Police shoot deaf man 'ignoring commands'

BBC News ^ | 21st September 2017 | BBC News

[Ennis85]

A deaf man has been shot and killed by Oklahoma City police officers as he approached them holding a metal pipe. The two officers did not hear neighbours shouting "he can't hear you", before opening fire, police captain Bo Mathews said. Magdiel Sanchez, 35, was fatally shot on Tuesday evening as police were investigating a hit and run. The shooting is being investigated by city homicide detectives to determine if it was legally justified. "In those situations, very volatile situations, you have a weapon out, you can get what they call tunnel vision," Cpt Mathews said, adding that Sanchez was about 15 ft (4.5m) away when both officers fired their weapons simultaneously.

Eight-year veteran Sgt Christopher Barnes fired his handgun at the same exact moment Lt Matthew Lindsey fired a Taser, witnesses told police. "You can really lock in to just the person that has the weapon that'd be the threat against you," Cpt Mathews added, explaining why officers did not respond to the shouts of about a half dozen bystanders screaming that Sanchez was deaf.

The 2ft (0.6m) pipe that Sanchez was holding as he sat on his porch was initially described to officers as a stick. Neighbours say that Sanchez, who was non-verbal, would use the pipe and his hands to communicate and also to protect against stray dogs near his home where he lived with his father. Sanchez's father, who drove the hit and run vehicle, later confirmed that his son was deaf. Police say the victim had no known criminal history. Sgt Barnes, who fired his handgun, has been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation. The first officer on scene, Lt Lindsey, will remain on active duty. Neither officer was wearing a body camera. This is not the first shooting to draw attention to Oklahoma

[x1stcav]

Nah, center of mass is the accepted doctrine and it makes sense.

What I can’t figure out is, when I was in the Nam we came upon civilians carrying pitchforks, axes, machetes, and any number of other tools. If we’d lit up everyone carrying something like that it would’ve been My Lai times a hundred.

It just seems to me that more discretion and judgement could be used. But what do I know.

[Aria]

My knowledge of shooting isn’t much...except that I have bad aim.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks so much for your support to this point... I personally apprecaite it...
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...this is a general all-purpose message, and should not be seen as targeting any individual I am responding to...

Just $542.00 dollars to 97.00%

[Ezekiel]

Ah yes, that’s the place. ;)

You’d think I could spell his name correctly though, oops.

[Bonemaker]

It would work for us bullseye shooters. Just name where in the body you want the round to go.

[JP1201]

We ought to wait for more details before hanging someone, uniformed or not.

——�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—�—

You know we hear this every single time one of these incidents happens... some of you run out just to proclaim this.

But don’t it alarm you the amount of times lately you have to do this?

Cops seem to be crazy trigger happy these days....

[Manly Warrior]

Good shooting, but history shows us very different results in major department.

LASD was one of the first to go to semi-autos ( S&W 39s if I recall), in the aftermath of several incidents where officers emptied their 357s with duty ammo at perps w/o hits, and resultant officer fatalities. Shots fired rate went don, hit percentage went up due to a thorough training program in the transition.

Time may have ruined those outcomes, and normalcy returned with poor training programs etc, but the wheel gun compared to the auto is an old tale that is irrelevant, espc. now that most departments carry safe action or DAO weapons...., like revolvers but smoother and lighter.

[Mears]

“Cops seem to be crazy trigger happy these days....”

-

And a good segment of the population seems to be anti-cop these days.

It’s a puzzlement.

.

[SaveFerris]

I’m not that good of a shot though I did nail the 10 ring with my cheap pistol (my general carry). Shoots OK, kicks like Hillary losing in 2016).

In general, private citizens (as I understand it) and police cannot use deadly force to wound. Civilians will more than likely face serious charges.

[Bonemaker]

“I’ve also heard this. Or, rather, I’ve heard that candidates with high IQs are weeded out. Of course the nonstop push for affirmative action doesn’t help...”

Its extremely rare you to of black cops doing this shit.

[Carl Vehse]

"Neither officer was wearing a body camera."

That is still annoyingly too common. Maybe some bystander video-recorded the shooting so we can see if the deaf person was holding the pipe in an attacking position when he approached the police. And surely the deaf person would know that approaching the police with a potential weapon is not a good idea.

Also why was he approaching the police if he was on his porch and the police were investigating a hit and run?

There are something odd that the typical ersatz journalist did not report. If one officer had a taser ready to shoot, why wasn't the other officer informed to hold off firing his gun? I suspect that story lines are being developed to explain the oddities.

[Manly Warrior]

Yeah, but the stress of a real life incident compared to a rapid or timed string in a leg match is comparable/ Not unless you’ve done both I guess.

Then again I know BE shooters with $2k guns who regularly score misses at 50, and 25 too.

[SaveFerris]

[at the same exact moment]

From the Department of Redundancy Department.

[Bonemaker]

I dont think they like vets anymore either.

[proud American in Canada]

Thank you for the explanation ... and many thanks for your service. :)

[DoodleDawg]

Claim fear for his life and safety and the safety of others and the cop will walk when the shooting is ruled justified.

[Bonemaker]

“So what. Was he blind, too?”

Youd shoot Helen Keller?

[JP1201]

Anytime you bring that up, cops start parroting “training, training! “ or “it was a good kill! “. It’s like they’re proud of being drones incapable of critical thinking

[BenLurkin]

No, of course not.

I’d re-arrange the furniture.

[DoodleDawg]

It seems for the first 50 years or so of my life, this kind of thing never, or almost never, happened. Now it happens frequently.

It probably happened 50 years ago, just didn't have the 24x7 media coverage we have today.