Brooks’ choice for fight and flight have to be driven by a long criminal record.

A taser may not be lethal. But it is enough force to disable the LEO so that his lethal gun can then be taken. The stupid criminal fired the officer's weapon at him while fleeing. The operative word is "fired" (not fleeing). The shooting was justified and warranted and I am glad another stupid criminal of any color is off the streets permanently.

Of course, we will shortly hear about how he was just turning his life around and the young child he has. I'm sorry. The child is something HE should have been thinking about ... not me.

Police Incidents
 

The vast majority of these police shootings and aggressive police incidents all stem from no cooperation. No cooperation from the perpetrators. All people need to do is to be cooperative and just obey the officers commands. If you are asked to keep your hands on the steering wheel then keep your hands on the steering wheel; If you are asked to get down on your knees then just get down on your knees; If you are asked to keep your hands in the air then just keep your hands in the air. People just have to go from one command to another and cooperate and we wouldn't have these incidents. There is no doubt that the police are needed to maintain and enforce the freedoms and liberties that we in the US have. I also believe there is an underlying issue here as well. There is a fight for votes. I just hope that the law abiding, reasonable, thankful, grateful, knowledgeable citizens cast their votes because we know the other type will.

Better read it again. You missed a lot important facts. There was no need for this.

As a former state trooper from Ohio, I agree with your statement. From what I gleen from the newscast covering this incident, the man had fallen asleep in his car while in the take out lane. In my experince I found that the act of resisting arrest usually begins when the offender is being placed in handcuffs - at that point anything can happen, and in this case it did.

There are a number of options the police could have considered taking in this incident that wouldn't have resulted in the man's death. First, if they suspected he was under the influence, but hadn't seen him drive, they could have removed him from the vehicle, had it towed, and called someone to pick him up. As Steve notes, police are allowed to use deadly force only in those instances where deadly force is being used against them, or others. A stun gun doesn't fit that definition. If the officer had been struck by one of the stun gun electrodes, yes he could have become disabled, but don't forget, there was a second officer present, and the stun gun can only be used once.

So, I ask myself what would I have done if I had been faced with this situation? Based on my training on when to use and not use deadly force, my decision would not have resulted in someone dying. I would have known who he is, thus I could pick him up with a warrant later on, I'd have his car impounded, and it wouldn't be released until he gave himself up. What about the stun gun? Well, he might as well be carrying around a box of Q-Tips, because it is no longer of any use as a weapon to be fired at a distance.

I feel badly for the officer, and of course for the decedent as well. The officer was fired immediately, and that is not the way it should have played out. He could have been relieved of duty until all facts were presented, and then suspended/fired depending on the findings. My guess would be that he will be charged criminally, but will probably be found not guilty based on the totality of the circumstances.

Police work is confounding! It involves 80% of boredom, 15% of heart racing interactions, and 5% of adrenaline pumping terror. We must make instantanious decisions that will effect lives on both sides. We are second guessed, we are both admired and despised, but there is one thing that I can say without reservation, we don't start out a work shift looking to kill someone.

Well that's not what happened..man was asleep in his car at Wendy's drive through..clerk called police as car blocking traffic..police came and got the guy to move car out of the lane..gave tests to him..rustled him to the ground..man saw cops taser and worried it could be used on him he grabbed it and got up and started running..cop runs after him and man afraid turned and fired taser.cop pulls his gun and kills man...

No question .....he will win.

I was taught at an early age than when stopped by a cop you are polite and follow their instructions.

The guy fought with the policeman grabbed his taser and fired it at the officer. If struck the officer would have been helpless and could have been shot with his own weapon.

To me it is justified killing by the officer.

In addition a bunch of locals destroyed the restaurant. Owned by a black man who had nothing to do with what happened. I would hope that pictures were taken and the arsonists arrested.

Ya know maybe if he hadn't taken the cops taser the cop would have been able to stop him with the taser instead of his handgun. Just imagine if he had taken the cops handgun instead of the taser. I'm thinking it will come out that this man was running from something more than a DUI.

I had a black friend ask me the other day "how do we get so many blacks from getting shot while interacting with police" I said "why don't we get blacks to stop having so many interactions with police". Simple answer.

You have to understand that a taser is NOT a lethal weapon. The law did NOT allow the officer to shoot a man in the back. They knew who he was and where he lived. The Officer was absolutely in the wrong.

Watch it again. The car was already stopped and parked with the man sleeping in it. No law was broken. The man passed the sobriety test and offered to walk to his sister's house down the street. No law was broken. The police then tried to arrest him. For what charge? Sleeping in ones own car after having a few drinks? Interesting how we see the same events differently. Justice for all.

Ok underdog, why don’t you put ona uniform and show them all how to do their job since I’ve seen many of your post about police. Why is it always the officers and not the person who doesn’t comply!!! But the way, have you ever been tased and know what it’s like??? Just wondering as there are a lot of scenario’s of how it could have turned out! Why not just comply and both would have been safe.

I agree, it’s not a RACE issue. You break the law then fight with a cop the consequences may not always be fair.
Solution is simple, obey the law and comply if you are confronted by the cops.

Fake news?? You have to be kidding?

Police have to protect themselves first. People need to understand that if the resist arrest bad things can happen. I will say there were two cops there and I believe that they could have subdued the man however I was not in that position. It’s a tough call.

It's going to be a tough fight for this officer. Shooting an unarmed drunk man that had resisted arrest and fired a non lethal taser at him.

If the taser had hit the officer the gun he had could be used against him by the drunk guy or an angry onlooker.

If I was this police officer I would've let him go when he resisted my attempt to handcuff him. I would already have his car, identification and video of his crimes. I would call in the fleeing suspects location and direction of travel and keep my distance. The charges would just add up for this man as he continued to evade capture. He could also commit more crimes while on the run.

This would go against my training etc but at least I would be going home a free man. Even if I was fired from my job.

I'm not saying apathy is the solution but that's where this is heading. Only 18 percent of arrest in Seattle are actually put in front of a judge. The rest are either not charged and let go or don't show up for court and the charges are dropped. The police there ignore crimes and know some of the criminals by name. One store called 911 599 times in the first year it was opened and only a few violent shoplifters were charged. Now the police ignore shoplifting calls and all other non-violent crimes. They say they are just giving the city their time for money. They have lost their desire to be the person the once were.

This attitude could spread across the country if the police are the ones being handcuffed and charged.

Maybe the police need a different approach and additional training? Maybe the suspects need to stop fighting the police if they're innocent and want to live? The guilty ones will probably keep fighting until they see others being let go and racking up long prison sentences for their efforts when they are caught or give up running?

I'm not going to find any facts I've submitted. I do have some apathy of my own. This is just my $0.02

A law was broken, driving drunk is illegal. Being drunk in public is illegal. When he wakes up in 5 mins will he be sober and fine to drive away? Where is MADD demonstrating against drunk drivers and people thinking it is okay to drive while drunk or even tipsy? The mayor of Atlanta and all who are demonstrating need to lose someone from a drunk driver, it is illegal to drive drunk, period. If he had gotten away with the taser in his hand, car jacked a car and killed someone what would everyone have said then?

Also just saw on news that in Georgia a stun gun with a projectile is considered under the law as a deadly weapon and requires a handgun license. Do not like the taking of a life and it is a tragedy but putting yourself in danger of losing your life for being drunk is on each person.

More police with that attitude...need to retire. :ohdear:

If only they were. :ohdear:

Tulsa Race Massacre

Not a thug! He had been drinking and had passed out in his car at Wendy’s. Given the current climate, not wanting to die and thought processes muddied by the alcohol, he most likely saw it was fight or die.

I don't know, maybe. But, the media has been reporting on every minute detail of this case. But, there has been no mention about the record of Mr. Brooks. I think a person's record is something that police routinely check on even before they approach someone in a car, and it could have an important bearing on the case.

Yes it was justified. When the perp pointed the taser at the cop, his life WAS in danger.
Not that the taser would kill him , but that it would disable him, allowing the perp to take his sidearm.

Also, it is a misconception that the police are to "Serve And Protect".
It has been ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court that it is not the duty of law enforcement to protect us. It may be the slogan of some police departments, but it isn't their "duty".
Case in point:
A woman calls the police and says that her husband or boyfriend who has a restraining order against him has threatened her, saying that he's going to get her. Do you think that they are going to send a squad car to her house 24/7 and PROTECT her?
No....they tell her to lock her doors and call them if he comes over.
The police is a law enforcement organization.

Not sure the video you saw, but the man was passed out in his car in the Wendy's drive thru lane. When he was woken and exited the car, under the influence, they were trying to arrest him, when he went into a superhuman druggie rage. If you saw the video, you saw him throw two large cops off him like it was nothing. He grabbed a tazer and ran, turned and shot the weapon at one of the cops. They (or one) returned fire. I'm sure after Minneapolis the last thing they tried to do was have another public fatality on their hands. This attack on law enforcement has got to stop.

Your. “fake news” was covered on 60 Minutes last night. At least research before labeling. Please!!!!

My speech to the protesters..............

To quote Crosby Stills Nash & Young: “Teach Your Children Well”
Tell them “DO NOT RESIST“..........problem solved, everybody go home

I can almost guarantee you is the suspect was white the result would have been the same. My brother was a police officer for 25 years. Every day, day in and day out, these cops deal with the dregs of society and get little thanks for it. Maybe the answer is to give them six months off every three to four years to lower there stress levels.

Yep. :oops:

And it was eye-opening, disgusting, sad and made decent people angry...all in one story/segment. :ohdear:

The cop deserves to be sacked for being dumb, and getting involved with weapons when his life was not in danger in the first place, given the present political/racial climate.
What posessed him to think anyone is going to back him up?
Senior officers and local politicos are throwing front line cops under the bus.
If I was a cop today and there was no threat to life or limb to myself or the public at an incident, I would walk away, because if the poop hits the fan, you will get no help or backup from above!

Since the tazer is not considered a deadly weapon the officer was not justified in using deadly physical force. Plain and simple

Take it from a retired police officer with 33 years of service.

While don’t condone what happens in the aftermath (rioting , looting, arson etc.) this shooting was clearly NOT JUSTIFIED. The officer will undoubtably face criminal charges.

Yes, the man that was shot was wrong to resist and then take the policemans taser and then run... BUT, 2 policeman chasing a guy with a non lethal taser then firing and shooting him in the back just plain wrong.. He had already consented to a pat down, no weapons or anything to harm the policeman on his person so, why not just have 2 policeman chase him until they catch up..take him down and proceed with the handcuffing and arrest. I do believe this was excessive force.. the law allows for enough force to be used to stop the threat, that goes for the police and you and me, in case anyone is thinking of the stand your ground rule.

Who deemed him a “thug”?
He had a drink too many and barely over the breathalyzer limit..just like a huge group of Villagers. Aren’t we all “thugs”at certain times?

The shooting was justified. If this guy succeeded in hitting the Officer with the taser , it would have incapacitated the Officer thus giving the perpetrator the opportunity to return and take the Officer’s gun and you could have two dead cops. A chance you don’t want to take . Also the Police Chief should not have stepped down . Seattle is coming to town near you !

You conveniently omit one HUGE item! The man didn't park his car someplace and fall asleep. The police responded to a call from Wendy's. The man fell asleep in the drive thru line and was blocking the line for customers to use.

But shouldnt the officer have gotten due process before being fired? I do not believe all fact are in yet.

What is going to happen is cops are going to look the other way in doing their duties and we will all suffer.

No it was not. You don't kill a human being for stealing the taser you failed to protect. Killing a human being should be your last option. Police training should reflect this.

Here we all sit with our opinions and interpretations, which is fine.

However NONE of us are/were invested in the stress, adrenaline, and emotion of the incident.

Sitting in the comfort of our home, relaxed at the keyboard watching an instant replay and making a call.

And the instant media getting out first leaves too many decision makers with the task of worrying more about how they decide will fit.

Due process has become a victim of 24/7 instant coverage, hence in actuality, no longer exists. It has been replaced by public opinion.

I agree. Different states and municipalities have different rules when it comes to hiring and firing.

An officer in Rochester, NY where I retired from , would have been suspended with pay pending formal hearings, investigations and the rest of the “due process”. The exception to the “due process” thing would be if an officer is in their “probationary period”. All gloves are off then and the officer can be fired without the formalities.

Rest assured , though, given the facts being presented as of today ( video, etc.) , the same conclusion would be reached ..... that is, the officer was clearly NOT JUSTIFIED in this shooting......

I might add that I spent 5 years as a Sgt. assigned to our Internal Affairs Section and during my last 11 years of duty , I was assigned as an investigator with the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office . I know quite well with first hand experience how the system works.

Needless to say , I was part of a team that responded to and investigated police involved shootings and my “opinion “ is based on actual first hand experience.


In Rochester, that conclusion would probably take months as a Grand Jury would be convened to review the case . It takes time ....

Justified Use of Deadly Weapon
 

Police are permitted to use one level of force higher than the force being used against them. In this case, although a taser may not be a deadly weapon, but one level up, therefore, permits the use of a gun. Police are taught to stop threats to their own death or other innocents. This does not include shooting the person in the leg or foot to stop him because a person with a bullet in the leg can continue to be a deadly threat. Had the policemen been taken down by the taser the fleeing person could have returned and taken the gun from the policeman and shot him or others. Shooting a fleeing person in the back is not justified unless the fleeing person remains a threat by engaging in the use of force that poses a deadly threat.