Suicide by Cop caught by Body Camera in Idaho

Link

This footage is quite incredible but I think it shows what LEOS can encounter on a daily basis. I feel that ALL of them should be outfit with this technology as it would help to rectify situations that are justified as well as protect the public. The officer will not be brought up on charges.

Four more times Mortensen yelled for Johnston to put the knives down as the man continued to walk toward the officer. Then he fired five times from a few feet away, and Johnston crumpled to the floor.

Mortensen and other officers approached the apartment at 1422 E. Young Ave. shortly before 8 a.m. that Sunday looking for Johnston, who had driven his pickup truck into a utility pole, knocking it over, a half-hour earlier about a block away.

Johnston’s friend, Wendy Woods, came out of the apartment as Mortensen approached and was standing just outside when the shooting occurred.

“I’m worried about him cutting himself,” Woods told Mortensen before the shooting. Afterward, she became distraught, screaming at officers, and was placed in handcuffs and led away.
Read more at www.liveleak.com...

What was this guy running from that he tried to hit a pole( another attempt to take his life) and thankfully he did not hurt the woman who's house it was.

Why were five bullets necessary to put this guy down? Why not a taser? I'm not accusing the cops of anything, I'm curious as to what protocol demands given this particular situation and why.

reply to post by matafuchs



The leo didnt need to kill him ... a bullet in the leg would of been enough .. i think i heard 4 bullets WTF !!!!

I wish i never saw that

reply to post by matafuchs


A flag for attention & discussion...

I have no problem with LEOs using body cams if all is legitimate, but there are too many missing variables in this particular instance right now for me...

I agree with above posters in that it is a definite use of excessive force given the lack of additional evidence.

The woman didn't seem to be overly distressed until after the killing...then, convenient black out of body cam...Huh???

Any other sources?

reply to post by matafuchs

What was this guy running from that he tried to hit a pole( another attempt to take his life) and thankfully he did not hurt the woman who's house it was.

They were friends. She was worried about him hurting himself not her. You know, police and others deal with mentally ill people on a one time basis and assess situations with a threat level that requires preventative measures like seen in the video.

Forcing the woman out of the house, shooting the man when he didn't respond to voice commands.

I'm not saying the officer was wrong in his shooting either. The caveat I have, is that people all over have to deal with others like this on a daily basis. And many a times they could simply call police and the same thing might happen, yet everyday people are talked down from doing stupid things. Or simply have to be talked to from losing it. Mental health issues are rampant especially in poorer areas.

I think the crash definitely added to the situation though. That changes the impression of the suspect to someone who might harm himself to someone who is trying to get away from a crime. And probably made an impact on the LEO involved.

nofear39
The leo didnt need to kill him ... a bullet in the leg would of been enough .. i think i heard 4 bullets WTF !!!!

That's great if you are Jack Bauer...
In the real world it's much harder to shoot someone in the leg and still not kill them.
I have no issues with this scenario, if you pull the trigger on a gun in a situation like that you don't hedge your bed.

What I wish could have happened is the use of non-lethal or less than lethal ammo to incapacitate.

In the end 1 person is responsible for this event and that person shouldn't have made that choice.

nofear39
reply to post by matafuchs

 

The leo didnt need to kill him ... a bullet in the leg would of been enough .. i think i heard 4 bullets WTF !!!!

Yeah but then he'd be alive to answer the ambulance chasing lawyer calls and there'd be a lawsuit with a huge sum payout. Safer just to aim for middle.

In all seriousness though a person with a knife can lunge at you quickly and a bullet in the leg is no guarantee it would slow him down by the time he got there.

If a man points a gun at you and tells you to drop the knife, and you walk towards him with the knife still in hand.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BAD TIME.

Sorry but the guy could have shot to wound, he wasn't running at him just walking slow...heck I bet a shot to the floor would have made him drop.
The cop made sure he would never get up again.

Yet another example of an inept idiot with a gun. There was no reason to shoot at all. The guy wasn't being threatening. He needed a tazer and psychological help. Clear evidence that the human race hasn't progressed much passed the dark ages.

that was more force than was necessary. overkill.

reply to post by nofear39


A bullet in the leg may not have been enough. The suspect could have thrown a knife at him and I am sure the officer wanted to go home to his family that night. The SUSPECT, should have put the knives down. Bottom line, he was at fault. This LEO was justified in doing what he did. Not ALL LEO are power abusing pieces of crap.

Have any of you ever been in this situation? Shoot to wound? Rule #1 of pulling a gun is you do not unless you intend to use it to kill and/o defend yourself.

What this did was make sure that the person who was the homeowner could not say, as some of the witnesses did, that the cop did this with no provocation. That was my point with the body cam.

The camera should be on the cap, it's no use without a clear view. Armed officers in the UK will soon be issued with cameras to be worn on the cap.
I think the cop should have stayed longer at the front door though, instead he advanced in around the corner and made the confrontation, when otherwise nothing was happening.

Knives can kill, unless I am mistaken?
Guy advances towards cop with gun after being warned.
Seems reasonable at this stage to shoot the guy, justifiable homicide.
Tragic, yes, preventable, yes, don't advance on a cop with a gun when you are holding knives, bad Juju!
And as for shooting to wound, felons are usually pumped up with drugs and adrenaline in these situations and a couple of non-lethal hits from anything below .45 cal. is unlikely to put the perp. down and will usually increase the adrenalin so you then get an even more hyped assailant still with two lethal weapons, it's a no-brainier!
Non-lethal ammo, same as for below .45 cal. I vote for .45 because anything less is a waste of ammo.
The assailant was given fair warning and the cop had even tried to maintain separation distance by moving back, guy still advancing, imminent threat to life, bang, bang...
Not the cops fault on this occasion.

opethPA

nofear39
The leo didnt need to kill him ... a bullet in the leg would of been enough .. i think i heard 4 bullets WTF !!!!

That's great if you are Jack Bauer...
In the real world it's much harder to shoot someone in the leg and still not kill them.
I have no issues with this scenario, if you pull the trigger on a gun in a situation like that you don't hedge your bed.

What I wish could have happened is the use of non-lethal or less than lethal ammo to incapacitate.

In the end 1 person is responsible for this event and that person shouldn't have made that choice.

Im glad i live in the UK not in the USA ..The police here have to deal with knive attacks all the time and get trained just for that scenario in the video..and we dont hear of many police deaths by them getting stabbed.

I cant see how shooting the guy times 4 times as hes walking toward you with his hands down is the right thing to do ....

Shuftystick

The assailant was given fair warning and the cop had even tried to maintain separation distance by moving back, guy still advancing, imminent threat to life, bang, bang...
Not the cops fault on this occasion.

What assailant was that?

Tazers are so over rated.

You call the police for help- they bring down your world.

That said- that man holding the knife should have known cops are quick on the draw and wont hesitate to take your life.

This guy was obviously mentally disturbed- I mean who walks towards someone pointing a gun at them while weilding a knife?

Darwin award Yes- Does this excuse the cops actions- absolutely not.

two psychos trying to prove which is the craziest. cop proved who won that challenge.

Are you used to this yet folks?

Proves 3 things:

American civilians, officials, & government are all in 'kill & self destruct mode'

Wonder whyyy