It was a 2 on 1 situation. What the hell was the guy with the knife going to do? Use his Escrima knife fighting skills and slice up both of the cops? He had both of his hands in clear view and he wasn't reaching back in his pockets. A small knife is much less lethal than a gun. I'd venture to say a hammer is much more lethal than a knife that size. Should the cops have dropped 9 bullets into a guy with a hammer? If cops feel they are in a life or death situation when they have a 2 on 1 situation versus a guy who isn't big with a small knife when backup is seconds away then they need retraining. I watched that video multiple times and I just can't see how it was a life or death situation that necessitated 9 bullets. Hell even if the guy had NO WEAPON they would have been forced to kill him. The reason why they had to pull the trigger is because they had their guns out in the first place. Since they have guns they can't allow the suspect to get close to them because then their guns would be compromised. One might get taken by the suspect or the suspect might get in too close of a range to fire without the cop hitting the other cop. My point is I don't see a way that guy makes it out alive even if he is unarmed. That's why you don't walk towards people with guns pointed at you lol. That's my take of the morning.
And yet they have the resources to hand out a dearth of traffic violations and to bust people for possession of drugs? That's my point. They apparently have the resources to harass good hardworking people, but they don't have the resources to actually bring justice to the people that commit actual crimes. I'd say they have their priorities all wrong, no?
Well said. You can't rely on cops for your protection, but that's not something to get upset about. It's just the way it is. I also don't expect them to investigate everything, such as when my vehicles were broken into or otherwise vandalized. Could cops do better as a whole? Absolutely! But there is no incentive to, so I don't blame them too much. Likely, if a traffic cop could be doing something else he would. As for the whole "too busy busting pot smokers" thing, that's another issue entirely. Even if Texas decriminalized all recreational drugs (someday!), I doubt cops would then be able to devote that time and energy to figuring out who keyed "F*** YOU" onto my car hood. It sucks, and criminals suck, but the reality of it is you just have to be as smart and safe as possible and stay insured on everything really expensive.
Cops are just an assurance at the back of your mind to give you some sort of mental piece. At the end of the day, they do very little to prevent a crime like a house break in, car break in etc. They do their due diligence and as a formality come over and take down some sort of report but that's about it. Ultimately and unfortunately, it's on you to ensure you safety at all times.
I don't understand why people are freaking out about the guy with a knife. He went aggressively at two armed police officers. If I was in their shoes RIGHT THEN I think I would have shot him too. Now they could have possibly approached the scene differently and taken a less confrontational approach, it was said that he had mental issues. They could have blocked the streets, waited for backup and calmed him down. I am no cop so I don't know what the SOP is in these situations. Its very sad this happened but those cops don't want to get stabbed.
Exactly, the whole deal was a setup from the start IMO, the guy wanted to die. He stole 2 sodas just to get cops called, waited for them to get there and then rushed them with a knife. That's about as clear cut a case as it gets. There are legitimate questions about the Ferguson case, but not the one 4 miles away in St. Louis.
I don't think you understand better to kill the 'criminal' than to have the cop get a hangnail, scratch or even winded BOOM . .. done .. . no muss no fuss. . . they can even keep their hair in good shape. Rocket River
the great issue is . . only one gets to tell their side of the story the cops generally can make up any story and no . . . nowadays the cops have used up all there benefit of the doubt they were suppose to be held to a higher standard . . . but they have proven otherwise There as many or more crooks and thugs in blue as there are in the general population. Rocket River
The cops didn't have time to calm him down there are donuts somewhere and they need eating I am being sarcastic but alot of this comes down IMO to cops simply being lazy I don't wanna chase this guy . . BOOM shoot him I don't wanna take an hour calming this guy down . . BOOM shoot him It is now easier to deal with killing a person than saying the person got away cops are taking the EASY route plus generally you get a two week paid Vacay while they sort it out. Rocket River
I think it comes down to the trend of cops being confrontational and escalating most of these situations. I don't know if I quite agree with the term lazy, I think its more a result of an us vs. them mentality. These cops rolled up and saw an enemy instead of a human (a crazy one) and dealt with him accordingly. Seems like many would consider this a success when it is really the least favorable way the police could neutralize the threat. This man should have been protected from himself by these police by deescalating the situation but he is absolutely nowhere near blameless for his death. These cops need to stop escalating every situation they encounter.
I say Lazy . . but what I am saying is they do the BARE MINIMUM "I told him to stop .. . and he didn't" "I gave a COMMAND and he did not comply is the amount of time *I* thought appropriate" by and large. . . the might as well turn into grown up Cartmans and scream . . RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!! Rocket RIver
What in the hell is wrong with you? You think killing someone is fun? You think an officer wants to go out there and kill someone like it's every day business? Do you have any idea what's involved with a shooting? The internal affairs investigation sucks. You WILL get sued. It's going to court. You're going to have to meet with an attorney numerous times. You're going to have to write the most detailed statement of your life. You'll be stressed the **** out hoping the grand jury isn't going to indite you. An on duty shooting is not taken lightly. I'm sure these officers would have much rather had this dip**** take off running.
And then some officers wind up having to quit their job, have mental issues, trouble sleeping, flash backs. It sucks.
WTF do so many people here hate the police? I get it that we don't like authority and all that but some of you sound like teenagers. It's like taking the worst and most vile interpretation of a cop from some movie and start thinking that's the way cops actually are. No I am not white. * I know I'm bored at work when I check out the DandD * go rox!
This is why cameras are so important. Virtually all police cars have dash cams and have had for years. Cams on officers are also common. There is likely a tape of this incident. Likely more than one. Videos have also likely been turned in by the public.
I'm not a big fan of law enforcement officials due to some less than favorable encounters with a handful and a family history full of negative encounters with them.........but this incident looks different than the Mike Brown shooting. This man came within striking distance of the cops with a potentially lethal weapon, after ignoring repeated commands to drop it. The cops were reasonable to believe that they were in danger of being attacked.
Some of us don't *need* movies to envision that . . .. we seen it in our neighborhood growing up Rocket River
