Posted on 12/20/2010 1:56:55 PM PST by driftdiver
The dash cam video picks up just before Officer Birk exits his patrol car. You see a person cross the street from left to right, then John T. Williams is seen crossing and goes out of view. When Officer Birk steps out of his patrol car, his personal radio microphone switches on.
(Excerpt) Read more at king5.com ...
okay well that sure will raise a lot of questions. I don’t understand shooting someone with a knife unless they are hurting someone.
That was a mighty busy street to start shooting on without some real cause. The cop could easily have killed bystanders.
There is a lot unseen in this video.
Was the man threatening in any manner? We cannot see it.
He couldnt have been too threatening when the woman walked by she didn’t appear very interested until the shooting started.
The cop was very nonchalant when he walked over shouting to put the knife down. he didn’t appear to paniced , he didnt back out and ask for backup, he just pulled his gun and shot the guy 5 times.
IOf I were on his jury and this is all I could see my vote would count a lot on the woman who said he didn’t do anything.
Looks like an outright cold blooded murder to me. Maybe the cop was mad at his wife, because she didnt salute him when he left the house that morning.
Perhaps the questions that need answering are:
1. Is it illegal to have a 3” knife in public in Seattle?
2. Was this guy a threat to anyone that the cop was ordering him around?
3. Why did the cop go after the guy so aggressively absent any imminent threat to anyone’s safety?
4. What other options did the police officer have, and did he have any policy or legal responsibility to employ them?
It didn’t seem the cop I saw in the video was in fear for his life, or had any concern or caution about approaching a “dangerous” criminal.
I understand the tendency to give police the benefit of the doubt, but the days of Andy, Barney Fife, and Mayberry RFD are long over.
And I am sure that the character assassination of the victim will greatly ramp up by those who wish to put in an effort to support/defend the policeman from the egregious nature of his actions which resulted in the death of his victim. The same tactic was employed in vilifying Erik Scott, so the police could be justified in his murder.
I heard all five shots were in the victim’s side, and that he was shot from a distance of around nine feet.
okay well that sure will raise a lot of questions. I don’t understand shooting someone with a knife unless they are hurting someone i’m not sure with the mace, tazers, sticks etc. these guys are outfitted with why even shoot the guy?
I suggest that people of Seattle should obtain as many chunks of wood as possible, and spend a few hours of coordinated wittling of wood with a knife on the streets of Seattle. Every cop at every turn should encounter the same thing, a private citizen cutting up a chunk of wood, brandishing a knife.
Send a terrifying message.
When I was in school our principal would scold you for not having your pocket knife. He would stop you in the halls to check that you had yours.
We’ll see if the preliminary finding stands, I would be surprised if anything more than a slap on the wrist is given to the cop. It takes something really blatant in order for the criminal justice system to eat one of their own. The BART cop in Oakland is a good example, shot the guy in the back (he was already cuffed) in front of about a hundred witnesses. Even then he only got 2 years for manslaughter. In this case he has the excuse that the guy was holding a knife in a threatening manner. At most he may loose his job but I doubt more than that will happen to him. I am surprised that the dash-cam video did not experience “technical problems” like that shoot at the Las Vegas COSTCO a few months ago, someone in the SPD must be slacking off.
I know a lot of Seattle cops and am pretty familiar with the department culture. That shoot is an aberration. All and all, they’re restrained and profession.
“standards are lower”
Exactly.
Just like the military, the police have had to dumb down their exams for recruits who are products of government schools.
Chicago Police Department may drop entrance exam in name of diversity
* January 8th, 2010 8:17 am ET
The Chicago Sun Times recently reported that the Chicago Police Department is considering dropping their written examination to potential recruits. The move would largely be an effort towards boosting the number of black and Hispanic officers.
He deserves a medal. Do so immediately along with citations for bravery, and a multitude of public service awards to boot.
The best defense is a good offense.
There is little doubt the BART cop intended to reach for his Taser, which is a very good argument against carrying lethal and non-lethal weapons.
A cop should be allowed to carry one or the other, his choice, but not both.
Where is the guy’s partner? For reasons such as this, most municipalities pair cops up. A little check and balance. Safer for all of us, including the cops.
This isn’t the first time this was posted. The guy was deaf in one ear and all the shots hit him in the right side, he was NOT facing the officer. From the time of the first shout by the cop to his firing the first round has been timed at between 5 and 7 seconds. So he gave this guy, at the most, 7 seconds to comply with his warning before killing him. Also, the knife in question met the legal 3 inch blade length.
Um. He did kill an innocent bystander.
The lack of concern by that woman walking really baffles me?
“LA” says it all to me.
Have fun in lefty-land.
I don’t think there was any justification for the BART cop to even taser the guy. They had plenty of support and there were two of them there dealing with that kid. Even a taser can be lethal and should not be used as often as they are by cops. So no, I don’t give the BART cop a pass, if a private security guy had done something similar do you think that he would have been given a pass? No he’d be looking at life in prison. The BART cop got off easy, he murdered that kid just like this Seattle cop murdered that wood carver.
Thanks for the civil response.
Too many internet tough guys.
Apt observation.
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