Officer White ends up shooting McCloskey. Attorneys for White say he believed McCloskey had a gun. However, McCloskey was unarmed and appears docile in the video. [More]This article appears to be missing some information.
Oh, yeah, he shot him in the back.
I wonder if McCloskey would be facing 11 years had the situation been reversed...
Two more accounts:
- One should not have to beg.
- Get it off yourself?
[Via jg]
12 comments:
If most Peace Officers have the attitude that every mere mortal (you know, every civilian) they meet is going to try to kill them, wouldn't it be prudent if I had the same mindset?
Wouldn't it just be common sense, that, when I am approached by a Peace Officer, I keep in mind that he has full state sanction to kill me if he decides to, and that I should be prepared to defend my life against a lethal assault at any moment?
No, Anonymous, I think like you seem to, that the nice Police Officer should just go ahead and shoot the man dead. You know, officer safety and such. After all, every other officer will back him up, no matter how dastardly the act.
If there hadn't been video of the incident, the officer in question would have received a slap on the back, a few days off with pay, and an exoneration.
Hell, if these damned civilians refuse to whimper and piss on themselves when approached by an Only One, just shoot 'em! Kill 'em all! We'll teach them damned civilians who their betters are!
I mean, hell, it was obviously the right thing to do. It was a Cop what dunnit!
And we decry vigilante jsutice why, exactly??
There is a huge difference between "hating cops" and "hating behavior displayed by cops and protected by more cops".
ANY argument on the cop's behalf in this regard is an argument that it would be perfectly fine for the victim to be DEAD - because the law makes no distinction in the outcome of the use of lethal force, merely that lethal force was used.
Compare this case with that of Ryan Frederick (a man whose home was burgled shortly before cops broke into his home again): BOTH parties were armed, and Ryan was sentenced to 10 years for what appears to be completely justifiable self-defense.
http://www.theagitator.com/2010/05/13/lunch-links-62/
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/appeal-denied-ryan-frederick-policeshooting-conviction
In this case, the cop was armed and shoots an unarmed man directly in the back (then leaves him on the ground, paralysed, under a running motorcycle).
Anon badge fluffer,
No, I don't expect him to be a mind reader. I do expect him to see a weapon before he fires.
First of all I didn't hear the order of hands up before the shot though he may have said it, and yes he should have seen a gun first. Another point, I have never had an officer tell me to put my hands up on any stop, and I fail to see why he thought this necessary this time.
Obsessed with me piece of trash taken out. Don't feed trolls.
I believe that an "eye for an eye" punishment needs to be brought to bear in this case.
Doug
Newark, Ohio
The last link takes one to the Newmeister, who appears to be an honest journalist, can't be sure yet, but there was no hint of bias in his report. Here is my email to him, I urge others to urge him as he seems to be well known in that area and well respected.:::
georgejtanber@gmail.com
Perhaps you should do an article that, at the least, puts the question on the table why the American citizen should refrain from using lethal force against police officers. Incidents like this are not rare, not even unusual, they are all too commoplace. A criminal gang member assaulting any citizen with lethal force has no right to an expectation of continued longevity and it does not matter if the criminal belongs to a criminal gang with a stricter dress code, think blue uniform and shiny amulet evincing his deadly power and intent.
The above sounds extreme only to those who have surrendered the American ideal of the rule of law, and it is a question that needs to be answered and the answer heeded before police departments awake one morning to find bounties on their heads.
And no, White is not "one of the few bad apples". Were that the case, it would seem reasonable that there were "good apples" who would arrest their criminal brethren and not cover for them, perjure for them, aid them in escaping the punishment any other citizen would face.
Here's your chance to maybe bring something to the table that will either awaken the bad cops, most of them. Or awaken the citizenry to rein them in, with whatever force necessary.
I cannot almost hear your thoughts about my radicalism in stating all the above. Ask yourself this question, could you shoot someone in the back who was unarmed, and receive so much support from your coworkers? If the answer is no, why would you accept that there is a class of citizen who is granted that power with little or no consequence.
I have been called a "cop hater", but that is not so. I do not hate my brother, nor my son, but I taught both of them morality and honor. Something that has been in very short supply in most law enforcement communities for several decades now. I do however admit to hating criminals. Even if the criminal is a cop.
Often people attribute my stance to my assertion that good cops are a very small minority in the field. You see, the dirt from a dirty cop transfers to the cops who protect him, even if they would never do what he has done.
I urge you to seriously consider the question and place before your readership. Of course, you will then become a pariah to all the cops with which you may have to deal. And I suspect that thought crossed your mind early in my missive. I submit that proves the points I am making and that instinctively you know it, even though you may hate to actively admit it to yourself. This is not meant to be an insult on your honor or morality for I was once in that same dilemma, having been one of the biggest supporters of law enforcement, myself. I did not change, but they damn sure did.
Respectfully,
Charles H. Sawders
Just assault? Cops have literally become psychopathic killers, waiting, just longing for a chance to kill.
I've commented before. The problem is not that there are bad apples. There are ALWAYS gonna be bad apples, because it's human nature.
The problem is that the rest of the barrel keeps closing ranks to protect the bad apples, ensuring the whole thing spoils in the process.
Invariably, what happens next is that the barrel is disposed of.
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