Passenger shot and killed by Air Marshall in Miami

ok i'm not gonna sit here and argue with you if you act like a child

 

He claimed he had a bomb. He reached for his baggage. What part of that do you not understand?

 

I'm not really understanding it either. I mean you could argue that they should've shot him somewhere else, but that's about it. It's always been that way during any sort of standoff. You reach for something and the authorities think it could be something dangerous, they shoot.

Regrettable? Absolutely. The right move? Absolutely.

 

Very sad story. I work with people who have mental disabilities all the time. I'm not sure what the correct course of action should have been, but I do not think the marshall should have shot him. Subdue him, yes, but he shouldn't have shot unless he was damn sure that there actually was a bomb. How the hell do you get a bomb onto a plane in this day and age anyway? It's nearly impossible.

I also think it is an absolutely stupid idea for these marshalls to be bringing firearms onto planes in the first place. Screening out weapons is the answer; not bringing them on board.

 

THey just showed the bomb squad blowing up some baggage.

 

To me right there, you shoot. Their job (air marshal) is to protect the passengers on the plane and the plane itself.

You can only be cautious and have to make a split second decision when a guy claiming he has a bomb reaches for his bag.

 

anyone ever seen the twightlight zone episode with william shatner? he has a mental problem and he thinks he sees a gremlin on the wing. his wife keeps trying to calm he down but eventually he grabs a gun from a police officer and shoots a hole in the window to try to get to the gremlin, and they have to kill him.

 

"Rather be safe than sorry" is a lame, irresponsible, coward, and senseless excuse to apply in this situation. There are many ways to subdue a *suspect*, shoot-to-kill should always be the last resort. I won't be surprised if later accounts contradict what was first reported by the media.

 

i think you have to shoot him. 'subduing' him would have been hard if he was running away and shooting him in the leg doesnt work either if he's got a bomb. in this day and age of suicide bombers, if you shout that you have a bomb and reach for your bag, then they have reason to shoot you, and justly so.

if air marshals waited for a terrorist to actually *make* a move, then it's already too late. the marshal did his job and should feel no regrets.

 

That was a classic episode. I liked how "The Simpsons" spoofed it in one of their Treehouse of Horror specials.

Bart: "Otto man - there's a gremlin on the side of the bus!"
Otto: "No problemo Bart dude!"
[Otto then swirves and knocks poor Hans Moleman and his gremlin vehicle off the road]
Hans: "Oh, oh and I just made my last payment."
[Hans and his car bursts into flames]

 

Telling a Federal Air Marshall you have a bomb and then running off the plane is a lame, irresponsible, coward, and senseless thing to do...

 

Hold on. The man claimed to have a bomb, reached for his luggage, and ran down the aisle of the plane at the air marshal and he's an INNOCENT? C'mon man. The air marshal had no idea he had bipolar disorder and had to err on the side of caution and safety for everyone else on the plane. The fact that someone lost their life is regrettable, but the guy's actions kind of indicate suicide by cop.

 

Dude, you got to quit coming to every issue with the same bias. I'm a 'fight authority' guy myself but dam, you have to allow that crazy people doing crazy **** in an airport, post 911 are going to get shot. It's just the state of mankind we find ourselves in. People are people, cops are people, governments are people; not science fiction characters where absolute idealism is remotely plauseable.

Maybe that's just something you learn after your 20's, or a hope you lose.

 

So, say the guy had had a bomb on board and was reaching for a remote detonator of some kind. What would've been the responsible thing? Tackle the guy? Try to talk to the disturbed man? Wait for backup? All of those risk a possible disaster if the bomb goes off. Air marshals are supposed to help protect the passengers on the plane. If there's a threat to the plane, the air marshal has to do what they feel is necessary.

 

Think about it, how in the world a passenger could manage to get onto an airplane with explosives on his body in this age? Does Colombia government intend to declare a war on US? I also read in a Reuters report that the air marshals are sharpest shooters. That means they are capable of shooting at plenty of non-lethal body positions. I don't blame the marshals - they did what they were told to do. I blame on the policy. An innocent life can never be recovered, despite being a pathetic one to many of you.

 

Didn't they do a twilight zone the movie on the exact same situation with John Lithgow? He was 'Mr. Valentine' and had some anxiety problem with flying and of all the people that saw the gremlin it was him. Freaky stuff. Anyways, I'm glad the guy was shot, but not glad he was killed. Still, I can't imagine what other idiotic stuff that guy had done in his life if he was stupid enough to pull off the "I have a bomb" threat when there are armed sharpshooters waiting to take you out. The dude must have been seriously out of touch with reality.

 

Airport security is not foolproof. I am sure it is possible - but hopefully not easy - to sneak a bomb aboard a plane. Also - marshalls may be very precise and accurate - but are not perfect. Shooting to subdue might kill the person anyways - or miss - or whatever. Did the article say he/she was shooting to kill or subdue?

Maybe you are right about employing non-lethal means to stop suspected terrorists though. I don't know anything about high-tech weapons though. Are tranq-darts feasible? Tasers? Batarangs? Keeping foiled terrorists alive can also be useful in hunting down other terrorists. Of course - if non-lethal weaponry or sidearms are not readily feasible - the safety of the passengers and general public trump all other factors. Maybe someone more well-versed in these matters can respond.

 

He was mentally disabled.