Atlanta-area police shoot dead unarmed, naked African-American man

[Sarpedon]

How much damage to vehicles does someone need to do before it's acceptable to kill them?

I think probably the fellow's head would give out before that limit is achieved.

 

[Frikki]

Apparently they can do a lot of damage headbutting vehicles.

And that justifies shooting someone to death?

Well he was Blah….

 

[ZiprHead]

Well, he was black so he had his weapon hanging down between his legs.

I'm with Howard Stern, "I wish I had a stereotype like that."

 

[Loren Pechtel]

@dismal - i'm also playing a game to see if there are any stories of police shootings where loren won't defend the police.

I'm not sure how to top a "completely naked and unarmed guy" story if he comes in and defends the police on this one too.

I generally don't defend them on drug raids.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Handgun
Taser
Mace
Baton
Fists

Seems like officers have several options. Why is handgun always first, even when the other is unarmed?

If dude is naked, I'd say taser or mace would likely be effective.

Tasers sometimes miss or otherwise fail and they are single-shot weapons. Thus they are not self defense weapons unless there is another officer there to back him up. They are used to take down knife-wielders in a standoff situation but they're not useful against a charging opponent.

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Couldn't he get back in his squad car and call for backup? I mean, what's the naked man going to do?

That's about the worst course of action. He's going to get overrun in that case.

 

[bilby]

Tasers sometimes miss or otherwise fail and they are single-shot weapons. Thus they are not self defense weapons unless there is another officer there to back him up. They are used to take down knife-wielders in a standoff situation but they're not useful against a charging opponent.

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Couldn't he get back in his squad car and call for backup? I mean, what's the naked man going to do?

That's about the worst course of action. He's going to get overrun in that case.

Sorry, I must have missed the part where the one naked guy turned into a horde of zombies intent on overrunning the police.

How, exactly, do you get 'overrun' by one person? Or does the word mean something totally different in the USA from what it means in the English speaking world?

 

[Derec]

Apparently they can do a lot of damage headbutting vehicles.

And that justifies shooting someone to death?

I don't know if it does. A lot depends of course on the specific circumstances. I do not think a police officer is required to put himself in danger in order to avoid shooting a dangerous suspect however.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Tasers sometimes miss or otherwise fail and they are single-shot weapons. Thus they are not self defense weapons unless there is another officer there to back him up. They are used to take down knife-wielders in a standoff situation but they're not useful against a charging opponent.

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That's about the worst course of action. He's going to get overrun in that case.

Sorry, I must have missed the part where the one naked guy turned into a horde of zombies intent on overrunning the police.

How, exactly, do you get 'overrun' by one person? Or does the word mean something totally different in the USA from what it means in the English speaking world?

If you turn your back on even one attacker what do you expect??

 

[RavenSky]

@dismal - i'm also playing a game to see if there are any stories of police shootings where loren won't defend the police.

I'm not sure how to top a "completely naked and unarmed guy" story if he comes in and defends the police on this one too.

The way I original interpreted your subject header would do it. Until I read the OP, I thought the story was that the cop shot at a dead body because the cop was in fear for his life.

 

[RavenSky]

The guy in the video must be black and blue all over a couple days later...

or white and gold, depending on your perspective.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

And that justifies shooting someone to death?

I don't know if it does. A lot depends of course on the specific circumstances. I do not think a police officer is required to put himself in danger in order to avoid shooting a dangerous suspect however.

Dangerous, without a doubt unarmed, suspect?

 

[Sarpedon]

Well, keep in mind these are the same people who find 12 year olds terrifying.

You know, cowards.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/10/us-usa-police-georgia-idUSKBN0M60CI20150310

The officer encountered the man, who was not wearing any clothes, in the parking lot, Alexander said at a conference published online by local broadcaster Fox5.

Alexander said the man ran at the officer, who backed up and ordered the person to stop before shooting him twice. Police did not find a weapon at the scene, he said.

I guess we can add "being naked" to the list of capital offenses for black men.

Streaking while black.

 

[ksen]

Well, keep in mind these are the same people who find 12 year olds terrifying.

or sexually attractive

 

[Crazy Eddie]

I'll chalk another one up for thinking it's ok for cops to shoot unarmed, naked people.

I'll chalk another one up for deliberate misrepresentation of the facts and goalpost moving. He wasn't just naked, he was naked in a public parking lot, charging armed cops, which are all highly relevant facts that determine what the cops has reason to suspect and fear.

I'm with Frikki on this one. If American police officers are unable to subdue a naked crazy guy in a parking lot without the use of a firearm, that's because they're a bunch of pussies.

Really, at this point it's just a statement of fact. Any possible argument FOR the use of firearms in this situation pretty much boils down to "I got scared!" You can't handle someone disagreeing with you, so you hide behind your badge. If he doesn't respect the badge, hide behind your gun. If he doesn't respect the gun, shoot him till he's not scary anymore.

Well, keep in mind these are the same people who find 12 year olds terrifying.

You know, cowards.

Basically.

 

[laughing dog]

And that justifies shooting someone to death?

I don't know if it does. A lot depends of course on the specific circumstances. I do not think a police officer is required to put himself in danger in order to avoid shooting a dangerous suspect however.

How was this naked man sufficiently dangerous to justify gunning him down?

 

[crispy]

I don't know if it does. A lot depends of course on the specific circumstances. I do not think a police officer is required to put himself in danger in order to avoid shooting a dangerous suspect however.

How was this naked man sufficiently dangerous to justify gunning him down?

He could have taped a gun to his back you know. Just like in Die Hard.

 

[Derec]

I don't know if it does. A lot depends of course on the specific circumstances. I do not think a police officer is required to put himself in danger in order to avoid shooting a dangerous suspect however.

How was this naked man sufficiently dangerous to justify gunning him down?

I suggest we wait for the outcome of the investigation. It may be justified or unjustified based on exact circumstances. What is undeniable is that crazy naked people can still pose a threat. Just look at that berserker naked guy in that surveillance video.

By the way, this seems to be Anthony Hill's Twitter account, even though somebody has been posting on there after his death.
If it's really his, he posted some paranoid shit about psychiatrists and pharmaceuticals just a few days before his death, and thus was probably off his meds when it happened:

Lanta @AntHeezie · Mar 6
We are easier to control when we are broken. Please serve yourself justice by taking an inventory of yourself and fixing your issues.
0 replies 89 retweets 81 favorites
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Lanta @AntHeezie · Mar 6
Psychiatrists along with pharmaceutical companies are creating a class of subhumans. The real walking dead. I've seen the big picture.
0 replies 48 retweets 43 favorites
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Lanta @AntHeezie · Mar 6
Your physical affects your mental. I'm only crazy when my bite is misaligned. Proper breath flow is vital to brain function, not MEDICINE!
0 replies 15 retweets 16 favorites
Reply Retweet15 Favorite16
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[Jimmy Higgins]

How was this naked man sufficiently dangerous to justify gunning him down?

I suggest we wait for the outcome of the investigation.

The problem is virtually every shooting involving an officer ends up being "justified" by the police. This stuff is becoming more and more public and the problem that has developed is that people simply aren't trusting them.

It may be justified or unjustified based on exact circumstances. What is undeniable is that crazy naked people can still pose a threat.

Yeah, they can be trouble, which is why large burly men work at Hospitals for those inflicted with serious mental illness. The question is, did the officer resort to the gun too quickly and compromise his own position. Were there other alternatives? The lack of injury to the officer indicates he wasn't in imminent danger to his life.

 

[laughing dog]

How was this naked man sufficiently dangerous to justify gunning him down?

I suggest we wait for the outcome of the investigation. It may be justified or unjustified based on exact circumstances. What is undeniable is that crazy naked people can still pose a threat. Just look at that berserker naked guy in that surveillance video.

Posing a "threat" is not the same as posing an imminent lethal threat. But, I'll wait for the investigation when all the copophiles and racists stop automatically defending the gunning down of unarmed black people and smearing the victim before the relevant facts come in.