POLICE BRUTALITY CASES: WALTER SCOTT MURDER & MORE

[Blindgreed1]

I don't understand what you're saying, Gunnar.

The city of San Antonio is in Bexar County, Texas.

Officers from the Bexar County Sheriff's department responded to the domestic disturbance in San Antonio and shot Flores.

DOH!!! Bexar county is a pretty large county. All I've heard it reported as to date was Bexar county. Not SA propper.

[HairOfTheDog]

Freddie Gray - Baltimore Settles with Family

A Baltimore city board Wednesday approved a $6.4 million settlement with the family of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died a week after he was critically injured while in police custody.

The settlement, announced Tuesday, could play a role in whether a judge decides to move the trials for the six officers charged in Gray's death out of the city. The city has stated that the settlement in no way implies guilt on the part of the six officers charged in Freddie Gray's death.

The Board of Estimates voted unanimously to approve the settlement Wednesday morning, just a day before Judge Barry Williams will hear arguments on whether the trials should be moved to a different jurisdiction. Defense attorneys have asked for a change of venue, citing pre-trial publicity and concern that the officers will not receive fair trials if they are tried in Baltimore.

"The purpose of the civil settlement is to bring an important measure of closure to the family, the community and the city and to avoid years of protracted civil litigation and potential harm to the community and divisiveness with may likely result."

(Some) Other Damage Awards/Settlements:
-Yesterday, a Cleveland jury awarded the family of Kenny Smith, a 20-year-old black man, $5.5 million in damages for his shooting death at the hands of Cleveland PD officer Roger Jones outside a night club in 2011. Jones wasn't charged criminally in the case, but the jury found him liable for damages as a result of his use of excessive force.

-In July, New York City settled for $5.9 million with the family of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died after being put in a white police officer's chokehold. There were no criminal charges filed against the officers.

-The city of Chicago settled in 2001 a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of LaTanya Haggerty, a black woman who was shot to death by a police officer who thought her cellphone was a weapon, for $18 million. Three officers were fired for violation of policy in that case.

I'm glad to see police departments implementing body cams -- I think they'll help officers and the residents they police to be safer. And, hopefully the cost of the body cams will be offset by savings on such wrongful death civil suits and city settlements.

Refs:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/baltimore-ap...gray-case/
http://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/i..._fami.html

[HairOfTheDog]

UPDATE:

The shit continues to get deeper in the case of the Oklahoma sheriff's deputy reservist. Would anyone be surprised to learn there is some lying going on?

I would not be surprised at all if there is a cover-up in play here, including falsification of some of Bates' training certs.


I think insurance company CEO Bates (left) bought a badge, pure and simple. He was not qualified to be in the field and he, along with the Tulsa PD, are liable for Eric Harris' (right) death, whether Bates really mistook his gun for his taser or intentionally shot Harris. Either way, they're liable.

Harris was no angel, but he was subdued when he was shot. It's very disturbing to me hearing him scream out several times in total shock, "he shot me, he shot me" and hearing the officer who had him pinned by the head telling the dying man that he essentially didn't give a shit if he could breathe or not.

The Tulsa Sheriff's whose good buddy Robert Bates shot to death Eric Harris has been indicted. Good.



The grand jury's findings announced today found that ^ Sheriff Glanz allowed his buddy Robert Bates to serve although Bates was not adequately trained, and that Bates was afforded special treatment.

The panel accused Glanz of refusing to perform his official duties for not promptly releasing documents as part of an internal investigation of volunteer deputy Robert Bates. It also recommended that Glanz be removed from office.

A lawyer for Glanz says Glanz plans to resign before a Nov. 10 hearing on the indictments.

Bates, who shot to death Eric Harris when he mistook his police-issued pistol for his taser, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Eric Harris.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tulsa-county...nded-down/

[HairOfTheDog]

Michigan


8 year Eaton County, Michigan police veteran Sgt. Jonathan Frost shot 17-year-old Deven Guilford seven times in February 2015.

The Incident
Guilford was driving to his girlfriend's house from a church basketball game at 8:10 p.m. He thought that Sgt. Frost was driving with his brights on and flashed his lights at Guilford to make him aware.

Frost was driving a brand new police vehicle and Guilford was reportedly the third motorist to flash his lights at the officer that night. Frost pulled Guilford over and the kid refused to give the officer I.D. and documents (his driver's license was at this girlfriend's house).

Frost then repeatedly asks the boy for his driver's license, registration and proof of insurance, before dragging him out of his vehicle, ordering him to lie on the ground and training his stun gun on him.

'Arms out to the side,' Frost instructs Guilford angrily. After the teenager refuses to put his hands behind his back so he can be handcuffed, Frost can be seen physically restraining him, causing Guilford to cry: 'Officer, what are you doing?'

As the boy struggles, Frost then tasers him, prompting him to jump up. Guilford punched Frost and a fistfight took place in the snow. The body cam footage then goes blurry, before cutting off altogether, so it does not depict the moment of the shooting. No dash cam.

[HairOfTheDog]

(^ continued)

After the incident



^Sgt. Frost was treated for facial injuries at the hospital.

Guilford, meanwhile, was declared dead, lying face down in the snow at the scene. An autopsy concluded he had traces of marijuana in his system. He was unarmed and had no criminal history.

Police and DA investigations cleared Sgt. Frost of wrong-doing and say he followed protocol; he'd lost possession of his taser in the struggle and his gun was used in self-defense.

Civil Suit Filed
Guilford's family has filed a civil suit against Sgt. Frost and Eaton County alleging that Deven's constitutional rights were violated when he was pulled over and that Sgt. Frost was not trained properly. The family has asked for a jury case. No financial compensation is specified in the case docs at this point.

Deven's parents told reporters that they have backed the police in every police shooting prior to their son's death, but now their faith in law enforcement has been shaken to the core.

Refs:
http://www.fox47news.com/news/local-news...-co-deputy
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...s-him.html
http://kron4.com/2015/06/18/raw-video-bo...top-fight/

[Duchess]

Wow. This shit is getting so old. Not defending what the kid did at all but Jesus Christ, is it too much to ask that cops have some friggin' training.

[Blindgreed1]

#whitebreadlivesmatter

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, today the Seneca, South Carolina D.A. announced it would not press charges against officer Tiller in the shooting death of 19-year-old ^ Zachary Hammond and released the dash cam video.

It's disturbing to me. The officer claims he shot in self-defense. That's not what I see. I see him shooting when Zachary Hammond tries to escape and is posing zero danger to the officer.

[HairOfTheDog]

Officer Tiller originally said he shot Hammond in the torso when the kid was driving at him; self defense. Bullshit - the autopsy showed that Hammond was shot in the side and the back, indicating that Hammond was trying to drive away when Tiller decided to shoot him dead, as seen in the just-released dash cam video.

Here it is in slow-mo without the sound.



Keep in mind, this was a sting over nothing more than a small marijuana deal. Hammond drove a female friend to that parking lot to sell some weed to what turned out to be an undercover cop (I think the undercover is the guy in shorts seen in the video). The person of interest to police was the female friend; she can be heard screaming (in the first video) after Hammond is shot.

The police presumably had the female's contact info in order to set up the deal. They definitely had Hammond's license plate number once they pulled up. This wasn't an unknown murderer or rapist on the run or anything. I don''t think rushing up on a running car with gun pointed was smart at all.

Anyway, there's also a federal investigation underway so Tiller could still be charged, but I doubt he will be. It seems more likely to me that the Hammonds will win their wrongful death civil suit against Officer Tiller.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Running from the popo is never smart, shit happens

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah, Hammond shouldn't have tried to run. I agree with you there, Six.

But, cops shouldn't shoot people when they try and run from being busted for non-violent offenses, aren't armed, and the cops have their damned contact information. That's what happened to Walter Scott, on foot, over an effin' broken tail light in the OP and what happened to Zachary Hammond, behind the wheel, over a dime-bag weed deal. In both cases, the cops lied and said their lives were in danger when they decided to pull the trigger.

That shit absolutely should not happen.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

No, it shouldn't

[HairOfTheDog]

(Pulled from the Trivial Drivel thread): I mentioned in another thread that nothing good ever comes from a cop coming to your house. You could call them to report a burglary and they'd end up arresting you with a pot charge and shooting your dog.

Or worse, you could call them to help your assaulted partner and they'd end up killing your dog and killing you.


^ Kevin Davis

A grand jury has just recommended that DeKalb County, Georgia police officer Joseph Pitts not be indicted on any charges.

Pitts was dispatched to the home of Kevin Davis, 44, and his live-in girlfriend April Edwards back in December.

April had been stabbed in the home by a co-worker, 47-year-old Terrance Hilyard. Hilyard then fled the home and Kevin Davis called 911 immediately.

Davis was on the line with 911 awaiting help when a shot was fired outside. He and April reportedly feared that Hilyard had returned.

Kevin Davis got his gun and went to the doorway after hearing the gunshot. He had his gun at his side. He saw that his dog was down and bleeding and yelled at the officer "you shot my dog! you shot my dog!" Davis was not pointing the gun at the officer, by all accounts.

Turns out, Officer Pitts had already arrived in the home and encountered the dog. He backed out of the house and the dog followed him. So, Pitts shot the dog for fear of being bitten, according to his statement.

Officer Pitts says he had banged on the door and announced, "Police" before entering the home. April says that didn't happen, she and Davis thought Hilyard had returned with a gun.

Officer Pitts (3 years on the force) says he feared for his life and shot Kevin Davis when Davis didn't drop his gun. A neighbor witness said Pitts shot Davis immediately after saying 'drop the gun!', another witness thought the "drop the gun" command came after the two shots.

Kevin Davis was handcuffed to a hospital bed for two days after being accused of threatening a cop, his family was reportedly not allowed to visit him, and he died in the hospital two days later. Officer Pitts was assigned to desk duty for two weeks and is back on active patrol.


Davis had worked at a local deli for years and had no police record. ^ His sisters are pushing for further investigation.

Refs:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gran...6bae5c9ea0
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/dekalb-poli...alb-county

[HairOfTheDog]

Also in DeKalb County, Georgia...


Iraq Air Force vet ^ Anthony Hill, 25 (center), was shot to death by a police officer in March.


Officer Robert Olsen (right) responded to a 911 call reporting suspicious knocking at an apartment complex.

Hill was naked and crouched in a parking lot when Officer Olsen says Hill lunged towards him. Though Hill was clearly unarmed, Olsen said he feared for his life. He shot and killed Anthony Hill.

The grand jury in the case has just declined to indict and asked the district attorney to re-interview the first responding officer and witnesses to resolve conflicting statements.

Hill was reportedly in the midst of a mental breakdown when he went knocking on doors, confused and naked. He'd been released from the military with diagnosed bi-polar disorder and may have been off his medication.

The family and many in the community don't understand why the unarmed naked man was shot as a first course of action.

DeKalb County Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander told the press, “We have what we refer to as a continuum force.” Continuum force allows police in the heat of the moment the right to use deadly force, just as any private citizen would.

The D.A. has said he will consider the grand jury request for further investigation.

Refs:
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/.../74806886/
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/2839816...z3qA0DpuyG

[Duchess]

I am so sick of this shit. Jesus fucking Christ. I'm old enough to know not to use a broad brush to paint a picture but time after time this happens and it now colors my opinion of all cops in general. Law enforcement needs to raise their goddamn standards and stop giving a friggin' badge & gun to just anyone who qualifies because obviously meeting their criteria is not enough. Fucking hell.

[Duchess]

I have lots of cusses about this!

[HairOfTheDog]

I have lots of cusses about this!

When I read Kevin Davis's story, it immediately reminded me of sally's post just a couple of days ago in the Drivel thread.

Both the stories of Kevin Davis and Anthony Hill are extremely frustrating and sad to me.

I'm not suggesting that either cop went out on a mission to kill, but two men in need of police assistance ended up being killed by police instead.

I'm so glad to see a big push being made for more police officer training in use of force, crisis intervention, and dealing with the mentally ill. That, along with body cams for all cops, could really help minimize these unnecessary killings, in my opinion.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

OK, so I did not read all the linked articles so I have a couple of questions:
So a cop (lone?) rolls on this situation, got a nekid guy in the parking lot, broad daylight. Nekid guy runs at the cop, what to do? Ok so he is obviously unarmed and by that I mean he is not carrying an obvious gun, bludgeon or blade. What to do?
Do you shoot the guy? Tase the guy? Leave your "weapons" holstered and assume a fighting stance and drop kick the guy as he blindly charges?
Keep in ind that this guy is not carrying a weapon, but is also crazy as a shit house rat or high as fuck on some kind of mind bending chemical and the cop has no idea what exactly. Crazy people can be strong as hell and dangerous, trust me, I have taken them on before, it ain't easy.
It is also not in that cops contract that he should ever be in a fair fight and that the public is expecting him to do something to stop the situation immediately. The cop has 1 second to respond, what is his primary responsibility? His safety and that of the public, the safety and well being of the perp is a distant 3^rd place consideration.
I aint saying this guy needed to get killed, I have no idea. What I am saying is that there is a whole lot of anti cop out there, more than is deserved IMHO.
Duschess your right in that we (the public) should expect that our police be better trained and monitored to make sure they are the right guy for the job. I particularly believe cops, priests and city councilmen should be measured by a slightly longer yard stick than everyone else.
But when a crazy motherfucker is running at you and you have 1 second to respond and be sure you go home at the end of the day, what do you do?
I weigh about 265 or so at the moment and I am 6'1" and I have some training. If it were me standing nekid there would call me unarmed? (yea I know, not a pretty picture) Good way to get your ass handed to you.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm not among the anti-cop crowd, Six.

But I do think cops are entitled to and deserve more training in how to handle situations where a suspicious or erratic subject is not posing a threat to any hostage or bystander. That would benefit the cops and the public, in my opinion.

I don't think 'shoot to kill' should be the first course of action, backed by a fool-proof "I feared for my life" defense.

In the case of Anthony Hill, for example, maybe the cop could have maintained a further distance on approach and started a dialogue. Then he might have had time to have his taser ready if the unarmed subject lunged at him, or maybe he could have convinced Hill to surrender if he had specific training in dealing with the clearly mentally disturbed.

It seems more non lethal training of that sort is on the horizon. I think that's a good thing.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

I do not disagree with you, I think the cops should get lots and lots of training.
And I never considered you anti cop, I have seen you and duchess post a lot of pro cop stuff.
I know a lot of cops, (7 or 8) and I have asked them and they always say they were never trained to "Shoot to kill". They are trained for "center mass" which is the biggest and easiest target, conveniently happens to include primary organs. They are also trained to shoot until the suspect stops doing whatever he was doing. Now to me thats a kill shot, but I would be the guy going for a double tap to the head and be done with it, even in basic training when I was 17. I had uncles that were "special".
My only point was that there is a very expectation of success out there for the cops to stop whatever assholery is going on out there, but most folks want it done without bloodshed. A very fine idea which I agree with. However, the reality is, there are a lot of crazy motherfuckers out there and our police force is woefully untrained for it.
I used to do a lot of security work and can tell you, those folks are wired to the max. Most cops are just out there doing a job helping folks as best they can, but they are in no way prepared for a nutfuck to come at them. It sux if your a nutfuck with a genuine brain chemical problem that you did not create (Flaka, Crack, etc..). but thats where we are. That guy Hill, he was all fucked up through none of his own creation and the VA, Govt didn't catch it, might not have been their issue, since he quit taking his meds. Bottom line is he quit taking his meds, freaked out and officer Oleson was obligated to make sure he went home that night.
Yes it blows, american hero, Air Force Vet and all that, but his life is no more valuable than the cops.

I was going to stop here, but I want to shere this with you.
I was in the Air Force from ⁴⁄₇₅ to 5/79.
I was stationed at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth almost all that time, it was peacetime.
I had a good friend from Basic Training through Tech School and on to a permanent assignment. I was an Aircraft Electrician but I forget what Baily was. He was a bible reading straight shooting kind of guy, never a bad word, none of the skirt chasing that was my predilection. One night he got drunk, went around knocking on doors in the barracks and stabbed the first guy opened the door with a broken off broom handle, the guy survived. Point is, you never know, run up on a crazy MF, what ya gonna do? Read the constitution, debate with your friends, or shoot the fucking guy and go home to your family?
I did go back and read the articles, sounds like they want there to be some issues with the first responding officers story, not enough info in the print.
Like I said, I have dealt with some crazy, drunk fux in the past. Your first and primary concern is self preservation. I have cracked knees with a flashlight, bounced folks off walls and a cash register, taken them down with "unfair" tactics, but they always dealt the play, my job was to finish it and make sure everyone else made it home ok.
The cops are charged with a similar task, cool, they agreed to it, signed the line and cashed the check. That does not mean they are signed up for an ass beating or a gun fight. They have a fucked up job to do and it is not pretty. I would rather 20 crazy fucked up nutfux get whacked than 5 good cops get whacked. That means I do not have to be so worried about guard duty.
Enough, I am half in the bag and its late.
Anyone want to learn how to make Salmon with Maple Syrup and Walnuts? What do you want for Christmas?