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

[Manly Warrior]

JP,

I am in no way assuming the cop is not wrong. And, I don’t run out in traffic in general, I wait until it is reasonable to judge whether it is safe to cross....

Someo f you run out really fast to condemn cops, I only advise patience (and btW, I agree that interacting with LE is a good way for bad things to happen).

I practice avoidance of all threat situations, therefore I obey the law and love my neighbors ( but I have a plan to.....).

In a nation of 310 million people, you would think it rather a usual occurrence rather than a rarity- some one shooting some one else for whatever reason, and in fact the rate of such happenings has fallen by some huge margins since the 1970s.....

[AllAmericanGirl44]

It did happen in days gone by, it just didn’t get publicity. I’ve know Chicago police officers and Sergeants for a long time, believe me, it happened.

[proud American in Canada]

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

I hesitate to make this joke, but I will. Apologies in advance to the many, many honorable police officers who put their lives on the line every day.

You have bad aim? Then you should become a police officer. ;)

I have shot a rifle once in my life (my husband is a hunter). Holy cow, it was loud. We were deep in the forest and I aimed for the ground. Looking back, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Hunters wear the orange vests, but not all the time.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

No, dumb cops aren't being hired. Matter of fact it's quite the opposite: Most cities require at least an associates degree and above or military service. What's happening is the current climate perpetrated by the media and other leftists that is making cops fear for their lives, the message that is constantly put out that white people and cops are the enemy, so if you're a white cop and you are out there in a tense situation, panic sets in.

My father is a retired NYC cop, retired in 1980. He was a cop all through some of the worst times in New York city and I remember me and my mother going into a panic anytime we heard on the TV or radio about a cop being killed on the job while he was working. All cop families go through that. Matter of fact, his best friend was killed, Patrick O'Conner Emergency service 1971, killed right on Thanksgiving helping someone change a tire on a highway and an oil truck plowed into him. I remember him crying for weeks, it was terrible, absolutely horrible. But there was one big difference back then as compared to today though: Cops back then were seen as heroes as they SHOULD be by EVERYBODY but the crooks. The media, both parties, Democrat and Republicans always showed respect towards the police. They had the public at their back and the crooks were seen as crooks as THEY SHOULD BE

Today though, it's the complete opposite. You could not pay me enough to be a cop today. My dad is still alive, 78 years old, he says the same thing. Now it's this "War against cops" agenda. Punk ass millionaire mofos who play a kids game kneeling at the national anthem while wearing "cops are pigs" on his socks, or Hillary and Soros financed groups calling for the execution of cops - Did you hear that today? Hillary giving $800,000 to the Antifa terrorist organization? Not surprising though as she did have the mother of an attempted cop killer celebrated at the DNC. Cops are also regularly executed, literally executed while sitting in a car or just on their beat and the media says NOTHING about what perpetrated it which is THEIR constant cop bashing. It must be absolutely hell on earth today to be a cop, constantly bashed, to wonder if today is your last day on earth, constantly threatened and we wonder why they panic? If they see someone with a knife or holding a pipe, how do they know it isn't a set up for an ambush? And nobody helps them except Trump. Trump is the first POTUS in a long time that stands by our cops and vets and look what the left is doing to him.

Antifa: Financed courtesy of Hillary Clinton

Here's a remembrance of Patrick O'Conner. I remember him clear as day, he was huge, 6'5" tall and he left behind a wife who never remarried and 3 kids

http://www.nypdangels.com/cop/cop.php?id=166

That's him on the right in this photo. I believe this was right after them saving someone who was trying to commit suicide..All the time you would see photos like this in the press. Not anymore.

[tumblindice]

“the most dangerous thing you or I could do is interact with a police officer”

I live in suburban small town. But I dealt with one of our cops about three hours ago.
I almost had to pepper spray another loose, vicious dog earlier in the afternoon, after spraying him a few weeks ago while, again walking my leashed dog on a public road.
Told the policeman if they can’t put a lid on this problem, I reserve all options to protect myself and my dog.

If this deaf guy couldn’t afford Kimber spray and carried a pipe for protection from dogs, I can see it. Well, he’s dead now but the important thing is the cops go home without a scratch to their families to talk about their `good shoot’.

[libertylover]

“he can’t hear you”

I have hearing loss and wear hearing aids, which help but it's not like having normal hearing.

But if were standing there with a metal pipe for some innocent reason and I SAW the cops with weapons drawn, pointing at me, and yelling at me, I'd figure it out and drop the pipe even though I probably could not understand the words.

[Bonemaker]

“.
I’ll catch a lot of crap for this post but...it has to do with the militarization of the police forces. I remember when they gave the rookies semiauto S&W ‘s and one day at the range for quarterly qualification, we ran out to the targets and us old ‘wheel’ guys pulled our .357’s and shot two to three right in the X ring. These new kids pulled out their weapons and unleashed with 16 shots each, never putting a single shot in the ‘X’ but hitting the target every where else if they were lucky. I turned to the other old troops and said “There’s gonna be a lot of collateral damage to the citizens coming up”

I’m an old vintage “revolver” cop from the 70’s and agree on the marksmanship. No Glocks then but shooting skills were not very good. I dont blame militarization. Vets are much more disciplined and discerning than the average civilian cop. Rather its the political leadership.

[drpix]

"He must have been a curious plumber."

His defenders claim he carried the metal pipe "to communicate and also to protect against stray dogs!"

Must be a new form of sign language requiring specifically a metal pipe and for which wood or fiberglass rods would not work. And ditto for non-lethal wood/fiberglass rods to chase away stray dogs.

My guess is many anti-cop FReepers would have been much more upset if he succeeded in hitting a dog with a lethal metal pipe than if he succeeded with a cop.

[Bonemaker]

“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.”

You got that right brother. You be right.

[Mears]

Chk your FReepmail.

[Chode]

was he blind too??? cop pointing a gun at you with a pipe in yer hand has a 90% chance ending in tears, but it was still wrong

[firebrand]

Are we now going to decide that a man can approach a cop with a weapon if he is deaf? How convenient. Let’s send the deaf guy and see them try to wiggle out of it.

[drpix]

If I, or any other law abiding & well intentioned person, was DEAF and even also BLIND, the metal pipe would have been dropped the split second we knew cops were approaching.

He apparently though he either needed the metal pipe to "communicate" with them or thought they were "stray dogs."

[Bonemaker]

“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.”

Nay, nay the object is to stop the threat. I wouldnt tell cops/DA that you wanted to kill!

[SaveFerris]

Hmmm - relative (in law) sat on a jury in Texas. Some guy lived in a neighborhood that had a drug dealer (who was on his way to prison - apparently awaiting incarceration after conviction - don’t ask he how that works).

Anyways, harasses neighbor, and the neighbor had enough of him. hit him 9 times at the end of the driveway (well, he could shoot, it appears).

He got 6 years. Drug dealer didn’t make it to prison (or anywhere else but the morgue).

[stinkerpot65]

Deaf or not, if he was dumb enough to approach two cops with guns pointed at him and not drop a pipe in his hand, well ...

I think the training has changed, but people are more dangerous than they used to be. Too many worthless thug animals out there.

[I want the USA back]

So all deaf plumbers will be shot?

[drpix]

Nowhere does this article say he was a plumber. It does state that he defenders say he carried the 2 foot long metal pipe to “communicate” and chase away stray dogs. HA!

[SVTCobra03]

Your anti-police diatribe is disgusting. It seems you are not as smart as we had hoped you would be.

[Bonemaker]

“Must be a new form of sign language requiring specifically a metal pipe and for which wood or fiberglass rods would not work. And ditto for non-lethal wood/fiberglass rods to chase away stray dogs”

If you had a fishing rod the cops would say they mistook it for a gun...and skate.