Posted on 09/10/2019 11:43:34 AM PDT by righttackle44
Remember the two jackboot thugs that were charged with murder in the deaths of the older married couple? Were the couple a pair of criminals? No
Ah but like we are often told, you don’t shoot a fleeing burglar in the back. If the driver was bearing down on them, they could fire to stop him (though, getting out of the way seems the more logical choice, just like seeking cover if they were being shot at). However, once the driver past them, is it still appropriate for them to fire at the back of the fleeing vehicle? I’d say no. Lethal force requires a lethal threat. They would have to argue state of mind, that he still posed a lethal threat even after he had driven past - even if he hit one of the cops with his car. And yes I know, cops have special rules that wouldn’t apply to civilians. Just my opinion.
So, did the guy actually try to run them down or is that BS?
Imagine “Ebony” might slant things just a tad?
Remember when I said “usually” in my post?
“We have no evidence that they tried to identify themselves...”
You have no evidence that they didn’t.
“...therefore no reason to believe that they did.”
Except for the fact that it’s standard procedure for police to do that when they are attempting to arrest someone.
“You brought up the “doing things police normally do” bit, not me.”
Of course I did, because you simply assume they didn’t do any of those things, without any evidence, so I pointed that out. It may be that they didn’t do those things, but that would be unusual, so you might want to, I don’t know, find a witness that says they didn’t do those things before assuming that is the case.
No reason I should assume they did do those things, without any evidence.
Remember, it's MY hypothetical. You said so yourself.
If it said they shot at the car as it left the scene, I missed it. I’m pretty sure I read the article too.
I would agree with the comment about once the car passed, the threat of life would not persist for them. For others?
It was not uncommon in the old days for officers to shoot at the tires of a fleeing vehicle.
As for the officers jumping out of the way of a car bearing down on them, how about officers who are standing away from a knife suspect lunging at an officer?
Are they not allowed to fire because their lives aren’t threatened? Other officers on scene may have fired thinking this guy was a lethal threat.
Our conversation is mostly directed at hypotheticals.
It’s hard to make determinations based on descriptions that may not capture all the dynamics in play.
I reread the article. There was no mention of shooting at a fleeing vehicle from behind.
Officers stand in the way of a fleeing vehicle trying to form a barrier to contain a suspect. If that suspect decides to turn it into attempted murder of a police officer, then all bets are off > IMO.
Strange also, itt is now said all three wounded children have been released from the hospital. Something doesn’t quite sound right there. The girl with a bullet in her brain would seem to warrant observation at the very least.
No, she has been sent home with an undetermined outcome.
Sure. I didn’t say they shouldn’t fire at a charging car’s driver. I was just contemplating that getting out of the way seems the more sensible choice. Different from a knife wielding perp who can stick and move and slice many times the car can’t turn on a dime. Shooting the driver is not likely going to stop the path of the car the way it would stop the person. Their own safety would require them to move a few steps aside even if they shot him. Though interestingly I met a guy many years ago who was shot several times by police in a case of mistaken identity. He was just leaving a restaurant parking lot with his girlfriend when the police arrived on scene and thought he was attempting to run them down. He had several bullet holes in his arms, legs and torso. I’m surprised he lived. Got a fat settlement from the city.
I read what was posted, article said one of the cops was hit by the car. I don’t know if they shot first or during or after. I don’t think we disagree, I just question the wisdom of firing at a car that is already passed by. Give chase perhaps. Was he a continuing threat any more than one of those chase scene guys the local news likes to put on the air? They don’t generally shoot those guys during the chase.
But I don’t know all the facts and adrenaline happens. Same time, we don’t know the suspect’s frame of mind either. Seems he wasn’t fleeing the scene of a crime he was just a suspect in a previous crime so did he know these plainclothes men were cops? A case for the training manuals for cops and robbers and lawyers I guess.
Thanks for the additional comments.
I can’t really address much of it with authority.
Interesting thoughts.
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