Posted on 05/06/2009 4:19:21 AM PDT by from occupied ga
A 28-year-old Atlanta man was shot by an off-duty Atlanta police officer Tuesday night, but accounts vary as to what led to the conflict.
Atlanta Police Lt. Keith Meadows said an officer, working security at the Cityviews Apartments on Richardson Street, saw what he believed to be a “suspicious” person and when the officer approached the man ran to his car. The officer approached the
“The subject reached under his seat and the officer felt threatened,” Meadows said. The officer fired a single shot to the face.
No weapons were found on the man, Meadows said. The wounded man had a cellphone in his hand when he was searched at the hospital, he said.
Relatives identified the wounded man as Tramaine Miller. Meadows said Miller was in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital.
His father, Gregory Rollins, said Miller was visiting the complex to deliver medication to his aunt, who’s a paraplegic.
“He comes here all the time to bring her medication,” said Rollins, who lives with his disabled sister.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. As of 11:30 p.m. police were still awaiting a warrant to search the vehicle, which was being towed to police headquarters.
Witness Jack Jordan disputed the official account.
“The cop kept telling him to show his hands,” said Jordan, who was about 20-25 yards away from the shooting. “I saw his hands.”
Jordan said he heard a window break, and then heard a gunshot.
“How can you roll down a window when your hands are in the air?” Jordan asked.
The officer will be placed on a three-day firearm review, with investigations forthcoming by the department’s homicide and internal affairs divisions, Meadows said.
I must have missed the part about the undercover cop having a gun in his face.
Good post.
WE were not there and I for one will usually give the benefit of doubt to a cop. Least until a real unbiased investigation was preformed. Or there is a film of said cop doing an unjustified beat down.
In that part of Atlanta if you have anything of value in plain sight it's an invitation to get your window broken and the valuable thing removed.
There are a number of folks on this and similar threads who have a long, sorry history of not needing to know the circumstances. They seem proud of their ignorance. Happily, they're predictable, and therefore ignorable.
The point is that I usually carry mine wth me when I leave the car. Sounds like folks who have to go to that hood need 911 on speed dial!
Cops should be held to the exact same standard as a CCW holder when it comes to a shooting. Can a cop shoot because he "thought" a phone was a weapon? Sure, but his punishment should be the same as a CCWs would if he made the mistake.
Agreed.
The purpose of this site is to discuss corruption in government, among other things. Cops = government. Bad cops are very much fair game in this context.
Personally, I find the idea that "all men are created equal" to be incompatible with the idea that cops should be able to legally use deadly force under conditions that would get citizens charged (and usually convicted) with crimes.
If that makes me a "cop hater," so be it.
Oh dear, I WISH they were only rude and discourteous!! There are just too many stories in the news about the corruption in and even murder by Atlanta cops.
The cops have every right to shoot suspicious people.
Anyway, the real question as always is, what are the races of the people involved?
Oops...
For the sarc challenged:
/sarc
Well with a first name of “Tremaine” I’d guess the man who was shot be black. Because the police never identify which of their own is involved in a shooting (unlike if you or I shot someone - our pictures, names, and home addresses would hit the front page) it’s kind of hard to tell. btw local TV news followups said multiple witnesses contradicted the officer’s version of the events. But of course the word of a cop is infinitely better than any number of disinterested witnesses.
I think that because they are granted greater powers by government they should be held to a stricter standard.
If that makes me a "cop hater," so be it.
Agreed!!! I think cops should be held to a higher stand than ordinary citizens.
LOL, no, witnesses would never lie.
The way these threads usually go is that everyone speaks there pro or anti cop piece and then more facts come out a day later and the thread dies out. Repeat and rinse.
We should discuss corruption in Government and bad cops. Doing so does not make one a ‘cop-hater’. The problem, once again, IS MORALLY EQUATING THE SHOOTING OF AN UNARMED MAN BY A COP TO THE EXTERMINATION AND MURDER OF JEWS BY THE NAZIS.
Also, people assumed that the cop was in the wrong legally when the details of the shooting are not yet known. My entire point is not whether that cop is good or bad....it is MORALLY EQUATING THE SHOOTING OF AN UNARMED MAN BY A COP TO THE EXTERMINATION AND MURDER OF JEWS BY THE NAZIS.
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