Video shows officer fatally shooting ax-wielding woman

The State ^ | 4/6/2016

[Gamecock]

Authorities in Tennessee have released video of a shooting in which a white police officer kills a black woman who was approaching him while wielding a medieval-style ax.

The video, released Thursday, shows Gallatin Officer James Spray telling 40-year-old Laronda Sweatt, who was holding the ax, to stop approaching him multiple times before fatally shooting her.

"I want to know why he did her like that," Ella Sweatt said. "He didn't have to."

[from occupied ga]

That chick was not going to stop. That officer did not do anything anyone here would have done.

I frequently think that the police are often too quick on the trigger, but in this case I think he should get a medal.

[baltimorepoet]

Ella Sweatt = another retard demonstrating how the gene pool needs more bleach.

[Gasshog]

This was done all wrong.

Single shot between the eyes would have saved bullet.

[baltimorepoet]

"I want to know why he did her like that," Ella Sweatt said. "He didn't have to."

It was all a misunderstanding. She just wanted to "axe" him a question. /sarc

[Kenton]

Seriously, didn’t he have a Taser?

The axe she was carrying constituted a deadly threat. She was advancing on him purposely and she disobeyed his lawful order to stop, and he was completely within reason to fear for his life.

Whether or not he had a taser was irrelevant; he had no obligation to use less than lethal force under the circumstances. Expecting him to use a taser before resulting to deadly force is kind of like asking "why didn't he aim for her legs, or shoot the axe out of her hand?". That kind of thinking gets cops killed.

[JimRed]

“I want to know why he did her like that,” Ella Sweatt said. “He didn’t have to.” “He could’a shot da ax outa her hans...” < /sarc >

[Gamecock]

Both?

[Gamecock]

Just looked it up. Some tasers have a range of 25 feet.

Plenty of time to pull both.

[csvset]

An axe of violence!

[b4its2late]

A little cleansing of the gene pool.

[Safetgiver]

Seriously, didn’t he have a Taser?.....Seriously, why should he have to?

[Gasshog]

Weird axe. Maybe she thought she was Gimli and he was an Orc.

[Mr. Jeeves]

He was within his rights to shoot her. But I think a quick baton blow to the face would have worked just as well. That looks like one of those replica axes sold to fantasy memorabilia collectors - probably wasn’t even sharp.

[Charles Martel]

Seriously, didn’t he have a Taser?

Tasers are non-lethal weapons (which don't work 100% of the time). Axes are lethal, simple weapons. The only way I'd try a Taser in these circumstances is if my partner was covering me with his *lethal* sidearm.

[corkoman]

The dainty perp had started doing that little hoppity hop motion that immediately precedes an attack. LEO had retreated 10 feet while shouting at the perp before shooting. No doubt this was the correct thing to do - actually the LEO backed into a police cruiser and thats when he finally unloaded.

That video should be useful for future discussions about justification of deadly force.

[oh8eleven]

"She wasn't a bad person," [her mother] said.
Sweatt’s daughter ... says the 40-second police video has been edited and doesn’t tell the full story.
The denial of reality is just staggering.

[corkoman]

What???

That was a joke right?

No? Allrighty,I get that Gimli ax and you get a baton - we start at 10 paces and go at each other. Wanna bet who is going to lose vital body parts?

[I want the USA back]

The article mentions the races in a deliberate move to sway opinion. We are supposed to automatically think that this is a racial thing.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Oh man, she was hopping on her feet she was so mad (look at the second video). She would have cold-cocked him with that ax. She left the officer no choice. Anger, the experts tell you, short-circuits your thinking. In this cause, total meltdown and death resulted because of uncontrolled anger.

[petercooper]

Buh Bye, Laronda.