Posted on 01/26/2015 9:36:02 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The Longview Police Department placed three officers on leave after a 17-year-old girl was shot and killed in the lobby of the station last week, the Marshall News Messenger reported.
According to officials, Kristiana Coignard entered the Texas police station on Thursday evening brandishing a weapon. Police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said Coignard used a phone in the lobby to call police dispatch and asked to see an officer.
When officers arrived in the lobby, she "came at the officers" with a weapon, according to Brian. Police did not confirm what type of weapon Coignard had, but Longview Mayor Jay Dean said that she was carrying a knife, according to the Marshall News Messenger.
Justice of the Peace James Mathis said Coignard was shot "multiple times," according to the Marshall News Messenger.
Police have not released many details about the incident. It remains unclear why Coignard entered the police station and what occurred before she was shot.
The 17-year-old was living with her aunt, Heather Robertson, who told ThinkProgress that her niece had been struggling with mental illness.
“I think it was a cry for help," Robertson said about Coignard's actions last week. "I think they could have done something. They are grown men. I think there is something they are not telling us."
Robertson said her niece has struggled with depression and bipolar disorder since her mother died when she was four years old. Coignard has been hospitalized twice after trying to commit suicide. Robertson told ThinkProgress that Coignard "was only violent with herself."
The three officers involved in the incident were placed on leave, and the Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting.
So if its legal its right?
Much of what Obama is doing is “legal”.
yep, make it so
Not always, but in this particular case it is both legal and right.
You cannot simply ignore the fact that she had a knife and came at them with a knife.
She might be 100 lbs. and female, but a knife makes her quite lethal.
“Show me where in the police book of rules it states that officers are not only expected to but required to disarm knife wielding aggressors inside their precincts by hand.”
In fact it says if they can ‘legally’ use deadly force they must. Right?
“Why would a person allow another person wielding a knife in a threatening manner to approach”
To preserve and protect?
“Why should an officer be expected to use a taser against a person with a knife?”
They aren’t but it is an option.
“What if the taser prong misses as the suspect is charging?”
You’re right, flame throwers are the answer!!!!
What if the cops just started shooting everyone?? Ya know just to be safe.
How did they know she was mentally ill? How does that change the legal determination?
The fact that it was a little girl is absolutely a consideration.
Someone is beating on your front door at 3am. You respond with deadly force shooting through the front door and killing the person. Do the investigators treat you differently if you are:
a) 6’3” 240lb male
or
b) 5’2” 100lb female
“You cannot simply ignore the fact that she had a knife and came at them with a knife.”
Nobodys is ignoring it.
Try to remember that the site you are on, among other things, believes in PERSONAL accountability, so I say, look to the mental case in question and her idiot family first. She willingly did the deed and they failed to stop her! Or maybe they should simply have let her do it right the first two times?
It would have saved a lot of secondary anguish, either way I`m tired of being expected to cry for defective retards, psychos, knuckle draggers, and Darwin award winners. Look to HuffPo or DU for applicants to the bleeding heart award.
I doubt they feel any worse than you do.
“In fact it says if they can ‘legally’ use deadly force they must. Right?”
It’s their call. They were the ones being threatened with a knife, not you.
“To preserve and protect?”
To place themselves in harm’s way needlessly. Why would you protect a person trying to kill you?
“They aren’t but it is an option.”
That’s right, they aren’t, and to use a taser against a person using deadly force against you would be sheer idiocy.
The rest of your post descends into meaningless, raving lunacy as usual so I’ll just leave it there.
The fact that she was attacking three police officers with a knife in their station IS A PRETTY BIG CLUE, GENIUS!
There was no door in this incident. Apples, meet oranges.
You are, and so are others in this thread.
Oh boy, that’s super clever.
You can shut up now, it’s clear that you have nothing of intelligence or value to add to this conversation.
No, we just don’t think the only answer was to shoot her dead.
Ok, I'm going to say it: we are doing to the police exactly what we are doing to the hero snipers and have done to the other heros in Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan - politicians are dictating the rules of engagement instead of trusting the professionals to do their jobs! And the results will be exactly the same - unnecessary loss of American lives.
Nope, the law clearly takes into account the capability of a person when determining whether deadly force was appropriate.
At least for you and me. Other folks are above the law.
Every police station I’ve been in has barriers to control entry. But hey they get to cut another notch in their gun so its all good.
Not my expectation of cops...if she killed someone they would be just as dead.
Well ya see, we the public, their bosses, get to review their actions and determine whether we like it. Then we can push for criminal charges, firings, retraining, fire the supervisor, fire the major, or riot in the streets.
So yes we have options.
Why? Because there are options to stilling a beating heart.
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