Here is a little modern-day Edward R. Murrow. The following video takes you to where every cop doesn’t want to be … a violent domestic disturbance … with a tragic outcome. See: Wired Right blog.
Pilgrim, what I ask of you today is, as honest as you can muster, to decide how you would react if you were this responding officer. And if you would agree with the grand jury finding in this case … and the moderators?
I doubt if one in twenty police men or women could have dealt physically with this berserk man. That is why they carry guns.
This incident also has uncanny parallels with what happened to Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, WI a year ago this past summer. Again, the jury found his actions justified. Do you agree?
For myself, I understand that taking someone else’s life is a tramatic event … but not quite as tramatic as losing your own life. Enough said?
Afterthought: I am beginning to think that Tasers are useless … creating more problems than they solve. We desperately need a reliable non-lethal way of stopping such obvious and dangerous but unarmed threats.
Further: Perhaps the first two cartridges in a policeman’s gun must be non-lethal — rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas, tranquillizing dart, ether, skunk spray, etc. … or a mixture?
STAND UP FOR THE EQUALIZER!
This was nothing like Rittenhouse. I watched it twice. The officer was asked to enter where the perp was way down the hall telling him to come in. The officer reneged and backed out. The perp came out a couple minutes later in just a tee shirt and slacks. Stood with his arms outstretched. Was told to lie down face down in the snow, he balked. How is any of this berserk? Is that a rationale as a threat worthy of applying deadly force? I think not….
ReplyDeleteTwo observers see different things. I thought he had gone rogue … and you don’t offer your solution to this situation. But I agree that such scenes need to be resolved without loss of life. But Tasers seem not to be the solution.
ReplyDeleteThe man was amped up and nutsy but did not seem dangerous or threatening. The officer could have stopped yelling (being amped up himself) and started to approach the man to de-escalate the situation. When another officer arrived (without lights and sirens), I can see how they could cuff him. If you want a non-lethal weapon, tranquilizing dart or even a net would shut things down.
ReplyDeleteIf you were the cop and you weren’t scared, you would likely be dead. IMHO. And scared people do stupid things. Witness all the dumb things the world has done during the COvID pandemic.
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