The scumbucket had a 20 year violent history, including attacks on officers, had threatened to kill the officers earlier in the incident, was brandishing 2 knives and disobeyed multiple orders to get on the ground.
If you threaten to kill anyone, including cops, are armed, and refuse to surrender when rifles are pointed at you, you 100% deserve to die.
I think it’s another example of the dangers to the public because we have made it nearly impossible to institutionalize the dangerously unstable.
that guy was a time bomb. one day soon, he would have been in the headlines as the shooter in a rampage.
If that’s the case then the citizens of Albuquerque have another gripe, they’re wasting money on dogs and bean bag shotguns and tasers when apparently all they need to pay for is M4’s and ammo...
You are scary stupid.
“...If you threaten to kill anyone, including cops, are armed, and refuse to surrender when rifles are pointed at you, you 100% deserve to die.”
***********************************************************************************************
I watched the video several times. The cop killed him with an auto burst INTO HIS BACK. This individual who could not control his fear should not be a cop. He is a bad apple that needs to be weeded out. He probably didn’t intend in advance to kill the homeless camper, but that doesn’t bring the man back to life. This is likely a case of NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE (or the NM equivalent) and not 1st or 2nd degree murder.
IT WAS NOT A RIGHTEOUS KILL...PERIOD! It was an unjustified shooting by a BAD COP.
I'll say no, you don't. I'm all for wiping the scumbags off the face of the earth but... Three points I'd like to make.
First, even in the scenario you describe I wouldn't shoot. I carry a weapon every single day (as a civilian). Talking sh*t (threatening to kill someone) and being an a**hole (refusing to surrender/obey commands) are not sufficient grounds to shoot. If there is no immediate threat to life/limb neither me, you, nor LEOs have any justification for shooting. Just 'cause you're out of patience is no reason to kill someone.
Two, the situation you describe is not in fact what happened. The guy was shot when he obeyed commands from LEOs. They told him he had to leave, he got his stuff. They then apparently decided that wasn't good enough and they wanted to take him into custody. They flash-banged him and sent a dog at him. To me it looks like he pulled the knives to protect himself from the dog. However, they then commanded him to get on the ground - which he started to do! Put yourself in his place - you're in rocky broken terrain with a significant slope and you're told to lay down. You lay down where there is an opening, and with your head uphill, right? That's exactly what he was doing when the {expletive} on the M4 shot him, in the back. Then they bean-bagged him. Now, even if they thought he wasn't complying, (though it sure looks to me like he was) don't you think a little non-lethal persuasion would have been a good opening move? Maybe bean-bag him first before the burst of 5.56?
Third, I'll bet you I know exactly what the LEOs' defense will be. They will claim they thought he was going for a weapon (firearm) and that their lives were in danger. BS. Their lives were in danger because they escalated the situation with the flash bang and dog. They also moved in far too close too quickly placing themselves in danger from a person with a knife. Good thing for them and their safety he was complying and not attacking.
Consider this, what basically happened was he was shot for scaring the LEOs. If you buy that "they thought they were in danger" BS then they can literally shoot anyone, anywhere. Reaching into your glove compartment for your registration and insurance during a traffic stop? Sorry, thought you were going for a weapon, bang. Reaching into a bag at the shopping mall? Hey, thought you were going for a weapon and a mass casualty event, bang. Reaching under your jacket for your wallet at the game to buy a hot dog, sorry, thought you were going for a weapon, bang.
IMHO the guy on the M4 that shot and killed him is guilty of murder. Because the other officers present did not immediately disarm him and take him into custody makes them accessories to murder.
As someone else pointed out, using a weapon light as your primary source of illumination is a dangerously stupid thing to do. They had at least 6 people there, a dog handler, two guys with M4s, a guy with a shotgun, and a guy with a handgun in his hand. Handgun guy should have been providing illumination/support. They were also bunched up too much, should have been spread out more and further uphill instead of downhill from this guy. In other words, either APD's tactics suck, or these jokers weren't following their training. Probably a combination of both.