Can you say, "overkill?"

[Keeper]

It is hard to tell what happened without knowing the entire situation. Did they stumble across him and have to open fire? Did they know he was up there and could he have been taken out with a few sniper shots from a safe distance? Until we know the entire story I will not pass judgment.

One thing that has always bothered me about these situations though is that if it had been me or any of you would police departments have sent other officers to help? Would the area have been locked down and surrounded? When Joe six-pack gets murdered it seems to be business as usual no one important died.

 

[Delta608]

It is unbelievable to me how this has turned into a cop bashing thread, on the day of his funeral...

I can emphatically say to all those with 20/20 hindsight that these officers and friends would have done the exact same thing to a killer who has even killed a cop basher even on this sad day....Satisfied ??

 

[blackguns]

Everyone knows what happens when you pull a gun on a cop, let alone a friggin SWAT team.

The fact that his hand was not in the air is enough to convince me that he either wanted to take out more cops or die trying.

I have absolutely no problem with how this went down. Cops want to go home to thier loved ones just like soldiers.

110 rounds from a group of 9 officers.....no big deal. They all responded to the threat, I have no problem with that.

The only real problem I have with this whole thing is the comments to the media later. "we would have shot more but we ran out of bullets" is a rednecked, macho, stupid thing to say to the media.

Whether or not this is a racial issue in real life it will be seen as a racial issue by many. It would be like the LAPD saying "we would have beat Rodney King more but our arms got tired".

The shoot was most likely good, the PR was worst excuse for professionalism I have ever seen. There will be a lawsuit just because of the PR.

If the officers want to get together later over cold ones and wink and nod and say "yeah we got him" that's fine. Just don't do it on CNN.

 

[Gunpacker]

Taxpayers saved MILLIONS of dollars of lifetime of coddled care for the scumbag. Thanks officers.
Scumbag no longer on the street to prey on citizens of this country. Thanks officers.
Wonder why the number of holes in a dead body is pertinent, as long as reason to shoot existed.
My opinion is that anyone shouting overkill when shoot occurs against an armed and willing murderer, had no concept of a gun battle or reality. Easy for mushheads to say to give the murderer every opportunity to surrender when it isn't their neck in the line of his firezone.
Even a many times mortally wounded suspect killed several FBI agents in Miami several years ago.
Bullet wounds, even multiple mortal wounds are not immediately incapacitating.
Those who have no knowledge of a gunfight are clear here. Those with sh** for brains are too. Those that hate cops for no reason other than they are cops are too.
Seems to me that there are many legitimate reasons to be disgusted with some officers we all know and see, but that is a minority. This would be a sorry a**ed place to live if we didn't have guys that stand between us and scum like the piece of garbage we are discussing here.
I suspect that even if there were no cops, and we had to use vigilantes, Mr. blackfork would still sit home, not participate, and pontificate on the "right way" to do things.
Or would you be happier doing it yourself? You can you know. Unless you're a felon, drug user, or general scumbag. You only need to go apply. You can put yourself in position to do it yourself. Good men are always in demand, and sometimes hard to find.

 

[mete]

The news showed a huge number of officers attending the funeral services for the slain officer .May he rest in peace.

 

[Biker]

Gunpacker...

You should read Blackguns' post again. He had no problems with the Swat Team's actions. He merely stated that the cop making the post shooting comments shouldn't have made the comments he did make.

Biker

 

[junyo]

What I know is innocent or guilty, this guy had zero chance of seeing the inside of a courtroom once he was accused of shooting an officer.

Given:

• The police had no obligation to expose themselves to unreasonable risk.
• The police had very good reason to believe this guy wouldn't hesitate and wasn't particularly open to reason
• Were likely (and understandably) filled with emotion over the fact that members of their community had been killed

Nonetheless what we also know is that the accused will never have a day in court to potentially explain his actions or to have the state show just how depraved he was. And there are lots of people jumping up and clapping about that, or making out that those questioning this action are anti police cowards and apologist for the criminal element. But as a mental exercise, just how easy would it be for the average Joe Gunowner to be turned into this guy? Side of the road, something bad happens, there's a firearm that killed an officer in your hand... You just gonna march right down to the station house and turn yourself in? With the news showing the "arsenal" they've found in your house and the record of gun and militia magazines/websites (including this one) on your PC? Your ex-wife and everyone that ever hated you staring into a camera telling the world they 'just knew you were gonna snap someday'? Me, I'd just blow my own brains out, rather than be "shot while resisting".

I'm not saying what it is or isn't overkill. I'm saying that the chief's statement was not helpful. I'm saying that the proper mindset of a gun owner is one of extreme skepticism toward authority, and therefore cheering when someone, anyone, doesn't get their day in court is the equivalent of pouring grease on an already slippery slope. I'm saying that while I appreciate what police do, I'm not prepared to give them the power of summary execution to avenge their comrades, especially when that right is denied me.

 

[Gunpacker]

Biker,

I have absolutely no problem with Blackgun's statements.
However, read the several by blackfork.
At one time in the thread he called the perp "underarmed" as I recall, but I cannot find that now. May have been edited. Read post 69 and you will see that he would "have all the badges of the Swat team on his desk''.
I am tempted to say more but am biting my keyboard.

 

[Biker]

Oops...

~Biker slowly shakes his shaggy head, a look of embarrasment spreading across his ruggedly handsome face and mutters, "I didn't know I was dyslexic".~

Biker