Olympia Wash. cop shoots 2 unarmed men in chest for shoplifting beer at safeway

a reply to: ISawItFirst

I see a lot of people talking about "With all the weapons that cops carry why did he go for his gun first". OK...lets look at those. First you need to remember that the cop was alone facing 2 men who both came at him. If they had a weapon or not does not matter, the cop was out numbered. Yes he can get on the radio and call for back-up if he has time, but that back-up is at least 10 min. away so you can't count them. Now cops carry 3 weapons on their person. First a baton or night stick; This weapon requires you to get within arms reach to use, and can only be used on one person at a time, and unless you get lucky it won't stop an attacker. In fact with 2 attackers they will more than likely take it away from you and hit you with it. Second is a Taser OR pepper spray most cops are not allowed to carry both because people think you would catch fire if hit with both. First pepper spray; What they don't tell you is that it will not work on 40% to 45% of the public. Also being outside it's likely to come back on you, and again there are 2 of them. Next the Taser; This is a single shot weapon that only works as long as you hold the trigger. Once you fire it and let go of the trigger the person is right back up. So you get 1 down THEIR ARE 2 OF THEM. Third his gun; This will take out both attackers with the least amount of risk to the cop and anyone else who might be there. In the end it was 1 cop with 1 chose, shoot them or let them beat you to death. Pulling you gun and firing is not the cowards way out, it's the smart way out. The only coward is the one unwilling to do what it takes to protect the rest of us when that is what you sign up to do. Since I don't fight cops I never need worry about getting shot by one. If you worry about it maybe you need to rethink your life. Also if you steal something you're a criminal, convicted or not, and if you attack a cop they have ever right to defend themselves just like the rest of us. And if that means deadly force so be it. After all you started it didn't you ....

a reply to: MikeA

The cop put himself in the position of being outnumbered in the first place.

He DID NOT see them committing the crime and came upon them later. Meaning he knew who they were and could have easily picked them up at any later time.

Why couldn't he call for backup before engaging?

a reply to: IslandOfMisfitToys

First, the cop did not put himself in that position, WE did. Every time we sat back and said nothing, and did even less when their budget was cut time and again. This has the effect of fewer cops to handle the job at hand. This means only 1 cop per car instead of 2, and a lot can happen in 10 min. I now of places that have only 1 cop per 25 sq. miles. For example one north western state, Washington I think, has only 4 state highway patrol officers for the WHOLE state. A friend of mine who is now a border patrol officer here in Az. told me about it,, he was one until he gat laid off about 3 years ago. On a side note he said he likes the weather here better. Now when I say WE I mean all of those parents who defend the actions of their kids,,, Oh it's not his fault it was the TV shows, or the music, or my Fav. he got into the wrong crowd. A little information for those parents, the parents of those other kids are saying the same thing about your kid. The truth is that if those kids had nothing in common they would not hang out together so they're ALL the wrong crowd. Also if you check you'll see a steady rise in teen crime directly connected with the rise in the use of TIME OUTS as a punishment, and the drop in the age of kids with cell phones. Do you really think that just because you told that kid to sit down and think about what they did that it means they will. If fact all they think about is how weak their parents are and how little respect they have for them and every other adult they come in contact with. Then they grow up thinking they can do what they want and IF they get caught mom & dad will bail them out, all they have to do is lie and they'll believe me.

Second, The cops job is to put bad guys away not let them go and hope to pick them up later. If these kids will fight a person who is armed IE. a COP, what do you think they will do to the rest of us. So the cop lets them go and they go rob and maybe kill someone and WE find out that this cop could have taken them off the street and prevented that murder I'm pretty sure people would be yelling for that cops head, and I'm sure the dead persons family would try to sue the department. The bottom line is who would you rather see in a box, the cop trying to protect you, the father trying to feed you, or the robber trying the rob and kill you. Keep in mind this is not a perfect world, one of them is going in the ground, that's just how it is. At least until people start teaching their kids to respect the law and the rights of everyone else around them. And they can start by stop blaming the cop for that speeding ticket, and saying things like it's only a crime if you get caught. My dad said that a lot and it bugged me to no end. He's dead now, he was killed racing to beat a yellow light. He lost control when someone sending a text stepped of the curb without looking and he jerked the wheel to avoid them. His truck rolled 9 times before it stopped, he was dead at the scene. I don't blame the person walking I blame him for acting that way. My problem is that my brother drives the same way, having learned it from his parents.

Third, and most important I know you don't expect these kids to just stand around and wait for his back-up to arrive DO YOU ??? I will say this "That's the kind of thinking that is the cause of the problem" A slap on the wrist is NOT a punishment, and telling your kid don't do that and expecting them to listen does not work.

In case you haven't figured it out yet in my view the problem with the youth of today is NOT TV, movies, games or music. It's PARENTS, your job is to raise your kids, and teach them how to act. I see people all the time on the news crying about their 15 year old, gang bangin kid, being killed walking the streets at 2 am. Talking about how he was a good boy with a future. Even though they had not seen the inside of a school since he robbed one 5 years ago. To me it's simple "It's not what kids learn that matters, it's what parents allow." Take control of your kids, teach them proper respect and that cop won't have to make that choice. Also if you don't like the law CHANGE IT, until then it's the law and we pay the cops to enforce them. Breaking the law is not, repeat NOT funny or cool, and defending your kid when they do is not doing them any favors. Protect your kids yes 100%, but they need to know that their actions can and will land them in jail or dead. Kids need parents not more friends, and if you don't teach them they will find someone who will and you may not like what they learn. By the way 15 or 16 is WAY to late to try and take control of your kid. If you don't do something the FIRST time they tell you NO! it's to late you have lost control.

Sorry I'm long winded here but I get tired of hearing people blame others for their actions. It's not the stores fault for not telling you the coffee is hot. It's yours for spilling it in your lap. And your breaks work just fine all you have to do is step on them. Those 2 boys chose to steal that beer. Anything that happens because of that is their fault, not the cop that came to arrest them, or the clerk at the store who called 911. Now just maybe either they or their friends will think twice the next time a cop says STOP. OH YEH by the way when you hear cops chasing someone and you see them coming up from behind you GET OUT OF THE WAY !!! If you see a cop in trouble stop and help. If just 1 person on the scene went to help that cop the whole thing could have been avoided, and YES it is your job. If you want a better world then step up and do something. Otherwise sit down and shut up and leave those, who are doing something, alone.