How far will the excuses to shoot go?

[drewid]

That's nothing but fantasy, imo.

"Unbelievable cruelty as officer intentionally shoots unarmed wrestler in the knee, ending his wrestling career..."

Clearly better that he's dead then rather than just crippled.

 

[LTC8K6]

So why didn't the department require officers to carry non-lethal weapons?

Public college campus police.

Probably no budget for such, or for the extensive training that goes with them.

 

[LTC8K6]

Clearly better that he's dead then rather than just crippled.

Of course...

Or, I could have been jabbing back at certain posters...

Don't follow the thread or anything, though. Just jump right in and swing.

 

[Dan O.]

In the continuing debate here about whether it's OK to shoot and kill unarmed disturbed people, there hasn't been much discussion about the level of training the officer received. I'm sure there must be exceptions, but on many campuses the police are about half-a-step up from mall rent-a-cops. Their main function is to enforce parking restrictions and answer noise complaints. In my area armed campus cops are licensed as "special police officers," and the main job requirement is completion of a firearms safety course. They don't spend months in police academies like real cops.

Maybe what should have happened in this case is that as soon as he saw what he was dealing with, the responding campus officer should have called the real cops. And pepper spray doesn't always work, but it often does, or it might at least have chased the student away to where multiple cops could have taken him down. A campus cop should certainly have pepper spray available. Killing somebody might be necessary sometimes, but it should always be the last resort.

Wouldn't it be great if people did at least a little basic research before posting wild speculation. The training and certification that the officers receive are spelled out on the departments page of the university web site.

 

[Dan O.]

The officer's choice was hand to hand combat with the guy or shoot the guy.

********.

 

[LTC8K6]

********.

Well, I really only meant that he didn't have any of the common LTL weapons, he only had a gun.

He could have run away, I suppose, and left the crazy man free to attack yet another person that night.

I don't think he had any nearby backup.

 

[Dan O.]

Where was the taser?

He probably left it at the office.

Right where he should have left himself until backup arrived.

 

[LTC8K6]

He probably left it at the office.

Right where he should have left himself until backup arrived.

It's already been reported and posted that he did not have a baton, or a taser, or mace, or pepper spray...

 

[WildCat]

By George, if you can't remember these things, you could at least try to google them.

I'm quite sure I read the story correctly. Do you think you're posting in the George Zimmereman thread or something?

 

[Resume]

"Likely"? I don't think so. Can be fatal, sure.

Hit the femoral artery and that's all she wrote.

 

[WildCat]

Public college campus police.

Probably no budget for such, or for the extensive training that goes with them.

This guy came out of the station, he wasn't on patrol. He was probably doing desk duty at the time.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

What makes you think they were aiming for those parts?

You're right. I mis-remebered the incident. I just looked it up and there's nothing indicating that the cop shot to wound. Bad example, sorry about that.

 

[LTC8K6]

This guy came out of the station, he wasn't on patrol. He was probably doing desk duty at the time.

Yeah, probably alone and manning the desk.

It's basically in the hands of a grand jury, really.

 

[Bob001]

Wouldn't it be great if people did at least a little basic research before posting wild speculation. The training and certification that the officers receive are spelled out on the departments page of the university web site.

Great. So it was a fully trained, state-certified police officer who killed a disturbed unarmed student? That makes it worse.
http://www.southalabama.edu/police/generalinfo.html
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/mobile_county/officers-required-480-hours-of-training
http://www.apostc.state.al.us/Portals/0/APOSTC Rulebook Chapter 4.pdf

 

[Chris_Halkides]

drunk, naked college students

This guy came out of the station, he wasn't on patrol. He was probably doing desk duty at the time.

Perhaps not coming out of the station until he was better equipped and had called for backup would have been a better course of action. As I implied in an earlier comment, drunk, naked students are not very uncommon at college campuses on weekends.

 

[Giz]

Meaning the kid was point blank close and I'm sorry, but I see no reason a calm, in control officer sizing up the situation couldn't have used non-lethal force, including an upper leg shot.

Firstly, an officer should only use deadly force if deadly force is required. Shooting "just to maim" because deadly force was not justified would trigger the mother of all lawsuits.

Secondly, as has been pointed out, shooting at limbs is very difficult (unless someone obligingly stays rock still). Shooting a handgun under pressure at a moving target means going for center mass (i.e. the torso).

 

[TragicMonkey]

He probably left it at the office.

Right where he should have left himself until backup arrived.

And then people would be posting about how cowardly he was to stay in his office while someone ran around attacking people.

 

[Dan O.]

Well, I really only meant that he didn't have any of the common LTL weapons, he only had a gun.

He could have run away, I suppose, and left the crazy man free to attack yet another person that night.

I don't think he had any nearby backup.

He had a position of safety inside the campus police headquarters. He left that position with his gun drawn and without backup.

I thought I read that backup arrived almost immediately after the shooting. Was that wrong?

 

[Giz]

Perhaps not coming out of the station until he was better equipped and had called for backup would have been a better course of action. As I implied in an earlier comment, drunk, naked students are not very uncommon at college campuses on weekends.

He was running around biting people before he went and assualted precinct 13. If the cop hadn't gone out to confront him then we'd be having a conversation about "Why do they even employ this guy, he won't even go out and stop a 5' 7" kid who's running around attacking women?"

 

[TragicMonkey]

He was running around biting people before he went and assualted precinct 13. If the cop hadn't gone out to confront him then we'd be having a conversation about "Why do they even employ this guy, he won't even go out and stop a 5' 7" kid who's running around attacking women?"

Now, now, remember the blame is on the cop/guns/America, not the innocent drugged up maniac running amok attacking people.