If you have a taser then tackling is not the first option. You have the taser so you don't have to tackle him. Obviously in this case, if you thought he was armed your gun is the only option. But in general if you are carrying a taser and the need arise non lethal force, physically taking someone down/pepper spray/fighting them, then you tase them. Tackling someone can result you getting hurt or the prep getting hurt or both. Taser's are non lethal and other then being painful when in use there are no injuries and your butt isn't getting sued.

 

Hadn't known all that. Thank you.

He lifted his shirt before they shot him. They couldn't see he didn't have a gun?

If you are responding to a call of a man with a gun you 1) don't tackle him and 2) don't pull out the TASER first.

 

Agreed as I said there had to be more to it, there was.

He lifted his shirt before they shot him. They couldn't see he didn't have a gun?

 

You are told someone has a gun. You see that person and tell them to stop. They ignore you. They turn around and see you but still ignore you, then they quickly reach towards their waist band...

 

What will you do? Keep in mind that guns can be very small and if you wait a split second too long, you could be dead.

Everybody has time to second guess by looking at the video. Police officers don't have that benefit. What they have are mere seconds to react to a situation and make a life or death decision. Bottom line - when a police officer tells you to stop, you stop. He saw them pull up and then started walking away. I'd bet money he could hear them even with the earbuds.

 

You are told someone has a gun. You see that person and tell them to stop. They ignore you. They turn around and see you but still ignore you, then they quickly reach towards their waist band...

 

What will you do? Keep in mind that guns can be very small and if you wait a split second too long, you could be dead.

 

Is the "obvious" answer you seek to shoot first and ask questions after you end the life of someone who merely "fit the discription". Police 101 sadly...

 

Is the "obvious" answer you seek to shoot first and ask questions after you end the life of someone who merely "fit the discription". Police 101 sadly...

 

There is no obvious answer, that's the problem with people like you. You think everything is so easy when your life is potentially in danger. It's easy to MMQB a decision from the safety of your home when you know nothing is going to happen. Fortunately, thats not how it works. When you determine whether or not force was justified, you consider the totality of circumstances based on what the officer knew at the time. People who understand the law better than you or I decided this was justified. Unfortunate, and tragic, but justified.

 

You ignore several other factors because they don't fit your agenda. He didn't just "fit the description", like you say.

You are told someone has a gun. You see that person and tell them to stop. They ignore you. They turn around and see you but still ignore you, then they quickly reach towards their waist band...

 

What will you do? Keep in mind that guns can be very small and if you wait a split second too long, you could be dead.

 

Here's the problem. They didn't see that person. They saw a person who fit the description.

You are told someone has a gun. You see that person and tell them to stop. They ignore you. They turn around and see you but still ignore you, then they quickly reach towards their waist band...

 

What will you do? Keep in mind that guns can be very small and if you wait a split second too long, you could be dead.

 

So shoot them and hope that it was the right person after that fact? Seems solid.

 

Here's the problem. They didn't see that person. They saw a person who fit the description.

 

We don't really know that for a fact, do we? Is it possible he had a gun at one point and ditched it before police got there? Or that the person who called mistook something in his hand for a gun?

 

So shoot them and hope that it was the right person after that fact? Seems solid.

 

That's not what happened at all.

 

If he would have shown up and shot him for matching a description I'd agree.

 

He didn't do that. The officer gave commands that were ignored. He didn't shoot until the guy moved his hands towards his waist.

 

Again...take in to consideration the totality of circumstances. He was under the impression this was an armed person. Now, this apparently armed person is ignoring his commands and making sudden movements towards his waist...

We don't really know that for a fact, do we? Is it possible he had a gun at one point and ditched it before police got there? Or that the person who called mistook something in his hand for a gun?

 

We know for a fact that he didn't have a gun. But hey, let's kill him because he might be the person they were looking for.

 

We know for a fact that he didn't have a gun. But hey, let's kill him because he might be the person they were looking for.

 

That isn't what happened.

That isn't what happened.

 

He didn't have a gun. Fact.

 

They shot and killed him. Fact.

 

Sure seems like that's what happened.

That's not what happened at all.

 

If he would have shown up and shot him for matching a description I'd agree.

 

He didn't do that. The officer gave commands that were ignored. He didn't shoot until the guy moved his hands towards his waist.

 

Again...take in to consideration the totality of circumstances. He was under the impression this was an armed person. Now, this apparently armed person is ignoring his commands and making sudden movements towards his waist...

 

It is what happened... They went after him because he fit whatever description they supposedly had. They had no idea if this was the actual person that was called on because they didn't wait long enough to figure out. He pulled up his shirt and he was shot. Again, you could see his stomach/waist band in the video a couple seconds before he was shot.