White Officer Just Indicted By SC Jury For Killing Unarmed Black Man

Looks like some Grand Juries do in fact indict police .....

This story is pointing out media "silence".

Hmmm.

Different?

Med ia Silent as White Officer Just Indicted By SC Jury For Killing Unarmed Black Man

Ignore the political slant in the article.

In May 2011, Bernard Bailey, a 54-year-old African American, came to the Eutawville (population 300) police department to complain about his daughter’s recent taillight ticket. When Police Chief Richard Combs, 35, attempted to arrest Bailey for obstruction of justice, Bailey refused and marched outside to his truck. Combs pursued Bailey to his truck and attempted to turn off the ignition, which resulted in a physical struggle between the two, ending with Combs shooting Bailey twice in the chest.

Though Combs claimed that his arm was tangled in the steering wheel and feared for his life should Bailey drive away, prosecutors said Combs had initiated the struggle that led to Bailey’s death.

Wednesday, an Orangeburg County grand jury agreed with the prosecutors, indicting Combs for murder, which carries a 30 years to life sentence—a far harsher penalty than the original “misconduct in office” charge brought by prosecutors, carrying a 10-year maximum prison sentence.

The article sounds like its missing a really big chunk of information.

I'd like to know how the dead guy went from complaining about his daughter's ticket, to being charged with obstruction of justice. How does that happen?

Also, it's not really news when people do the right thing... This is not news. This is the way it's supposed to work. If a cop shoots an unarmed man, he should go to trial.


This happened in 2011... Why is the grand jury just now making a decision?

a reply to: xuenchen

Might not see much of ATS here abouts tiether.

SnF

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

This happened in 2011... Why is the grand jury just now making a decision?

Might make people go Hmmm.

Hmmm.

Timing is everything they say.

Can't say the system is ENTIRELY racist now. Some get indicted, some don't.

SC has actually indicted 3 cops in the last 4 months.

EUTAWVILLE, S.C. (AP) — As communities around the nation protest decisions not to charge officers who have injured or killed suspects, South Carolina prosecutors have obtained indictments against three white officers for on-duty shootings of unarmed black men in the past four months.

TPM

Seems like prosecutors in South Carolina are trying to get in front of the ball by treating cops exactly as they would any other citizen that kills another. It's good to know some are getting the message, the days of people looking away from injustice are over. Finally.

Why isn't it news? Seems it's news to me, but as BH noted, why should it be? How sad is it that it's such a rare thing that it's actually newsworthy?

Is it going to help settle people down? Nope.

a reply to: xuenchen

A system that only works a small % of the time is to be considered broken.
If my car only cranks sometimes, its broken.
If my tv remote only registers 1 in every 10th button i push, it is broken.
Doesn't matter if it works sometimes, it means it isn't reliable and needs to be repaired/replaced.
right

originally posted by: TheSilverGate
a reply to: xuenchen

A system that only works a small % of the time is to be considered broken.
If my car only cranks sometimes, its broken.
If my tv remote only registers 1 in every 10th button i push, it is broken.
Doesn't matter if it works sometimes, it means it isn't reliable and needs to be repaired/replaced.
right

Right.

a reply to: Kali74

Finally.

It's not really anything new. A selection from before the current ruckus.
www.latimes.com...
www.nj.com...
www.charlotteobserver.com...
www.newsnet5.com...

Our justice system is based on the notion of protecting the innocent. Unfortunately, this means that the guilty sometimes go free. Would you have it any other way? Would you rather risk having innocent people incarcerated?

You're right, we don't hear much about the indictments and yes, it's true that police officers are often given the benefit of the doubt by prosecutors, judges, and juries. I'm not sure that's not a reasonable position given the nature of the job.

a reply to: Phage

Our justice system is based on the notion of protecting the innocent. Unfortunately, this means that the guilty sometimes go free. Would you have it any other way? Would you rather risk having innocent people incarcerated?

correct me if i am wrong but i am pretty sure innocent people end up in jail too

a reply to: Phage

Finally people aren't looking away from injustice.

You're really misreading me on this topic. I'm not advocating for mob justice or changing our system to guilty until proven innocent. I simply don't buy that cops are effectively investigated when they kill, prosecutors work too closely with cops. I'm fully aware that sometimes the guilty go free and that is the price we willingly pay for the system we have. But you are ignoring some pretty huge elephants in the room if you think people have nothing to fear or protest about or that the justice system doesn't privilege cops.

a reply to: Kali74

Finally people aren't looking away from injustice.

You mean "finally the MSM is paying attention?" Because it's been going on for a long time, cops being indicted and cops not being indicted.

But you are ignoring some pretty huge elephants in the room if you think people have nothing to fear or protest about or that the justice system doesn't privilege cops.

Did I say any of those things? It is good that attention is being brought to the situation? Of course it is. Now what? What changes? Take the benefit of doubt away from cops when there is lacking and/or contradictory evidence? Like I said, I'm not sure that would be a real benefit.

a reply to: Phage

How about just appointing federal prosecutors whenever it happens? What happens to local prosecutors active or resolved cases if they have to prosecute the cops that worked on those cases?

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: Phage

How about just appointing federal prosecutors whenever it happens? What happens to local prosecutors active or resolved cases if they have to prosecute the cops that worked on those cases?

Perhaps a valid idea.

But would that be Constitutional?

States' Rights and all that.

originally posted by: TheSilverGate
a reply to: xuenchen

A system that only works a small % of the time is to be considered broken.
If my car only cranks sometimes, its broken.
If my tv remote only registers 1 in every 10th button i push, it is broken.
Doesn't matter if it works sometimes, it means it isn't reliable and needs to be repaired/replaced.
right

excellent analogy

a reply to: Kali74

How about just appointing federal prosecutors whenever it happens? What happens to local prosecutors active or resolved cases if they have to prosecute the cops that worked on those cases?

You aren't talking about skipping the indictment process altogether in police cases are you? Or do you mean bringing in federal police prosecutors for hearings or grand juries? Either situation would seem to be a matter of inequality under the law, based not on the particulars of a case but on the subject of the case (a police officer).

a reply to: Phage

No I'm not talking about skipping anything. If not a federal prosecutor how about just a non local one that doesn't work with the cop in question?

a reply to: Kali74
There are provisions for that. It's called a special prosecutor. But a special prosecutor is called in special circumstances. I think that by applying the blanket to any case involving police officers you may run into problems with constitutionality. That inequality under the law problem. I don't know, I'm not an attorney, but it seems like kind of an obvious problem. Just because you are a police officer the law sees you differently. Does that apply to doctors too? Lawyers?

a reply to: xuenchen

That's great that justice was served but taking 3 freakin years to reach a verdict over an unarmed man who simply complained about a ticket? First of all it shouldn't take that damn long, secondly, being that the deceased went to the police station to complain then there has to be plenty of video footage in the station and maybe even outside the station. I'm so sick and tired of hearing these asshole cops saying they feared for their life when really the civilian is fearing for their lives being bullied by cops with multiple weapons. Cops not only have guns, but tasers, batons, pepper spray...WTF man...

I was never proud to be an American with it's horrific genocide history. I just despise this country and a majority of it's ignorant, narcissistic citizens.

# THE US