4 ms·
Yeah, a cellphone being held with the lens facing a person looks just like a gun from the eyes of the person being video-recorded. This is flatly ridiculous, b
by kw71 11y ago
Yeah, a cellphone being held with the lens facing a person looks just like a gun from the eyes of the person being video-recorded. This is flatly ridiculous, but probably accepted by the police supervisors and district attorney when the claim comes from the cops. If I shot someone holding a telephone, claiming that it was a gun, I'd be indicted for malicious wounding or murder along with using the firearm to commit that crime.
I wonder what it's like to be able to live life without worrying about being liable to all the laws that govern behavior of society, and what it would be like to have a bunch of buddies at work, who are responsible for enforcing these laws, but who would do whatever they had to do to defend me if a worthless civilian challenged my behavior.
- brador 11y agoA window can obscure what's on the other side. Glare, reflections, lighting conditions, trees. And sometimes people stretch out their arms to record video, just like you'd hold a handgun. Now mix that with a tense situation and potential for life and death and I can understand they took the shot "by accident". Mistakes happen.
- ryanlol 11y agoA person holding a cellphone looks nothing like a person holding a gun, especially to someone trained to spot people holding guns.
- brador 11y agoThey're not magically trained with super eyesight after training. They're human, just like you. Hold your cellphone up like you're recording, in portrait. See where your fingers are? Now imagine that behind a reflective window with flashing lights and you have a split second to decide if it's a weapon. If you're wrong, you die. Try this, sit in the driving seat of a vehicle, hold your cellphone up and ask a friend to stand 20 feet away and with the sunlight at their back, look through the front glass and see if it looks like a weapon.
- ryanlol 11y agoSo it's ok to shoot people based on guesses? Did the cops even have any reason to believe there would be another shooter?
- cryoshon 11y agoThey already had the suspect in custody. Why would they be fearing attacks from unrelated people enough to shoot first and ask questions later?
- brador 11y agoTo free the suspect? Random gang activity? It's kinda hard to stop and think in situations like this when you think someone is going to shoot.
- Simulacra 11y agoEither way the victim just paid for his kids education. I hope he sues and hits the jackpot.