Mistakes happen, but they happen more often when people are reckless.... innocent and unarmed man.
In the civilian world, we call that murder.
Zerby was gunned down at an apartment building Sunday after two people reported a man with a gun sitting on a backyard porch landing, according to authorities.
Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers took positions to observe Zerby, who appeared intoxicated, and believed he had a "tiny six-shooter" as described by a male caller.
Zerby reportedly pointed the black metal-tipped nozzle at one of the officers, and two officers fired a handgun and a shotgun. A total of eight shots were fired - six from a handgun and two from shot guns, said McDonnell.
"They didn't say 'Put your hands up' or 'Freeze' or anything," Zerby's sister, Eden Marie Biele told The Associated Press Monday. "He was killed in cold blood."
However, police officials say Zerby's behavior prompted the officers' response.
"As the subject was in a seated position, he used a two-handed pistol-grip hold on an object with his arms fully extended," McDonnell said. "Somebody that is impaired and waving what appears to witnesses and police to be a handgun. That's what the officers were faced with."
You're telling me that you ask questions?
If you have time to observe the guy maybe they should have found time to identify themselves or else you know, they might end up shooting someone that was carrying something that wasn't a gun.
That doesn't say two different 911 callers thought it was a gun. It says that two people reported that the man had a gun. Perhaps they were in the same party. One of them could easily influence the other's opinion.
If you have time to observe the guy maybe they should have found time to identify themselves or else you know, they might end up shooting someone that was carrying something that wasn't a gun.
the only question is when to stop firing..
LOL observeing takes a split second
Mistakes happen, but they happen more often when people are reckless. Technically, this guy was being the opposite of reckless. He had too much to drink so instead of driving, he stumbled to a buddy's place and waited on the porch for him to get home. He was playing around with a garden hose nossle. Being goofy he was fake-spraying things with the hose. Cops, who from all indication didn't identify themselves as cops, didn't tell him to drop the "weapon", and likely didn't even indicate they were there, opened fire on an unarmed man. From the reports, they had time to call for backup, they had time to observe him. It was dark, cops dress in dark uniforms. How do we even know he noticed they were there? I'm not anti-police at all. But this was reckless behavior from officers who failed to do their due diligence before gunning down an innocent and unarmed man.
In the civilian world, we call that murder.
Should I time how long it takes to yell POLICE?
Secondly maybe they should've taken more than a split second.
Sure, you do that. While you are, I'll time how long it takes for a drunk/malicious/startled person to pull a trigger.
Let's compare notes.
Voices can travel around a corner. Bullets cannot.
1 possible solution:
So someone points what you think is a gun at you with both hands, and your first thought is "brb, let me get a bullhorn"?
On second thought, please DO NOT become a police officer as I suggested earlier. I think it would quickly lead to your demise, and I'd hate to think I had anything to do with it.
I see you're happy to be an armchair quarterback as so many people on the internet are, in all things. I'll leave you to it.
I think his point is that if they had time to get into position and observe they could have easily called to him from behind cover.
LOL at all the do gooders making excuses for the cops.
Cops screwed the pooch on this one, end of story. If your so afraid for your safety that you have to unleash a hail of bullets at a drunk dude pointing a water hose you probably need to find a safer profession than police work.
Reminds me of a story here in DFW a couple of years back when a group of cops tried to stop some intoxicated dudes leaving a bachelor party and claimed the driver of the car tried to run down an officer, so they responded with fire killing the driver and critically wounding a passenger. Durring the IA investigation they found 32 bullet holes in the two dudes bodies and 72 shell casings on the ground, they determined 6 differnt officers had fired, and one officer alone reloaded twice and fired a total of 29 rounds himself.
LOL at all the do gooders making excuses for the cops.
Cops screwed the pooch on this one, end of story. If your so afraid for your safety that you have to unleash a hail of bullets at a drunk dude pointing a water hose you probably need to find a safer profession than police work.
I see nothing wrong with this outcome. Police officers put their lives on the line to protect people. The dude had both hands on the garden nozzle with arms fully extended pointing at police officers.
In all situations, the only outcome of this is that you will be shot. What if he did have a real gun and the officers second guess themselves? The officers would be dead. In a life and death split second situation you have to take action and the officers made the right decision.
When a cop feels like his/her life is in danger, they shoot to kill, not maim.
this would all be fine and dandy if the cops identified themselves.
this would all be fine and dandy if the cops identified themselves.
You weren't at the scene, so you don't know the specifics of what happened.
So if the cops identified themselves the guy wouldn't of raised his garden nozzle?
Long Beach’s police chief has admitted that his officers never identified themselves before they shot and killed a man Sunday