Dallas officer enters apartment she mistakes for her own, fatally shoots man inside

[Jaskalas]

You think being a cop is an easy job?

It's not a license to kill.

In this case an innocent man was gunned down, in his own home.

 

[dasherHampton]

So...because it's a difficult job, we should let them off easy when they fuck up and blow someone away?

WTF - when did I say that?

 

[dasherHampton]

It's not a license to kill.

Again - WTF when did I say that?

 

[Viper GTS]

I'd say it's time you started training them properly and holding them accountable when they fuck up. "I feared for my life" is a fucking get out of jail free card.

The answer is probably by necessity both - Who is going to want to take a job that pays shit, expects you to carry a lethal weapon, and is waiting to lock you up if you make a mistake? I have no doubts that there are bad cops out there but I don't think that most of these people woke up thinking 'Hey I'm bored maybe I'll kill somebody today!' If as a society we are going to take away the benefit of the doubt that they currently get then we also probably need to rid ourselves of the idea that a cop with a gun is going to show up and save the day. You can't have it both ways.

Note that I'm not saying the benefit of the doubt excuses this situation, nor any of the other egregious examples lately. The era of HD video cameras carried by everyone is going to eliminate a lot of uncertainty in these cases. But - There are still going to be gray areas, if those start falling consistently against the officers involved nobody is going to want the job.

Viper GTS

 

[Perknose]

I think no guns is taking it too far.

Well . . . shoot.

 

[ecogen]

The answer is probably by necessity both - Who is going to want to take a job that pays shit, expects you to carry a lethal weapon, and is waiting to lock you up if you make a mistake? I have no doubts that there are bad cops out there but I don't think that most of these people woke up thinking 'Hey I'm bored maybe I'll kill somebody today!' If as a society we are going to take away the benefit of the doubt that they currently get then we also probably need to rid ourselves of the idea that a cop with a gun is going to show up and save the day. You can't have it both ways.

Viper GTS

I see your point to a certain extent.

On the other hand I don't see how cases like this one, or Daniel Shaver, or the dude that got shot because of the Swatting call, or the dude that got shot for holding a cell phone etc etc fall under the "benefit of doubt".

US cops are straight up getting away with murdering people.

 

[Vic]

Did they just happen to have all the same furnishings? Damn Ikea...

 

[Bumrush99]

I see your point to a certain extent.

On the other hand I don't see how cases like this one, or Daniel Shaver, or the dude that got shot because of the Swatting call, or the dude that got shot for holding a cell phone etc etc fall under the "benefit of doubt".

US cops are straight up getting away with murdering people.

The fact that the Dallas PD didn't immediately interview speaks volumes as to how these cases are treated.

If this was a civilian they would immediately be booked, drug tested and tested for alcohol.

These assholes haven't interviewed her yet.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...t-she-mistakes-her-own-fatally-shoots-n907411

The officer was not immediately identified, and was being placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

At a news conference early Friday, Dallas police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said they had yet to interview the officer and would not speculate as to whether she mistakenly entered another apartment and believed the man already inside was an intruder.

Gives her the time to sober up (if in fact she was drunk), concoct a story and get off.

Ridiculous.

 

[ecogen]

The fact that the Dallas PD didn't immediately interview speaks volumes as to how these cases are treated.

If this was a civilian they would immediately be booked, drug tested and tested for alcohol.

These assholes haven't interviewed her yet.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...t-she-mistakes-her-own-fatally-shoots-n907411



Gives her the time to sober up (if in fact she was drunk), concoct a story and get off.

Ridiculous.

Yup, this wasn't even work related. She straight up entered the wrong house and murdered that poor man. Anyone other than a cop would be in cuffs right now.

 

[Jaskalas]

Did they just happen to have all the same furnishings? Damn Ikea...

It's pretty clear she shot first and asked questions later.

 

[Blackjack200]

The answer is probably by necessity both - Who is going to want to take a job that pays shit, expects you to carry a lethal weapon, and is waiting to lock you up if you make a mistake? I have no doubts that there are bad cops out there but I don't think that most of these people woke up thinking 'Hey I'm bored maybe I'll kill somebody today!' If as a society we are going to take away the benefit of the doubt that they currently get then we also probably need to rid ourselves of the idea that a cop with a gun is going to show up and save the day. You can't have it both ways.

Note that I'm not saying the benefit of the doubt excuses this situation, nor any of the other egregious examples lately. The era of HD video cameras carried by everyone is going to eliminate a lot of uncertainty in these cases. But - There are still going to be gray areas, if those start falling consistently against the officers involved nobody is going to want the job.

Viper GTS

Jesus Christ, this is the whitest fucking rant I've ever read in my life. One thing I agree on: people do need to rid themselves of the idea that a cop is going to save the day. They make the situation worse, every time.

 

[Jaskalas]

You think being a cop is an easy job?

It's not a license to kill.

Again - WTF when did I say that?

It is your first quote, as if it is a suitable reply / response to this topic. As if you have excused this officer's action(s) because their job is difficult, it is dangerous. But there is no excuse for what she did. A responsible gun owner is supposed to know what they are doing before they pull that trigger. She clearly failed at that. It should not matter what her job is, she should face the full consequences of her actions.

 

[Viper GTS]

I see your point to a certain extent.

On the other hand I don't see how cases like this one, or Daniel Shaver, or the dude that got shot because of the Swatting call, or the dude that got shot for holding a cell phone etc etc fall under the "benefit of doubt".

US cops are straight up getting away with murdering people.

Making what is deemed to be the wrong decision (with the benefit of hindsight and 100% situational awareness) is not murder.

You cannot expect perfection, if you want armed police it is inevitable that there will be deaths that should have been avoided. Some may rise to crimes. Most will not.

Viper GTS

 

[ecogen]

Making what is deemed to be the wrong decision (with the benefit of hindsight and 100% situational awareness) is not murder.

You cannot expect perfection, if you want armed police it is inevitable that there will be deaths that should have been avoided. Some may rise to crimes. Most will not.

Viper GTS

You're arguing something I never said. All the examples I brought were cops getting away with murder in situations that they were 100% in the wrong.

 

[TheVrolok]

She should do time. Period.

 

[Viper GTS]

You're arguing something I never said. All the examples I brought were cops getting away with murder in situations that they were 100% in the wrong.

You said that cops are getting away with murder. I'll happily give you this one and Shaver. I'll also give you Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and Terence Crutcher. The third example you gave was completely non specific and (based purely on the ten words you gave me to work with) likely a gray area.

As an example of a potentially gray area:

http://time.com/5383176/uber-driver-stand-your-ground/

To be clear, he's not a cop (yet, he has graduated from a police academy). Fundamentally he shot a man armed with nothing more than a cell phone. Yet he's 100% in the right IMO.

Viper GTS

 

[ecogen]

You said that cops are getting away with murder. I'll happily give you this one and Shaver. I'll also give you Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and Terence Crutcher. The third example you gave was completely non specific and (based purely on the ten words you gave me to work with) likely a gray area.

Viper GTS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Wichita_swatting Read up.

 

[Viper GTS]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Wichita_swatting Read up.

I'm well aware of the incident yet you gave no data to tie specifically to that, and it is certainly not the only time someone has been shot with a cell phone in their hand.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/22/us/sacramento-police-shooting/index.html

We fundamentally agree on most of this - US police are killing far too many people, and that death toll falls disproportionately on the black population. This must change.

Charging police with murder every time they fuck up is not the solution. I don't claim to have all the answers but I'd start with:

1) Fundamental shift in how police are trained
2) Stopping the militarization of local police departments
3) Increasing community engagement/presence so that people know their local police
4) Reduce prevalence of weapons in public (reduces fear)
5) Eventually eliminate police carry of deadly weapons

Viper GTS

 

[Zorba]

I'd say it's time you started training them properly and holding them accountable when they fuck up. "I feared for my life" is a fucking get out of jail free card.

The crazy thing is, he could've shot her for breaking in and gotten away with it too. It's crazy how many cases both people would be "justified" in killing each other.

 

[ecogen]

I'm well aware of the incident yet you gave no data to tie specifically to that, and it is certainly not the only time someone has been shot with a cell phone in their hand.

Viper GTS

That's the swatting not the cell phone incident. Listen, these are off the top of my head, I'll be able to bring you many more if I actually dig. These incidents are proof that cops can get away with murder. What else do you want?

 

[Viper1j]

She should do time. Period.

She won't. Apparently they found that he had some crack sprinkled on him..

 

[ecogen]

She won't. Apparently they found that he had some crack sprinkled on him..

Open and shut case Johnson, good work.

 

[alien42]

I don't think that is a thing. A kinetic weapon would not likely work as it loses energy very quickly when its large. Rubber bullets hurt but from only so far away, and don't always do enough damage to stop someone.

A taser works well but its prone to other issues. There is nothing that I can think of that has the speed and flexibility needed. Hell, even tasers kill people.

What about a net gun?

 

[Vic]

She should do time. Period.

I have to agree with this. There is no story that I can possibly conceive of that can excuse for entering the wrong residence and shooting and killing the lawful resident inside. Just none. Even if he fought back, it was his right to defend his house.

 

[realibrad]

What about a net gun?

Not flexible in most situations. Those are large and not easy to use in close contact situations. They are also basically single use as reloading would take too long. There is no net gun that I know of that has a useful range that is far too large to carry around like a gun or taser.