Posted on 12/15/2016 5:26:32 AM PST by jiggyboy
Slightly after midnight on Monday, police in Bakersfield, Calif., received a call concerning a man thought to be brandishing a weapon in a residential neighborhood.
Shortly after police arrived, 73-year-old Francisco Serna - who family members said was suffering from the early stages of dementia - walked out of his home and into his driveway. When Serna, who was unarmed, did not comply with officers' orders to remove his hands from his jacket pocket, one officer fired seven shots at him, killing him.
-- snip --
The 911 call came from a household on the block where Serna resided. A woman who lived there arrived home just after midnight. She was unpacking the car when Serna approached her.
Serna asked why she was at her house, according to Martin, and then asked if he could get into the car. Throughout this conversation, Serna kept one hand in his pocket.
The woman noticed a black- or brown-handled object sticking out of hispocket that she took to be a gun. She rushed inside and told her boyfriend, who called the police.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I don’t get it either.
Don’t you dare accuse me of that!
It’s all about the rhetoric and pushing at peoples feelz now!
The left set the ROE so not my fault! :)
LOL!
CC
It seems you’re the one expecting omniscience and psychic powers in cops. In your world, an old man can be shot simply for carrying an unidentified object in his hand while walking in the dark — because the shooter “just knows” it can’t be anything but a gun, and “knows” also that the victim has bad intent and must be taken down.
Because in Cop World, that is the Prime Directive.
obviously, you’re not a cop
Um, yeah that and not dying.
CC
I’m not seeing where the cop knew it was a crucifix?
______________________________________________________
So, did you see the part where the cop knew it was a gun?
What right does a cop have to shoot someone who has not threatened him, who has not pulled a gun on him. Just because someone on 911 says he has a gun does not mean he does until you see it.
This situation is sickening. If a cop is so scared that he shoots an old man without seeing his hands the cop needs to be relieved of his position as a cop.
I understand it was a mistake, the cop thought (unreasonably) that the old guy had a gun. So what if he did have a gun, you can have a gun legally. First did the old man have a permit to have a gun? Did the cop check? Is it a capital offense to have a gun? Did the old man ever threaten anyone with a gun, or even his crucifix for that matter. The answer is no. The old man was killed for no good reason. He was killed because he might have had a gun in his pocket. I always have a gun, should a cop shoot me when he sees me. Did the cop check to see if the old man was deaf?
I hope the cop is never allowed to carry a gun again and shamed from any job that includes responsibility for the welfare of any person. I hope the city pays big time for this STUPID mistake.
Those here who take the side of the cop are being silly. The cop made a very STUPID mistake. This is a mistake that happens too many times every year in our country. It isn’t a black/white/Latino problem it is a STUPID cop problem.
Whatever, dude.
It’s nice to know that in the minds of those who volunteer to be perpetually bent over the bench and punked bloody by the narrative produced by the likes of BLM refuse to believe that cops are actual human beings and must, in fact, be in possession of god like powers of fore-knowledge.
Keep in mind, when your allies win, and cops simply refuse to put themselves in danger, both from active hostiles and the pernicious inventors, it’s you and yours that’ll be at risk from the truly predatory.
Feel free to consider us both on opposite sides of the trench line in this war. I know I do.
It was a blessing in a way that my little brother never left home, he was there to care for her in the beginning. My sister lives in Reno, and I live in Texas...mom lived in OR.
Three summers ago, we all went to visit, it was heartbreaking that she no longer recognized any of us. At least she met her great grandson the year previous to that.
One indication we picked up was that her mind had taken her to 1942, when she was 14-15 years old. From that experience, I told my kids to "put me away" if I ever constantly tell stories about my summer of 1979.
Apologies for the thread hijack, but it was one of the most memorable summers of my life. I was TDY at a German anti-aircraft range in northern Germany. We were the only Americans for 200 miles, and I made many friends in a nearby town that came alive during the summer.
I was the Executive Officer, and I was often left in charge, as the CO returned home often (400 miles away) due to family problems. We had a great group of NCOs and soldiers, made my job easy. The aftermath of that summer would set the stage for additional experiences, which obviously are interesting only to myself...lol.
My oldest kids have heard a few of those stories, as they are both in the late 20s. Son #2 is nearly 15, too young to hear anything other than the military side of it.
Your post is disgusting,and I suspect so are you.
It has been 30 years since I wore a badge with Indiana’s state seal but “shoot first,ask questions later “wasn’t the standard in my area. Other local officers talked a man armed with a rifle into surrendering when the apparently approved response now by some departments is shoot on sight any “civilian” with gun.And quite recently a local officer fired only ONCE to stop a knife-holding robber ,wounding the subject but not killing him in a panic-driven emptying of the pistol.
Some restraint and common sense is sorely needed. Every time any cop kills a citizen or pet unnecceessarily he or she gives the citizenry more VALID reason to fear and hate police. Just like every official who uses police or armed agents to enforce an ever more intrusive set of regukations and taxes give citizens cause to hate police and government.
I note a lot of these bad shoots are occuring in Democrat liberal ares;perhaps just another facet of the denial of personal responsibilty to use good judgment like the idiotic “no tolerance” policies .
Thanks for your post. We have already apologized to your kids for someday not knowing them but to be assured that we love them.
Along the same lines, where was it established that the cops determined it was a gun? The cop just opened fire because he was scared and didn't even bother to determine if there was an actual threat present.
Did you mean to say "our", instead of "your"? My kids already know their old man is one crazy dude. At least my nearly 30 YO daughter was (is?) a pretty smart fellow. Having kids of your own will do that to you...boy, do I know that! lol
She and my grandson have a couple of my traits in them, such as being extroverts, and unafraid to strike up conversations with strangers (though we keep a careful eye on that grandson of mine). I'm well-armed, with a lifetime of stories that are interesting only to me. ;)
Edit: At least my nearly 30 YO daughter knows her dad is a pretty smart fellow.
Article states he walked into his house and back outside again. And proceeded towards the police. Witness claimed he had a gun. If this was a 20 year old we would be saying he stashed the gun when he walked in the house....but it’s a 73 year old man, supposedly with dementia, so he gets a free pass. Why wasn’t his family concerned about him wandering in the middle of the night?
Something about this story seems way off.
Get real. Cops don't prevent crimes. When the predators come out, heaven help those expecting a cop to keep them safe.
Must have missed the part where it was established that the cops knew it was a crucifix. Perhaps you can enlighten us?
Along the same lines, where was it established that the cops determined it was a gun? The cop just opened fire because he was scared and didn’t even bother to determine if there was an actual threat present.
Cop DID establish there was a threat when dead guy refused to comply with commands.
Here are some of ingredients of the shooting that I have read.
26 year old rookie cop(former Marine)
73 year old man with some level of dementia wandering around at 12:30 AM
A neighbor that that didn't know him or recognize him at the time.
In addition to the man with a gun report, the police dispatcher mentioned to the officer that there was a dementia patient living in the area and even gave the officer his name.
Easily has a better outcome, police says “hands out and empty”, the guy pulls his hands out and empty, holds them, up, the cops can move in, frisk him, determine he’s not a threat, and everybody lives.
If cops knew the guy had dementia — wouldn’t make a difference, because he could have a gun in that pocket, and a dementia patient may be MORE, not LESS, likely to shoot a cop.
Can’t even fault the woman — some guy wanders up to you with his hand in his pocket demanding to get into your car, and you see metal (which apparently was real)? Of course you call the police.
If you have elderly people in your family that are so out of it mentally that they won’t understand how to respond to police,and will wander out of the house and harass neighbors to get into their cars — you should do something about that, before they wander into the street and get run over by a car, get shot by a neighbor who doesn’t want to be attacked, or like in this case, killed by police because they refuse to follow common sense orders.
7 shots? Once you shoot your weapon, you intend to kill. Might as well shoot enough times to do the job. Because if you shoot 3 times and miss vital organs, that gun is coming out of the pocket and you could end up dead.
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