Texas Officer Shoots, Kills Mentally Ill Man Holding a Spoon

originally posted by: Grovit
a reply to: Sremmos80

in garage with poor light how are they supposed to know it was a spoon

i guess they are supposed to assume the guy that was just trying to break into a womans house is mentally ill and comes in peace.

Most Police carry a flashlight, which is used when searching for burglars on dark property...torches and flashlights make it quite easy to see when it's dark.

And yes, there is a subtle level of sarcasm in this reply..

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs

Aren't police trained in shooting moving targets?

No. Watching some of them do quals, quite a few don't seem to be so good at non-moving ones, either.

originally posted by: My_Reality

Confirm that he actually has a blade before firing a shot into the man.

Depending on light, the speed of the guy's approach and the way he was holding it, in all honesty you might not have been able to. Short of letting him stab you one, which is a bit much to ask.

originally posted by: MysterX


Most Police carry a flashlight, which is used when searching for burglars on dark property...torches and flashlights make it quite easy to see when it's dark.

just like it is possible this guy was a gentile human that only wanted to break bread
i think it is possible the cop whipped out the flash light, but the batteries were dead.

department was cutting costs. they skimped on batteries and didnt get energizer.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
But cops are the only one's with special laws to combat that danger.

Well outside of maybe a solider in a warzone, which cops are not.

Speaking from experience, LOAC and the engagement rules in an area kan be pretty nasti.

If you kill someone in a non-militarily prescribed manner, you can get into all sorts of trouble, for example. I can blow you up and that's ok. But if I hoy you down a stairwell, then I get NJP in lieu of a court martial.

I think the majority of us know that sometimes it becomes necessary to kill if you are an leo and that seems justified here but when you have millions of people coming together over one incident then it is time to take notice that something was wrong. My point is that not every shooting is unjustified when police have to do it. I think the justifible shooting numbers is well into the 90% range if not higher but when that few unjustifible range is called out by the public with a loud voice then it is time to find justice and not time for a coverup by a secret grand jury.

Just in case anyone is wondering if you are raising windows in the middle of the night that are not your own then you will get shot. If however 15+ people see you with your hands up in the middle of the day then we have a problem.

a reply to: deadeyedick

Phew! Disaster averted! /Sarcasm

Aren't police officers equipped with tasers?

a reply to: Auricom

Ya they have them but have no obligation to use them once they have decided lethal force is required.
So once they make up in their mind that their life is in danger, they don't have to try and use it.
Just shoot the person.
You know, cause it might not work....

a reply to: Sremmos80

Except for the fact that no, not all officers have them, but I'm sure that just slipped your mind because it's only been said about 100 times.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Sorry, I should have said those that do have them don't have to use them if they have decided to go the lethal force
route.

a reply to: Sremmos80

Yep.

originally posted by: Auricom
a reply to: deadeyedick



Phew! Disaster averted! /Sarcasm



Aren't police officers equipped with tasers?

Yes but like i say in the op i am viewing all this from the spiritual side. It is my personal belief that many people want to die by the hand of the police because their time here is done and it is spiritually better than sucide. It is just part of our reality. However their are lines that should not be crossed. It is a very different view i have and it is a contridictory view to my own feelinggs that come when i hear about a death. I wish death did not happen but more than that i know better things await us after we go and some are ready.

Simply turning on the outside lights and
loudly saying that the police have been called would have
worked in this case, but was not even attempted.
Brains are the best of all weapons. Emotional reactions are hindering.

a reply to: ToneDeaf

you cant possibly know that would have worked.
when some strange person is banging on your window in the middle of the night, its prob best to call the cops.

a reply to: Grovit

Well you have no idea it wouldn't work.
Sure call the cops but doesn't mean you can't try something simple as letting the person know they are aware something is going on.
Just like an alarm really is just there to scare the person away,and alerting authorities, turning on the lights can achieve the same thing.

It would have also would have gave the cop some more light.

originally posted by: Sremmos80

Well you have no idea it wouldn't work.

nope. no idea
i wasnt the one that said it would have.
would have means would have. not might have.

maybe they did turn the light on
maybe they didnt have an outside light
maybe they had an outside light but the bulb worked out.

i mean by all mean, lets blame the people in the house for being scared.

a reply to: Sremmos80

So now not only do we blame the police for not trying everything possible to include using Tasers on people with knives, but now we blame civilians for not trying everything possible before calling the police, to include yelling and waving their arms and saying the police have been called before actually calling the police? My god, is it EVER the deceased's fault?!? I mean seriously, is it EVER the offender's fault?

And fyi: telling somebody you've done something you haven't actually done is very rarely a good idea.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Seriously? My comment was to point out why it might work.
I said to call the cops to but just pointed out why turning the lights on might work.
No where did I blame the person that called the cops.
It is the perps fault for doing what he did.
It is the cop who shot him over it.

And this guy had a spoon, not a knife let's keep the facts straight.
So yes I would of liked the cop to use the tazer first, if he had one of course

a reply to: Shamrock6

They said he was in a garage...the other shots, if they missed would have gone into the garage wall i would have imagined.

Besides..if shots going astray are of paramount concern for LEO, why are they so apparently trigger happy?

Could have done many other things than shoot him in the chest...could have gone for the shoulders, the stomach (which may have given time for medical assistance) upper legs, pelvic region...or could have tasered him, threw tear gas into the garage and waited for him to come coughing and spluttering out, then taser him...could have cornered him in there and used the hailer to attempt to calm him down...loads of things could have been done.

But after all it's so much easier to just kill a person these days.

a reply to: MysterX

No.

This situation is a garage. Got it. So what happens if its on a street? Should they still fire into the street? Shoot up in the air?

There is a world of difference between missing your target, and not even shooting at your target while shooting. If you can't understand that, everything else is moot.

There are threads here that answer your question about why the officer didn't shoot his big toe or thumb or pinkie. You may find them enlightening, though I doubt it. Real world shooting is not hollywood.