Cop charged with murder after shooting

[HTFOff]

Isnt that wonderful? Without the video this murder would had been chalked up to another hero cop firing his weapon in self defense.

Not really. Especially not with the public's perception of cops gunning down civilians. An autopsy would still have been conducted. If the dept. didn't feel pressured enough, the family would have certainly requested one. It would be pretty easy for the coroner to spot the entry wounds.

Once it's made public that the cop unloaded multiple rounds in to the suspect as he had his back turned, not posing an immediate threat, it's over. For most people, this is extreme. Others might approve but don't have the nerve to come out and defend it.

 

[TheFamilyMan]

Wait. Huh? Seems like you are cherry picking stats to make a point. And I'm not sure why. It's not the number of deaths is the deaths per percentage of population.



And furthermore, are you really arguing that it is the media's editorial choices rather than legacy of institutional racism that accounts for this?

That's a very shocking post.

Like you don't cherry pick stats??

Bottom line, you're frothing at the mouth because there's a video of a murder. Even if there wasn't a video, absolutely none of the evidence would support this cop's actions...every shot was in the back...ballistics and post-mortem would show that. He would be charged and convicted without the video.

Your posting history suggests extreme bias towards cops...bottom line. You're okay with aggression towards cops, hostility towards cops, attitude towards cops, and all around disregard for obeying a cop's orders. If you're wronged by a cop, the way to go about it is not aggression, hostility, attitude, or disregard for orders...the way to go about it is legally.

Allegedly, this whole thing started from a traffic stop and the now-dead guy being aggressive towards the cop and not wanting to answer questions, obey orders, etc. Some sort of scuffle began and the guy ran. Did the cop think the guy took his taser? Who knows. Was the cop afraid the guy would turn around and tase him? Who knows. Did the cop wake up that morning and say to himself, "Man, I sure hope I'm in the position to shoot a black guy today"? Who knows. You seem to think most cops that end up shooting someone woke up that day hoping they get the chance. You're pathetic.

What we do know is that the cop shot him and then realized a few things...his taser was on the ground where he fired the shots from and not in the (now dead) guy's hands and he was being video'd. The cop seems to be not-so-smart or blacks out everything around him and figures he's fucked so he puts the taser beside the (now dead) guy. He was better left to leave the taser where it was and use the defense that he thought the (now dead) guy took it...at least that way he'd be looking at possible manslaughter vs. murder...

 

[emperus]

Like you don't cherry pick stats??

Your posting history suggests extreme bias towards cops...bottom line. You're okay with aggression towards cops, hostility towards cops, attitude towards cops, and all around disregard for obeying a cop's orders. If you're wronged by a cop, the way to go about it is not aggression, hostility, attitude, or disregard for orders...the way to go about it is legally.

Maybe you can post anything that I've written that comes close to anything you've quoted above. But you shouldn't waste your time because you won't find anything.

Allegedly, this whole thing started from a traffic stop and the now-dead guy being aggressive towards the cop and not wanting to answer questions, obey orders, etc. Some sort of scuffle began and the guy ran. Did the cop think the guy took his taser? Who knows. Was the cop afraid the guy would turn around and tase him? Who knows. Did the cop wake up that morning and say to himself, "Man, I sure hope I'm in the position to shoot a black guy today"? Who knows. You seem to think most cops that end up shooting someone woke up that day hoping they get the chance. You're pathetic.

So, you think the cop was afraid the victim would turn around and tase him from 15 feet away, all while the darts from the taser were dangling from the victim? Really?
Does it hurt that this is the best defense you could muster? Otherwise I don't understand your rage. And moreso, don't understand why it's directed at me.

 

[Caravaggio]

What we do know is that the cop shot him and then realized a few things...his taser was on the ground where he fired the shots from and not in the (now dead) guy's hands and he was being video'd.
.

Your analysis is correct, FM. But We have just seen the video of the killing in the UK. But it shows the policeman dropping his taser near the body of Scott, after shooting him and before cuffing him. Did they show you that bit on US news? Fox will never show you that section of the record! It has been cut from Youtube, I notice.

You do realise that the cop will go free don't you? With his uniform on and the victim caught DWB, the murder charge will fail. Obviously a manslaughter charge would lead to a conviction, but the prosecutors always go for the higher charge to ensure doubt and a 'not guilty' verdict is most probable. My guess is that the jury will be mostly white women. That usually does the trick for the racist psychos in uniform who like dominating black men.
How many more?
So many before!

 

[Vic]

Here is the local story before the video was released. Its about whats to be expected.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150406/PC16/150409558/1005/lawyer-officer-reacted-to-threat

The only thing that makes this incident markedly different from countless other police shootings is the video.

 

[rudeguy]

The only thing that makes this incident markedly different from countless other police shootings is the video.

Yep.

If the media had been reporting honestly about the situation instead of making it into a race war, we might have had some real changes by now. But instead they tried to make it about race and when that was proven wrong, the story died.

Our police are out of control. Things need to change before citizens start firing back or worse...firing first.

 

[HomerJS]

Nice to see the Chief of Police and Mayor treating the Scott family respect unlike Ferguson.

While there isn't evidence this cop stopped Walter Scott because he is black there is an underlying systemic suspicion of blacks especially males. You see it in this forum, assumption of guilt, assumption of thug whenever black males are involved. Gathering of blacks is automatically a riot.

Issues involving treatment of blacks in the criminal justice system are never addressed until things like this happen.

 

[Humpy]

Our police are out of control. Things need to change before citizens start firing back or worse...firing first.

I could see his weapon and I felt my life was clearly in danger. I then saw him make a move for his gun and I, unfortunately, had no choice but to shoot to kill in order to protect myself.

 

[rudeguy]

Nice to see the Chief of Police and Mayor treating the Scott family respect unlike Ferguson.

While there isn't evidence this cop stopped Walter Scott because he is black there is an underlying systemic suspicion of blacks especially males. You see it in this forum, assumption of guilt, assumption of thug whenever black males are involved. Gathering of blacks is automatically a riot.

Issues involving treatment of blacks in the criminal justice system are never addressed until things like this happen.

None of these people were killed because they were black. Didn't you learn anything from your previous attempts to make this about race? There is less than zero evidence to support your claim. This is not about race.

 

[emperus]

None of these people were killed because they were black. Didn't you learn anything from your previous attempts to make this about race? There is less than zero evidence to support your claim. This is not about race.

Constantly repeating the same thing doesn't make it more truthful the next time you repeat it. You may want to read this. You may find it profound and helpful in your understanding of this issue.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/hard-truths-law-enforcement-and-race

A second hard truth: Much research points to the widespread existence of unconscious bias. Many people in our white-majority culture have unconscious racial biases and react differently to a white face than a black face. In fact, we all, white and black, carry various biases around with us. I am reminded of the song from the Broadway hit, Avenue Q: “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” Part of it goes like this:
..

But that leads me to my third hard truth: something happens to people in law enforcement. Many of us develop different flavors of cynicism that we work hard to resist because they can be lazy mental shortcuts. For example, criminal suspects routinely lie about their guilt, and nearly everybody we charge is guilty. That makes it easy for some folks in law enforcement to assume that everybody is lying and that no suspect, regardless of their race, could be innocent. Easy, but wrong.

Likewise, police officers on patrol in our nation’s cities often work in environments where a hugely disproportionate percentage of street crime is committed by young men of color. Something happens to people of good will working in that environment. After years of police work, officers often can’t help but be influenced by the cynicism they feel.

A mental shortcut becomes almost irresistible and maybe even rational by some lights. The two young black men on one side of the street look like so many others the officer has locked up. Two white men on the other side of the street—even in the same clothes—do not. The officer does not make the same association about the two white guys, whether that officer is white or black. And that drives different behavior. The officer turns toward one side of the street and not the other. We need to come to grips with the fact that this behavior complicates the relationship between police and the communities they serve.

 

[rudeguy]

Constantly repeating the same thing doesn't make it more truthful the next time you repeat it. You may want to read this. You may find it profound and helpful in your understanding of this issue.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/hard-truths-law-enforcement-and-race

That makes a ton of sense, however the "shoot first, cover you ass later" thinking of cops is the real problem. Part of a cop's job is instinct. Why does he pull over the red speeding car instead of the blue one? He has to make decisions and life experience plays into that. That's all understandable. But going from deciding who to encounter and deciding who to shoot is a big jump.

The issue is the police are trained to be scared. They are trained to see civilians as enemies. They are trained to be in constant fear of their lives.

 

[Bird222]

Is tampering with evidence a felony? What about fleeing from an officer?

 

[TheFamilyMan]

Constantly repeating the same thing doesn't make it more truthful the next time you repeat it. You may want to read this. You may find it profound and helpful in your understanding of this issue.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/hard-truths-law-enforcement-and-race

You are mentally challenged. The guy *WOULD NOT* be dead right now had he not scuffled with the apparently screw-loose cop.

When will people get it through their fucking heads that it doesn't matter what color, race, creed, sexuality, etc you are...you escalate an encounter with a cop, crazy or otherwise, and it will not end well for you.

This guy was not killed because he was black...he was killed because he scuffled with a possibly nutty cop. The only difference in this being a white guy instead of a black guy is where the cop stopped this guy...you make a traffic stop in a predominately black neighborhood, chances are you're going to be stopping a black person. If this was a predominantly white neighborhood and a white guy tussled with the cop, probability of death being an outcome is still practically the same.

Brown was not killed in Ferguson because he was black...he was killed because he escalated an interaction with a cop. The fat black guy in NY was not killed because he was black...he was killed because he did not comply with an apparently lawful arrest and decided to deal with it by escalating the issue and resisting the arrest instead of just complying and fight any unjustified arrest through legal measures.

Stop being such a fucking lemming and use that head of yours for something other than a racetrack for a comb...

 

[mizzou]

Is tampering with evidence a felony? What about fleeing from an officer?

fleeing from an officer is typically a minor offense and federal courts have ruled for a long time that fleeing alone from a felony is never justification for lethal force.

 

[TheSlamma]

Is tampering with evidence a felony? What about fleeing from an officer?

Are all felonies punishable by murder?

 

[Bird222]

Are all felonies punishable by murder?

I am looking for a felony murder charge angle for the cop just in case 1st degree may be too hard to prove. What about the supposed struggle with the cop?

 

[emperus]

You are mentally challenged. The guy *WOULD NOT* be dead right now had he not scuffled with the apparently screw-loose cop.

When will people get it through their fucking heads that it doesn't matter what color, race, creed, sexuality, etc you are...you escalate an encounter with a cop, crazy or otherwise, and it will not end well for you.

This guy was not killed because he was black...he was killed because he scuffled with a possibly nutty cop. The only difference in this being a white guy instead of a black guy is where the cop stopped this guy...you make a traffic stop in a predominately black neighborhood, chances are you're going to be stopping a black person. If this was a predominantly white neighborhood and a white guy tussled with the cop, probability of death being an outcome is still practically the same.

Brown was not killed in Ferguson because he was black...he was killed because he escalated an interaction with a cop. The fat black guy in NY was not killed because he was black...he was killed because he did not comply with an apparently lawful arrest and decided to deal with it by escalating the issue and resisting the arrest instead of just complying and fight any unjustified arrest through legal measures.

Stop being such a fucking lemming and use that head of yours for something other than a racetrack for a comb...

You seem to be mentally ill and full of rage. I jsut envision you foaming at the mouth smashing your keyboard as you type. Do you even know what you are mad at? You seem to be placing the blame of the shooting on the wrong person. Cops are not the judge, jury and executioners. There job is to mitigate situations not escalate them.

Having said that. Any encounter with a cop can be problematic and scary. I've been on the wrong end of police guns multiple times. And so minorities who are pulled over at a higher rate than non-minorities have a higher probability of encountering a bad situation, whether it be an annoyed officer, a scared officer or a mistakenly escalated situation. It doesn't help when the police who are walking into these encounters are already socialized to see African Americans in a certain light.

But honestly, you seem incapable of even understanding what I just wrote.

 

[rudeguy]

You are mentally challenged. The guy *WOULD NOT* be dead right now had he not scuffled with the apparently screw-loose cop.

When will people get it through their fucking heads that it doesn't matter what color, race, creed, sexuality, etc you are...you escalate an encounter with a cop, crazy or otherwise, and it will not end well for you.

This guy was not killed because he was black...he was killed because he scuffled with a possibly nutty cop. The only difference in this being a white guy instead of a black guy is where the cop stopped this guy...you make a traffic stop in a predominately black neighborhood, chances are you're going to be stopping a black person. If this was a predominantly white neighborhood and a white guy tussled with the cop, probability of death being an outcome is still practically the same.

Brown was not killed in Ferguson because he was black...he was killed because he escalated an interaction with a cop. The fat black guy in NY was not killed because he was black...he was killed because he did not comply with an apparently lawful arrest and decided to deal with it by escalating the issue and resisting the arrest instead of just complying and fight any unjustified arrest through legal measures.

Stop being such a fucking lemming and use that head of yours for something other than a racetrack for a comb...

Would you like me to post a shit ton of video showing unarmed people who did not scuffle with police who were killed by cops? I try not to post them too often since they are disturbing, but you already seem disturbed.

 

[WHAMPOM]

It will be an interesting case. From what I understand, if you take a cops TASER they will use lethal force on you to get it back. This case could define a clear line of when the lethal force specifically drops off after the TASER is dropped.

So basically, if someone steals your TASER, then runs away, are you legally justified in using lethal force? What if the person runs away, clearly, without the TASER? I could see them clearly saying NO not justified.

What if someone steals your gun, points it at you, then drops it and runs away, are you still justified in using lethal force as that person runs away? I think most of us would say YES, but a case like this might tell cops NO it isn't.

A more clear cut scenario would be, someone stabs you with a knife and says they want to kill you. You pull your gun, they drop the knife and run away. Are you justified in shooting the person before they get away? I would think most of us would say yes. However, a case like this depending on how they rule it, might find you guilty of murder.

Anyone who CCW's should watch this case very closely, not because of similar circumstances, but because a ruling on this case could very well be case-law for civilian self-defense.

Da'clueless posting is strong in this one.

 

[emperus]

That makes a ton of sense, however the "shoot first, cover you ass later" thinking of cops is the real problem. Part of a cop's job is instinct. Why does he pull over the red speeding car instead of the blue one? He has to make decisions and life experience plays into that. That's all understandable. But going from deciding who to encounter and deciding who to shoot is a big jump.

The issue is the police are trained to be scared. They are trained to see civilians as enemies. They are trained to be in constant fear of their lives.

Yes of course, we are in agreement about Cops. But, you are attempting to discount the very real part that Race plays in it. And that could be understandable seeing you're not Black and probably are just not aware of it and doesn't affect you. But at a point you're going to have to take the word of the black community and others who study this subject on the actual impact. If you know any Black people, sit down and have a conversation (more just listen) with them about their interactions with police in this country. I guarantee it'll be surprising to you.

 

[rudeguy]

Da'clueless posting is strong in this one.

He used to be an intelligent poster. He really did.

Now its like he ate a whole jar of stupid.

 

[Pens1566]

Really nice touch by the cop to demand multiple times for the guy he just pumped 8 bullets into to put his hands behind his back.

 

[mizzou]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=064_1344899874 NSFW

Interesting cop camera perspective where a TASER fails to contact the suspect and the suspect then steals the TASER from her. They end up going hands on with the drunk guy and arresting him. At one point, she gets her gun out while the other cop just grabs him and throws him to the ground. The suspect even points the taser at the cops.

If she was alone, would she be justified in gunning him down once he grabbed her taser and pointed it at her? What harm is an empty taser pose when it is pointed at you from a distance?

 

[rudeguy]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=064_1344899874 NSFW

Interesting cop camera perspective where a TASER fails to contact the suspect and the suspect then steals the TASER from her. They end up going hands on with the drunk guy and arresting him. At one point, she gets her gun out while the other cop just grabs him and throws him to the ground. The suspect even points the taser at the cops.

If she was alone, would she be justified in gunning him down once he grabbed her taser and pointed it at her? What harm is an empty taser pose when it is pointed at you from a distance?

who cares?

That is not this case. This cop murdered a person in cold blood and then tried to cover up the crime.

 

[mizzou]

who cares?

That is not this case. This cop murdered a person in cold blood and then tried to cover up the crime.

I would just suggest it matters because cops will shoot you if you take their taser or even try to take it. If the taser really isn't much of a lethal threat, then why should they be trained to shoot in those instances? That's all that should really matter on the larger scale here.

The fact this guy covered up what he did is uniquely criminal and his conviction of that won't have any greater impact on cop training. I imagine he will try to avoid murder charges and get reduced negligent manslaugther charges based on the fact that he was likely trained to shoot if someone touches his gun or taser. (Good luck with that though, since he tried to cover up the crime)