| Author | Message | ||
     Reindog |
Matt, I am unclear of what you are trying to say also. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm just pointing out that events are unfolding as they have been foretold they would. I'm not mad at anybody, I guess I got a little off topic, we were talking about the tragic event in which an individual lost his life. Not the tragic larger events to which I alluded. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Can I ask what the hit count was? With any sort of marksmanship the first shot should have rolled the runner at that close range and the runner hardly flinched until about the 4th shot...but what do I know...I've never been shot at,scared and on the run........ | ||
| Sifo |
I heard he hit 5/8 shots. Slightly better than most police shootings. From what I understand its not uncommon for someone to keep on going after being shot multiple times. You either have to disrupt the central nervous system, or deplete the blood pressure to the brain to drop someone. Any other reason to drop is voluntary. We've all seen too many movies where a single shot drops someone. | ||
| Rick_a |
Just a few nights ago I got (apparently) my 3rd warning for speeding. The way you conduct yourself certainly has a bearing. There is an agenda at play. If you can't see that you are blind. Everything is a race issue. Any story concerning guns in a negative context is a headline. This in concert with numerous attempts to ban guns, magazines, and ammunition with varying degrees of success. Lately there's a trend of white on black recorded cop related shootings. They are always shown such that the situation looks as bad as possible for the police officer involved. So far all the prosecutions that I have followed have resulted in exoneration. The popular media has a majorly skewed and largely biased political slant. First it was a play on citizens with guns. Since then a large CCW movement has swept the nation, continuing today. Now there's a focus on cops with guns. Some countries only allow whistles and perhaps clubs and asps. I suppose if you're not a gun owner or have not been following the gun laws or the gun industry for the past several decades I guess you may have missed it... | ||
| Hughlysses |
Here are links to local paper and TV stations, who may be better / less biased than national media: Paper: http://www.postandcourier.com/ Local CBS: http://www.live5news.com/ Local ABC: http://www.abcnews4.com/ Local NBC: http://www.counton2.com/ | ||
| Reepicheep |
I still wish I could have seen the forensics report and internal investigation result before the video was known to anyone doing the investigation. That's the part that bugs me here. I want to believe there is no way this could have been covered up regardless of the video, and that shots into the back of somebody 15 yards away would have resulted in every red flag popping up everywhere anyway. And I do pretty much still believe this. But there is a little voice inside my head that says "but maybe not". That voice has heard cops brag about never worrying about getting a speeding ticket when they flash their badge. It wonders how far the blue wall of silence goes to protect their own? | ||
| Thumper74 |
15 yards in the back is hardly a threat. I've supported most of the officers in these shootings, and while I haven't seen the video, this one seems like it wasn't justified. I hope justice is served. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Rick sees things in a somewhat broader view... The video loop the news channels are showing is about 2 seconds of the guy running away and the cop rapid-firing his gun. No pretext, no anything other than "here's a white guy shooting a black guy in the back". It sure does look bad, and I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure what really happened. The part I've seen appears to be a horrible situation in the most myopic sense. Things like this make it very difficult, especially for those involved, to see the big picture. Tragic on so many levels. | ||
| Hughlysses |
From what's been said in the media, the deceased guy was apparently a dead-beat dad with 4 kids that owed substantial child support and who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest as a result. Not exactly an outstanding example of humanity but certainly not deserving of what he got. The cop has a wife who's 8 months pregnant. I really pity her and that poor kid. Like Pwnzor says, tragic on many levels. You just really have to wonder WTF was that cop thinking. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'm sure the video was taken out of context, and I'm sure there was plenty of provoking. But if you want to be a cop you have to be a cool headed professional. It's part of the job and a requirement in order for you to have the authority the badge carries. The video we can see is plenty to show that wasn't the case here. | ||
| Sifo |
I'm not sure if I'm understanding what Pwnzor is saying or not, but I do see something "planned" in this. Nothing planned with the cop, or the victim, or the guy who took the video. What has been planned though, is to take advantage of this situation to stir things up. They've made the attempt a number of times in the recent past only to have it blow up in their faces when facts wouldn't support the narrative. They may finally have a case that will work for them. Maybe they can justify shooting a few more cops. Sadly, these things happen regardless of the races involved. This was a traffic stop. The guy fled on foot. The video starts with both people involved in very close proximity. Did the cop catch him on foot? Tackle him? Was there a scuffle? These are things that will be difficult to answer. A few things I'm pretty sure of. The cop is amped up having someone take off running. Even more so if there was a scuffle. We then expect the cop to be able to shut that all down in a split second. Not an easy thing to do. Yet he does have to be held accountable. I'm not sure I see murder in this. There was no premeditation. Perhaps manslaughter. The victim isn't blameless in this though. His actions directly lead to his being shot, even though he didn't deserve being shot. If I ride like an idiot and get run over by a car, I may not "deserve" to die that way, but I would still carry much of the responsibility. What is still planned is to try the cop publicly in the media. The cop deserves a fair trial where he can present his side to a jury. He will be demonized and found guilty long before then. | ||
| Pwnzor |
You just really have to wonder WTF was that cop thinking. Agreed. A cop shouldn't be shooting somebody that's running away, period. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Local Charleston hipster newspaper just reported that 15 protesters say they will block major thoroughfare (bridge over the Cooper River) out of Charleston this afternoon. http://m.charlestoncitypaper.com/TheBattery/archives/2015/04/09/protesters-to-shut-down-ravenel-bridge-eastbound-at-4-pm There are some great comments below the article. I won't be surprised if a few protesters get tossed over the side BEFORE the police get there. [EDIT] And now the paper is reporting this protest announcement was a false alert, but the "spokesman" who apparently gave them the story and then retracted it won't give any details. (Message edited by Hughlysses on April 09, 2015) | ||
| Reepicheep |
I have a little bit of hope that this will have the opposite effect, but who knows with the media constantly trying to turn this into a racial issue. At some level you have to notice that this shows that justice is working. Bring actual evidence that a cop murdered a civilian, and he or she will be in jail and held without bond before they can eat their next meal. I long for a generation that lets facts and justice shape their ideology. Today we have the opposite. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
To things have come to light after further examination of the video. First, after the officer throws what appears to be his tazer next to the victim he does later pick it up and holster it. Secondly, at the beginning of the video as the victim begins his run away from the officer you can see the wires from the tazer stretched horizontally between the two. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Brilliant and succinct bit of reporting: http://www.whio.com/news/news/national/why-sc-offi cer-walter-scott-shooting-was-indicted-/nkqMx/ (I assume this is a national author being reproduced in my local news site, but I don't know). | ||
| Hughlysses |
Local news is reporting that SLED (South Carolina's State Law Enforcement Division) has released the dash cam video from the officer's car, but I haven't found it on-line yet. It'll be interesting to see how it reflects on the entire story. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
There is more to it than first meets the eye. If it was a traffic stop how did they end up in a park? At the beginning of the video as the victim turns to run why is the tazer lying on the ground closer to the victim than the police officer. It appears to be about three feet from the officer. As the victim runs away if you freeze the video you can see the tazer wires. Who was doing the tazing? Would the officer be justified in shooting if the victim had attempted to taze the cop? | ||
| Davegess |
Bill, this IS a racial issue. The relationship between cops and black people is fraught with layers and layers of racial issues.Trying to take race out of it is a huge mistake. Saying that is not to say that RACISM is always involved. That is also a huge mistake. But saying race is not involved means we do not move forward. Race is a big issue in the US and in many places around the world. It needs to be discussed or it will not get better. | ||
| Aesquire |
And.... most of the discussion is not allowed. You end all pretense of civility the instant you point out the political history, who wrote the laws that discourage marriage, or how the welfare systems exploit the poor of every race. It jumps from screaming obscenities to threats of violence from..... guess who? Yep the Loyal Party types belonging to the Party of the Klan. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Dash cam footage at the top of this article: http://news.yahoo.com/dash-cam-video-shows-officer -pursuing-man-shooting-221654486.html Doesn't show much, certainly nothing that would lead you to believe this would wind up in a fatal shooting. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Thug cops are WAY worse than any street scum. Thank GOD someone was filming this execution. The filmed injustices are just the tippy tip of what actually happens all over the country. If this doesn't scream for cameras on cops, I really don't know what does. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Davegess, I agree. Racism is alive and well in the US. I believe that it has gotten worse over the last six years rather than better. Obama wasn't just elected by the 90%+ of the black community who nearly always vote Democrat. He was elected by white voters as well. Twice. I do believe there are a majority of Americans who want to get past racial issues, to look at the content of a person's character instead of looking at the color of his skin. I also believe that there is a large group of people who do not want to end racial issues. For some, the problem is clinging onto an old way of thinking. For the largest group, though, I believe that seeing an end to racism means an end of a way of life, a way to make a living, a gravy train. The Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons and Sheila Jackson Lees and yes even the Obamas are part of this group. If you don't have a victim group, you can't be seen as the champion of the victim group. If you can claim victimhood, you can be absolved of responsibility. Champion becomes enabler. Problem becomes refuge. Past becomes future. People from the foulest hell holes in the world fight unspeakable odds just to get a chance to touch the shores of this great nation. They know opportunity is here. They know the greatest opportunity for a better life is here. How you can have an underclass who chooses failure over success, surrender over victory, destitution instead of a destination of prosperity is unconscionable. The last six years have been government solutions on display. More money spent at one time to benefit those who are "downtrodden", "marginalized", "disenfranchised", "victimized" than at any other time in history. The black community is no better off. Why? | ||
| Fresnobuell |
More likely because the criminal justice system is hugely skewed in favor of the cops--ie they are given then benefit of the doubt (and then some in most cases.) Unfortunately, even the dirty bastards get a free pass too. It's not that they are innocent as you want to believe, it's that the system is so ingrained with the "cops walk on water syndrome" it takes a monumental amount of evidence to convict. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'll agree that racism is alive and well in this country... speaking as a white person who spent a year in a mostly black prison... Yes, racism definitely exists. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Have all you people who are saying "manslughter" seen this video? You guys that are saying "Well, the cop was all worked up, so......." or "the cop was provoked". Have you seen this video? I don't care if the black guy had 10 kids and never paid child support or if he spit in the cops face or even punched him in the face. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE COP UNLOADED HIS CLIP IN THE GUY'S BACK AS HE WAS RUNNING AWAY. Holy @#$$, cops are empowered to use lethal force and for Christ sake they need to use it as the LAST resort. Hell ya, burn him at the stake. He deserves everything he's gonna get. Hopefully they throw him to the wolves in prison. The black gangs are gonna have alot of fun with this guy  | ||
| Pwnzor |
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE COP UNLOADED HIS CLIP IN THE GUY'S BACK AS HE WAS RUNNING AWAY. Agreed. I don't believe that there is any circumstance, seen or unseen, that justifies the final act. | ||
| Pwnzor |
The black gangs are gonna have alot of fun with this guy Didn't see this until after I posted my agreement with your prior statement... I still stand by that However, I cannot condone this last part. Let God judge him. It will happen sooner than most think. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Fair point Dave. I guess I wish it wouldn't be such a shallow and sophomoric conversation about race then. |
