Cops Kill Man with Cellphone... - The Firearms Forum

Shizamus · 06-16-2003, 05:38 PM

There has been controversy in the United States after two police officers
shot and killed a suspected drunk driver in Louisiana.

The incident happened in a supermarket car park in the town of Shreveport
and was captured on CCTV.

The 25-year-old man jumped out of his car and pointed what the officers say
they thought was a gun.

They responded by shooting him eight times in the back as he ran away.

They they then discovered his supposed weapon was only a mobile phone.

Police had chased him to the car park after he jumped a red light.

A spokesman for the local police said they had studied the video tapes of
the shooting.

They decided it was justified because the officers felt threatened.

Shreveport police chief Jim Roberts said: "They felt their lives were in
danger."

He said he believed the victim had engineered the incident to get himself
killed in a "suicide-by-cop".

06-16-2003, 06:00 PM

I seen some of the video, the guy assumed "the" stance 2 different times.

It was pretty wild watching 2 Police officers shoot the guy in the back.

Jack-Booted Thugs?

What's your take on it Shizamus?

Shizamus · 06-16-2003, 07:52 PM

Their lives were in danger as he was running away?

My take is typical JACK BOOTED THUGS !

wuzzagrunt · 06-16-2003, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shizamus
Their lives were in danger as he was running away?

My take is typical JACK BOOTED THUGS !

That's my gut respone, too.

Think about it, though. If someone points a "gun" at the cops, they can't just let him run away. That would be a bit irresponsible. If they believe he was armed, they have to stop him and I'm sure they'd prefer to do it without getting killed.

Even if they intended to take him down, non-lethally, there is a real danger of the perp grabbing a hostage. If the cops restrained themselves from shooting when the guy turned his back but he killed a bystander in a hostage standoff or by shooting wildly over his shoulder--what would be your opinion of their actions? What if the bystander was your wife or child?

SouthernMoss · 06-16-2003, 11:24 PM

What hasn't been pointed out so far is that the cops pursued this guy for five miles, late at night. When the guy finally stopped the car and got out, he ignored repeated commands to stop. He held the cell phone (which had a shiny chrome covering) in two hands, like a pistol.

We can all be armchair critics. But who's to say, if we were there when it was going down, that we wouldn't have reacted the very same way?

Admin · 06-17-2003, 12:54 AM

I've reviewed the tape also, and if someome had what
appeared to be a weapon, pointing it in a shooting stance,
I would have (more than likely) have stopped the threat
immediately.

No different than if it turned out to be a toy pistol, I'm not about
to wait in order to figure out whether it's a real weapon or not,
as those who hesitate, end up in a box with a flag on it.

1952Sniper · 06-18-2003, 07:43 AM

We need to start giving cops rubber bullets or beanbags or something. I'm tired of hearing about cops killing civilians just because they "felt" threatened.

I do believe that cops should have the right to defend themselves against threats, whether perceived or real. But they are acting as judge and jury and executioner when they pull that trigger. We hear it all too often: shooting civilians who turn out not to be a real threat after all. Will it be you next?

Why can't we give cops weapons that will simply subdue the suspect? They can still carry their "real" guns. But give them a 12-gauge shotgun for the squad car, loaded with something that will knock the guy down and put him out of action long enough to get him under control.

I guess my real point here is that the police have developed the mentality that they have the absolute right not to be put into harm's way. When a tense situation develops, they always shoot now and ask questions later. Well, what about our rights as citizens? Do cops have more rights than we do?

I'm tired of the "whack and stack" methods that the police are using. We, the citizens, need to demand something be done about this type of JBT behavior. Justice is not served by killing a man without making 100% sure he is a threat. We pay cops to take risks. If they would rather gun down civilians than take risks, then something is wrong.

06-16-2003, 05:38 PM	#1
Shizamus Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Vermont Posts: 891	Cops Kill Man with Cellphone... There has been controversy in the United States after two police officers shot and killed a suspected drunk driver in Louisiana. The incident happened in a supermarket car park in the town of Shreveport and was captured on CCTV. The 25-year-old man jumped out of his car and pointed what the officers say they thought was a gun. They responded by shooting him eight times in the back as he ran away. They they then discovered his supposed weapon was only a mobile phone. Police had chased him to the car park after he jumped a red light. A spokesman for the local police said they had studied the video tapes of the shooting. They decided it was justified because the officers felt threatened. Shreveport police chief Jim Roberts said: "They felt their lives were in danger." He said he believed the victim had engineered the incident to get himself killed in a "suicide-by-cop". -->

06-17-2003, 12:54 AM	#6
Admin Site Network Webmaster Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Site Control Panel Posts: 11,654	I've reviewed the tape also, and if someome had what appeared to be a weapon, pointing it in a shooting stance, I would have (more than likely) have stopped the threat immediately. No different than if it turned out to be a toy pistol, I'm not about to wait in order to figure out whether it's a real weapon or not, as those who hesitate, end up in a box with a flag on it. Last edited by Admin; 06-17-2003 at 12:59 AM..

06-16-2003, 06:00 PM	#2
Zigzag2 Adnanced Senior Member Posts: n/a	I seen some of the video, the guy assumed "the" stance 2 different times. It was pretty wild watching 2 Police officers shoot the guy in the back. Jack-Booted Thugs? What's your take on it Shizamus?

06-16-2003, 07:52 PM	#3
Shizamus Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Vermont Posts: 891	Their lives were in danger as he was running away? My take is typical JACK BOOTED THUGS !

06-16-2003, 11:24 PM	#5
SouthernMoss Admin Tech Staff Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SW MS Contributor Posts: 10,651	What hasn't been pointed out so far is that the cops pursued this guy for five miles, late at night. When the guy finally stopped the car and got out, he ignored repeated commands to stop. He held the cell phone (which had a shiny chrome covering) in two hands, like a pistol. We can all be armchair critics. But who's to say, if we were there when it was going down, that we wouldn't have reacted the very same way?

06-18-2003, 07:43 AM	#7
1952Sniper Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 5,138	We need to start giving cops rubber bullets or beanbags or something. I'm tired of hearing about cops killing civilians just because they "felt" threatened. I do believe that cops should have the right to defend themselves against threats, whether perceived or real. But they are acting as judge and jury and executioner when they pull that trigger. We hear it all too often: shooting civilians who turn out not to be a real threat after all. Will it be you next? Why can't we give cops weapons that will simply subdue the suspect? They can still carry their "real" guns. But give them a 12-gauge shotgun for the squad car, loaded with something that will knock the guy down and put him out of action long enough to get him under control. I guess my real point here is that the police have developed the mentality that they have the absolute right not to be put into harm's way. When a tense situation develops, they always shoot now and ask questions later. Well, what about our rights as citizens? Do cops have more rights than we do? I'm tired of the "whack and stack" methods that the police are using. We, the citizens, need to demand something be done about this type of JBT behavior. Justice is not served by killing a man without making 100% sure he is a threat. We pay cops to take risks. If they would rather gun down civilians than take risks, then something is wrong.