LOCKED - OT:Justifiable?

[Dawgology]

Maybe, but generally police officers are held to an easier standard than civilians.

No, they are held to a higher standard due to their training and experience. That being said, this guy should face a manslaughter charge at least. It is mind-boggeling that he isn't.

 

[RocketDawg]

Yes.

 

[BELdog]

Yes, it is. THey are generally given leeway and accommodation for errors in judgment or worse that will not be given to civilians.

Two things, when cops shoot someone they come under intense scrutiny from the media, the general public and often from their own departments. Every shooting is investigated, dissected and officers are generally given time off work while this is happening. That does not happen to John Q. Public in most cases. Nobody makes you follow a continuum of force. You have the right to draw your weapon and fire the first moment you feel threatened. Cops don’t have that same right. If you or I become involved in a self-defense shooting, there is generally not much national hubris raised. Generally there is some local coverage and not much else in the case of a good shooting. Often there is very little investigation conducted. We move on with our lives if we were in the right. The media often will not allow cops to do the same.

Secondly, yes, there is a certain bond among LEOs that will allow cops to get out of small stuff like a traffic ticket. That’s just a matter of interpersonal relationships. I’m sure you would help a friend out if needed. I would. They can’t generally get each other off of a murder charge in a bad shoot. Maybe in a small town, but even that is a stretch once investigators get involved. This is a day and age where cell phones and body cams catch most everything and dirty police are caught more and more often.

 

[johnson86-1]

No, they are held to a higher standard due to their training and experience. That being said, this guy should face a manslaughter charge at least. It is mind-boggeling that he isn't.

Yea, no. That is the ideal, but not how it works in practice. Certainly there are some police officers that get caught up in the outrage machine and get treated grossly unfairly (like the cop in Ferguson), but generally if you do something like mishandle a firearm in public or make a bad shooting, you would prefer to be a police officer rather than not.

 

[SheltonChoked]

It tough to tell without audio.

The 47 year old guy (that's not elderly) is obviously yelling and threatening the 28 year old's girlfriend/wife. If i'm the 28 year old and I come out to my GF/Wife getting yelled at by a man, I'd confront him too.

Not sure I'd knock him down. That was a mistake, but i get it. Shouldn't be worth dying over.

If on a jury, I'd say manslaughter, at least.

 

[dawgstudent]

Great discussion.