BodyCam: Cop Kills 14-year old girl bystander while shooting at suspect armed with a bike lock. What do you think?

[CoffeeTiger 5,169]

 

 

The video is timestamped to begin with the bodycam footage of the shooting officer.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/27/1068396431/la-police-shooting-14-year-old

A man with a bikelock was going around a mall store assaulting people with the lock and acting crazy. Police respond, it's been reported that about 11 police officers where on scene when the shooting happened. Some 9-11 callers said they thought he might have a gun but others reported he didn't, and there were no reports of shots fired by the suspect. The police officer in the footage grabs an assault rifle out of his patrol vehicle, goes to the scene, commands other officers to get behind him while he takes   point. They encounter an injured civilian that had been hit and assaulted by the suspect. The injured civilian is on the floor with the suspect several feet away in a store aisle. In the footage it does not appear that any civilian or cop was in immediate danger when the shooting occurred. The officer encounters the suspect, orders him to stop, and shoots several rounds about a second after his commands before the suspect is able to do anything. One of the bullets fired by the cop goes into a wall behind the suspect, shoots and kills a 14 year old girl who who is hiding in a dressing room with her mother. 

The suspect is also killed in the encounter. 

 

 

Officer obviously didn't mean or intend to shoot the girl...that's obvious...but the questions now are:

Was the weapon used appropriate for the situation? What was the tactical relevance of the rifle in this situation that the officers handguns couldn't accomplish? Would it even have mattered in terms of wall penetration and hitting the girl?

Was anyone in immediate danger necessitating the need for such lethal force at that moment? Was such quick use of weapons in a active shopping center with civilians appropriate when there was no evidence the suspect was armed with a gun and the suspect was not charging or directly attacking an officer or civilian when the cops encountered him in the above situation?

The suspect was obviously dangerous and had seriously injured a civilian already, and this story wouldn't have much if any significance if there had not been collateral damage. 

So whats the thoughts on this one?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by CoffeeTiger

[McLoofus 35,182]

18 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

So whats the thoughts on this one?

That this is the inevitable result of the intentional proliferation of firearms in this country.

That so many ******* idiots thought that it was a good idea for everyone to walk around thinking literally anyone else might be carrying a gun is exactly why this happened. The cops, who should 100% be prosecuted for manslaughter at least, had every reason to think the guy had a gun. Because that's the society the NRA and all these GI Joe cosplay dick extension fetishists wanted and got. 

Some jackass suggested on here not that long ago that children should carry guns to school. I don't think he meant to, but he did. I gave him a chance to clarify, but he didn't. 

[homersapien 11,440]

If it was a rifle, the cop is partially responsible. (This is exactly why I've always maintained that assault rifles are not suitable for self or home defense.

Having said that, it probably wouldn't have made any difference had it been a pistol which certainly could have penetrated two layers of sheet rock.

Bottom line, McLoofus got it exactly right.  Trigger happy cops are exactly what you would expect in a society as armed as ours. 

Edited December 29, 2021 by homersapien