The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[garbon]

Not shooting and not US - but British cop is crazy in the video in the link.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/17/filmed-confrontation-between-driver-and-police-officer-goes-viral

[grumbler]

Not shooting and not US - but British cop is crazy in the video in the link.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/17/filmed-confrontation-between-driver-and-police-officer-goes-viral

Bizarre, but even more bizarre is that the officer wasn't even suspended pending fuller investigation.  He's still out there, in uniform, at least potentially a ticking time bomb.  If he does something new, the MPS cannot claim that it couldn't know he was capable of such acts.

[CountDeMoney]

That whole situation could've been avoided if the office had the ability to shoot the driver, like we have here.  Pfft, Brits. USA USA USA

[11B4V]

Silly brit, he should've had one of these on his ASP.

[grumbler]

Silly brit, he should've had one of these on his ASP.

He left it on his LFB.

[Admiral Yi]

Polish hockey puck?

[11B4V]

Polish hockey puck?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC3MY-4Ek0Q

[garbon]

Not shooting and not US - but British cop is crazy in the video in the link.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/17/filmed-confrontation-between-driver-and-police-officer-goes-viral

Bizarre, but even more bizarre is that the officer wasn't even suspended pending fuller investigation.  He's still out there, in uniform, at least potentially a ticking time bomb.  If he does something new, the MPS cannot claim that it couldn't know he was capable of such acts.

Apparently both are now on 'restricted duties'? Not sure what that is.

[11B4V]

Riding a desk more than likely.

[jimmy olsen]

Heartbreaking. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/david-clarke-jail-death-terrill-thomas_us_57e03580e4b04a1497b5f12e?section=&section=us_black-voices&;

An Inmate Died Of Thirst In A Jail Run By A Loudly Pro-Trump Sheriff

Terrill Thomas' death in Milwaukee County Jail has been ruled a homicide. 09/19/2016 05:37 pm ET | Updated 4 hours ago


WASHINGTON ― Authorities have ruled the death of an inmate at a jail run by a top law enforcement supporter of GOP nominee Donald Trump a homicide caused by "profound dehydration."

Terrill Thomas, 38, was found dead in a Milwaukee County Jail cell on April 24, nine days after being arrested in connection with a shooting. Other inmates heard Thomas beg for water in the days before he died, the Journal Sentinel reported in July.

The Huffington Post has been tracking jail deaths ― more than 800 ― in the year since Sandra Bland died in a Texas jail on July 13, 2015.

http://data.huffingtonpost.com/2016/jail-deaths

Last week the Milwaukee County medical examiner announced that Thomas' death was due to profound dehydration, according to the Journal Sentinel. By labeling the death a homicide, the medical examiner indicated that it was caused by the actions of another person, although that judgment does not necessarily mean that anyone will be criminally prosecuted in the case.

The Milwaukee County Jail is run by Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr., an outspoken Trump supporter and critic of the Black Lives Matter movement. Clarke, who is technically a Democrat, has become popular in conservative circles in recent years for his specific criticism of President Barack Obama and more general critiques of liberalism. A recent disclosure form revealed that Clarke took in more than $150,000 in speaking fees, travel reimbursements and gifts in 2015.

Inmates told the Journal Sentinel that the water in Thomas' cell had been shut off for six days, and one inmate allegedly said to a guard, "If something happens to that man, it's your fault."

"No one should ever die of dehydration. It just should never happen," Erik J. Heipt, a lawyer for the Thomas family, told The Huffington Post.

Heipt, who has represented the families of a number of individuals who lost their lives in jail, said dehydration deaths were relatively rare. He pointed to a lawsuit involving a 25-year-old man who died of dehydration and malnutrition in a Island County Jail in Washington state, which was settled for $4 million last year.

"They may well have had reason to turn off the water. There absolutely could be reasons why you'd want to turn off someone's water in their cell. But to then not give them drinking water? That's crazy," Heipt said. "To make a human being die of thirst, where they have no ability to get their own water for survival, that's pretty inhumane. It doesn't get much worse than that."

Heipt said he has received calls from other former inmates of the Milwaukee County Jail who said the water to their cells had been cut off, too. In fact, another inmate, Antonio Cowser, died in 2011 after water to his cell was turned off.

"They could have gave him some water," Thomas' mother Celia told the Journal Sentinel.

Clarke's office issued a press release stating that it will not be commenting on the death until all investigations, as well as any civil lawsuits, have ended.

The Huffington Post is continuing to collect information on jail deaths that took place in the year after Bland died. Her family recently reached a settlement with Texas authorities in connection with her death.

[CountDeMoney]

Post Nation
Man fatally shot by Tulsa police was unarmed, chief says, as 'disturbing' video is released
By Peter Holley, Wesley Lowery and Derek Hawkins
Washington Post
September 19 at 5:42 PM


Video in the story here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/09/19/man-fatally-shot-by-tulsa-police-was-unarmed-chief-says-as-disturbing-video-is-released/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_tulsa-655pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.a74dc546f458

Tulsa, Okla.,  police released video footage Monday that shows a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man — footage that the city's police chief called "very disturbing."

"It's very difficult to watch," Police Chief Chuck Jordan said at a news conference Monday. "The first time I watched it I watched it with the family ... we will do the right thing, we will not cover anything up."

Jordan said investigators never found a weapon on Terence Crutcher or in his vehicle after the 40-year-old was shot and killed Friday as he stood beside his stalled SUV.

Crutcher died in a hospital later that evening.

Police spokeswoman Jeanne MacKenzie had earlier told reporters that two officers were walking toward the stalled SUV when Crutcher approached them from the side of the road.

"He refused to follow commands given by the officers," MacKenzie said. "They continued to talk to him; he continued not to listen and follow any commands. As they got closer to the vehicle, he reached inside the vehicle and at that time there was a Taser deployment, and a short time later there was one shot fired."

U.S. Attorney Danny Williams has announced that the Justice Department has opened an independent investigation into the shooting.

The footage is the latest in a series of controversial videos showing white police officers fatally shooting unarmed black men, and promises to add a new chapter to an already bitter and divisive debate about race and policing in America.

Crutcher is one of at least 680 people — 161 of them black men — who have been shot and killed by police officers this year, according to a Washington Post database tracking police shootings.

As has been the case in city after city following fatal police shootings, local officials called for calm and promised transparency in the hopes of preempting civil unrest.

"Please maintain the peace," Jordan urged.

The chief released few details about the shooting Monday, but said that officers discovered an SUV running in the middle of the road with its doors open. He said that officers then encountered Crutcher, who the officers claim did not comply with their demands and appeared to reach into the vehicle.

Video shows Crutcher walking toward his vehicle with his hands above his head while several officers follow closely behind him with weapons raised. He lingers at his vehicle's driver's side window, his body facing the SUV, before slumping to the ground a second later.

"Shots fired!" a female voice can be heard yelling.

Based on the video alone, it appears unclear who fired the fatal shot or why it was fired.

After Crutcher is hit, footage shows his limp and bloodied body lying on the roadway beside his vehicle. Officers appear to wait more than a minute before approaching Crutcher while he bleeds in the street.

"It was reported that Terence died at the hospital, that is not true," said Demario Solomon Simmons, one of the attorneys for Crutcher's family. "Terence died on that street by himself."

On Sunday, police released the names of the officers involved. Officer Betty Shelby, who has been with the force since 2011, fired her service weapon, and officer Tyler Turnbough, who was hired in 2009, deployed his Taser, police said. Both officers were placed on administrative leave with pay.

Police showed the video to Crutcher's family Sunday afternoon, and then to a group of local community leaders and ministers.

The Crutcher family and their attorneys were particularly angered by audio recordings of the responding officers, in which one officer describes Crutcher as a "bad dude."

"We're truly devastated. The entire family is devastated," said Tiffany Crutcher, the slain man's twin sister. "That big bad dude was a father, that big bad dude was a son, that big bad dude was enrolled at Tulsa Community College just wanting to make us all proud, that big bad dude loved God, that big bad dude was in church singing with all of his flaws every week."

Crutcher said her family's demand is for the "incompetent" officer who killed her brother to be charged immediately.

She recalled celebrating her and her brother's recent 40th birthday, on Aug. 16. On that day, Crutcher texted her to promise that he would complete his community college classes.

"I have his text message, and it said: I'm going to show you. I'm going to make you all proud," she said. "And now he'll never get that chance."



    #TerenceCrutcher sister: "That big bad dude was my twin brother, a father.....loved God." Watch live @FOX23 now pic.twitter.com/pJ1c3XNJqG

    — Tiffany Alaniz (@TiffanyAlaniz) September 19, 2016

    UPDATE: @TulsaPolice-Officer Betty Shelby is officer who discharged weapon during fatal shooting #TerenceCrutcher pic.twitter.com/zXXTXnA3WR

    — Tiffany Alaniz (@TiffanyAlaniz) September 18, 2016

Ray Owens, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, was one of the the ministers shown the video before its public release and said the images were even worse than expected.

"I didn't expect the video to be this troubling, but it is troubling," Owens said. "The officer who shot and killed Terence said he refused to show his hands. The video footage, however, shows him with hands in the air, he walks away from the police at a slow pace, leans against the car, and that is when he was shot."

Owens said that the group of leaders gathered in the room were shocked by what they had seen, especially because it appeared that officers did not render aid to the dying man for more than a minute after he was shot.

"We asked questions of the police officers and the chief of police, who was there," Owens said. "And there didn't seem to be a real good explanation for why police would not have rendered medical aid for so long."

"He needed help, he needed a hand. And what he got was a bullet in the lungs," said Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney who has represented the families of the slain in many high-profile police shootings.

Crump compared the shooting to that of Jonathan Ferrell in North Carolina and Corey Jones in Florida, both cases which began with a black man having his car break down only to end up shot dead by an officer.

"What was Terence Crutcher's crime?" Crump asked. "When unarmed people of color break down on the side of the road, we're not treated as citizens needing help, we're treated as criminals, as suspects."

For Tulsa, Friday's shooting is the second time in as many years that the police have been involved in a controversial, high-profile shooting that was captured on video. This year, 74-year-old Robert Bates, a wealthy insurance executive who was a reserve Tulsa deputy, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter by a jury after he was caught on camera killing an unarmed black man fleeing police.

In April, jurors only needed three hours to find Bates guilty. His lawyer blamed "negative press" for the verdict.

The insurance executive had pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the death of Eric Harris, the unarmed black man he shot and killed during an undercover operation April 2, 2015. Moments after shooting Harris, Bates could be heard on camera claiming that he shot Harris after mistakenly reaching for his gun instead of his taser at the end of a foot race.

According to the Tulsa World, Bates's lawyer called a psychiatrist to testify that Bates "mistakenly shooting Harris was reasonable given the stress of the situation, and before closing arguments jurors were instructed on the statutory requirements for 'excusable homicide.' " Jurors didn't buy the argument, agreeing with prosecutors after the 1 1/2-week trial that Bates was guilty of criminal negligence.

Andre Harris, the brother of the slain man, said four years in prison would "teach [Bates] a lesson," the newspaper reported. "That place ain't that nice," Andre Harris told reporters. "He said he hopes Bates learns that all lives matter, and he said Bates should not have been on a drug task force chasing supposedly deadly criminals," the newspaper reported. "Not at 73."

[DGuller]

Things will not start changing until every cop knowingly involved in bullshitting is criminally punished for conspiracy.  It's not nearly enough to just punish triggermen, usually the shooting itself is the most excusable act in such stories, whereas coming up with the consistent tale is 100% premeditated, and works about 100% of the time when there is no video.

[Syt]

These tragic incidents could easily be avoided if people just stopped being black.

[Syt]

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-west-hartford-protester-arrest-lawsuit-0916-20160915-story.html

3 Connecticut Troopers Sued Over Arrest Of Man Protesting West Hartford DUI Checkpoint

Three Connecticut state troopers are accused in a lawsuit filed Thursday of violating the constitutional rights of a protester at a sobriety checkpoint by seizing his pistol and camera and then arresting him on bogus criminal charges.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut filed the lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Michael Picard. Named in the lawsuit, which does not say how much money in damages is being sought, are troopers John Barone, Patrick Torneo and John Jacobi.

Trooper Kelly Grant, a state police spokeswoman, said an internal affairs investigation is active and referred other questions to the state attorney general's office, which declined to comment. The three troopers didn't immediately return messages Thursday.

Picard has become known to state and local police in the Hartford area for protesting drunken-driving checkpoints, which he says are constitutional search-and-seizure violations and a waste of public money, the lawsuit says.

At a checkpoint in West Hartford on Sept. 11, 2015, Barone confiscated Picard's legally carried pistol, pistol permit and camera on the pretext of public complaints, the lawsuit says. The troopers then got together and fabricated charges, not knowing they were still being recorded by Picard's camera after they seized it, according to the ACLU.

The troopers are heard but not seen on the recording calling a Hartford police officer to see if he or she had any "grudges" against Picard, initiating an investigation of him in a police database and discussing a previous protest Picard organized at the state Capitol, the lawsuit says.

After finding that Picard had a valid pistol permit, Barone tells the other troopers they have to "cover" themselves and either Torneo or Jacobi said "let's give him something," the lawsuit says. The troopers then wrote Picard infraction tickets for illegal use of a highway by a pedestrian and creating a public disturbance — charges later dismissed in court.

"Police should be focused on public safety, not punishing protesters and those who film public employees working on a public street," said Dan Barrett, legal director of the ACLU of Connecticut. "As the video shows, these police officers were more concerned with thwarting Mr. Picard's free speech and covering their tracks than upholding the law."

[Martinus]

Do we use this thread also to discuss anti-police thugs rioting and destroying property in response to shootings - or just for shootings?