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 ...
do you have any idea of what a family can do with a member who is uncooperative and going into what possibly is a depressive psychosis?
Nothing.
That is what they can do.
Family has little or no leverage.
Since there is no crime, the police do nothing.
One is not allowed to grab and bring someone to the er against their will.
There are plenty of suffering families with beloved mentally ill family members whom they cannot help.
Be a mensch cut some slack.
what is wrong is.. these police officers are not held liable personally.
Is a cop supposed to let a man, with his pants down, walk up to the cop and grab him, or is the cop allowed to shoot the man before being touched?
What’s the training?
No. If you say "get on the ground" to a rational person in that situation, their response will be to get on the ground. For a clearly incoherent or irrational person, one should not expect a coherent response. One would assume the cop would have been trained to consider alternative evaluations and responses.
After Rodney King, police departments began ditching their tried and true batons for tasers, which many police officers found complicated and unreliable. Some argue this has led to more fatal shootings as cops reach for their firearm first, rather than take a chance that their taser might not function properly.
“And therefore, he deserved to be shot dead—unarmed and making NO threatening moves?”
Walking into a man who is holding a gun on you is a threatening move.
He was either insane, and therefore a threat, or out to commit suicide by cop, and therefore a threat.
I’m very sorry that he lost his family, but you just can’t go around acting like that.
Have you ever heard of therapy? Millions of shrinks of all kinds, counsellors, family thrapists, grief counselors, etc etc. Even a frigging life coach. Something. You think there is nothing family can do except your chain up sugestion. You extremist simpleton.
You look after family. Yeah maybe you do keep am eye on him if hes really nuts. At least dont let him be out in the world by himself.
Use your frigging brain.
See post 67.
Yep....I'm tired of the BS I'm hearing from everyone whenever there's a shooting.
The media always withholds information...or writes their stories in such a way as to present the Cop as the "evil" person and the dumb continue to eat it up.
I've run into several "bad" cops but the majority I know just want to do their job and go home to their families. They pray they never have to shoot anyone.......but also know that in today's climate of "the only good cop is a dead cop" given to us by the radicals of BLM, their chances of having to protect themselves is a lot higher than those serving even 10 years ago.
After the sniper attack during the BLM protest in Dallas in 2016, Texas officers are not going to be "snuggly" to people who refuse to follow orders or continue to advance on them. I don't blame them for wanting to go home "alive" or "in once piece" so I'll reserve judgement until the evidence has been presented that will show if this is a "good cop", in a bad situation, or a "bad cop" that didn't use his head.
Its probably more complicated than described in the article but refusing to “get on the ground” should not be a death sentence. Cops seem to think that they should not be exposed to any danger what so ever and departmental regulations seem to reinforce this.
It was a joke.
The guy was walking around with his pants down...
Forty-four officers were shot and killed in 2017.
I can see why the numbers are down.
Have you ever heard of therapy? Millions of shrinks of all kinds, counsellors, family thrapists, grief counselors, etc etc. Even a frigging life coach. Something. You think there is nothing family can do except your chain up sugestion. You extremist simpleton.
You look after family. Yeah maybe you do keep am eye on him if hes really nuts. At least dont let him be out in the world by himself.
Use your frigging brain.
_____________________________________
You have no idea of what you are talking about. You cannot stop an adult from leaving. It is called assault. Mental health counselors only help if someone is willing to go.
Once cannot compel someone to seek treatment.
You think that family has power here, they don’t. Leftists removed power from families and empowered the mentally ill in the seventies.
Not a good shoot. The guy was clearly mentally disturbed but he wasn’t even naked, he had boxers on. No weapons of any kind, not holding anything in his hands, no place for officer to claim the victim was drawing a weapon, either. Prepare yourselves to cough it up Houston, you’re going to get your own pants sued off and don’t have a leg to stand on.
So?
Police can’t just go around blowing away visibly unarmed people merely for disobeying orders. If you believe this let me ask you, when did disobeying orders become a capital crime? Name the statute.
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: No. No. No.
At MOST he can be physically restrained and detained.
And you had better not use one ounce of force more then absolutely necessary.
Therapy? Seriously? What world do you live in?
Have you ever had to deal with a therapist? Known anyone who has? Paid for it?
Look at that family. I'm sure therapists, counselors, and "lifestyle coaches" (LOL!) are just a regular part of everyday struggles in the 'hood.
You retard.
“Police can’t just go around blowing away visibly unarmed people merely for disobeying orders.
Depends on what the order is. If the order is “stop threatening my life,” then they can “just go around blowing away visibly unarmed people.”
This whole “armed/unarmed” thing is nothing but weaponized compassion. Men are never unarmed. Two fists, two feet, at all times.
“If you believe this let me ask you, when did disobeying orders become a capital crime?”
He didn’t get shot for disobeying orders. He got shot for acting like a danger to others, then trying to close with the cop.
I would really like to see you cop-hater trolls out there trying to do that job.
I didnt say have him committed. You can get therapies of all different kinds, or even talk to a counsellor about the los of his kids, they have groups for people coping with death of loved ones,...
Is everyone so flipping dense her now? No one here thinks about a wide range of existing algrnatives other tha no, he just roams free and no family member can think of any way to offer any kind of help at all, even if its making sure he isnt alone when hes out in the world.
Man this place is getting libtard stupid.
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