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 ...
That’s the way I see it. When I was small, my mother told me never to play in traffic. Guess the deceased missed that lesson or forgot about it.
video here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43574249
Great comments. I’m assuming there will be an autopsy, and toxicology tests to determine if this guy had drugs in his system. I hope we hear more about the outcome of those tests down the road.
dsc: 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.
donna: Thanks for the video.
The question was of course rhetorical, that being said I am glad you answered it.
What kills me is we have had men in harms way with an ROE of only fire when fired upon. Police officers need to accept some level of risk, heck we expect our men and women in arms to accept more risk when dealing with potential enemy combatants on foreign soil. This is crazy.
A free society, especially one with the right to keep and bear arms, cannot coexist with a police force who can shoot someone just because they felt threatened. For instance, how am I to exercise my right to be armed, when the mere sight of a gun constitues a just shooting?
The road we are heading down should scare every freedom loving American.
You think all the mentally ill running around have no caring families??
They are not able to get their loved ones help, BECAUSE THE LOVED ONE WILL NOT COOPERATE.
MENTALLY ILL PEOPLE OFTEN DO NOT COOPERATE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A THINKING DISORDER.
The government and healthcare entities will not detain,if they are not a clear and immediate danger to themselves, danger to others, or cannot care for themselves (and one must have evidence like starvation). Treatment cannot be forced without weeks of detainment and several interventions by the courts, if they approve it.
capiche?
You can all the groups and services and doctors in the world but if the patient will not show up, they are not able to be treated. It is a long and often futile process to get a mentally ill person treated.
It’s twoo, it’s twoo!
- Blazing Saddles
In most cases, they do provide more information on Texas shootings, but the "flame throwing" media has generally moved on to the next drama, so you have to keep checking local news outlets.
I really wouldn't like to see you or someone you love out in public, clearly having some sort of episode whether due to medication, stroke or what, be blown away by some thug with a badge merely for disobeying orders. While it certainly would be a "teachable moment" for you, that would be cruel.
True Fact: black police statistically are three times as likely to shoot and kill a black suspect as a white cop is. Why? Because they’re exercising pure, undiluted common sense, whereas a white cop’s dread of a jury attaching racial motives to his decision causes him to second-guess his cop-sense, which usually results in granting undue leniency to a perp who just plain needed killing, and all to often ends with a well-meaning cop getting murdered.
The funeral director will make sure he is horizontal, with his pants up.
Its not like this happened overnite, they could have gone through the processes you describe.
Look,if its important enough you prioritize. If family doesnt care enough no one else will. They didnt care enough, hes waling around by himself. Pants down. Thie knew he was mesesed up for awhile now since the kids died and nothing was currently being done.
How do you communicate with someone who repeatedly ignores commands and keeps coming at you? Do you wait until he is close enough to stab or hit you? Now, it does seem that the cop should have used his taser, but if someone is high on PCP that doesn’t even slow them down.
BTW, for all the BLM crap about racist white cops, black and Hispanic cops are much more likely to initiate force than white cops are.
Some places you have to have someone hit before you can fire back.
You have hit the nail on the head in that they are now using "I felt threatened" to justify any shoot whether they were in any immediate physical danger or not.
What is even worse is they are starting to use "Failed to follow orders" as a reason to shoot.
I used to be of the opinion that police shootings were justified until proven otherwise. I now find myself on the other side. It is not comfortable.
Read Badge of the Assasin by Tanenbaum and Wambaughs The Onion Field. Then remember the 1970’s.
standard police policy
Its not like this happened overnite, they could have gone through the processes you describe.
Look,if its important enough you prioritize. If family doesnt care enough no one else will. They didnt care enough, hes waling around by himself. Pants down. Thie knew he was mesesed up for awhile now since the kids died and nothing was currently being done.
__________________________-
Sadly, they may have gone through the process several times, still doesn’t stop it from happening again. Or that the process is unsuccessful.
People are free to walk around by themselves in this country. It is a sad situation for every one involved.
Also in the story you learn the “mom” murdered his two kids.
This also ahows how this country deals with depressed men vs depressed women.
Depresed man gets shot to death over “mom” murdering his kids. Woman gets depressed and goes nutty, and the entire system gets her mental health care and support.
Yes he was depressed...but I was just voicing my opinion of the double standard created if it is a white cop shooting a black man....nothing about not having empathy for the man. The police officer I would hope has an explanation for using deadly force....time will tell.
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