Originally Posted by
hollohas
Bailey, in this case, the police were across the street taking cover behind vehicles. The distance most certainly affords a bit of time to confirm what he was doing with his hands before being shot. No, they won't be confirming ID's but they can certainly take 1 second to get a visual of a weapon before shooting in this particular case.
It is entirely possible it wasn't themselves they were worried about when thinking the guy might be producing a gun or other weapon. It could be that the officer that fired saw something the others didn't that made him fire. It's entirely possible he was worried about the safety of others.
I know your experience leads your opinion on these things. And I don't question that. I don't have that experience. But I watched this video with my Dad who spent decades as a State LEO, SWAT marksman and LEO firearms instructor. He is a similar generation as you and he swears this generation of police are being trained to handle these sorts of situations differently than his was. In all his years, he was taught to confirm before taking deadly force. SEE a weapon before firing. Simple hand movement was not a reason to kill someone (unless of course a weapon was visible in the waistpants for example.)
Well, we must've come from differing times then. Because making "furtive" movements, especially towards the waistband area, especially in a high-risk type situation where a person is thought to be armed, is certainly a recipe for getting shot. And I was trained to do just that. On the other hand, I never shot anyone for doing that - though I can think of a few times when I probably should've - and fortunately for me and others on scene it worked out.
People do strange things when contacted by police. Why they move their hands down when guns are pointed at them may seem dumb, but I suspect it's mostly involuntary. I'm sure you pulled someone over in your career for a simple moving violation who was shaking and/or crying when you approached the window. Why would their body respond that way for nothing more than a quick discussion with an officer? I'm sure if they could control it they would, but it happens. Now take that very simple police contact, but instead of someone who was driving 10 over, it's a person awakened from sleep, still a bit confused, who opens a door to spotlights shining in his face, bullhorns yelling commands and threats of being killed if he did something wrong? Is it unreasonable to believe that person may have an uncontrolled, stress induced physiological response where he does something he shouldn't? Absolutely! Most people wouldn't think clearly during something like this.
I don't disagree with most of this. On the other hand, it's oftentimes a chance an officer can't take. It works both ways. Not to mention with the poor attitude many people have about the police they think that having guns pointed at them while police are screaming at them is a good time to argue and get their cell phones outta their pockets to post shit on Twitter or FB "cuz they knows they rights".
People deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt by police. I will always believe that. I was raised to believe that the police protect and serve, that they are willing to risk their lives to help people. That them going home at the end of the day wasn't the most important thing but instead making sure they treated people right, did their job right and helped the people they meet was.
Man in a truck on fire? Nope, going home tonight is not most important, going into a burning truck to help give that that guy a chance to live is. Confused man who may be a bad guy standing on his front porch moves his hands in a downwards motion? Nope. Going home tonight is not the most important, making sure you don't kill an innocent man is. This is not fairytale. It's the way many police officers live their lives and do their jobs. It's not unreasonable to hold them to that standard.
To a certain point, I agree with this, too. I've done stupid shit like go into a burning building to get some idiot out who thinks it's a great time to look for his cigarettes and car keys. And along the same lines, a dead cop or firefighter trying to be a hero doesn't do anyone any good, and can't continue to help others. So I disagree and will tell you that going home at the end of a shift is probably everyone's highest priority as well it should be. Now, taking a risk to help someone is always a calculated measure and most do it without thinking of the potentially deadly consequences. But anyone who intentionally places themselves in a deadly situation just because they want to "protect and serve" probably needs to rethink their priorities.
On that note, breaking news is multiple officers down in Littleton. Don't know the details. Let's pray for them.
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