Houston officer kills double amputee in wheelchair

[Tupac]

How the heck does a double amputee pose any threat to a police officer?

PS - this is what I thought of when I read this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4

[Tank-Ace]

sit on your favorite desk chair and using only one leg try to lunge at anybody without using your hand.  see how far you get.  I tried it now you try it and see how far you can stab somebody.


semp

spun the chair around, and lunged at the couch (behind me when on the computer). Guess what common household object thats hard and couch-shaped that I reached from my chair!


Unless you're overweight, its not that difficult. And even if you're overweight, you can certianly get more than 2-3 feet of distance with even a sort of half-lunge half-fall.

Your arm itself is probably around 2 1/2 - 3 feet long.

[guncrasher]

Lol  I never claimed to have a superior education Semp. I just know I am entittled to an opinion and that some people will point fingers a cry villian if they dont like someone's opinion.  You guys are not going to change my opinion that the cop is justified from what is in the report. I also will not change your opinion(atlease one side has to have reson and humility). Nor, have I attadcked your opinion as being wrong as a opinion can not be 'wrong'

nobody says that you have to change your opinion.  as far as I know it's just a discussion.   but if you are complaining about being insulted by others while you attempt to insult me then pm and accuse me of trolling you while you keep making your little comments to me that I normally ignore for you are the one trolling.  then please lets do each other a favor and add to the ignore list as I already added you to mine  .


semp

[Zoney]

This is truly a sad story.

I feel really bad for the guy in the wheelchair.  I empathize and can feel his anger and frustration.  I can understand why he might have an uncontrolled moment now and then.  I would really not want to be him.
I'm surprised that those who ran the home thought they needed to call the police after knowing him for 18 months and witnesssing his anger before.

I feel bad for the police officer.  If I were him I would feel ashamed and I would feel that I had been a coward for reacting so violently.  I would feel I had failed to control the situation and myself when my training should have allowed me to have the patience and the skill to help this man.

This is a sad and violent world we live in.  Even here, discussing this with our friends, I see anger.  We have not controlled our emotions.  We have not acted in a civil manner to each other.  We have allowed our differences to divide us instead of learning, sharing and teaching.  Our young members see us attack each other, mirroring the tragedy that happened between the officer and the disabled man.

Where is our humanity?  Why do we allow a discussion to escalate into chaos?

Be quiet.  Calm yourselves.  Take responsiblity for each other.  Allow your fellow man to make mistakes and embrace him because his weakness is what makes him human.

[guncrasher]

spun the chair around, and lunged at the couch (behind me when on the computer). Guess what common household object thats hard and couch-shaped that I reached from my chair!


Unless you're overweight, its not that difficult. And even if you're overweight, you can certianly get more than 2-3 feet of distance with even a sort of half-lunge half-fall.

Your arm itself is probably around 2 1/2 - 3 feet long.

i can jump about 6 feet if i go down hill but that's not how the wheel chair works.  you have one foot on the floor and you cant use your arm.  so no turning the desk chair.  you would have to be in pretty good shape to even get out of the chair and stand up without using your hands even if your foot was on the floor. 

semp

[mbailey]

I've not a shred of care for a cop that might have died, while I pray for this crippled man and his relatives.

This country puts entirely too much focus on the police force and their jobs, to the point that the cops get more recognition than a soldier from the same community gets for dying in war.

Not to mention that the entire profession is mired by brutality and cops that don't know their bounds.

 

I dont even know where to start with this BS post.......Let me get a cup of coffee in me and ill respond

<edit> make that 2 cups......the absurdity of your post will require 2 to wrap my brain around it

[SmokinLoon]

Just to clarify, you do understand it was not the "cornered/threatened" LEO that shot him (in the head) - don't you?

Where the shot landed is not important.  In a court of law a shot fired is a shot fired, there is no warning shot, no wounding shot, or otherwise any shot fired that will not be construed as being than that of one that was fired "to end the situation".  The issues that come in to play are "how many shots were fired", and "when where they fired".  If the perpetrator had been hit in X body part and been thrown from the chair on to the floor and the LEO kept firing then sure there are grounds to call for "use of excessive force".  In this case, if there was one shot fired and that once shot hit the perp in the head it is highly unfortunate for both parties involved.  We have 1 person dead and another scarred for life.

Also, if the LEO was cornered and was unable to use proper sighting techniques for fear of exposing his gun to the perp, it is quite possible that a shot was fired using a non-traditional stance and/or grip.  For instance, we were taught then when in "tight quarters" (within arm's reach or a few steps away), to not fully extend the pistol out for obvious reasons.  We practiced firing with the gun close in and tight (under the arm pit, from the hip, across the chest), and from many positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, prone on side/back/stomach, etc).  Oh, and we practiced using either hand, too (using the "off" hand is difficult enough while using a supported stance, doing it under stress while getting beat on from a odd position is another).

My point is, none of were there and none of us saw it.  I caution everyone to be very careful rushing to judgement of either the [evil power abusing] LEO, or the [poor defenseless wheelchair bound amputee] of the perpetrator.  As usual there are far more things we do not know about the situation than that of the "facts" we know.  Remember that, it holds true is a vast majority of things in life.          

[Nathan60]

nobody says that you have to change your opinion.  as far as I know it's just a discussion.   but if you are complaining about being insulted by others while you attempt to insult me then pm and accuse me of trolling you while you keep making your little comments to me that I normally ignore for you are the one trolling.  then please lets do each other a favor and add to the ignore list as I already added you to mine  .
semp

I never said anything to you other than the beer belly thing lol and If you get upset about that I feel sorry for you. I was mainly respponding to coombz oh well., shouldnt you be calling the cops on children for playing?

[Bodhi]

This thread delivers on FAIL through and through.  It's amazing how many are so quick to judge the situation based upon a media report that likely contains few facts and far too much hype so it sells.

[Nathan60]

How the heck does a double amputee pose any threat to a police officer?
PS - this is what I thought of when I read this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4

With a metallic object that may have been a screwdriver. which could easily kill.

[Shuffler]

exactly the whole reason cops have guns is so that they can protect themselves against violent wheelchair bound cripples who make them fear for their lives

there is no such thing as excessive force when you are dealing with a mentally ill double amputee wielding a pen  

I think they should move all the violent folks to your neighborhood. You seem to be ok with them.

Most all folks I know in wheelchairs expect to be treated equally. If this criminal expected special treatment he was dead wrong.

None of us were there and know what exactly happened. Neither was the reporter.

[Nathan60]

I think they should move all the violent folks to your neighborhood. You seem to be ok with them.

Most all folks I know in wheelchairs expect to be treated equally. If this criminal expected special treatment he was dead wrong.

None of us were there and know what exactly happened. Neither was the reporter.

Im basing my whole argument on he had the cop cornered  was trying to stab with a metallic object that got close to the guys partner,  I dont know why the guy shot ,  guess he wasn't close enough to grab the dude but I can see how he would fear for his partners life, you dont think " oh its just a little  metal object hes trying to shank my partner with" in that situation you react. Im sure hes upset now, but at the time how was he to know its a pen? A pen can do damage anywya, maybe dude was is a electric wheelchair those have got to behard to flip with someone sitting in it, alls it would take is one luck strike, i the wrong spot  by the guy in the wheel chair and a cop could have died.

[zack1234]

What was the whole story?

Not a media story, the full facts?

If anyone tries to stab me with Anything I will use Maximum force and hope its enough

The police are not there to accept injury, they are a physical representation of the law.

[Nathan60]

What was the whole story?

Not a media story, the full facts?

If anyone tries to stab me with Anything I will use Maximum force and hope its enough

The police are not there to accept injury, they are a physical representation of the law.

You better censor this  Zack before your countrymen find out and take away your pies.

[ACE]

From the stated article.  "The officer was forced into an area where he had no way to get out."

If anyone is pinning me or any member of my family, partner,  friend, or whatever relationship in an area where I or they could not get out and I was carrying a weapon..  You bet your money i would shoot.  Its bad that it happened to a guy that was mentally ill.  He might not had control over himself.  However, the officers did not know that.  Nor did they know it was a pen.