The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[sbr]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/08/10/a-terribly-devastating-event-black-man-killed-by-swat-team-was-innocent-officials-say/

'A terribly devastating event': Black man killed by SWAT team was innocent, officials say

It was not yet dawn when the armored vehicles, black and hulking like Batmobiles, rumbled into the residential neighborhood in Compton, Calif. A carjacker had stolen a vehicle in Los Angeles, exchanged gunfire with sheriff's deputies and then ditched his prize, disappearing on foot into a dense patchwork quilt of pink houses.

The armored vehicles — and the heavily armed deputies inside them — were there to find and capture the armed carjacker.

Instead, they found a different black man, Donnell Thompson.

As the carjacker hid in a house several blocks away, Thompson slept in a stranger's yard. He was 27 years old but possessed the mental faculties of a much younger man. He loved Uno, Michael Jackson and the Lakers. He was so gentle and shy he went by the nickname Little Bo Peep, his family told the Los Angeles Times. He had a clean record and was unarmed.

From inside one of the armored vehicles, however, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies knew none of this. When Thompson didn't respond to commands, the deputies detonated flash-bangs. When he still didn't move, they hit him with foam bullets.

And when he allegedly ran toward them, a deputy atop the armored vehicle opened fire with an assault rifle, striking Thompson twice in the torso.

Thompson died. At almost the same instant, the real carjacker was arrested.

That was July 28. For almost two weeks, the Sheriff's Department insisted that Thompson was a second suspect in the carjacking.

On Tuesday, the department admitted it had killed an innocent man.

"No question this is a terribly devastating event," Capt. Steve Katz said during a news conference. He said there was "no physical evidence" connecting Thompson to the carjacking or shootout and promised a "thorough" and "complete" investigation into the shooting, according to the Associated Press.

Thompson's relatives said they wanted more than an investigation, however. They wanted charges for the deputy who killed Thompson.

"I wouldn't treat an animal this bad," his sister Matrice Stanley told the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, according to the AP. "How is this justifiable?"

The incident is the latest in a string of fatal officer-involved shootings of black men across America. As in the recent police killings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn., the shooting in Compton has prompted accusations of racial profiling and excessive force.

Stanley said she thought her brother's race played a role in the shooting.

The incident also raises questions about the militarization of law enforcement, as departments across the country increasingly use armored vehicles and assault rifles to fight crime.

"In a civilian neighborhood, they bring an urban assault vehicle," Brian Dunn, an attorney representing the Thompson family, told the Huffington Post. "The BearCat, it's like a tank. Their response to this situation was so aggressive. Their tactics were so aggressive."

The tragedy began in the early hours of July 28 when Robert Alexander, 24, allegedly stole a Honda Civic in Los Angeles, taking the car at gunpoint from its owner.

Fifteen miles to the south, in Compton, a sheriff's deputy later spotted the Civic traveling erratically and decided to pull it over, according to the Los Angeles Times. The license plate showed the car was stolen. As a second patrol car arrived, the Civic drove off, punching through an elementary school's fence.

As the car sped through Compton, Alexander allegedly shot at deputies, causing them to return fire. After the Civic crashed into a parked car, Alexander escaped on foot.

As he ran along Slater Street, the carjacker threatened two people on a front porch, according to the Times. He then entered the house, threw his gun under a couch, took his clothes off and climbed into a bed where an elderly woman — a complete stranger — was sleeping.

Despite the ruse, deputies found him and arrested him at 4:59 a.m.

Seconds later, a man living a few blocks away called 911. He told dispatchers he was taking out his trash when he spotted a figure lying in his front yard, the Times reported.

Although authorities already had Alexander in custody, there was confusion over whether he was the carjacker. A deputy who responded to the 911 call, meanwhile, saw that the figure in the man's front yard resembled the carjacking suspect: a black man between the ages of 20 and 30 wearing dark pants or shorts and a basketball jersey.

The deputy radioed that he had found the carjacker who had fired at police, and the armored vehicles quickly arrived.

Thompson didn't respond to commands, instead remaining motionless with one hand under his head and another concealed near his waist. An object that looked like a gun lay nearby, Katz said. When flash-bang explosives failed to wake Thompson, SWAT deputies shot him with foam bullets.

At that point, Thompson suddenly pushed himself to his feet and ran toward an armored vehicle, Katz said. An officer in the vehicle's turret shot Thompson twice in the upper torso with an M4 assault rifle, the Times reported.

Stanley, Thompson's sister, said she thought her brother didn't respond to commands because he was afraid and confused, the AP reported. She called for the deputy to be fired, questioning why he opened fire when he was protected by the armored car.

Dunn, the family attorney, accused the Sheriff's Department of "tactical blunders" and called the shooting a "mistake."

"We've done our own investigation and have not heard anything to suggest that Donnell Thompson was in any way acting in an aggressive manner or in any way demonstrating that he posed a threat to anyone," Dunn told the Huffington Post. Dunn also claimed: "He hadn't committed a crime, he was not wanted, he had not done anything wrong, he was legally authorized to be where he was, he was legally authorized to be doing what he was doing, he wasn't breaking the law and he wasn't armed ― when you take that backdrop of facts it's just not only a tragedy, but it's a homicide, in every sense of the word."

The attorney said he had filed a federal civil rights claim against Los Angeles County and was preparing to file a lawsuit as well.

Experts cautioned, however, that just because the Sheriff's Department had admitted Thompson was innocent doesn't mean the shooting will be declared unjustified.

"The commands being ignored, they used less-lethal force that was ineffective, the guy was running away. ... Those factors are very relevant in leading them to believe, 'This guy has done something wrong. This is our guy,'" Ed Obayashi, a Plumas County sheriff's deputy and attorney who advises several law enforcement agencies in the state, told the Times.

Adding to concerns over the incident, however, are two other shootings of unarmed men by the same department in the past two weeks. A homeless man was shot on Aug. 2 while running from deputies. And a man caught tagging a house with graffiti was shot while hiding in a shower. Those shootings are also under investigation, the Times reported.

But it is the death of Thompson that has stirred anger and spurred protests.

"His age was 27, but mentally ... he was probably 16," Stanley told the Times.

"He was soft-spoken. He was gentle. What was the threat?" said cousin Larmar Avila, according to the AP. "I'm upset, I'm angry, I'm passionate, I'm emotional. It's so much. All in one. And how do you expect us to act, when we're patient, and we're waiting and we're waiting. We're not going crazy. We're waiting. Patiently. Twiddling thumbs. I'm shaking. I'm scared. I'm scared for my brothers. Scared for my family members. And it shouldn't be like that."

"Black lives matter," said another sister, Antoinette Brown. "I just want justice for my baby brother."

[CountDeMoney]

That was July 28. For almost two weeks, the Sheriff's Department insisted that Thompson was a second suspect in the carjacking.

On Tuesday, the department admitted it had killed an innocent man.

That's because, if the department admitted immediately it had killed an innocent man, shit would've burned.  This is the wrong summer for that.   So, let's lie and deny for two weeks so the darkies don't get all uppity, what with their short attention spans and all.

[11B4V]

That was July 28. For almost two weeks, the Sheriff's Department insisted that Thompson was a second suspect in the carjacking.

On Tuesday, the department admitted it had killed an innocent man.

That's because, if the department admitted immediately it had killed an innocent man, shit would've burned.  This is the wrong summer for that.   So, let's lie and deny for two weeks so the darkies don't get all uppity, what with their short attention spans and all.

Damn it, maybe the next. Some nice flat screens nowadays.

[CountDeMoney]

Damn it, maybe the next. Some nice flat screens nowadays.

Do you tuck your mullet in your uniform collar, or do you just bobbypin it up under your hat?

[11B4V]

 

Damn it, maybe the next. Some nice flat screens nowadays.

Do you tuck your mullet in your uniform collar, or do you just bobbypin it up under your hat?

[Habbaku]

Anyway, with very little deviation, there's nothing in there that wasn't going on 20 years ago.

***List of same shit, different decade***

I seem to recall discussing with you and Berkut about the time-honored BPD tradition of "let's fuck with people for the sake of fucking with people" a couple years ago in a Chick-fil-A at WBC.  Funny, that.

  Not too long ago, yeah.  I recall that, and it's looking like we're just seeing more of the same. 

[Berkut]

That guy getting killed sucks, but I don't see how you can conclude that it was racial.

If he was a white guy (with a white suspect), then I could see the exact same, fucked up, outcome.

The problem here is the militarization of the police, not *necessarily* racism.

[Zanza]

A police car with a gun turret just seems bizarre to this euroweenie.

[Kleves]

That guy getting killed sucks, but I don't see how you can conclude that it was racial.

If he was a white guy (with a white suspect), then I could see the exact same, fucked up, outcome.

The problem here is the militarization of the police, not *necessarily* racism.

Assuming the recitation of facts in the article is accurate, I don't know that I really can fault the police for what happened. It also seems fairly likely this guy would still have been shot, militarization or no.

[Berkut]

That guy getting killed sucks, but I don't see how you can conclude that it was racial.

If he was a white guy (with a white suspect), then I could see the exact same, fucked up, outcome.

The problem here is the militarization of the police, not *necessarily* racism.

Assuming the recitation of facts in the article is accurate, I don't know that I really can fault the police for what happened. It also seems fairly likely this guy would still have been shot, militarization or no.

A officer inside the turret of an armored car shot a man in the chest twice with an assault rifle. Said man was not armed.

I can certainly fault them for that. That is fucking bullshit. Was he afraid he might have an RPG hidden in his pants?

[Kleves]

I assume that, had the deceased been armed, there would have been some danger to other officers or members of the public (or even turret guy). 

It is interesting that you make a good case for greater militarization of the police, as decreased danger to officers would presumably result in fewer shootings in (supposed) self-defense.

[Berkut]

I assume that, had the deceased been armed, there would have been some danger to other officers or members of the public (or even turret guy). 

Yes, had he had an RPG stuffed into his pants, there would have been some danger. Since there was no reason to think he had said RPG, we can certainly fault the officer for shooting him.

*anyone* might be armed. If that is the base metric for shooting people, we are going to be shooting a lot of people.

It is interesting that you make a good case for greater militarization of the police, as decreased danger to officers would presumably result in fewer shootings in (supposed) self-defense.

No, I don't make such a case at all. IMO, it is the militarization culture that has resulted, in some cases, of an attitude that appears to be "Shoot first, find out the threat level later".

The attitude that you are a soldier and the citizens are at least potential enemy combatants is exactly the problem. And that is accentuated by cops being equipped for and trained as essentially military personnel.

This happened because the police made an assumption about this man, and that assumption was completely wrong. They didn't stop to challenge that assumption, or consider whether their approach was appropriate given the information at hand. This entire "us versus them" attitude is what gets completely innocent people doing absolutely nothing wrong shot by the police.

[Kleves]

The deceased here was armed and had already shot at officers. He was found hiding nearby in a stranger's yard, and refused to surrender the gun he had in his waistband. Police tried multiple non-lethal techniques to get him to surrender, but he refused. He then charged at officers and was killed.

As we now know, some of the above wasn't true, but those are all things that officers very reasonably believed to be true when they confronted him. To me, this seems more a chance tragedy than an example of police militarization or racism.

In other news:

MILWAUKEE — A standoff between police and an angry crowd turned violent Saturday night in the hours after a Milwaukee police officer shot and killed an armed suspect during a foot chase.

After an hours-long confrontation with officers, police reported at 10:15 p.m. CT that a gas station was set on fire. Police said firefighters could not get close to the blaze because of gunshots.

Later, fires were started at businesses — including a BMO Harris Bank branch, a beauty supply company and O'Reilly Auto Parts stores — near N. 35th and W. Burleigh streets as scores of people gathered near the crime scene on the city's north side, a grim and emphatic Mayor Tom Barrett said at a news conference.

The mayor and Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton pleaded with the public for calm, and Barrett said there would be a strong police presence in the following days.

"Our police officers are doing everything they can to restore order," he said.

"If you love your son, if you love your daughter, text them, call them, pull them by their ears," he added. "Get them home."

Police had "shown an amazing amount of restraint," Barrett said. Some at the scene took to social media earlier Saturday night to encourage others, many of them young people, to come out and participate in what the mayor described as trouble-making. He urged parents to keep tight reins on their children to avoid a repeat of Saturday night.

Hamilton said, "Our city is in turmoil tonight."  He promised a full and open investigation into the police-involved shooting.

"When we get information, we are going to share it with the public, please allow the process to work," he said.

Turmoil erupts

Assistant Police Chief James Harpole said at least 200 people had gathered at the uprising. He said there were multiple gunshots over the course of the evening.

When the gas station was set ablaze, there were three people in the building and all got out safely, he said.

At times, those gathered pushed against a line of 20 to 30 officers, some of whom wore riot gear. Officers got in their cars to leave at one point, and some in the crowd started smashing the windows of a squad car and another vehicle, which was set on fire. As officers returned to the scene, this time many more in riot gear, gunshots could be heard about 8:45 p.m

The shots appeared to be fired in the air by someone in the crowd.

Soon after, the crowd turned on and chased reporters and a photographer from the Journal Sentinel. One reporter was shoved to the ground and punched.

Police later tweeted that an officer was hit in the head with a brick that was thrown through a squad car window. Police said the officer was being treated at a hospital.

The violence erupted not long after a woman who identified herself as a family member of the dead man implored the people to leave the scene.

"We don't want anyone else to go to jail or get hurt," she told the crowd.

Some left but many stayed as tensions built. Around 12:30 a.m. CT, Barrett said the north side of the city was starting to calm down.

A footchase, then gunshots

The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon.

City police officials said two officers stopped two suspects in a car at about 3:30 p.m. The suspects then took off on foot. During the pursuit, a six-year veteran of the department shot and killed a 23-year-old Milwaukee resident, who was carrying a semiautomatic handgun, police said.

The officer was not hurt.

Shortly after the shooting, Milwaukee Police Assistant Chief Bill Jessup said at the scene that it wasn't immediately clear whether the suspect pointed the gun or shot at the officer.

"Those additional facts will come out in the coming days," Jessup said.

City police officials have not interviewed the officer, Jessup said. That responsibility will fall to the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, which is required by state law to take over officer-involved shooting investigations.

"That officer had to make a split-second decision when the person confronted him with a handgun," Jessup said. "This is a risk they take every day on behalf of our community."

Jessup said he didn't immediately know why the officers stopped the suspects.

Police said the suspect had a "lengthy arrest record," though the specific crimes were not detailed. The suspect was carrying a handgun taken in a March burglary in Waukesha. The owner reported that 500 rounds of ammunition also were stolen.

The officer is 24 and will be placed on administrative duty during the investigation and subsequent review by the district attorney's office.

The second suspect who fled on foot, also a 23-year-old man, was apprehended and is in custody, Jessup said.

Police shooting tops off violent weekend

The shooting occurred about one block northwest of the scene of a Friday evening homicide, and about four blocks west of a Saturday morning double homicide. Five people died in shooting-related homicides during a nine-hour stretch in the city on Friday night and Saturday morning.

"As everyone knows, this was a very, very violent 24 hours in the city of Milwaukee," Jessup said. "Our officers are out here taking risks on behalf of the community and making split-second decisions."

Nefataria Gordon said she knew the man who had been killed by the officer. "He was a nice good person. He was really respected. That's why everyone came out. They're angry."

The clash comes after a series of tense episodes in Milwaukee involving residents and police, including one just before the Fourth of July weekend near Sherman Park.

In early July, a group of several dozen young people threw rocks and bottles, damaging windows of a gas station and a county transit bus near Sherman Park. Law enforcement beefed up their presence for several days there. Some activists said it was an intimidating presence. At the same time, the incidents also led to a surge in residents and local leaders promoting positive activity there.

[Berkut]

That is awesome kleves.

As long as the officers think, based on complete assumptions that have zero evidence, that someone *might* have a gun, they are free to go ahead and shoot him a few times even before he brandishes said gun and even if they've armored themselves up enough that the gun itself is incredibly unlikely to actually be a threat to them.

The fact that a bunch of what you said is simply not true does not absolve the officers, it indicts them. The streets of American cities are not Baghdad or Fallujah where it is ok for the cops to assume that the guy they are dealing with is in fact the bad guy, even if the officers in question did not see this person do any of the things you claim. They did not see him with a gun, they did not see him fire it at anyone, and they know that what with being in the middle of a fucking city there are literally thousands of people in the immediate area who are certainly NOT the guy they are looking for - they don't get a free pass to simply assume that the guy is the bad guy and blow him away the moment he does anything they don't quite understand.

You know why? Because they are police officers, not soldiers!

Their job is to protect civilians, not shoot bad guys. They shoot bad guys when they decide that it is the ONLY way to protect civilians or themselves. Shooting civilians when you are kinda sure they are bad guys is not ok. It does not excuse them, even when the civilians don't follow their orders.

I bet you were pissed off the Arizona police officers lost his job for blowing away the poor guy trying to pull his fucking pants up in the hall.

OH WELL I TOLD HIM NOT TO PULL HIS PANTS UP! HE MIGHT HAVE HAD A GUN STUFFED IN HIS BRIEFS!

[grumbler]

Gotta agree with Berkut.  Even had the cops faced the situation they thought they were facing, they still wouldn't have been justified in using deadly force.   There were still other options for dealing with the situation, and law properly requires deadly force to be the last resort.