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It's dark, there is a burglary in progrees or a burglar prowling. Cops come to the wrong address with flahlights blinding the homeowner. I am pointing a gun at anybody I don't recognize and can't identify at that point. I probably hold fire until a threat to my life, but being prepared to fire does not strike me as unreasonable in the situation.
Even if the cop doesn't give the commands in a perfectly timely manner, or shoots immediately after giving the command, it's probably a rightous shoot from a police procedure standpoint (different than I think the cop did the right thing here), hence the grand jury aquital. I think the homeowner was a victim of circumstance, and a recent trend toward police opting for lethal measures too quickly IMO.
No Knock 2AM search warrant executions (or "Police!" then all heck breaking loose busting in a door) is another trend in police tactics in urban centers that are bad policing procedure IMO, and dangerous for both the cops and the perps. If you know who you are looking for, show up in force and execute the warrant in daylight hours.
Last I checked, we still presumed people innocent until proven guilty, and IMO the no knock warrant execution is an unreasonable search for anything but a potential homicide/rape/kidnapping in progress. Obviously many judges disagree with my opinion, because they authorize the warrants frequently enough that it appears to be another bad trend in the making.
Nothing else matters here. You point a gun at a cop, you're going to get shot. You know that. I know that. Everyone should know that.
I read the article again, it did say that he exited the home and entered the garage.. So, I would assume that means coming out the front door and entering an attached garage. Not that there's anything wrong with that.. If I want to walk from my front door into my garage with an AR-15 pointed to the sky.. Totally legal. Though, I agree, if a cop came up and told me to drop the weapon.. I would.
And that is all he needed to do. That was my point.
Did the cops not have the blue lights on their patrol cars or something so the old man could see? There are details missing from this story. I think the officers should've made it very clear who they were, but I also believe you shouldn't point a weapon at an officer and not expect some kind of physical harm to come your way.
Location: Subconscious Syncope, USA (Northeastern US)
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You should let people see that you are an officer.
Over the decades people have pretended to be law enforcement - impersonated police officers - to commit a full range of crimes on law abiding citizens. Only being able to hear a voice that says - "Police drop your weapon!" is simply not good enough.
Let them see you before assuming anyone in the neighborhood is a deadly criminal.
When I was a young woman, it was acceptable not to stop for police in desolate areas, and to drive on to a populated area before stopping for the officer. At the time, a lot of young women were getting raaped, robbed and even murdered that way. Would a scared young woman now risk dying if she tried to keep going to a populated area and not immediately stop for anyone brandishing a uniform and lights on top their cars?
Quote:
Originally Posted by veezybell
Did the cops not have the blue lights on their patrol cars or something so the old man could see? There are details missing from this story. I think the officers should've made it very clear who they were, but I also believe you shouldn't point a weapon at an officer and not expect some kind of physical harm to come your way.
I was wondering the same thing. The officers would have a better chance of sneaking up on a theif if they didnt have them on. Even if they did, it doesnt guarantee the old guy saw their arrival, or that they left them flashing in the street while they investigated. I havent seen where anyone testified to hearing a siren and seeing flashing blue lights that night. Its a good question.
One would think the officers could see that they were dealing with an elderly citizen.
Last edited by ConeyGirl52; 02-19-2015 at 04:51 AM..
So sad! Another mistaken identity, but then again the old guy picked up his gun and pointed it at them.
Another shooting because of the stupid Second Amendment, "right to bear arms" If he'd had a baseball bat, would they have shot him? maybe, maybe not, but holding a gun is more lethal than a baseball bat at a distance.
The "Current Events" forum here in Citydata is rapidly turning into the "Hate-the-Police" forum with all of these continuous posts lambasting law enforcement. It is tragic that this homeowner was shot. So as some of the posters state, even having to go through a grand jury to determine whether charges are appropriate is not enough. It doesn't reach their ends. Maybe what should happen then to appease some of you out there is once it is determined that the police have made a mistake we should just take the cops out and publicly execute them. See how many people you have then staying on police departments and joining up. Personally if the neighbor's home burglar alarm goes off I would NOT be wandering around their house in the dark, especially with a handgun in my hand, trying to figure out what's going on. That IS what police are for and any of you that know me know that I am NOT a big government person. And YES, if the police are dispatched to an incident, they DO have the right to be there. That's just nonsense to think that they can't. Don't ever point a firearm at the police unless you expect to be shot. Think about it. If YOU were a police officer or even military person would YOU allow someone to point a gun at you if you did not know what their intentions were? Still this is very tragic that the homeowner was shot.
Location: Subconscious Syncope, USA (Northeastern US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gouligann
So sad! Another mistaken identity, but then again the old guy picked up his gun and pointed it at them.
Another shooting because of the stupid Second Amendment, "right to bear arms" If he'd had a baseball bat, would they have shot him? maybe, maybe not, but holding a gun is more lethal than a baseball bat at a distance.
Who is to say that that baseball bat wouldnt have 'looked' like a rifle? People get killed/shot at for brandishing wallets, submarine sandwiches wrapped in foil and all kinds of stuff - all because they looked like a weapon to the officer.
I am pro-police. Ive stuck up for them before in this forum when their actions seemed reasonable and justified. Were any shots fired before the officers arrived - no! Just a panic alarm went off at an address the officers could not find because of poor lighting - but wait! They had flashlights. Wouldnt you think their cars had GPS as well?
Why dont we get just as radical as the 'second amendment haters' and demand police not carry weapons? I guess we care more for these officers than some folks care to admit.
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