Police shooting of unarmed teen leads to protests and Riot

[ernie]

At this point we still know very little about what happened. New reports have the officer with a broken orbital bone but is it true? who knows (maybe we do at this time I haven't checked the news this morning).

Just as it could be a completely unjustified shooting it may also be that they had a struggle through the squad car window where the officer was assaulted and Brown did indeed reach for his gun. Reports suggest the gun went off the first time during that scuffle. So in this version you have a guy who has already assaulted an officer through the car window and who may have tried to get the cops gun. The situation escalates with the officer out of his car and likely gun drawn. If at any time Brown charged the officer on the street he is going to get shot given the previous seconds at the car and reaching for the gun.

Is that the version of events? who knows. But it fits as well as any other theory at this point based on what has been released.

Cops have a bad rep and sometimes for very good reason. However, the very large majority of shootings are justified.

[bomba]

police released a cell phone video of another shooting in the same community - WARNING its graphic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-P5...ctr=1408630518

EDIT: Sorry this isn't the Michael Brown shooting, but another one in the same community

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by bomba

police released a cell phone video of the whole thing - WARNING its graphic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-P5...ctr=1408630518

#### that ain't right.

[SportsJunky]

Did I just see that? I have no words.

[Flash Walken]

I remember when police used to arrest people instead of summarily executing them.

What happened to police being trained to deal with an aggressive assailant?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I remember when police used to arrest people instead of summarily executing them.

What happened to police being trained to deal with an aggressive assailant?

Nastier forms of criminals then we ever had in the past?

[nik-]

kids these days?

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

#### that ain't right.

Didn't the guy have a knife and was approaching the police?

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I remember when police used to arrest people instead of summarily executing them.

What happened to police being trained to deal with an aggressive assailant?

This video was linked in a previous page and responded to.

I am not sure what else the police were to do with a guy advancing with a knife yelling "kill me".

Feel free to offer suggestions and outline your background in dealing with persons with a knife at 15 feet.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Didn't the guy have a knife and was approaching the police?

Originally Posted by Bent Wookie

This video was linked in a previous page and responded to.

I am not sure what else the police were to do with a guy advancing with a knife yelling "kill me".

Feel free to offer suggestions and outline your background in dealing with persons with a knife at 15 feet.

The first time I saw that video was this morning.

I did know know he had a knife (I could not see that or hear that in the video).

[Regorium]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Did I just see that? I have no words.

No words for how dumb people are these days?

Or are you seriously suggesting the cop already did not show an immense amount of restraint for not shooting until the dude with the knife was less than 6 feet away.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Bent Wookie

This video was linked in a previous page and responded to.

I am not sure what else the police were to do with a guy advancing with a knife yelling "kill me".

Feel free to offer suggestions and outline your background in dealing with persons with a knife at 15 feet.

Not fire 10 shots in a relatively crowded area at a suspect with obvious mental instability?

Can cops not move backwards? There are two of them, neither can use less lethal means?

Is it justifiable to just shoot someone when the job becomes difficult?

Nah, let's just empty our magazines into this guy, he is scary. Another justifiable shooting to be investigated internally.

One unstable guy with a knife vs. 2 guns, 2 batons, 2 tazers, 2 pepper sprays and two police officers trained in subduing armed and unarmed perps, with a vehicle, in broad daylight surrounded by civilians.

Nope, shoot him 8 or 10 times, because I gave him an order and he didn't comply.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Regorium

No words for how dumb people are these days?

Or are you seriously suggesting the cop already did not show an immense amount of restraint for not shooting until the dude with the knife was less than 6 feet away.

Perhaps he finds it disconcerting to watch someone get shot.


I know I do.

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Not fire 10 shots in a relatively crowded area at a suspect with obvious mental instability?

Can cops not move backwards? There are two of them, neither can use less lethal means?

Is it justifiable to just shoot someone when the job becomes difficult?

Nah, let's just empty our magazines into this guy, he is scary. Another justifiable shooting to be investigated internally.

One unstable guy with a knife vs. 2 guns, 2 batons, 2 tazers, 2 pepper sprays and two police officers trained in subduing armed and unarmed perps, with a vehicle, in broad daylight surrounded by civilians.

Nope, shoot him 8 or 10 times, because I gave him an order and he didn't comply.

Again, that was answered above.

I actually don't even know where to start with this. Ya, they shot him because the job was "difficult". If by difficult you mean a guy is advancing with a knife yelling kill me difficult, than ya, I'd say that's difficult. At what point would you use lethal force Flash? Maybe take one stab wound then shoot? Is 15 feet close enough? 10? 5? So you retreat? To where? Behind your car? Then what? Where's your line?

But clearly you know what you're talking about based on real life experience and training. Carry on.

[Flash Walken]

It's like those cops just stumbled into that situation, right?

They were just driving by and noticed a suspicious guy with his hand in his pocket, and before they knew it, he was charging at them with a knife.

[sec304]

Cops don't back up and run circles around a truck from a 'scary guy' screaming like girls. They plant their feet and pull their weapon and give commands. Can you imagine how much respect the cops would get backing away from everyone cause they don't want to use lethal force?

This guy wanted to die by a police shooting, plain and simple.

Check the shooting video released from Alaska this week. A guy is running at two cops with a baseball bat, the cops hesitate and back up. One cop trips backwards and falls down. The guys hits the cop in the face with the baseball bat as he lies there. The guy stops and continues to taunt the cops and eventually gets shot and killed.

Same result in the end but the compassion/hesitation by the cops only resulted in a officer getting hurt.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

It's like those cops just stumbled into that situation, right?

They were just driving by and noticed a suspicious guy with his hand in his pocket, and before they knew it, he was charging at them with a knife.

Not sure that answers his question Flash.

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

It's like those cops just stumbled into that situation, right?

They were just driving by and noticed a suspicious guy with his hand in his pocket, and before they knew it, he was charging at them with a knife.

Sorry, I don't know where you're going with this.

And you didn't really answer the question.

[White Out 403]

Being a cop is tough. That's why we give them guns and handcuffs and let them shoot and detain people when necessary. Was it necessary for that guy to be shot to death? I'm not a cop, nor am I trained in any way to deal with scenarios like this. But I suspect that simply having a knife and not responding to commands isn't worthy of death. Why not taze the guy? Why are you shooting at centre of mass to kill? I don't think its reasonable to ask cops to go hand to hand with a guy wielding a knife but isn't there a middle ground between hand to knife combat and 5+rounds to centre of mass?

Originally Posted by Resurrection

Being a cop is tough. That's why we give them guns and handcuffs and let them shoot and detain people when necessary. Was it necessary for that guy to be shot to death? I'm not a cop, nor am I trained in any way to deal with scenarios like this. But I suspect that simply having a knife and not responding to commands isn't worthy of death. Why not taze the guy? Why are you shooting at centre of mass to kill? I don't think its reasonable to ask cops to go hand to hand with a guy wielding a knife but isn't there a middle ground between hand to knife combat and 5+rounds to centre of mass?

Sometimes I feel like I am getting punk'd.