There is more here than has been reported. Basically, we’re hearing only from the family side, and I’ve been around the block long enough here near Atlanta to know that....
You also should have mentioned that it appears he was involved in the burglary to which the police were responding. I highly doubt the police would have shot this man without a reason.
My family has lived in and around Silverton for years. Small town with lots of imports. He wasn’t shot because he was Irish.
I don't know that these investigations, especially by an internal affairs type group, have any oversight by someone out side the system, but if not it would certainly go a long way in calming such appearances if they did.
I have no reason to question the conclusion of these investigations, but it sure seems to me as though some sort of third-party oversight would help ease the tensions that always accompany them.
About six months ago, however, the family started to notice some problems with Hanlon's behavior. Though never ultimately was diagnosed with a specific mental illness, Hanlon suffered elements of paranoia and schizophrenia, Heise said.
Heise said Hanlon then began to come into frequent contact with the police. He said all the officers on the force knew him, and knew of his mental health issues. The Heises tried unsuccessfully to get Hanlon into some type of counseling program.
For a time, he was homeless, though they tried to provide him with some financial support and he was able to get an apartment. Still, at one point, Hanlon broke into their home, Heise said -- not for money or possessions, but to use the Internet.
-snip-
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/07/silverton_police_investigating.html
How about everyone (city, family, media)steps back and gives the process that always occurs after any Police involved shooting gets conducted and proper answers are determined.
Headline: “Cop shoots illegal alien burglar; Europeans whine.” On second thought, neither part of that ought to be news.
Not enough to go on.
The family itself says that he was having serious mental problems. So I would GUESS either that he had broken into a house (which he apparently had done before to “use the internet”) or that he happened to be in the area by bad luck, was acting strangely, and responded badly when he was given a warning by the police to put up his hands and surrender himself.
All this is pure speculation, but there’s certainly enough information given even by the family’s version of events to give the police the benefit of the doubt until more information is released.
Y'know, this carpet is kind of lumpy. Maybe the padding is bunched up.
It only happened on Monday night. They are probably still working the autopsy.
ping
Because the cop couldn’t understand his accent, so he just shot him. What else?
was he shot during a burglary?
"He was never actually diagnosed with any psychological problems but he went in and out of delusions and paranoia and stuff like that," she said
The fact that he was having delusions and paranoia and "stuff like that" is the first clue that he might have pulled some kind of weapon on the officer causing him to fire in self defense. The young man probably did so out of fear he would be arrested because he was in the country illegally and he didn't want to go home. Since he was in the area of the burglary it's routine for the police to stop him and question him. I could be wrong, but it will probably be a justified shooting.
Nonetheless, it is a terrible tragedy, and my heart and prayers go out for his heartbroken family. May God comfort them and give them strength in the difficult days ahead.
Key sentence
If he hadn't been here illegally, he'd still be alive.