Walmart rent-a-cop shoots and kills shoplifter.

things happen real quick and sometimes things go sideways..lucky the children didnt get shot, and apparently the cop wasnt hurt nor the driver he feared was going to run him over..seems reckless actions by both the shoplifters and the cop

Originally posted by roadgravel
Good to hear so many are pro shop lifter. Can't wait for it to become the rule. It will save me a lot of money.

Do we have to be pro shoplifter to be anti-shoot people in the neck for shoplifting?

Look, this is how its done. And wow, done by a shop owner too, didn't even need the police. No one was killed either. He did call the police though, and the shoplifter was subsequently arrested (so was he, for kidnapping... )

www.thestar.com...

The last few days have been a whirlwind, the 35-year-old grocer said. On Saturday morning, he said he spotted a man on a bike stealing a box of money tree plants, worth about $60. It wasn't the first time the man had stolen something from the store, Chen said.

So when he saw the alleged thief later that day, he confronted him. The man dropped his bike and ran south on Grange Place from Dundas St. W. Chen chased after him with two other employees. When they caught him, they tied him up by his hands and feet, put him in a delivery truck and contacted police.

Equal / necessary force will be the only thing called into question here. if it was an off duty cop the civil suit will destroy him.

And I sincerely hope the maximum criminal and civil penalties are put up against this sort of private army bull crap. The second we allow it the majority of non violent non gun carrying peaceful types wont just be at the mercy of criminals and thugs but Criminals and thugs paid per hour.

Originally posted by boncho
Who had no respect for the children in the car? The woman albeit trying to flee her crime, or the person shooting bullets into the car. The crime was petty. The reaction to it, not so much.

Just as much as the officer in question had no clue of the woman's past, he probably didn't see the children in the car. I just don't understand how she is excused in placing the children in danger when all her actions were what led to the series of events that transpired.

Let us look at the actions of this woman and her friend:
-- If that woman chose not to steal, then the incident wouldn't have happened
-- If she adhered to the alleged ban and promise not to enter Walmart store, it wouldn't have happened
-- If she realized she was caught when called out and fessed up, it wouldn't have happened
-- If she or the others invloved had any care for the children they wouldn't have set out to commit a crime, evade a police officer, assault (allegedly) a police officer, etc etc.

Now that of the officer:
-- If the officer chose to back off from attending to a call of a purported crime, albeit, shoplifting, it wouldn't have happened.

Seems she had much more opportunity not to place those children at risk than the officer did. But hey, its a police officer and ATS salivates at these stories so have at it. Apparently even a level response gets the natives in a frenzy.

Most properly trained veteran cops know when to back off a pursuit and call for back up (particularly in high speed car chases) because they're able to recognize the fact that the situation has gotten out of control and is now putting other innocent victims at risk in the immediate surrounding area.

I won't be surprised at all if this turns out to be a rookie cowboy.

reply to post by CranialSponge


He was a 20 year vet of the force.

Wait... so was he inside the car when he fired his gun? Was he dragged some distance before he fired?

Originally posted by Carreau
reply to post by CranialSponge

 

He was a 20 year vet of the force.

Yup, I just watched the video and caught that he was a 26 year veteran.

Then there's not even the "rookie" excuse for his overzealous reactions...

Originally posted by Tearman
Wait... so was he inside the car when he fired his gun?

Unclear at this time. Only reported that he opened the door and she started going. The whole picture won't be known until an investigation is done.

Originally posted by CranialSponge
Talk about paying the ultimate penalty for stealing a "Made in China" $10 consumer product... someone took their job of "law enforcement" a little too seriously.

Meanwhile, there's a rapist down the street attacking and violently assaulting an innocent victim in a dark alley somewhere...

Yup, putting all effort forth to nab a shoplifter and "risking one's life" to do so is a far more important use of resources, time, and money.

Well, let that rapist go try something at Walmart. Those wali-cops don't take no crap.

Originally posted by rickymouse

Originally posted by CranialSponge
Talk about paying the ultimate penalty for stealing a "Made in China" $10 consumer product... someone took their job of "law enforcement" a little too seriously.

Meanwhile, there's a rapist down the street attacking and violently assaulting an innocent victim in a dark alley somewhere...

Yup, putting all effort forth to nab a shoplifter and "risking one's life" to do so is a far more important use of resources, time, and money.

Well, let that rapist go try something at Walmart. Those wali-cops don't take no crap.

Mental note to self:

If I ever have a run-in with a rapist, grab him by the top of the head and drag him over to a Walmart parking lot and let the "real" justice enforcers have at him.

reply to post by ownbestenemy

Now that of the officer:
-- If the officer chose to back off from attending to a call of a purported crime, albeit, shoplifting, it wouldn't have happened.

There was one officer and three adults. The crime was not violent, the officer was an eyewitness to it. He could have called for back up, or recorded their information and either him or other officers could have apprehended them in an appropriate manor.

The officer instigated the situation.

You listed 4 points the woman could have done differently. The officer could have not pulled the trigger. 1 simple one.

I'm not cop bashing here, I just don't see this as a justified series of events.

I hate the fact that these mega corporations can take cops off of the streets to protect their personal interests. Perhaps it's time to prevent it from happening and this is a good reason to argue against it. A license to kill customers !!
To those that state this is not about shoplifting but about the cops life being in danger, you are wrong. This all came about initially because of a 'shoplifting' offence. It's the fact that it was a cop and not a security guard not lead to her murder. If it was non armed guard that gave chase this would have had a different ending.
Cops should NOT be protecting big business. They are here to protect you and i.

I'm a licensed security guard, having returned to the industry since the recession killed my other trade- I've run teams at places where there are millions of dollars in cash and removable property on site, and the nature of the location makes it much easier to steal from than a retail store. None of these places I have worked have armed guards or even permit guards to make citizens arrests. We do it all with information now- we know when you came and when you left, we know if give been there before and still have all the information we got on you last time, we have your photograph and we have descriptions and license plates on every vehicle that comes around- we dont have to stop you right then and there- we can usually send the police right to your house with a warrant that we made it possible for them to obtain.

My point? This idiot was endangered by his own reckless actions and therefore was not justified shooting his way out of this perceived danger that he never should have entered. If this was a justified shooting, then it would also be justifiable to run out in front of the firing line at a rifle range unexpectedly and then "defend yourself" by returning fire. If he was doing the job right he would have calmly walked our and watched the car leave, given the police it's description plate and direction of travel, then documented all the info so if the cops didn't get it done this time they could just wait till the offender returned, at which point they could call the cops as the offender if entering rather than leaving, thus giving the police the time they need to make the catch. Afterall, you dont cross state lines and disguise yourself and all that james bond crap to rob walmart. You wake up not having something you need and you go to your local store like always and get it- you just skip the checkout part, and maybe wear a hat if youre paranoid, and you'll be back next time you want to buy or steal something, because you dont expect a lot of ongoing attention for a petty crime- but guards are paid to pay attention, so a good one will get you then. But for a stupid guard, it's now or never when the event happens, and for a REALLY stupid guard that means you have to sacrifice your safety over some bargain basement merchandise, and fighting to the death over it.

Wow cop was not a security guard but a real cop trying to do his job. I guess it would have been ok to let them go with all the stolen stuff and catch all the heat for the getaway from the guys at the station. Oh someone might have helped him off the ground if he was still alive after being run over by a two ton car. But maybe someone would have lifted his stuff too while he was hurt. Does his job wants to make it home to his family and im sure hes hurt by what he did but bash him and not the criminal. No wonder cops are such dicks to people they never get any respect only dogged and sued.

what's the better situation, someone running off without paying for merchandise or someone laying dead in a pool of blood in the parking lot.

10-1 odds the rent a cop is white.

doesn't walmart train these idiots. like sending a giant cardboard sign with "don't shoot shoplifters" in crayon.

so what if the person gets away. next time the person comes back talk to them.

now a stupid decision ends with someones life. only in america.

reply to post by gladtobehere


Deputy shoots and kills suspected shoplifter

.....................Prior to the shooting, a Walmart employee told Campbell that a group of women, including Frey, were stuffing store merchandise into their bags.

They paid for a few small items but then tried to leave without paying for the rest, Harris County sheriff's deputies said.

Campbell confronted the women in the doorway and ordered them to stop.

They tried to force their way past him.

One of the women, later identified as Frey, hit the deputy and ran.

Campbell followed them into the parking lot, where the shoplifting suspects climbed into a waiting car.

Campbell opened the car door and ordered Frey to get out. But she refused, officials said.

Andrews began to drive away while the deputy was standing between the open door and the driver's seat.

"She threw it in reverse and tried to run over the deputy," said Thomas Gilliland, a Harris County sheriff's spokesman.

Campbell later told investigators he feared for his safety and opened fire.

The car sped away.....................

Something to note -
There is a difference between robbery and burglary and stealing. Robbery has the required element of force being used to effect the action (in general and is general is also a felony).

For those who will try and make the argument... Please note I provided an article that contains more info and explained, in general, what robbery is. I am not condoning the deputies actions or the actions of the females involved. I am just adding more info.

reply to post by ed1320

No wonder cops are such dicks to people they never get any respect only dogged and sued.

Or there is that perception because of idiots like this guy. It is not fair to paint all police officers with one brush. Unfortunately in this case, the one in question hasn't helped public image of them at all.

One thing that also bothers me about the story, is Walmart hiring officers who are considered on duty while working in their stores as security. I previously had a dispute with Walmart about the amount of cash I handed one of their attendants. When I asked to see the security footage, they claimed the footage was private property of the corporation and I was not allowed. When I demanded, the clerk suggested they ought to call the police because I was disrupting the store. I said please do, the police can review the tapes then, because I believe one of your employees has stolen from me. The argument abruptly fizzled out, but I was dismayed by the attitude.

I don't see why Walmart should not be using regular security like everyone else, and only contacting police to report a crime when it has been committed. This is how the majority of private industry works, unless perhaps police are needed for public safety at the business. ex. critical infrastructure, or say road repairs, to ensure public safety only.

Modern security techniques, along with technology, can almost guarantee convictions of theft, especially with eyewitness accounts backing what is already on camera. Would it have been better to have the women caught with the goods outside the store? Yes. But they also could have been pulled over on the trip home (unaware) or a unmarked car could have been dispatched to follow. (Although I bet xCat will tell me this isn't protocol )

In any case, it was a non-violent, non serious crime. It didn't need to be resolved like a scene out of Lethal Weapon...

reply to post by ownbestenemy


He was doing what he was hired to do, she is completely at fault for making a decision to steal and for trying to avoid apprehension when confronted, she may have got away and had a wreck where she endangered the lives of other innocent people in the process, she had already demonstrated she didn't have any respect for her own kids...now did he have to shoot her, no, but she didn't have to put herself in that position in the first place.

Originally posted by randomname
10-1 odds the rent a cop is white.

What does that have to do with anything other than to fulfill your own narrative on the situation?

doesn't walmart train these idiots. like sending a giant cardboard sign with "don't shoot shoplifters" in crayon.

Maybe after it has been reported and pointed out, it will eventually reach you, that it was a deputy, not just some random door-shaker who happened to be carrying at that moment in time. As others have said this isn't condoning what the officer did, but come on, use some of that grey matter in between those ears.

so what if the person gets away. next time the person comes back talk to them.

now a stupid decision ends with someones life. only in america.

And a stupid decision led to that point, stupid to steal something no? Her action led directly to the situation that transpired. Should it have ended the way it did? Absolutely not, but if we examine the whole the situation everything that led up to the point of her death were because of her actions. So yes, only in America where people get on a message board and denigrate the officer who, made a bad decision, but was answer to a reported crime in progress.