Do you see an accidental discharge in this video

[johnandersonoutdoors]

I believe the official report given so far in this case is that the officer's discharged his gun accidentally. Other wording used seems to say the gun just discharged on its own. I would like to know what you see here.

https://www.rt.com/usa/325670-paradise-cop-cleared-shooting/

 

[jerryd]

It looks like the cop jumped the gun alittle!

 

[glove]

Looks like the cop should be in handcuffs and facing the Judge in the morning..

 

[psyopspec]

I see a negligent discharge.

 

[M-Cameron]

that didnt look like an accidental anything.......those shots looked fully intentional

the officer didnt flinch, and wasnt startled by the gun going off,....he drew, fired 2 shots and then he calmly re-holstered and calmly walked up to the vehicle.....

 

[Newcatwalt]

Ditto above post. That's what I saw. But whether or not the cop thought the guy was climbing out of the car with a weapon in his right hand - who knows?

 

[rondog]

Looks like attempted murder to me. Where's my surprised face.....

 

[Arkansas Paul]

The officer certainly didn't look surprised to me.

He also looked very calm and collected as he re-holstered his weapon.

EDIT:
I watched a couple more times and it does appear that he flinches a little, as his head does jerk slightly to the right at the shot.
I dunno.
Under normal circumstances an officer wouldn't be looking to draw his weapon when someone is getting out of a vehicle after an accident, but this wasn't normal circumstances. The guy was speeding and running traffic lights with his headlights off. That in itself isn't justification of lethal force, but he was also apparently fleeing from the officer. So he was on full alert when approaching the vehicle.

With that in mind, I certainly don't see any criminal charges.

 

[barnbwt]

What's with the claim there was only one shot? I pretty clearly see two muzzle flashes at the usual double-tap interval. Anyone else wonder if the guy was looking around for shell casings with that flashlight, and not just at the (unverified!) dead guy on the ground?

"The officer certainly didn't look surprised to me.

He also looked very calm and collected as he re-holstered his weapon."
To be fair, not everyone reacts the same, and some peoples' reaction is no reaction. He certainly didn't seem to pause or flinch as was claimed, though. I also don't think he intentionally shot the guy dead, because why would he? I tend to try to think through events like this with rational actors, vs. monstrously evil psychopaths.

I suspect he was all jazzed up from the hot pursuit (esp. the awesome bounce through the intersection near the end; the tax payers thank those struts for their valiant service to the community) and was focused on the dead body --fair enough-- as he approached the vehicle, when he noticed, amid all the blood and glare of headlights and flashers & blaring of sirens, a guy atop the car in his peripheral vision, and his snap-shooting instincts took over; double tap, before he could even catch himself. I get the feeling he wasn't even making rational decisions until some time after you see him wandering aimlessly about looking for something (I'm guessing shell casings).

Either that, or it's yet another case of an officer approaching a situation in ignorance with a gun drawn (the 'draw' maneuver could have been part of the standard contact as he approached the cab, and upon realizing the driver sitting up there he flinched or instinctively doubled tapped) when the situation did not yet call for it (just because you do not have full control or knowledge of the situation at first is not an excuse to go directly to one notch below lethal force)

TCB

 

[RVN11B]

What I watched was a mucked up video showing 2 shots being fired.

 

[MachIVshooter]

What's with the claim there was only one shot? I pretty clearly see two muzzle flashes at the usual double-tap interval

Yup.

However, he did not mention having fired his weapon to other officers who arrived on the scene, and only told his commanding officer after the gunshot wound was found on Thomas. Nearly 11 minutes passed before any officers, medics or firefighters responding to the scene learned that Thomas had been shot, according to Ramsey.

Sure sounds like he knew he did wrong to me.

Where's the audio? If this were a trial and I were a juror, there'd have to be something pretty vindicating that would cause me to believe the officer acted reasonably. I didn't see any actions on the subject's part that appeared threatening to the point of even drawing the weapon, and the officer's casual approaching of the vehicle doesn't suggest that he believed the subject was dangerous; the cop drew, aimed and double tapped before the subject would have even had a chance to comply with any commands. Looks like attempted murder from here.

But then, in today's world, it's only murder if the subject is non-white.

 

[luzyfuerza]

Do you suppose that the DA's assessment of the legality of this event would have been different if Joe or Jane Blow with their trusty CCW squeezed off these shots, instead of a cop?

Cops, firemen, and soldiers promise that they will run toward situations that most of us would rather run away from. It looks like the DA recognized that this officer had a tough job to do, and he gave him the benefit of the doubt.

For those of us who have no obligation to respond, though, the DA's standard would likely be higher. This is a topic probably worth exploring further in S&T.

 

[USAF_Vet]

The "flinch and stumble" looks more like the first shot was point shooting, he then stopped in a shooting stance, the flinch to the side was the aimed second shot, then he continued moving as he holstered the weapon.

I've done the same maneuver in training (trying to break myself of the habit of stopping and taking a fixed shooting stance while on the move).

That looked intentional. Especially considering he never called "shots fired, suspect down".

From the article:

Feaster told investigators he drew his gun when Thomas “popped” out of the car, thinking the driver intended to flee. However, he did not mention having fired his weapon to other officers who arrived on the scene, and only told his commanding officer after the gunshot wound was found on Thomas. Nearly 11 minutes passed before any officers, medics or firefighters responding to the scene learned that Thomas had been shot, according to Ramsey.

Bold emphasis mine.


Probably inappropriate, but did anyone else sorta chuckle when they found out the fat cops name was Feaster?

 

[thump_rrr]

I saw no reason for him to draw in the first place.
The victim's hand placement was consistent with someone climbing out of a car.
The officer draws and fires 2 shots the same way you would deliberately draw and fire at a target.
Once he fires the shots he does not alert dispatch that shots were fired.
He states that there is an unresponsive female and that the male is refusing to get out.

In my opinion that guy should be behind bars.

 

[MEHavey]

How anyone could see that video in its entirety [including before, during, and
after the shooting] and not call manslaughter at a minimum, is beyond me.

Personally, that's one where I'd like a jury to decide.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Personally, that's one where I'd like a jury to decide.

Too bad they won't get the opportunity. At least not yet.

 

[Al Thompson]

Not seeing how this relates to THR's mission.