Those so easily frightened must not be given guns!
Do not read the comments to the linked USA Today article, unless you already feel like destroying the Earth.
So, are they going to go for the “guy had substantial quantity of narcotics on his person” smear in this case?
Does it even matter? The people who want to justify it will find a way, no matter what the victim did.
EDIT: Whoops, a few seconds too late posting. There’s one already!
Did you even read the article? The officer went out of his way not to have to fire his weapon and regretted having to do so.
Speaking for the voiceless like that, you’re a saint.
Did you read in the article where the first narrative was the police PR statement and the article later said that there were significant discrepancies between witness accounts and the police accounts?
It’s entirely possible that things transpired exactly as the police claim, but neither you nor I know if that is the case, so accepting a police publication of events as if it’s the gospel takes a lot of assumptions that the cops would know and tell the truth of the events.
But even if the police account of the events is 100% true, it still doesn’t justify the shooting.
Cops lie. Criminals lie. Witnesses lie. I’m all for equipping each and every police officer with a camera so we don’t have to wade through all the bullshit.
Maybe we could make up some flash cards for cops?
Of course they would treat people they’re familiar with differently, what kind of remark is that? The officer didn’t shoot the suspect because he was black, or because he was acting suspiciously, or even because he ran away. He shot the suspect when they were struggling and the officer thought the suspect was reaching for a gun. He made a mistake but he wasn’t the only one that day.
Caught doing what? Selling drugs? Being in possession of narcotics that he didn’t have a prescription for? Or playing loud music?
To me, none of those justifies dismissing race as potential factor in the killing of this man before the facts are in. This seems to be where we differ.
Read the story. Race had nothing to do with it. The officer was responding to a complaint of people dealing drugs.
We’ve already seen that cameras mysteriously get turned off when something potentially unethical is about to happen, but even when cops are caught on video doing something wrong, they still get a lot more benefit of the doubt than a citizen.
Lack of compliance and respect for authority is not a justifiable reason for the police killing someone. Resisting arrest, running from the cops, squirming when they try to handcuff you - none of these are justifications for killing someone.
You can say there’s no racial component, but the police officers’ accounts of situations (and I’m thinking specifically of Darren Wilson here) certainly give the impression that black people get a +8 on the d20 roll to be perceived as scary dangerous super villains
Can everyone just leave their goddamned guns in their holster for one goddamned day? Cops, go to your corner. Citizens, get to yours.
God. Damn. It.
So I heard a lady that was thrown to the ground by the LAPD for a traffic violation got a settlement payment of some 550k, and the officers involved are either suspended or fired. So I guess the rule is don’t let them live.
Again, you’re making assumptions. Reread the story and then realize that the story isn’t a full and complete account (something we will never actually have unfortunately) and realize that an article on a website can’t tell you what thoughts, emotions, prejudices, and motivations the victim or the cops had in this scenario.
Don’t the cops have Tasers or pepper spray? Killing someone should be the last action ever considered by a cop and even then only if there is absolutely no other way to prevent other loss of life.
Cops don’t know who the criminals are, that’s supposed to be a judge’s job. Provided that suspects live long enough to appear before one.
