When The Cops Are Killed By Criminals

[Reub]

"Saturday, Jan 3, 2015 • Updated at 4:15 PM EST

Slain NYPD officer Wenjian Liu will be laid to rest this weekend in Brooklyn with eulogies from the mayor and police chief, as well as a ceremony led by Buddhist monks to mourn the city's first Chinese-American police officer shot and killed in the line of duty.

A viewing for Liu, 32, will be held at the Ralph Aievoli & Son Funeral Home in Dyker Heights Saturday, and the funeral will be held at the same location Sunday. He will be buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn."

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/We ... 73601.html

R.I.P.

[Reub]

Yes. But they didn't die in a vacuum.

[Ad Orientem]

Memory eternal.

[Reub]

Police deaths rose in 2014. Here is a list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_A ... ne_of_duty

End of Watch Name Department Cause of Death
2014-1-21 Detective Sergeant Tom Smith[43] Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department, CA Gunfire (Accidental)
2014-1-23 Police Officer Kristian Willhight[44] Burns Flat Police Department, OK Vehicle pursuit
2014-1-23 Undersheriff Brian Beck[45] Washita County Sheriff's Office, OK Vehicle pursuit
2014-1-26 Sergeant David Baldwin[46] Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, CO Motorcycle accident
2014-1-27 Animal Control Officer Eddie Maurice Hamer[47] Hardeman County Sheriff's Office, TN Automobile accident
2014-1-30 Sergeant Cory Wride[48] Utah County Sheriff's Office, UT Gunfire
2014-1-31 Deputy Sheriff Percy Lee House, III[49] Greensville County Sheriff's Office, VA Automobile accident
2014-2-11 Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Scott Pine[50] Orange County Sheriff's Office, FL Gunfire
2014-2-16 Correctional Officer Amanda Baker[51] Scotts Bluff County Detention Center, NE Assault
2014-2-17 Officer Brian Law[52] California Highway Patrol, CA Automobile accident
2014-2-17 Officer Juan Gonzalez[53] California Highway Patrol, CA Automobile accident
2014-3-3 Detective John Hobbs[54] Phoenix Police Department, AZ Gunfire
2014-3-7 Police Officer III Nicholas Choung Lee[55] Los Angeles Police Department, CA Automobile accident
2014-3-10 Agent Joaquín Correa-Ortega[56] Puerto Rico Police Department, PR Gunfire
2014-3-12 Officer Jason Crisp[57] United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, US Gunfire
2014-3-14 Police Officer Marc Uland Kelley[58] Trinity University Police Department, TX Heart attack
2014-3-17 Chief Deputy Sheriff Pete Richardson[59] Lafayette County Sheriff's Office, AR Vehicular assault
2014-3-17 Police Officer James Morrissy[60] Oak Forest Police Department, IL Automobile accident
2014-3-19 Deputy Sheriff Ricky Del Fiorentino[61] Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, CA Gunfire
2014-3-22 Police Officer Robert German[62] Windermere Police Department, FL Gunfire
2014-3-24 Master-at-Arms Mark Mayo[63] United States Navy Security Forces, US Gunfire
2014-3-24 Officer Mark H. Larson[64] Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, FL Vehicular assault
2014-3-31 Police Officer Alexander Thalmann[65] New Bern Police Department, NC Gunfire
2014-3-31 Police Officer David W. Smith[66] Johnson City Police Department, NY Gunfire
2014-4-1 Police Officer Gregg Maloney[67] Plymouth Police Department, MA Motorcycle accident
2014-4-2 Deputy Sheriff Ernest T. Franklin[68] Barren County Sheriff's Office, KY Automobile accident
2014-4-9 Police Officer Dennis Guerra[69] New York City Police Department, NY Fire
2014-4-9 Police Officer II Chris Cortijo[70] Los Angeles Police Department, CA Vehicular assault
2014-4-10 Agent Marielis Morales-Santiago[71] Puerto Rico Police Department, PR Automobile accident
2014-4-14 Deputy Sheriff Michael J. Seversen[72] Polk County Sheriff's Office, WI Gunfire
2014-4-18 Deputy Sheriff William Heath Kelley[73] Covington County Sheriff's Office, AL Automobile accident
2014-4-28 Deputy Sheriff Bryan Marshall Berger[74] Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office, VA Heart attack
2014-5-1 Trooper Gabriel Rich[75] Alaska State Troopers, AK Gunfire
2014-5-1 Sergeant Patrick Scott Johnson[76] Alaska State Troopers, AK Gunfire
2014-5-3 Police Officer II Roberto C. Sanchez[77] Los Angeles Police Department, CA Vehicular assault
2014-5-3 Trooper Chelsea Richard[78] Florida Highway Patrol, FL Struck by vehicle
2014-5-4 Police Officer Noel Lee Hawk[79] Eatonton Police Department, GA Heart attack
2014-5-9 Master Sergeant John Collum[80] Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, MS Vehicular assault
2014-5-10 Police Officer Michael Alexander Petrina[81] Metro Nashville Police Department, TN Struck by vehicle
2014-5-11 Detective Charles Dinwiddie[82] Killeen Police Department, TX Gunfire
2014-5-12 Patrolman Stephen Arkell[83] Brentwood Police Department, NH Gunfire
2014-5-21 Deputy Sheriff Steven LaCruz "Cruz" Thomas[84] Franklin County Sheriff's Office, GA Automobile accident
2014-5-21 Correctional Officer Chad Charles[85] Michigan Department of Corrections, MI Heart attack
2014-5-24 Police Officer Jair Cabrera[86] Salt River Police Department, TR Gunfire
2014-5-28 Border Patrol Agent Alexander Giannini[87] United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol, US Automobile accident
2014-5-29 Trooper Christopher Skinner[88] New York State Police, NY Vehicular assault
2014-5-29 Special Deputy Marshal Frank McKnight[89] United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, US Struck by vehicle
2014-5-30 Police Officer Brian Jones[90] Norfolk Police Department, VA Gunfire
2014-5-30 Sergeant Paul Buckles[91] Potter County Sheriff's Office, TX Heart attack
2014-5-31 Police Officer Kevin Dorian Jordan[92] Griffin Police Department, GA Gunfire
2014-6-2 Sergeant Daryl Giles[93] Philadelphia School Police Department, PA Heart attack
2014-6-8 Police Officer Igor Soldo[94] Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, NV Gunfire
2014-6-8 Police Officer Alyn Beck[95] Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, NV Gunfire
2014-6-11 Police Officer Scott Hewell[96] Stockton Police Department, CA Automobile accident
2014-6-19 Chief of Police Lee Dixon[97] Little River-Academy Police Department, TX Gunfire
2014-6-23 Deputy Sheriff Allen Bares, Jr.[98] Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office, LA Gunfire
2014-6-28 Deputy Sheriff Jacob Daniel Calvin[99] Tipton County Sheriff's Office, IN Automobile accident
2014-7-5 Officer Perry W. Renn[100] Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, IN Gunfire
2014-7-6 Patrolman Jeffrey Brady Westerfield[101] Gary Police Department, IN Gunfire
2014-7-13 Detective Melvin Santiago[102] Jersey City Police Department, NJ Gunfire
2014-7-17 Police Officer Christopher Goodell[103] Waldwick Police Department, NJ Automobile accident
2014-7-30 Police Officer Scott Patrick[104] Mendota Heights Police Department, MN Gunfire
2014-8-12 Sheriff Mark A. Hecker[105] Butler County Sheriff's Office, NE Heart attack
2014-8-12 Lieutenant Patrick Libertone[106] Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA Heart attack
2014-8-14 Deputy Sheriff Joseph James Dunn[107] Cascade County Sheriff's Office, MT Vehicular assault
2014-8-23 Chief of Police Michael Pimentel[108] Elmendorf Police Department, TX Gunfire
2014-8-25 Agent Geniel Amaro-Fantauzzi[109] Puerto Rico Police Department, PR Gunfire
2014-8-28 Constable Cleve Johnson[110] Titus County Constable's Office - Precinct 2, TX Automobile accident
2014-9-3 Police Officer Daryl Pierson[111] Rochester Police Department, NY Gunfire
2014-9-7 Patrolman II Nickolaus E. Schultz[112] Merrillville Police Department, IN Gunfire
2014-9-7 Corporal Jason E. Harwood[113] Topeka Police Department, KS Gunfire
2014-9-8 Deputy Sheriff Joseph Matuskovic[114] Charleston County Sheriff's Office, SC Gunfire
2014-9-12 Border Patrol Agent Tyler R. Robledo[115] United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol, US Automobile accident
2014-9-12 Corporal Bryon Keith Dickson, II[116] Pennsylvania State Police, PA Gunfire
2014-9-14 Deputy Sheriff Michael Norris[117] Monroe County Sheriff's Office, GA Gunfire
2014-9-16 Police Officer Reinaldo Arocha, Jr.[118] Newark Police Department, NJ Heart attack
2014-9-18 Senior Deputy Jessica Laura Hollis[119] Travis County Sheriff's Office, TX Drowned
2014-9-21 Police Officer Michael Williams[120] New York City Police Department, NY Automobile accident
2014-9-30 Police Officer Jordan Corder[121] Covina Police Department, CA Motorcycle accident
2014-9-30 Trooper David Kedra[122] Pennsylvania State Police, PA Gunfire (Accidental)
2014-10-9 Sergeant Michael Joe Naylor[123] Midland County Sheriff's Office, TX Gunfire
2014-10-20 Police Officer Eddie Johnson, Jr.[124] Alton Police Department, MO Automobile accident
2014-10-24 Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver[125] Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, CA Gunfire
2014-10-24 Investigator Michael David Davis, Jr.[126] Placer County Sheriff's Department, CA Gunfire
2014-10-24 Detective Kagan Dindar[127] Clarksville Police Department, TN Heart attack
2014-10-25 Deputy Sheriff John Timothy Williamson[128] Butler County Sheriff's Office, AL Heart attack
2014-10-26 Officer Anthony Haase[129] Rio Rancho Police Department, NM Automobile accident
2014-10-26 Patrolman Robert Blajszczak[130] Summerville Police Department, SC Heart attack
2014-10-27 Sergeant Jeffrey W. Garrett[131] Dothan Police Department, AL Heart attack
2014-10-28 Deputy Sheriff Eugene Kostiuchenko[132] Ventura County Sheriff's Office, CA Vehicular assault
2014-10-29 Deputy Sheriff Jesse Valdez, III[133] Harris County Sheriff's Office, TX Vehicular assault
2014-10-29 Police Officer Shaun Richard Diamond[134] Pomona Police Department, CA Gunfire
2014-10-31 Police Officer David Payne[135] Chandler Police Department, AZ Vehicular assault
2014-11-1 Constable Robert Parker White[136] El Paso County Constable's Office - Precinct 1, TX Assault
2014-11-2 Deputy Sheriff Matthew Chism[137] Cedar County Sheriff's Office, MO Gunfire
2014-11-4 Deputy Sheriff Darrell Perritt[138] Maury County Sheriff's Department, TN Vehicle pursuit
2014-11-5 Investigator Holmes Smith[139] Clarendon County Sheriff's Department, SC Automobile accident
2014-11-14 Police Officer Ronald A. Leisure[140] United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police Services, US Heart attack
2014-11-16 Police Officer Justin Winebrenner[141] Akron Police Department, OH Gunfire
2014-11-19 Sergeant Jeffrey Wayne Greene[142] Union County Sheriff's Office, NC Automobile accident
2014-11-21 Sergeant Alejandro "Alex" Martinez[143] Willacy County Sheriff's Office, TX Automobile accident
2014-11-22 Deputy Sheriff Christopher Smith[144] Leon County Sheriff's Office, FL Gunfire
2014-11-23 Deputy Sheriff James "Bart" Hart[145] Elmore County Sheriff's Office, AL Automobile accident
2014-11-26 Agent Edwin O. Roman-Acevedo[146] San Juan Police Department, PR Gunfire
2014-11-30 Police Officer Ernest Montoya[147] Navajo Division of Public Safety, TR Heart attack
2014-12-7 Deputy Sheriff Grant William Whitaker[148] Ingham County Sheriff's Office, MI Vehicle pursuit
2014-12-14 Police Officer Richard Anthony Champion[149] Perryopolis Borough Police Department, PA Vehicle pursuit
2014-12-16 Deputy Sheriff John Robert Street[150] George County Sheriff's Office, MS Automobile accident
2014-12-20 Police Officer Rafael Ramos[151] New York City Police Department, NY Gunfire
2014-12-20 Police Officer Wenjian Liu[152] New York City Police Department, NY Gunfire
2014-12-21 Police Officer Charles Kondek[153] Tarpon Springs Police Department, FL Gunfire

Sorry that the list is so long.

[dualstow]

Took me a while to realize that this was not the thread on which it is based.
R.I.P.

[MachineGhost]

We need to ban guns and automobiles stat!

Of course, this list pales in comparison to all the unnamed fatherless black males killed last year.  But we don't care about them, do we?  Shrug.

[Reub]

We need to ban guns and automobiles stat!

Of course, this list pales in comparison to all the unnamed fatherless black males killed last year.  But we don't care about them, do we?  Shrug.

Who said that we didn't care about them? But at least they have Obama, Sharpton, Holder, and Deblasio on their side.

[Pointedstick]

15 heart attacks, wow. That suggests more than anything else how stressful of a job it is.

And about the unnamed fatherless black males, I believe that most of them are killed by other unnamed fatherless black males, so people outside of the unnamed fatherless black male community don't even have to really think about it.

[Reub]

Who knew that so many of these black male victims were "fatherless"? And what happened to all of those fathers anyway?  Were they all test tube babies born in vitro? Did all of the fathers die in Bush's evil wars? Were they abducted by aliens?

[MachineGhost]

Who knew that so many of these black male victims were "fatherless"? And what happened to all of those fathers anyway?  Were they all test tube babies born in vitro? Did all of the fathers die in Bush's evil wars? Were they abducted by aliens?

Well, it's pretty tough to be a father when you're constantly imprisoned in the prison industry complex and/or can't get a job to support a family because of that being on your record.  And this is a direct legacy of conservative policies going back to the 60's or earlier in flooding the black community with illegal narcotics and so forth.  So essentially, we have yet to fully deal with the consequences of our actions towards the black community.  In the meantime, of course its comforting to rely on the police to corral all them fatherless black men into "island unto themselves".  Already, there are far more women than men remaining in the black community, so I guess the "problem" has been slowly solving itself at cost of other knockon effects.  Are we satisfied with this?

The parallels between, say old Scotland, Tibet, Palestine and even The Hunger Games or Snowpiercer, is awful close for comfort.  If there's one thing we should have learned from history, intentionally oppressing people eventually builds up into a time bomb.

[Reub]

Is that what cops do? Intentionally oppress people? Or keep them alive?

[Reub]

With today's religion of peace terrorist attack in Paris I wanted to know who will be defending us from this vile cancer if all of the police are vilified and demonized? And God forbid we listen in on their phone calls or visit their places of, er, worship.

[MachineGhost]

With today's religion of peace terrorist attack in Paris I wanted to know who will be defending us from this vile cancer if all of the police are vilified and demonized? And God forbid we listen in on their phone calls or visit their places of, er, worship.

I'll be so very happy when robots finally replace human beings in law enforcement.  We don't want to wind up with this:

[img width=1024]http://www.i400calci.com/wp-content/upl ... allone.jpg[/img]

[MediumTex]

I have encountered many different types of police officers in my travels.

Many of them are professionals who do an outstanding job of helping to maintain an orderly society.

Others are loose cannons who crave violence and power.

Still others are just mentally weak people who can be persuaded to do bad things by members of the second group above (or perhaps to just help cover them up).

There are way too many cops, though, to make any blanket statement or conclusion about all of them.

I think that what troubles many people is the tendency we have seen since 9/11 to turn police departments into paramilitary organizations, and this tendency manifests in the training that police officers receive and in the equipment they are provided with to do their jobs, and this training and equipment does seem to tilt in the direction of the faster and more efficient delivery of violence (just as modern military training does).

The whole premise behind the post 9/11 change in many police departments was based on a flawed premise--i.e., that local police departments would be fighting terrorists all over the country, which really hasn't happened.

I think that the death of any person who is trying to move through life without seeking violent solutions to problems is to be mourned, whether that death involves the senseless killing of a police officer by a criminal, or the senseless killing of a private citizen by a police officer.

The key fact and principal tragedy is the senseless killing, not who the victim is.

It is incredibly frustrating to me to see these professional troublemakers like Sharpton and company traveling the country with no purpose beyond stoking anger while offering no solutions.  It's also kind of sad that the media covers them so lavishly.  One of the unfortunate by-products of this dynamic is that it seems to only generate more senseless violence, not less.

***

To cite the recent Missouri situation involving the black teenager and the white police officer as an example, I think that the whole media narrative was fundamentally misguided.  I did not think that case involved the gratuitous delivery of police violence, and that particular case did not seem to be racially motivated.  The idea that Sharpton and company seemed to be pedaling, though, was that any time a white police officer shoots a black person, it's racially motivated, which is ridiculous.  As I looked at the facts of that case, I saw two young black suspects fleeing the scene of a robbery, and as they fled one of the suspects inexplicably confronted a police officer and physically assaulted him.  In the process of fighting with the police officer, the officer drew his weapon and killed the suspect.  The other suspect did not attack the officer and was not injured.

If I had been the D.A. in the Missouri case, I would have seriously considered bringing murder charges against the victim's friend under the "felony murder" rule, since they were both in the process of fleeing a felony when the death of his friend occurred, and his friend's death was an entirely foreseeable result of physically attacking a police officer as they fled the scene of the crime.

There are a zillion racist cops out there, and any black person in the U.S. can probably tell you about a bad experience with the police that was based on profiling of some kind, but that doesn't mean that every encounter between a white cop and a black citizen is racially motivated.  I wish that the media would tell this story, since I think it is a lot closer to the truth than the stupid narrative Sharpton and company would have us believe--i.e., that if a white cop shoots a black suspect, it's automatically a racist act.

Back to the murdered New York police, murder is murder.  People shouldn't be killing each other, it doesn't matter who has the badge.  I don't see that event as anything other than a horrible tragedy.

As far as police officers dying in the line of duty in general, I would expect auto accidents to be a leading cause of death since they spend most of their time driving around, often at high speeds.  I would also expect lots of deaths related to things like being struck by cars while working accident scenes and that sort of thing.  Heart attacks are also not a surprise, since the cop diet is often not very good and my impression is that a lot of older police officers spend a lot of tiime sitting in their squad cars cycling between boredom and adrenalin rushes, which is not a healthy routine.

[moda0306]

If I had been the D.A. in the Missouri case, I would have seriously considered bringing murder charges against the victim's friend under the "felony murder" rule, since they were both in the process of fleeing a felony when the death of his friend occurred, and his friend's death was an entirely foreseeable result of physically attacking a police officer as they fled the scene of the crime.

Woah... wait a minute here...

You can flee a shoplifting scene...

Have a cop shoot your friend as a result of the cop trying to stop him, and him aggressing against the cop...

And be charged with MURDER?

Look, I'm no fan of shop-lifters.  But I have two VERY responsible friends who were dumb-enough in highschool to shoplift some stuff.  These are abundantly responsible dudes today... just for some reason were young and dumb and got a high off of the thrill of it or something.

I shudder to think that they could have been brought up on murder charges as a result of a couple of unfortunate turns of events that 1) weren't really commited by you as a shop-lifter, and 2) are FAR beyond the crime of shop-lifting.

I know that is the "law of the land," but holy shit, what a bad law.

[Pointedstick]

Usually this law is invoked when multiple people commit a robbery or something together and one of them commits murder as part of it. The others are charged with the same crime on the grounds that they participated in it even if they didn't pull the trigger. It seems like a stretch to me to invoke it in the case when a shoplifter assaults a police officer leading to his own death, while his accomplice flees instead. The accomplice had no part in the death of his friend. He could easily be charged with shoplifting due to his being there for that crime, but not murder, I don't think.

[MediumTex]

Usually this law is invoked when multiple people commit a robbery or something together and one of them commits murder as part of it. The others are charged with the same crime on the grounds that they participated in it even if they didn't pull the trigger. It seems like a stretch to me to invoke it in the case when a shoplifter assaults a police officer leading to his own death, while his accomplice flees instead. The accomplice had no part in the death of his friend. He could easily be charged with shoplifting due to his being there for that crime, but not murder, I don't think.

The felony murder rule is usually applied when an innocent person is killed in the commission of a felony, but there is no reason it couldn't be applied to the death of one of the perpetrators, though obviously that's not going to happen in most cases because there is much less community outrage when a perpetrator is killed while committing a crime.

Note in the Missouri case that the offense wasn't shoplifting, which wouldn't be a felony in most cases to start with.  The offense was robbery or aggravated robbery depending on how the statute is worded.  They stole property using the threat of force and/or the use of force, and that makes it a much more serious offense.  It's all on camera.  When the kid threw the store owner into the magazine stand and looked at him like "you want some more" before he walked out that's when it became aggravated robbery, and at that point they were fleeing the scene of a felony.

If the kid had succeeded in taking the police officer's weapon from him and killing him with it, which doesn't seem farfetched at all, then I would expect the felony murder rule to be discussed as a way of charging the shooter's buddy with murder as well.  The fact that the police officer happened to succeed in defending himself shouldn't change the culpability of the accomplice when the commission of the felony resulted in the death of someone and was foreseeable.

Robbing a convenience store and attacking a cop are serious things, and if you're along for the ride on such a crime spree you should know that bad things might happen to you as well.

[MediumTex]

If I had been the D.A. in the Missouri case, I would have seriously considered bringing murder charges against the victim's friend under the "felony murder" rule, since they were both in the process of fleeing a felony when the death of his friend occurred, and his friend's death was an entirely foreseeable result of physically attacking a police officer as they fled the scene of the crime.

Woah... wait a minute here...

You can flee a shoplifting scene...

A robbery scene...

Have a cop shoot your friend as a result of the cop trying to stop him, and him aggressing against the cop...

And when a police officer stops you as you flee the scene of the crime and asks you to stop walking down the middle of the street your buddy reaches inside of the cop's car for the cop's weapon and begins beating on the cop's face...

And in the process of the cop trying to fight off your friend while you stand there doing nothing to help protect the cop from your friend's attack, the cop is forced to shoot your friend resulting in his death...

And when you tell the cops what happened you lie and tell them that your friend was running away with his hands in the air when the cop shot him in the back multiple times...

And be charged with MURDER?

Felony murder, yeah.  You had many opportunities to change the course of the crime spree and you chose not to, and as a result someone died.  You stayed with your buddy after he threw the guy into the magazine stand in the store during the commission of the robbery.  You stayed with your buddy as he fled the scene of the robbery.  You didn't obey the police officer's request to move to the sidewalk.  You took no action to try to restrain your buddy as he attacked the cop.  And when you told the cops what happened you lied about everything.

I'm just saying that felony murder wouldn't be a crazy thing to charge the accomplice with.

Look, I'm no fan of shop-lifters.  But I have two VERY responsible friends who were dumb-enough in highschool to shoplift some stuff.  These are abundantly responsible dudes today... just for some reason were young and dumb and got a high off of the thrill of it or something.

Did they attack anyone in the store when confronted about the theft?  Did they attack any police officers as they fled the scene of the crime?

I shudder to think that they could have been brought up on murder charges as a result of a couple of unfortunate turns of events that 1) weren't really committed by you as a shop-lifter, and 2) are FAR beyond the crime of shop-lifting.

All participants in a crime spree should be prepared to be held responsible for any foreseeable tragedy resulting from the crime spree.  That's part of being involved in a crime spree--you share culpability with your fellow perpetrators.

I know that is the "law of the land," but holy shit, what a bad law.

I'm not saying that the kid should have been charged with murder, but I'm just saying that any time someone in killed during the commission of a felony where one of the perpetrators has attacked a police officer, charges under the felony murder rule ought to be part of the discussion.

This kid could have done a lot to prevent the death of his friend and the potential death of the police officer as well, and he didn't.  At a minimum, I would have liked to see him charged with being an accomplice to the robbery and for giving false statements to police and perhaps impeding a police investigation.  He also apparently failed to obey a lawful command from the police officer in the first place to move out of the middle of the street and onto the sidewalk.

If the citizenry wants its police to be less militant and aggressive, you've got to be willing to do things like step to the sidewalk when you're walking down the middle of a street if a police officer asks you to, and you've got to be willing to speak out when a police officer is attacked and beaten for no real reason by a perpetrator fleeing the scene of a felony and the police officer is forced to use deadly force to defend himself.

If those guys had just stepped to the sidewalk, everything probably would have been cool.  They might have ultimately been apprehended for the robbery, but they probably would have been able to plea it down to a non-felony theft charge and would have likely gotten probation.  Nothing worth getting killed over IMHO.

[MachineGhost]

If those guys had just stepped to the sidewalk, everything probably would have been cool.  They might have ultimately been apprehended for the robbery, but they probably would have been able to plea it down to a non-felony theft charge and would have likely gotten probation.  Nothing worth getting killed over IMHO.

But on the other hand, getting killed over something that isn't worth getting killed over, should act as a strong deterrant to other fatherless black males as opposed to getting off via probation, which I'm sure everyone else is sick and tired of.

[Reub]

Did we take notice of the fact that some of those French terrorists went out of their way to kill cops, including a female one? Why would we want to get in their way when they are truly doing God's work?

[Mountaineer]

Here is a flashback to Ferguson ... yes, I know, the media has moved on to more sensational stories and this is not exactly a cop killed by criminal treatise.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152409165407282

Really, you should watch this if you have not already seen.  A town was looted and burned in memory of this peaceful little boy ..... enough said!  Michael Brown remembered on video.

... Mountaineer