Posted on 10/26/2013 7:16:01 AM PDT by moonshinner_09
A Dallas police officer involved in the shooting of a mentally ill man, that was caught on camera, has been fired. Surveillance video shows Cardan Spencer was 20 feet away from paranoid schizophrenic Bobby Bennet when he shot him in the stomach. The police officer and his partner had maintained their story: that they were forced to shoot after the man threatened their safety by lunging at the pair with a knife. Officer Spencer has now been fired pending a criminal investigation after a neighbor released surveillance video capturing the incident that showed nothing documented in the police report actually happened.
Mr Bennett never raised his arms nor moved forward to approach the officers, yet just 20 seconds after the officers arrived he was shot in the abdomen four times. Bennett was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a public servant, but Police Chief David Brown announced that the charges would be dropped. Mr Bennett's mother, Joyce Jackson, said in an interview that her 52-year-old son has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and that he was off his medication at the time of the shooting. Ms Jackson said she was arguing with Bennett when she called the police. She was told that officers who have been trained in dealing with the mentally ill would arrive to assist her. The officers arrived outside her southeast Dallas home at about noon to find Mr Bennett sitting on a chair in the street holding a knife. At this point, accounts of the incident differ.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Is this the guy a judge refused to bring up on charges?
“Now, this guy’s partner confirmed every bit of his story........before the private security cam footage was known about. He deserves charges as well.”
Here’s the money quote in the article:
“Ms Jackson, who was inside her home when she heard four gunshots, said it was a ‘miracle’ that her neighbor’s camera recorded the incident. Otherwise, ‘I wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on,’ she said.”
This is the God’s honest truth, and day after day, absent some damning evidence to the contrary, cops are getting away with murder! It is a national disgrace. More so because of the “corroborating” lies by partner cops.
and didn’t a judge refuse to press charges?
Contempt of cop is sufficient explanation, seeing how cops usually get away with their kills with little consequence. The cop had no reason to think he was being filmed.
Utter cowardice is another explanation.
“Contempt of cop is sufficient explanation, seeing how cops usually get away with their kills with little consequence. The cop had no reason to think he was being filmed.”
That’s one part of this “ a government that snoops on it’s citizens” bit that cuts both ways. I look forward to more cops caught on camera when they abuse under color of authority. It’s going to be a “bitch” for them in the slammer.
——The One gives the command to round up the citizens once the citizens are disarmed.-——
The government will never disarm citizens...they may try...but FMCDH...
The day they come for my weapons will be the day they are stepping over my dead body to get them...
There are WAY more of us then of them....let them try...
This isn’t the first time this officer has fired upon someone. Here is
another story from 2009 of him doing the same thing.
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2009/12/police-15-officers-fired-their.html/
Several years ago ,outside a small rural town, friend of mine was ordered to stop taking pictures of a police raid on the house down the street.My friend was in his own yard at least a hundred yards from the raid.He does own very good cameras and telephoto lenses.He now has security cameras watching his driveway,etc.
I’m thinking everyone might want cameras ;just don’t use the wireless or internet type unless you don’t care who else can see the views in real-time!Wired cameras feeding a DVR or VCR,all with battery back-up power,and even dual systems-one obvious,and one well-hidden , for insurance.
Keep in mind that cameras with working IR leds can be located by scanning the area with an IR detector.
Video evidence is just one more tool to use in stopping criminals of all types.
Never forget pictures alone won’t stop anything;the Nazis proudly documented their insane,murderous acts.
and didn’t a judge refuse to press charges?
***************
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Hearing-Set-for-Officers-That-Shot-Mentally-Ill-Man-229075311.html
Brown said Spencer had been charged with aggravated assault, but the
police department later said that the former officer had not been charged.
Police drew up an aggravated assault arrest warrant for Spencer, but the
judge did not sign it, instead directing detectives to prepare a grand
jury referral.
That’s a start but, put him jail.
Because he can, and because a large percentage of the population supports the right of cops to shoot anyone who is mentally ill or cognitively disabled. Just read through this thread, and you'll find FReepers blaming the victim, on no other grounds than that he was mentally ill. It doesn't matter that he posed no immediate threat. He was defective, shoot him.
That's why.
“... or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.”
Execution of both would send a clear message to the Boyz_N_Blue all across America, and would not inflict the undue burden of jailing these Boyz_N_Blue.
Feeding those things is not cheap!
I do not understand why he would want to shoot this guy without any legitimate justifiable reason to do so....Back in the ‘70s, I was hesitant to shoot someone because it had been drilled, redrilled and screamed at into me,”You better damned well know you are going to die in the next two seconds!!” Against all odds,for 99% of all cops in the US, I had to shoot three people, wounding two and killing one. But I WAS within two seconds of dieing. The very IDEA I might be wrong and maybe did something that led to this situation had me shaking like a little girl. However, all witnesses backed up the fact that I was about to be shot and I was fast with my revolver. Glad that shiite is over with now.
Not a word from the “Cops Are Always Right” brigades on this one.
Until that happens protests by the knee-jerk jackboot supporters will fall on deaf ears, because it will remain apparent that testilying is SOP for police, and there are no repercussions for it.
Another aspect of this that is rarely considered is that many of us know that cops automatically have cameras rolling any time their lights are engaged. Absent video or audio corraboration of a cop's story, we will simply disregard a cop's testimony absent said video/audio evidence.
I noticed that too. Wonder if there were previous threads about this incident when it happened. I'm sure they'll be in force there.
“I do not understand why he would want to shoot this guy without any legitimate justifiable reason to do so. “
Because the guy didn’t have a dog to shoot instead.
“Not a word from the “Cops Are Always Right” brigades on this one.”
Because it is indefensible; if I have no footage and have to decide between the word of a cop with a lot to lose (his job, pension, freedom) and some POS who has spent 20 years gaming the welfare system, the cop (if he has a clean record) gets the benefit of the doubt in my eyes.
FWIW, I’m no fan of cops and would love to see a lot less of them on the public payroll. In my town they are not particularly effective (and there are a lot of them).
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