[OKSooner]

Got another link?

[dirtboy]

This police officer yells at a drunk driver that she's going to shoot him and then finally does. He was completely defenseless.

Wonder what the entire story is? Had the drunk driver already cause accidents and/or injuries? Had the police tried to stop the drunk driver without force already? Had the drunk driver already tried to hit a cop?

I'd like the entire story before passing judgement. A drunk driver is hardly a harmless passer-by.

[aomagrat]

Trooper involved in shooting returns to patrol duties

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper who shot a fleeing drunken driving suspect in the back last June has returned to her patrol duties.
Kevin Ward, acting public safety commissioner, said he could not disclose any disciplinary action that may have been taken against Trooper Laketa Anderson ''because it is a personnel matter.''

Ward, however, said she has resumed her patrol duties with Troop A in Oklahoma City.

Last month, Oklahoma County District Attorney Wes Lane said Anderson made ''a split-second mistake'' when she shot Justin Lyle Thomas, but charges against the trooper were not warranted.

Anderson, 24, is the first female, black trooper to graduate from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy and has been a trooper for 1ð years.

The shooting occurred after Anderson pulled Thomas over for speeding on Interstate 35 in south Oklahoma City and gave him a sobriety test.

A OHP videotape showed Thomas, 21, was shot as he fled toward his truck. He has recovered from his wounds.

[TomGuy]

Well, the guy was resisting being handcuffed and became very uncooperative.

[Kaslin]

The article really doesn't say much

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The cop was right. This guy could've killed a lot of people.

[thefactor]

wow. ok, i don't care how terribly unprofessional she was (and she was) if an officer says put your hands behind your back or they will shoot you, by g-d you'd better do it. let the courts sort it out. car stops are the most dangerous things officers do (next to domestic violence calls). especially alone at night. you have no idea what you are dealing with. you can tell how scared she is when he refuses to put his hands behind his back. she escalated the situation from the beginning, though, and should not be on the road.

[Puddleglum]

Abuse of authority needs to be punished at least as much as any other bullet in the back. Moreso, of course. The fact that she's back out on the beat is disturbing. I grew up in Oklahoma but will probably never move back. It was like this a lot when I was growing up - crooked politics from the bottom rung to the top, police and DA's in particular.

[DCPatriot]

No disrespect intended but why would a veteran Freeper such as yourself post an article that basically has no information in it necessary for intelligent debate?

This is something you'd expect from a Newbie not somebody registered since 1998.

[hopespringseternal]

Both of them are complete morons. She is the most unprofessional, incompetent excuse for a cop I have ever seen.

She should be fired immediately, and probably charged since most of the incident is a direct result of her unprofessional and incompetent behavior. Combative and uncooperative drunks are part of the job and he is hardly the worst one I've ever seen.

But that doesn't mean I feel any sympathy for him. He is obviously a lowlife in and out of trouble with the law.

[Arthalion]

Wow, someone should put that boy in touch with a good lawyer. She shot him because he was walking away? People have won millions after police shootings who were FAR more deserving of those bullets than this guy. I'd say that the Oklahoma Highway Patrol just minted themselves a new millionaire.

That wench cop should be shot herself. If it'd been me on the receiving end of that round, I'd have returned fire and the boys in blue would be burying one of their own right now. That tape alone would have been enough to avoid a conviction (or make my heirs extremely wealthy).

[myheroesareDeadandRegistered]

The drunk was an idiot, but from what I saw, the lady officer has no reason to be on patrol. Looks like she gets her rocks off by pushing folks around.

One part that was hilarious was when the drunk slipped out with the word "bulls--t" and she had the stones to say "Watch yer mouth!" I counted at least 10 times where the editor 'bleeped' her language before she shot this guy.

[JasonC]

A drunk trying to get back behind the wheel to drive off again is not "harmless", and stopping him from doing so by force is justified.

[nobody_knows]

PMS?

[Prodigal Son]

To liven up the thread someone should post a link to that Chris Rock skit about 'How to not get your ass kicked by the POOOlice'.

That skit is funny as hell.

'Have you ever been talking to a police officer and wondered "Is he about to kick my ass?"'

Funny stuff. If anybody has a link to it, they should post it up.

[Publius6961]

I hate it when other people do this.
But I am sure it's safe in this case. I am going to judge it without reading it: This article is total BS. The headline suggests it.

[Sir Gawain]

Looks like he's a victim of affirmative action.

[breakem]

am I the only one who gets po'd when a public agency will not disclose disciplinary action on public employees.

[Teacher317]

Does this moron not know how to call for back-up? She threatens to shoot him 13 times, tells him to put his hands behind his back 32 times, and never once thinks to call for back-up until AFTER she shoots him?