Officer Who Fatally Shot Black Motorist Arrested, Will Be Charged With Manslaughter | Talking Points Memo

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#101

This is often phrased as “shoot until the threat is terminated.” But, in the real world, that advice actually means “shoot until you can tell that the threat is terminated.” Police aren’t psychic.

Modern pistols allow the user to fire multiple shots per second.** Deciding that a threat is “terminated” takes time. Put those two things together and – if police continue to follow this rule – you have a recipe for every target to be shot many, many times.

**(Not-so-fun fact: The record with a revolver appears to be 8 shots in one second.)

#102

Failure
To
Appear

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#103

Did you actually go read the warrant for yourself? I did. Helpfully posted the text, too. Didn’t really on unsourced tweets like others have.

You’re a teacher, I know you know how to cite actual and verified sources

#104

Defendant failed to appear on:
04/02/2021 First Appearance
PSF 142

2 Likes
#105

It’s always a judgement call for the police on whether the other guy doesn’t have a gun. Concealed carry means one movement towards your jacket or the waistband of your pants can give a cop reason to shoot you and get away with it, whether you have a gun or not. You’re supposed to know that, and follow the rules.

I’ve had one interaction with police many years ago, where they pulled me over, drew guns on me and told me to step out of my vehicle, put my hands on it where they could see them. I was driving a SUV that matched the make and color (but not the license plate) of another one that had just been part of a bank robbery. Took a few minutes to clear that up, then they left.

I was white, they were white, I’m sure that was a factor in a smooth outcome. But it’s also because I did what they told me to do, and didn’t resist arrest.

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#106

Right, and then it has all the other info about what he failed to appear for.

You think the cops don’t have the whole warrant, so they know if it’s an unpaid traffic ticket or a mass murderer?

#107

First my comment was sarcasm since she was yelling taser.

Second, this was during the trial of ANOTHER black man killed while handcuffed and not resisting. So WTF would you assume this incident would have a smooth outcome? Wait, you’re white. Of course.

#108

And then you drove home, opened up the back, and hauled out the bags of loot. I’m impressed.

#109

Because the warrant also said…
GROSS MISDEMEANOR WARRANT

mass murder is not a misdemeanor - so if they did indeed take the time (not on the video) to read the details they would have known (as would you) that the warrant was not for a mass murder. And that his crime did not warrant the death penalty. What is this thing you have for defending killer cops? Some kind of history?

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#110

I never implied that being white and therefore a smooth outcome was a good thing. Quite the opposite in fact, but irony is lost on some people.

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#111

The warrant also had his address and it was a traffic stop, so why not mail him a ticket? It also said he fled other than in a car which means he ran away, also not the death penalty or a mass murder.

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#112

I learned that motorized revolving license plate trick from one of the Bond films.

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#113

So is sarcasm apparently.

#114

When you’re detaining a person who is wanted for illegal possession of a gun, that changes the dynamic considerably, because that gun could be in the car where he’s trying to get to.

Nobody goes to work and plans to die during it.

I abhor what happened to Floyd. That was murder. He surrendered peacefully and it was on the cops to keep him safe after that.

Someone who breaks away from the cops, resisting arrest and trying to get to a vehicle is a far different case.

We need to stop acting like these cases are all the same. If he had followed instructions, he would be alive now. I’m not going to pass judgment on the cops who had a routine stop go bad because of the choices of the suspect.

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#115

Why do you keep saying that during the trial of Floyd, killed while he was handcuffed on the ground? It’s like your brain has a wall between different information. Did you write that in Word and then just copy/paste? Probably he tried to get away because the cops keep killing black men after they are handcuffed, do you think Floyd was the only time that happened? News for you, in that city it happens all the time.

You have a lot of experience detaining people? Or are you just stuck in some kind of brain loop no matter what the situation. I’m rethinking your probable age again.

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#116

I’m fairly impressed that your head hasn’t exploded from the cognitive dissonance.

The left wants illegal guns off the streets.

Then the police are supposed to let an illegal gun owner just run away and mail him a ticket.

#117

Your tone hints that you think this would be a bad thing?

#118

That is an assumption. Young black men don’t have the luxury of truly believing it.

If the warrant was so urgent and if he was so dangerous, why didn’t they previously go to his house to serve the warrant? They knew where he lived.

2 Likes
#119

Well, resisting arrest has a far higher chance of ending poorly.

Agree totally that there are outrages in the system, that shit with the LT in VA is horrific.

But we lose support overall when we treat all of these as equal, and there’s zero acknowledgement that some of these shootings are legit in the circumstances.

There’s a reason that, out of all the police shootings/killings, Floyd was the one that resonated across races and lines. Because everyone can appreciate the fact that, if you follow all the instructions and still end up dead, that’s flat-out wrong.

2 Likes
#120

MN law provides that, if you run into someone on a public street with an outstanding warrant, you can take them in. The warrant itself wasn’t what led to things going bad, it was his choice to try to run.

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