General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)The Capitol Incident: "They didn't have to shoot her." [View all]
There are serious questions as to whether Miriam Carey, the woman at the center of yesterday's incident, could have been detained without getting shot to death. They could have shot out her tires, etc. Plus, there has been a terribly large number of incidents of police shooting the shit out of whatever they please without any conceivable justification. I hope there is an intensive investigation.
...but for the moment, I am going to play Devil's Advocate. She attempted to breach the White House security perimeter, failed, and sped toward the Capitol building. Now, think like a DC cop...in the age of car bombs.
They didn't know she was unarmed. They could very well have thought she was sitting in front of a trunkload of explosives with her finger on a button. She didn't stop, she wouldn't stop, she kept pointing her car at very important buildings.
Security in DC, from top to bottom, is heavily geared toward protection from car bombs. That's why Pennsylvania Avenue has been closed since the OKC and WTC bombings in the 90s. That's why those stone and metal barriers are ubiquitous.
I'm no mind-reader, but I'd bet my bank account that's what those security officers were thinking. I wish Ms. Carey was still alive, if for no other reason than to ask her what that whole thing was all about...
...but if you're the cop who didn't take the shot, and that car blew something or someone up, you'd be a suicide waiting to happen, and everyone would be asking why you didn't fire.
Thoughts?