steroids are drugs derived from testosterone , the male sex hormone, and come in different varieties.

Probably the best known are anabolic steroids, which have been used by athletes to induce weight gain and increase the size of their muscles to improve performance.

Athletic organizations have objected to both the unfairness of their use and the fact that steroids can cause serious psychological and physiological side effects, including increased aggressive behavior and cancer of the liver.

The International Olympics Committee banned the use of steroids in 1974, after gas chromatography testing for their presence became possible, and some Olympic athletes have been disqualified for violating the ban.