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Inkfreak
(1,695 posts)Fuck the police.
cannondale
(96 posts)And the cop was not convicted because he "feared for his life."
That's all you need anymore. At any and all times, a cop (bad one, anyway) can shoot you if he fears for his life. Doesn't matter if you;re reaching for your wallet at a traffic stop, scratching yourself, anything. "I feared for my life" is what I will be thinking if/when I get pulled over next time.
"I need to see your license and proof of registration."
"OK, but you do know that I'm about to reach for my back pocket, right?"
"HANDS UP! I SAID HANDS UP M-FER!"
Hulk
(6,699 posts)...even with the video we just watched? How is this possible? Something is seriously wrong.
MillennialDem
(2,367 posts)bar for cops than it is for private citizens (who already have the bar too low themselves, unless of course they shoot a cop then they're in a world of hurt).
You're a cop. You swore to put your life on the line. Now I'm not saying cops should be forced to let criminals take the first shot at them, but reaching for pockets or not complying with officer instructions (besides drop the gun / knife / shovel etc) should not be grounds for a cop to shoot. Even in this case if the dude was technically a suspect in an armed robbery. So the fuck what? My brother in law and his friend met the description of suspects* in an armed robbery and were pulled over by several cops with guns drawn and all. Of course they were stunned because they were not involved in any armed robbery they were just two young white men in the same type of car as the two young white men who did actually rob the store. So if they shit their pants and flinch they get shot - oh well right?
What if you're deaf, you don't understand the cop, he gives conflicting instructions (like this dude did), you're tired, on prescription medication, can't comply with the instructions because of injury or disability, or don't speak English? BLAM BLAM BLAM?
Yeah we want cops to go home at the end of their shift in a car not a body bag, but they volunteered for this job - just like soldiers (not counting the draft / conscription), who often have stricter rules of engagement. Cops need rules of engagement and "reaching for something" should not fall under that rule, unless the cop already knows for damn certain the suspect is armed. Can't handle that? Then quit and take a desk job.
"He/she was reaching for something"
"He/she was bigger than me"
"I was outnumbered"
"He/she looked crazy, possibly on drugs"
"He/she fit the description of a suspect"
None of those are acceptable justifications for shooting, even if you're so scared that you're about to have a heart attack.
Quixote1818
(28,927 posts)The officer said he was searching for Ramirez in connection to a shooting the night before so he knows the guy is dangerous. Ramirez failed to put his hands in the air and seemed to be reaching for something so the cop fired. Evidently Ramirez was high on drugs.
I am not saying the cop was right to do what he did. He failed to follow protocol and made grave mistakes. I don't think he wanted to kill anyone but I also think his being as scared as he was means he should not be a cop.
Here is video of the cop after all this happened. The cop clearly was extremely remorseful about what happened and broke down into tears. Maybe he is faking? If he is he is pretty convincing. Cut to the 1:50 mark of the video:
MillennialDem
(2,367 posts)things.
Really if I decide to carve my partner up with a knife and cry over her dead body later is that an excuse? Remorse is meaningless, other than possibly mitigation of sentence. But it has nothing to do with guilt or innocence.
