Posted on 03/28/2018 2:26:40 PM PDT by Ennis85
A US police officer shot dead an unarmed man walking in traffic with his trousers down, and his family says it looks like "premeditated murder".
Police dashcam video shows Danny Ray Thomas, 34, walking towards the officer on a road in Houston, Texas, last Thursday before a gunshot rings out.
Deputy Cameron Brewer repeatedly shouts "get down on the ground" before firing. Both the officer and victim are black.
Mr Thomas' family say he suffered from depression after his children died.
His sister, Kita Thomas-Smith, attended a Houston City Council meeting on Tuesday where she tearfully urged politicians do to something about "police brutality".
Mayor Sylvester Turner told her: "I certainly feel your pain. We are certainly sorry for any life that is taken."
Outside city hall, Ms Thomas-Smith told the Houston Chronicle of the dashcam video. "It feels like premeditated murder.
"He was clearly walking, not running, toward the deputy not trying to hurt or harm him."
Deputy Brewer, who had a Taser with him, has been placed on administrative leave as police investigate the shooting.
Houston Police Department said in a statement last week that Mr Thomas was found "walking in the middle of the intersection" of a busy road in the city.
Deputy Brewer noticed him with "his pants around his ankles, talking to himself and hitting vehicles as they passed by".
"Thomas then struck a white vehicle, and the driver exited and engaged in a physical altercation with the suspect," Houston police said.
The Harris County Sheriff's deputy saw the fracas and stopped his car to intervene.
"Fearing for his safety, the deputy discharged his duty weapon, striking Thomas once in the chest," said Houston police, which is leading the investigation.
In a different video taken by a bystander and published by the Chronicle last week,
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Sounds like it may be suicide by cop, and hoping that his widow will reap a big payout.
“I think the police training is poor. This didnt happen in the 70s. But then you didnt have all out assassins murdering random police like we see today.”
Nonsense =>
_________________________
As of Thursday, 128 officers died in the line of duty this year, down from 135 in 2016. Since 1959, only 2013 saw fewer officers die while on duty, when 116 were killed, according to data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The leading cause of death for officers in 2017 was traffic crashes, which killed 47 policemen and -women. Forty-four officers were shot and killed in 2017.
There absolutely were people ambushing and killing police in the seventies along with a good many bombings.
Let’s see: Repeated commands to lie down. Tasers are effective? Maybe not. The alternative is a wrestling match that the cop may not win. If the perp is stronger the cop loses his life. No brainer.
Yes, open carry is now legal in Texas.
You know that the life of a mere civilian means nothing as long as the officer gets to go home to his family that night, don’t you? OF COURSE failure to obey the word of a cop should deserve death- maybe the civilian had a knife hidden... somewhere
/s
One possibility is the officer had the gun in his hand and didn’t have time to get his Taser because the man kept approaching him without stopping.
I agree. The guy was advancing toward him in an aggressive manner and ignoring commands. If he got within 15 feet I’d have shot too.
Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
Do crazy things, win crazy prizes.
“Ok, seems his family knew he was having real problems. Where the fuch were they? What the hell was his family doing for him? They only care after something bad happens?”
I think we can be pretty confident the family is going to be looking for a big payout. Any planned riots will be part of their negotiating tactics.
If the officer were white this would be all over the cable news stations...and busloads of BLM on que would arrive....
It looks like law enforcement in this country has a “license to kill”.
They all think they are 007.........
Yes, I believe that was the official motto in Nazi Germany...
So am I supposed to feel sympathy for a man who assaults people on the street with his pants down and then gets bagged?
So, do cops even carry nightsticks anymore? Tasers? If so, why?
Disobeying a cop is not a death penalty crime. Good grief.
More cops were killed in the 70s than today. That decade had more cops killed than Anf since the 1920s.
http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/year.html
Anf=any
This must be a joke.
A black man with his pants down around his ankles presumed to have a night stick hanging from his waist?
“Reminds me of the movie “Crash.””
Great flick. Had to watch it twice.
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