FReepmail me to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the SCOTUS ping list.
Posted on 05/27/2014 9:31:07 AM PDT by BuckeyeTexan
The Arkansas police officers who fired 15 rounds into a fleeing vehicle, killing both the driver and passenger, were justified in doing so, the Supreme Court ruled Monday.
In 2004, police officers in West Memphis ended a high-speed car chase by firing shots into the fleeing vehicle. The drivers of the car weren’t armed and were killed as a result of the firing, leading many to argue the use of force by the police squad was excessive. Not so, declared Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the decision for the court.
“Under the circumstances present in this case,” Mr. Alito said, “we hold that the Fourth Amendment did not prohibit petitioners from using the deadly force that they employed to terminate the dangerous car chase.” “If police officers are justified in firing at a suspect in order to end a severe threat to public safety,” the high court held, “the officers need not stop shooting until the threat has ended.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
FReepmail me to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the SCOTUS ping list.
How many drivers were there?
At least two, apparently.
.
You can respect the law and still object to the militarization of law enforcement and killings such as this one.
Under this ruling they don’t ever need to pursue anyone. If they don’t stop just blow them away.
The good news?
No dogs involved...and ONLY 15 rounds were expended...
On the plus side we’ll save a lot of money on judges, trials, and prisons.
Worked for bonnie and Clyde’s captors uhhh blaster squad.
To prevent severe damage, we must kill you.
I wonder how they will rule and live when folks start shooting back.
driving a car in a high speed chase IS possession of a deadly weapon.
Under all of the circumstances considered in this particular case, the police were justified in the shooting. They are not, as leftist so ardently want, limited to 7 round magazines; if they are justified in shooting at all, they can keep shooting until the threat is stopped.
why was he on a high speed chase? The cops probably thought the young lady in passenger seat was a kidnap victim, that’s why he was running scared.
How about sane people who believe police firing at a fleeing vehicle is excessive,UNLESS the police know ALL the persons inside are there willingly AND have committed some other crime causing death or serious bodily injury ?
How about the police not making a dangerous situation worse by their acts.
Would any CCW holder NOT be facing multiple charges in the same situation ?
When you have only a hammer everything looks like a nail;when you have unrestricted permission to shoot everything looks like a target.
Why did our military have tighter controls on firing in Iraq and Afghanistan than our police in the United States ?
For what it is worth ,I never did believe just because someone has a black robe and is called “judge” makes them any smarter or better than the average American.The Supreme court has made many ruling that fly in the face of logic,commonsense,and the Constitution.The Supreme court rulings have paved the way for the murders of 40 million unborn Americans;that alone is enough to make me despise the institution.
How about mature people with critical-thinking skills who believe that cops are sometimes in the right and sometimes in the wrong?
One could equally argue that firing a gun from a moving vehicle at another moving vehicle makes a dangerous situation even more dangerous. The police could easily have shot an innocent occupant of another vehicle.
You didn't hear me. I said people who think that cops are always in the wrong. There are most definitely many FReepers in that camp. And they flock to posts like this to condemn the cops without all the facts.
I understand why many department have gone to discontinuing high speed chases in high traffic areas. The more cars involved in the chase, the greater the chance for innocent driver casualties.
I question shooting at a fleeing car only because so often the number of hits vs. the number of shots fired by officers is very low. This puts anyone near the scene in serious danger. If it’s actually true that both suspects were killed with only fifteen shots fired, it’s nothing short of amazing.
Wonder if the cop in New Mexico, who shot at a car with a woman and kids south of Taos, will get his job back?
Driving a car at anytime is possession of a deadly weapon.
Chopping onions on the kitchen counter is possession of a deadly weapon.
Silly argument.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.