Azelma wrote:
Not sure how anyone could see that clip and not say it was murder. They didn't even go for a wounding shot...they straight up triple-tapped him.
I could see that clip and say it wasn't murder. There are numerous issues that aren't addressed in the video alone. What was the reason they were doing the raid? It may have been just a drug charge, but a number of very violent and dangerous criminals have fallen from otherwise petty crimes. He may be known to be armed at all times, may have previously fired at officers or others, may be known to possess assault rifles. There may be a lot of things pointing to a raid going very badly, and the officers might be primed to shoot a bit more quickly than if the extra concerns weren't present. A split second to make a decision, when there is a considerable chance this person will be heavily armed and willing to fire, isn't a long time, and the wrong decision doesn't always equal murder.
When I read into what happened and the circumstances, it certainly wasn't justifiable, and not only should the officer be put on permanent desk duty, his commanding officer should be fired. I don't think charging the shooting officer with murder would really solve the problem.
Edits:
Eturnalshift wrote:
1) The cops identified themselves and also yelled search warrant.
2) The man came running around the corner with a golf club pulled back as if he was ready to swing. He may have been scared because people were busting into his house but that also means he had an intent to use that as a weapon after the police identified themselves.
3) The cop identified that the man had a weapon and was within close range. Since the man was already in motion he could've continued moving forward, closing the gap and getting within striking distance within a second.
4) People die from getting hit with golf clubs and baseball bats. What makes you guys think they're not considered lethal weapons? The person that was killed thought it would be a lethal weapon otherwise he wouldn't have grabbed it in defense.
Sure, in hindsight, it could've been handled better on BOTH sides of the gun, but I agree that the cop was justified in his actions.
1. Raids are conducted at night to take people by surprise. If I were woken up by yelling I wouldn't be able to make out what was just being yelled, but I would snap to pretty quickly when someone kicks down my door. Not giving the suspect even the chance to put down the golf club, the officer was entirely in the wrong.
2. Again, knocking down the door, might not catch the yelling before hand, trying to defend himself.
3. The officer specifically stated that he realized the man was not making a motion towards him (that statement alone will likely win the civil case for the man's family). The man came to the hallway and stopped.
4. People with Kevlar armor and military grade helmets don't die from being hit with a golf club. Cops don't shoot everyone just because they have a weapon, specially when the are not in immediate danger from said weapon.
