I have mixed emotions about this case.
Although I point out that Baldwin has not yet been charged. More on this later.
First, the jury did request both the stun gun and the regular handgun from Potter.
I am to understand, first, that one of the guns is in a holster on the left and one on a holster on the right.
Potter’s been a cop for 15 years. Shouldn’t she have know this already?
Also, there is a very distinct difference between the weight of the stun vs the hand buns. There is a distinct size difference between the two.
In other words, there is a very obvious difference between the two and you mean she didn’t notice it?
Bearing in mind her words of “STUN GUN” she kept shouting. Wouldn’t some of this have registered in her 15 years of experience?
I am not sitting here saying I think the woman should be jailed. Frankly I just do not know.
But it should not have happened.
Yeah I know the victim was a criminal of the top order but a cop with 15 years experience should not have mistaken a stun for a regular gun.
There should be no punishment for this that cost a life?
And if this cop should be punished, why does Baldwin get to say he did not pull the trigger and he is not punished for which is also claimed to be an accident?
I just don’t know....perhaps a year in jail and the loss of her job should be about right for punishment.
And Baldwin should get some punishment too.
Potter's record also indicates there is no reason to believe she had any animus or negative attitude toward anyone.
Therefore there is no reason to doubt that this incident was accidental with no intent to kill Wright.
Dersh takes the Legal implications from there.
Additionally, actually engaging in personal combat generally immediately cancels "the plan" and initiates "adapt to prevail or die".
Now how much did that Taser weigh, and what did the grip feel like?
Everyone keeps focusing on what side of the body the cop carries their taser. In fact all cops carry it opposite their pistol and that is not the cause of this mistake. It’s how you deploy the taser that caused this mistake. If you deploy your taser with your primary hand then it’s easy to make this mistake since it functions similar to a pistol. It is suggested cops be taught to deploy the taser from their support hand that way they reduce the potential for this mistake. And for everyone who suggests she should not have made a mistake while fighting with a criminal, maybe they can tell about their last fights after the age of forty and how everything went just as they planned.
There is a veteran, off duty sheriff in Nebraska who shot an illegal alien who had a gun trained on his ex-wife’s head. The illegal alien survived being hit by two of the nine shots. My point is every situation, adrenaline and emotions run high. The left’s fallacy about aiming for the leg and winging is just that, a fallacy.
I can’t imagine being in that type of situation and making split second decisions. I don’t think I would be evaluating the weight or which side my weapons were on. Training would be helpful in these situations.
One report I saw indicated that she worked behind a desk most of the time but was on the street that day with a rookie officer because she does TRAINING for that police department. WTF?
One can make a lot of mistakes when adrenaline and reasonable fear of death take over. She should be charged with manslaughter, but there should be only a token sentence given. A month in jail and 100 hours of community service should suffice. And she should be able to keep her job. The idiocy of every law enforcement officer having to make perfect split-second decisions has to stop. Unless society is willing to accept anarchy as the norm. Not me.