Double Amputee Killed by Houston Police Officer

[Alandoril]

Use of a gun should always be an absolute last resort.

This does not sound like that was the case.

And for those going on about adrenaline and the like...you train to wear a uniform and I'm sorry but you should have the mental fortitude to resist your natural inclinations. Once that uniform goes on you become a representative of the ideals of law and order, not just a man with weapons.

 

[Akkiko]

... Something is afoot!

Oh god, there I go. Excuse me while I go sit in this corner and laugh myself a spot into the nice-n-toasty downstairs.

 

[savageoblivi0n]

Everyone read this article.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/23/us/texas-amputee-shooting/index.html?iref=allsearch

This article provides more information on this, specifically that the officers told the suspect multiple times to drop the item. The the patient has 'flown off the handle' and making people in the house feel threatened. SO stop with the blind assertion that the cops just went in and shot him for the hell off it.

I wouldn't even bother trying to inject sense into the thread at this point. The anti-law enforcement/anti-America circle jerk that happens every time one of these stories gets posted is already out of control, and as has been said a few times in this thread, it's way too easy to sit on a high horse (or comfy computer chair) and criticize people for things they do in the line of duty.

 

[maninahat]

I...what?
For fuck's sake, I could take down a double amputee and I'm a scrawny 18 year old. You're telling me a train officer couldn't do this non-lethal?
What the fuck, seriously?

You sure about that? And what the fuck. Seriously? Talking about taking down amputees?
Okay, so, big shock, but the average amputee can't wrestle a fucking gator.
And about the whole taking down the disable thing... I'm not saying it's something I would go around doing for fun, but if push came to shove and I had to incapacitate a double amputee, I think I might have a chance.

Many amputees are otherwise physically fit, so whilst I don't expect them to fight crocodiles, it's reasonable to treat one as a legitimate threat (plus it's kind of patronising not to). Add to that the fact that its the middle of the night, its dark, the man is obviously crazy and he is waving some kind of "shiny object" at the cop. I wouldn't blame a cop for being too careful.

That said, I'd like to know what a cop without a gun would have done. Probably just maced the guy, or push him on his ass. That seems like a far more appropriate response, but what the hell do I know? Ideally, he and everyone in the street should have had guns. then none of this would have happened. [/satire]

 

[ElPatron]

That's also a very different and completely irrelevant topic however. The only relevant comparison would be the number of murders committed with people legally allowed to have firearms, or to lay their hands on firearms due to their wide availability.

No, it's not. Just because you say so doesn't mean it has to be your way or the highway.

You specifically made a remark about people having guns to defend themselves from the police. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure most countries allow the populace to have guns at home.

The United States allows concealed carry, which makes more sense if you want to shoot at cops.

And I wouldn't be surprised to at least find 99,99% match there, because countries with a gun ban and comparable circumstances have a negligable amount of firearms homicides, and even that's just mostly 'criminal liquidates rival criminal'.

Correlation doesn't imply causation.

Australia and the UK had low gun crime before they started banning certain types of firearms.

Firearms -> homicides, it's that simple. Not a million NRA propaganda bullshit stories have been able to assail this fact.

Firearms = homicide? Then how do firearms cause homicide that doesn't involve guns?

Tell me when was the last time there was a firearms related homicide on a gun show (filled with guns, lol). When was the last time there was a firearms related homicide in an NRA meeting? Why does Switzerland have a lower crime rate than the US despite a few years ago the citizens who were part of the militia were allowed to keep a fully automatic rifle at home along with a box of ammo (now they can't have the ammo, it seems)?

The fact is that propaganda comes from both sides - and professional bullshitters are hard at work trying to ban firearms too.

That's why police outside of a paranoid violent gun culture like the US would never even dream of drawing weapons against someone in a wheelchair with a single arm who's a little agressive (likely also frustration-agression, which is harmless), and this kind of shooting is regular in the US.

>paranoid

Come down your high horse and realize that Europe =/= Scandinavia. Here closer to the Mediterranean we are in the shit creek and our police officers don't get paid enough. Many of them are actually poor.

I won't ask someone who isn't getting paid enough to die for me on the streets, where you can buy any illegal weapon you want. I am more paranoid here in Europe than I would be in the US.

 

[Voxgizer]

It's a bad sign that my first thought after reading the thread title was "Why? Couldn't he put his hands up?"

 

[The AmeriCanadian Gamer]

Sometimes it is the wrong decision, and those are the ones we hear about in the news.

When its the right one you hear nothing in the news.

That is one of the main contributing factors to the bad reputation of the Police. I have never had problems with an officer before.

 

[Actual]

"His caretaker had refused to give him a cigarette and a soda"

So all this could have been avoided by giving the man a damn coke and smoke!

Since when does being disabled/insane mean you no longer get to decide when you have a drink? Someone denies me some sweet fizzy nectar you're damn right I'm shanking them with the first metal object to hand.

 

[ElPatron]

But now you're getting some things confused. You need to have military grade firearms at home because the evil librul socialist government is coming for you. And because only slaves don't have guns. This explains why there are so many firearms at bdsm clubs, for all those that aren't slaves.

First, BDSM's cornerstone is Safe, Sane and Consensual. Even if someone accepts to be shot, it's not something that can be done safely or even sanely.

Second, BDSM ukes or "bottoms" are not literal slaves. Slavery is *not* consensual, even if you agree to getting in you can't get out. You really don't make a lot of sense.

Third, like I said "military grade" is a useless term. Most civilian rifles, handguns and small-arms are comparable to military weapons. You use military-grade when you're talking about explosives and nuclear material.

Using buzzwords and catchphrases doesn't work unless you're building a really tall and complex Strawman that somehow implies I agree with the asshats who write NRA slogans.

And all this time I thought I wasn't in the Netherlands, but in Norway. Silly me.

Where you live doesn't matter. But Scandinavia is arguably the best example of something that would be a great European Union if you kicked out everyone else. Netherlands? No shits given. I could also say that Europe isn't just the countries in Eastern Europe. Because it isn't, it's just a concept of phrasing.

You people in Netherlands want to kick out foreigners from coffe-shops and I can't tolerate xenophobia. (if you had doubes, yes - this part was a joke)

Than that's really unjustified. Guns are hard to lay a hand on. Because of gun bans, it's expensive and difficult to find illegal firearms. As a result, firearms crime is remarkably much lower and mostly reserved towards criminals killing one another, ussually over drugs or other organised crime stuff.

Nah. With 50? and with a an hour or so of asking around, you'll find a handgun. The guns usually bought were supposed to be in evidence lockers - there are people in the police making a profit on illegal arms deals while they were supposed to be protecting us.

By the way, several groups have raided military stockpiles or just made guns at home.

Remember World War II? Remember how the British made a Sten sub-machine gun from pipes and what was probably a bed spring?

Point is, gun bans have ensured that firearms crime

Brazil. 'Nuff said. Really restrictive gun laws, lots of violence.

This has resulted in trigger happy police mostly being exclusively found in the US and its gun culture.

Yeah, that part with the police shooting miners in South Africa never happened.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Just imagine it! Oh the hilarity. The police officer slowly backing off, shouting "I'm gon have ta ask ya ta back down sir" in a redneck accent, the amputee slowly wheeling himself forward...

Is it weird that I'm reminded of the first Ganado person-thing you get to kill in Resident Evil 4? Except the guy's in a wheelchair, and has a pen instead of a hatchet, and is in absolutely no position to cause severe harm to anyone?

How uncool, Leon Kennedy From Texas. Very, very uncool.

 

[Treblaine]

While that's bad, I'm still mad at what our London Metropolitan police have done.

There wasn't even an inquiry into when they repeatedly shot a Brazilian electrician in the back with a submachine gun... AFTER they were holding him down on the ground. The officers haven't even been named or reprimanded.

I'd rather get arrested by armed Texan cops than armed Met police.