Tale of Two Cops

First story: I have to say that both the chief and the prosecutor got it right: chief fired this guy for violating policy and creating the situation that lead to the shooting. The prosecutor declined to file charges because the scope of his investigation only covers the shooting, and not the entirety of the incident. There are numerous articles about this incident out there but this one is the most in depth I found. It sounds to me that they have a new law requiring all shootings to be reviewed by a third party, too. Will be interested to see what happens with the civil rights claim, but there's no news on that front as the request to investigate was just made.

m.csmonitor.com...

Second story is short and sweet: officer on his way home heard a 911 call for a kid choking in a store and went in to help. Body can footage caught part of it.

m.today.com...

a reply to: Shamrock6

Weird that this cop felt that he needed to shoot a developmentally disabled man. I've had to restrain dozens of developmentally disabled people and have never had to shoot any of them. Well, I also didn't have a gun strapped to my side and the authority to kill whenever I feel threatened. Give a monkey a paintbrush, I guess.

a reply to: Shamrock6

It sounds to me that they have a new law requiring all shootings to be reviewed by a third party, too

Yeah.

Pay attention to who that third party is. Its more often than not, someone who is not local who is professionally obliged to be loyal to the federal government.

a reply to: DrJunk

As was explained in the article, he shot him because the victim got his baton away from him and knocked him around with it.

I think the better question is why he felt the need to put his hands on this guy in the first place. For better or worse the shoot is justified. I don't understand why he felt the need to create the situation that lead to the shoot, though.

a reply to: tadaman

I think one of the other articles I saw said it was somebody from state level, but don't quote me on that. The Feds are the ones who would go after a civil rights violation, and that can go either way if recent history means anything.

I would be stunned to not see any kind of civil rights case brought in this incident. But then again who knows anymore.

originally posted by: Shamrock6
For better or worse the shoot is justified.

The prosecutor declined to file charges. That's not the same as being put on trial and having your actions judged by a jury of your peers.

If this police officer escalated the situation, I don't understand how the shooting that occurred could be considered justified.

a reply to: DrJunk

There's a difference between not having charges filed at all and a jury trial? I had no idea

The prosecutor declined to file charges because the investigation INTO THE SHOOTING determined it was a justifiable use of deadly force. Ergo, a justified shoot.

And, again, the investigation was ONLY into the shooting, not the entire incident. The chief believed the officer failed from the start and fired him, which is the most he could do. I have no idea how things work in Milwaukee. If the laws are set that the DA can only look at the specific use of force and not the entire incident, then that's the problem.

Did you even read the article?

originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: DrJunk

There's a difference between not having charges filed at all and a jury trial? I had no idea

The prosecutor declined to file charges because the investigation INTO THE SHOOTING determined it was a justifiable use of deadly force. Ergo, a justified shoot.

And, again, the investigation was ONLY into the shooting, not the entire incident. The chief believed the officer failed from the start and fired him, which is the most he could do. I have no idea how things work in Milwaukee. If the laws are set that the DA can only look at the specific use of force and not the entire incident, then that's the problem.

Did you even read the article?

Yeah, I read the article. It was biased, but I expect that slant from the Monitor.

What I see is another cop getting away with killing another citizen because he was a coward with a gun.

a reply to: DrJunk

Try reading any of the other dozens of articles that I mentioned in the OP then