Shots fired at U.S.Capitol, female suspect killed

[KRonn]

I don't think that this shooting is going to be seen as justified once it gets looked at with clearer heads. It didn't seem right even last night before seeing more of what went down. Started with a wild car chase from a confused woman at a barricade, then the cops shooting at the car which could have killed some tourists/bystanders , as it was moving away from the White House and Pennsylvania Ave, so not a threat to the WH. The car was stopped, smashed, and then the cops riddled the thing with bullets. I usually side with the police but to me this looks like a cluster fuck. To be fair I'll be waiting to see what more comes out about the incident but really, it seems a pretty ugly situation for the cops.

[grumbler]

I don't think that this shooting is going to be seen as justified once it gets looked at with clearer heads. It didn't seem right even last night before seeing more of what went down. Started with a wild car chase from a confused woman at a barricade, then the cops shooting at the car which could have killed some tourists/bystanders , as it was moving away from the White House and Pennsylvania Ave, so not a threat to the WH. The car was stopped, smashed, and then the cops riddled the thing with bullets. I usually side with the police but to me this looks like a cluster fuck. To be fair I'll be waiting to see what more comes out about the incident but really, it seems a pretty ugly situation for the cops.

I agree that it will probably be seen in retrospect that the final barrage of bullets was unnecessary, but, to be fair to the cops, the woman's car had already been stopped, smashed, and then the woman started up again and ran down a cop.  Turns out he wasn't badly hurt, but they didn't know that at the time.

So, it will definitely be an ugly situation in terms of Monday-morning quarterbacking, but it will be interesting to see if any of the usual media suspects can keep in mind that the police on the scene didn't have the luxury of making decisions using hindsight.  If it turns out that mistakes were made even based on what the decision-makers knew at the time, then heads should roll.

[grumbler]

Do we even know that the baby in the car was hers?

You can't really dust for motherhood.

[Caliga]

Countdown to Al Sharpton's involvement in 10... 9... 8... 

[merithyn]

You know, that post-partum depression stuff is scary as hell. I have a hard time thinking of it as "depression" when it can create such psychotic episodes in people.

STAMFORD, Conn. — The driver of the black Infiniti had a toddler with her, confounding everyone who watched the car crash through barriers and lead police through the heart of high-security Washington.

Law enforcement officials said the vehicle was registered to a 34-year-old mother named Miriam Carey, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Conn. They think it was Carey, with her 1-year-old daughter sitting behind her, who flattened barricades outside the White House, struck officers and then set off at high speed down Pennsylvania Avenue.

D.C. police confirmed that the driver was shot and killed after careening around the Capitol grounds and crashing at Second Street NE. There was no sign that she was armed, police said. Video images showed a young child, her hair in braids, being carried by an officer to the back of a patrol car.

The initial portrait of Carey that emerged suggested a person unlikely to be found at the center of such violent drama. Carey, according to public documents, friends and family members, had finished college and established a work history as a dental hygienist.

ABC News quoted Carey's mother as saying that Carey suffered from post-partum depression after her child was born, but there was scant additional information available about psychological struggles or mental breaks she may have experienced. Miriam Carey's sister, Amy Carey, was incredulous when a reporter told her what had happened.

"That's impossible. She works, she holds a job," said Amy Carey, a nurse who lives in Brooklyn. "She wouldn't be in D.C. She was just in Connecticut two days ago, I spoke to her."

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Oh hells no.  I knew the perp was black the moment they said it was an Infiniti.

All the Infiniti drivers I know are white.  In fact, my wife wants one.

[Caliga]

Drastically overpriced for what you get IMO.

[derspiess]

Oh hells no.  I knew the perp was black the moment they said it was an Infiniti.

All the Infiniti drivers I know are white.  In fact, my wife wants one.

Depends on whether it has gold logo/accent.

[PDH]

Depends on whether it has gold logo/accent.

Wait, are you talking about cars still?

[Razgovory]

You know, that post-partum depression stuff is scary as hell. I have a hard time thinking of it as "depression" when it can create such psychotic episodes in people.

STAMFORD, Conn. — The driver of the black Infiniti had a toddler with her, confounding everyone who watched the car crash through barriers and lead police through the heart of high-security Washington.

Law enforcement officials said the vehicle was registered to a 34-year-old mother named Miriam Carey, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Conn. They think it was Carey, with her 1-year-old daughter sitting behind her, who flattened barricades outside the White House, struck officers and then set off at high speed down Pennsylvania Avenue.

D.C. police confirmed that the driver was shot and killed after careening around the Capitol grounds and crashing at Second Street NE. There was no sign that she was armed, police said. Video images showed a young child, her hair in braids, being carried by an officer to the back of a patrol car.

The initial portrait of Carey that emerged suggested a person unlikely to be found at the center of such violent drama. Carey, according to public documents, friends and family members, had finished college and established a work history as a dental hygienist.

ABC News quoted Carey's mother as saying that Carey suffered from post-partum depression after her child was born, but there was scant additional information available about psychological struggles or mental breaks she may have experienced. Miriam Carey's sister, Amy Carey, was incredulous when a reporter told her what had happened.

"That's impossible. She works, she holds a job," said Amy Carey, a nurse who lives in Brooklyn. "She wouldn't be in D.C. She was just in Connecticut two days ago, I spoke to her."

That's something separate.  There is a condition called Post-Partum Psychosis, but is usually found in people who already prone to psychotic episodes.

[CountDeMoney]

Oh hells no.  I knew the perp was black the moment they said it was an Infiniti.

All the Infiniti drivers I know are white.  In fact, my wife wants one.

Depends on whether it has gold logo/accent.

MAH GOLDS PACKAGE

[merithyn]

That's something separate.  There is a condition called Post-Partum Psychosis, but is usually found in people who already prone to psychotic episodes.

I've never heard of that before. Whenever you hear of a woman who's recently given birth and goes on a murderous rampage, the media refer to it as post-partum depression. And every time I think, "Um.... yeah... need a better term for that."

[Malthus]

That's something separate.  There is a condition called Post-Partum Psychosis, but is usually found in people who already prone to psychotic episodes.

I've never heard of that before. Whenever you hear of a woman who's recently given birth and goes on a murderous rampage, the media refer to it as post-partum depression. And every time I think, "Um.... yeah... need a better term for that."

Heh, Raz is right - like you, I've never heard of it before.

Well, learn something new every day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postpartum_depression

Postpartum psychosis is a separate mental health disorder which is sometimes erroneously referred to as postpartum depression. It is less common than PPD, and it involves the onset of psychotic symptoms that may include thought disturbances, delusions, hallucinations and/or disorganized speech or behavior. The prevalence of postpartum psychosis in the general population is 1–2 per 1,000 childbirths, however the rate is 100 times higher in women with bipolar disorder or a previous history of postpartum psychosis. Bipolar disorder and, to a lesser extent, schizophrenia have elevated prevalences in postpartum psychosis.[10] Previous research looked at the relationship between childbirth and postpartum psychosis. Using data on 54,000 births over a 12-year period, researchers found that psychiatric admissions were seven times more likely in the first 30 days after childbirth than in the prepregnancy period and among patients who developed postpartum psychosis after childbirth, 72%–80% had bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder and 12% had schizophrenia. Indicators of a possible bipolar diagnosis include a history of missed or misdiagnosed mood episodes, any previous mania or hypomania, and a family history of bipolar disorder or postpartum psychosis.[10]

Treatment for Postnatal Psychosis is essential; it will not go away without medical attention.[5]

[merithyn]

I didn't doubt Raz; I'd just never heard of it.

1-2 out of every 1000 births. That's... a lot. And since there are an awful lot of women living with undiagnosed bi-polar, it could explain all of the "I would never thought it of her!" comments after these things happen.

Again I say, that's some scary stuff.

[Razgovory]

That's something separate.  There is a condition called Post-Partum Psychosis, but is usually found in people who already prone to psychotic episodes.

I've never heard of that before. Whenever you hear of a woman who's recently given birth and goes on a murderous rampage, the media refer to it as post-partum depression. And every time I think, "Um.... yeah... need a better term for that."

The media throws around psychology terms inaccurately.  For instance when ever a soldier or former solider displays signs of instability they call it PTSD.