[Byte1]

Originally Posted by camaguey48

Thank a police officer every chance you get.

I always try to pay for their meal if I see them in a restaurant, but it seems someone else has beat me to it, most of the time. Some folks care and some folks (very few I hope) look at them as if they are the enemy.

[Bellavita]

No. First the guy was sleeping in his car. Drank too much. Did not have weapon. He resisted arrest he took stun gun, not a lethal weapon ran. The cop sot him in the back running away. Did the guy USA poor judgement yes was he a threat of death to the cops no. Dead for drinking too much. With all these protests wouldn’t you think police would be thinking clearer? It makes me think it is worse than we think a question of shoot any black man that moves. So sad and not necessary. They had the guys car they could have found him later. They patted him down no weapon. Murder

[D.C.Villager]

He has a record - I saw it on truthfinder (online background check)

The media will not tell you this

[D.C.Villager]

If the drunk fellow used the taser on the cop, the cop would be in danger. And the drunk fellow would take the cop's firearm

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

But, apparently, the guilty person was the owner of the Wendy's restaurant. I guess that is why someone burned down his restaurant and put him out of business.

Will someone PLEASE explain to me why the store was burned down? Why do these thugs feel it necessary to destroy property? I’m at a loss with the critical thinking that is surely lacking with the people who commit arson. They can get away with it. Is that the reason?

[Lindsyburnsy]

The guy was drunk. The cops know what distance they have to be away, from getting hit with the taser. They shot him in the back. Why couldn't these cops have just called the guy's wife to pick him up and move his car?The shooting was not justified. Cops need to be trained how to de-escalate and situation, not pull a gun every time someone runs away from them.

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I watched the video of this tonight and what I saw was the cops stopped a car. They felt that the driver was under the influence so they gave him a field sobriety test. It looked to me that they were about to give him a breathalyzer. He grabbed the officers taser and started running. The officer gave chase and at one point the man turned and fired the taser at the officer. The officer returned fire and killed the man.

Was that shooting justified?

The police chief has resigned, the officer has been fired and his partner suspended.

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by maggie1

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.

Some police Dept.s do not permit their officers to allow a DUI to be let off to go home, or even have them transported home. Some drunks will get into another car and go out and kill someone. It happened many years ago in MD for instance. A drunk was taken home by a friendly COP, where he got his second set of keys and got into his truck to drive somewhere for another drink. He drove down Rt301 in the North bound lane and crashed head on into an old couple that had stopped at a toll both at the MD to VA toll bridge.
Today's Tasers have two shots before reloading and can be triggered to send more charges to the wire connected probes to maintain control of the detainee.
I do not know of any police Dept that would allow their members to be tased without allowing them to defend themselves. If the Dept does not back this guy up, then there is a major problem in this country, and this really IS a racial problem. Because if that guy was white, and the COP was either white or black, there would be no question that it was justified.

[Joyce952]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

I hope the officer sues for wrongful termination. He will win..

No matter what, he should not have shot him and killed him. The cop murdered that young man

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Will someone PLEASE explain to me why the store was burned down? Why do these thugs feel it necessary to destroy property? I’m at a loss with the critical thinking that is surely lacking with the people who commit arson. They can get away with it. Is that the reason?

Anger.

Better an unoccupied building suffers, than the anger generated from someone taking away your taser...and you exercising that anger by shooting and killing them in the back.

[bmarasco]

To those that ‘serve and protect’ ...
abbreviated 1934 obituary for my great great uncle .. With the passing of John Marasco, last sunday night, DesMoines lost one of its eldest Italian American residents and pioneers. Mr Marasco was born in Italy in 1854 and came to America ... For the past 34 years, he has been a resident of Des Moines and has been employed by the city police department for 27 years. While in this position, he made friends with thousands of his neighbors. He is survived by his widow and 6 children. He was known among the Italian and American people for his active service in the protection of his community. His many friends mourn his passing and send sincere condolences to his family ...

I guess it’s not 1934 anymore !!!

[chuggmeister]

Right on, my brutha!!

[ffresh]

Originally Posted by TooColdNJ

Since you were a police officer, I commend you for good judgement, something that’s lacking in so many of these situations. I read this after my lengthy reply. I’m sure there are plenty of officers who think as you do and see that there are exceptions to shoot or be shot. Those who don’t are probably in the minority, but their actions are often racially motivated. Those are the few who quite possible DO come to work thinking about how many (black) people they can get off the streets today. They are the few who abuse their power and ultimately the ones responsible for these unnecessary deaths, in addition to the need for a guy like this to resist and flee- for fear of the treatment he’ll have to endure after seeing it over and over again by those aforementioned LEOs. It’s wrong and more harmful to resist arrest, but I can understand how fear for his own life in this case, possibly due to his drunken and irrational state, is a real issue these days.

WOW! Quite an assertion. And YOU know this how?

Fred

[allsport]

The problem that is not being identified is that it is unreasonable to think you can negotiate with people under the influence. Nurses in the ER do it every day and have learned how even when they become combative. Aggressive behavior never works and when you use it, you escalate the situation. Appropriate community safety would be to either let him run to his house or talk to him and give him time to get sober. Those actions could be taken by non police individuals. Current policing is filled with men and some women who get off on power and dominance. Psychological evaluations should be done every six months on police and those with anger management issues need to be terminated or treated.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by allsport

The problem that is not being identified is that it is unreasonable to think you can negotiate with people under the influence. Nurses in the ER do it every day and have learned how even when they become combative. Aggressive behavior never works and when you use it, you escalate the situation. Appropriate community safety would be to either let him run to his house or talk to him and give him time to get sober. Those actions could be taken by non police individuals. Current policing is filled with men and some women who get off on power and dominance. Psychological evaluations should be done every six months on police and those with anger management issues need to be terminated or treated.

Excellent points.

I will also add, that I think the low starting salary in so many cases/areas...tends to draw (or at least not deter) those types.

[ffresh]

Originally Posted by JimJohnson

I watched all the videos and I call it murder!

BUT … you haven't heard all of the known evidence! That's why (in my other post) I pray that "discerning" individuals who do not rush to judgement, sit on a "jury of my peers", if ever necessary

Fred