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The anti-cop sentiment in this thread is disturbing. I live in a bad neighborhood where gunshots are common. Since I've lived here there have probably been do
by _edo 7y ago
The anti-cop sentiment in this thread is disturbing.
I live in a bad neighborhood where gunshots are common. Since I've lived here there have probably been dozens of homicides within a .5 mile radius. Living here has changed my perception of officer involved shootings.
People don't realize how quickly things go from a slightly weird situation to bullets in the air. It goes from somebody standing funny, maybe they have a hand behind their back or they're holding a towel in a weird way, then bullets. Fast. A quarter of a second separates "that's weird" from "oh no somebody's shooting."
If you've ever dropped your phone and had to figure out what to do before it hits the ground that's about as much time as police have to make these life-and-death decisions.
In this particular situation, the police believed they were arriving to a hostage situation where somebody had already been killed.
What happened is tragic. If you've ever dug into this story it's heartbreaking. At the same time I don't think the anger at police lines up with what happened here at all.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- colejohnson66 7y agoWhile there are people who think all cops are bad (ACAB group), most people are upset that most departments are using military gear simple because they can. A hostage doesn’t require a SWAT team most of the time.
- sunburned 7y agoGame wardens routinely interact with (write tickets, arrest) heavily-armed males in the middle of the woods with no witnesses and no backup, and they do it day in and day out without shooting an innocent.
- Miner49er 7y agoYou clearly didn't watch the video of the shooting. You really think a police officer was in danger in that situation, even if the guy did have a pistol?
- _edo 7y agoI've watched the video several times, still don't know what he was doing with his hands. Obviously in retrospect the police were in zero danger, there was no hostage, the house wasn't really doused in gasoline. There was no way for them to know that. We've had 20 months to think about what happened that day from the safety of our homes. They had seconds to deal with the situation unfolding in real time while believing their lives and the life of a hostage were in danger.
- stefan_ 7y agoHe was standing in the door blinded by a massive light while a bunch of police and SWAT were taking cover behind cars and trees. He could not have hit anyone with any gun in the world.
- _edo 7y agoThere was no SWAT, only police. Pointing a gun is a deadly threat and it's hard to believe (assuming this was a real hostage situation) he couldn't make out even one outline of a human to take aim at. The police thought they were at the scene of a murder/hostage situation. They weren't just protecting their own lives, they were there to protect the life of the hostage from somebody who they believed had committed murder just minutes before. Given ten minutes to think about the situation maybe the officer who fired the shot would take a different course of action. But he didn't have ten minutes, he had half a second.