Florida Police Fatally Shoot Man in His Bedroom (Administrative leave!!!!)

Foxnews ^ | 6/15/2009 | Staff

[Red in Blue PA]

Police were called early Sunday to the home Manuel Salvador Morales Jr. shared with his parents because relatives said Morales was threatening himself with knives. Police spokesman Tom Nichols says two officers confronted Morales, who was armed and failed to comply with their commands. No additional details about the confrontation or how Morales was armed were released.

Nichols says Officer Albert Riccardi fired two shots at Morales, who was hit twice in the torso and pronounced dead at a hospital.

[thefactor]

seems to be difficult for a lot of people around here to understand that no matter what this guy's initial threat was, once the cops got there and he failed to comply with requests to drop the weapon(s), all bets are off.

you are basically threatening the cops at that point. it wasn't just some guy hurting himself.

but i'll wait for more info.

[Moonman62]

See how silly that looks?

Not as silly as you looking for any imaginable reason to hate cops.

[thefactor]

how are you supposed to save the life of some guy with a knife who refuses to drop it? sounds like a guy who does not wish to be saved.

[Freedom2specul8]

taser, you beat me to it. It would help if I read the entire thread first eh?

[Freedom2specul8]

3 yrs is hardly a newbie. 3 months-6 months...now that’s a newbie.

[Red in Blue PA]

FACT: If you shot and killed a person threatening only hinself, you would be in prison.

[pgkdan]

Like you I’ve been here since 1998 so to me he is a newbie. I was being a snob just for fun.

[theDentist]

Yes, unfortunately.

[thefactor]

but you have no idea if that happened in this case, do you? i’m asking.

[Red in Blue PA]

The way the story is written, that is what I believe.

[OB1kNOb]

Hey! They got the guy to stop threatening himself. What else do ya want?................/s

[Freedom2specul8]

oh okay then..snob away. LOL I’ve never understood why freepers call people newbies when they fail to show signs of “liberal baiters”.

[thefactor]

ah-ha! how do you know who wrote it? have you ever seen the media be biased about anything before? could that be the case now?

they leave out anything about how exactly this guy was armed. also if he lunged at another person. we do know he refused to drop a knife given repeated commands to do so.

we need to understand that the police telling you to drop a knife carries a little more weight than anyone else telling you to drop the knife.

lawful orders given my police officers must be obeyed at the time they are given. everything else can be hashed out later. but an immediate threat of violence needs to be stopped.

[Cathy]

Have a nice day.

[TalonDJ]

All I claimed is that they had the initiative in the situation and messed it up. Initiative means it was there move. They had the choice of how to approach the man and what posture to set. This is not speculation because it is supported in the article. The title says they "Fatally Shoot Man in His Bedroom". Now since you enter a house through the door and bedrooms have only one door that means the man was either in his room when they got there or he retreated there after they arrived. Those are the only two realistic options. It is not likely they came in his window or he chased them into his bedroom. Hence it is 99.9 percent likely that he was in his room and they came into it to confront him. This is supported here: Police spokesman Tom Nichols says two officers confronted Morales, who was armed and failed to comply with their commands.

If you read in to it as little as possible into the article you have the following series of events.

Police were called early Sunday to the home Manuel Salvador Morales Jr. shared with his parents because relatives said Morales was threatening himself with knives.
1) Man with knife does something at home to make his parents think he is suicidal.
2) The parents called the cops.
3) The cops came to the house.
4) The man was in his room with knives when the cops got there.
Police spokesman Tom Nichols says two officers confronted Morales, who was armed and failed to comply with their commands.
5) The cops told him to drop the knife 6) he didn't 7) They shot him

That is it. That is all that is in the article. YOU are assuming he did something threatening and unreasonable in order to justify their shooting. But based ONLY on what was actually in the article listed above you have no case. You only have speculation. I can say based only on what is above the cops messed up big time.

If you assume items one through 7 are all that happened then you HAVE to conclude the cops messed up. What else is there to conclude? If you are suicidal you should be shot? Why would a suicidal man have dropped his knife? Are you saying the cops have no better way to handle things? Their only choice is to show up, demand something and then shoot?

If you don't think that and you still think the cops did not royally mess up then you HAVE to be assuming things that are not in the article.

[TalonDJ]

but an immediate threat of violence needs to be stopped.

Well he stopped threatening to stab himself... I guess you are right. Based on your logic threatening yourself with a weapon is a capitol offense.

[Cathy]

Your analysis stinks and please stop posting to me.

[jagusafr]

I knew it wouldn’t pass unnoticed. The check’s in the mail!

Colonel, USAFR

[packrat35]

It just proves the old addage “introducing a cop into a situation will only make it worse.”

[thefactor]

"5) The cops told him to drop the knife 6) he didn't"

that is the only part that matters. what if he took one step towards the cops with the knife after they told him to freeze and drop the knife. what if he lunged quickly?

where do you draw the line? it is proven that someone with a knife can cover the average distance of an armed confrontation in a matter of a second or two. inside it's worse since there are fewer escape options.