Wheel chair does not make you invincible. Vid shot in the back

[nra4ever]

Maybe they could have just pushed over his chair....

 

[El Conquistador]

holy cow, this isn't going to end well for that officer

 

[HoughMade]

"BE CERTAIN OF YOUR TARGET, YOUR LINE OF FIRE, AND WHAT LIES BEYOND YOUR TARGET."​

Target: Guy in wheelchair- check.

Beyond target: Lowes employee- check.

I want to give the benefit of the doubt...and if the guy had a gun, sure...but all they had to do was clear people out of his path until they could apprehend him. I can think of a few ways that could have happened.

 

[buckwacker]

Cue the protests and riots. Oh wait dude is the wrong color. Never mind. Probably a white supremacist shoplifter anyway and had it coming.

That looks reeeaaaal bad.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Pretty solid example of not enough force early leading to more force later. The optics of snatching papaw out of his chair, tipping him over (which may be tougher than you think, those things can be really heavy with a low center of gravity due to the batteries and motor), or tazing him (which is probably a bad idea for someone in a scooter, anyway) would have been terrible. So they let him manuever into a situation where he could endanger others.

Legally, he may be ok. Wheelchair guy is an armed robbery suspect (shoplifting then pull a knife to complete the shoplifting = theft accomplished by the threat of force = robbery), he's entering another store, there are people in view. The fact other tactics are available, or even smarter, does not mean it's illegal to shoot. Much like TX bro-fest shooting.

I suspect the firing officer is going to be in for a tough time, though. Even if there is no successful criminal case, civil suit and termination for violation of department policy are still very real concerns.

As an aside, Family Guy should have the cop in the wheelchair PIT a suspect in a wheelchair in an episode.

 

[HoughMade]

Pretty solid example of not enough force early leading to more force later. The optics of snatching papaw out of his chair, tipping him over (which may be tougher than you think, those things can be really heavy with a low center of gravity due to the batteries and motor), or tazing him (which is probably a bad idea for someone in a scooter, anyway) would have been terrible. So they let him manuever into a situation where he could endanger others.

Legally, he may be ok. Wheelchair guy is an armed robbery suspect (shoplifting then pull a knife to complete the shoplifting = theft accomplished by the threat of force = robbery), he's entering another store, there are people in view. The fact other tactics are available, or even smarter, does not mean it's illegal to shoot. Much like TX bro-fest shooting.

I suspect the firing officer is going to be in for a tough time, though. Even if there is no successful criminal case, civil suit and termination for violation of department policy are still very real concerns.

As an aside, Family Guy should have the cop in the wheelchair PIT a suspect in a wheelchair in an episode.

That makes a lot of sense.

The police department has already said he will be fired.

 

[printcraft]

Maybe they could have just pushed over his chair....

Shoot him in the wheels...

 

[BigRed]

Maybe they could have just pushed over his chair....

Looks like it took 9 shots to put him down.

 

[dekeshooter]

As an aside, Family Guy should have the cop in the wheelchair PIT a suspect in a wheelchair in an episode.

Brilliant!

 

[printcraft]

 

[Wolfhound]

 

[Ark]

If you delete the wheelchair it becomes an armed and combative shoplifter resisting arrest and running into a store full of potential victims.

But you can't delete the wheelchair, it's part of the totality of circumstances, and at least one of these cops seems dumbfounded to see shots being fired at a person who has not yet actually attacked the police.

Shooter is going to prison IMO. I'm just not seeing the threat here.

 

[buckwacker]

Shoot him in the wheels...

Or at least get the stop sticks out, sheesh.

 

[Farmerjon]

I did not even see a need for guns to be drawn. I don't have a solution for this, but shooting him, don't see that being an option. With that said, send this officer to San Fransisco or wherever all those smash and grab heists are going on and turn him loose. Those will stop quickly also.

 

[Jsomerset]

What did the big heist consist of?

 

[buckwacker]

Pretty solid example of not enough force early leading to more force later. The optics of snatching papaw out of his chair, tipping him over (which may be tougher than you think, those things can be really heavy with a low center of gravity due to the batteries and motor), or tazing him (which is probably a bad idea for someone in a scooter, anyway) would have been terrible. So they let him manuever into a situation where he could endanger others.

Legally, he may be ok. Wheelchair guy is an armed robbery suspect (shoplifting then pull a knife to complete the shoplifting = theft accomplished by the threat of force = robbery), he's entering another store, there are people in view. The fact other tactics are available, or even smarter, does not mean it's illegal to shoot. Much like TX bro-fest shooting.

I suspect the firing officer is going to be in for a tough time, though. Even if there is no successful criminal case, civil suit and termination for violation of department policy are still very real concerns.

As an aside, Family Guy should have the cop in the wheelchair PIT a suspect in a wheelchair in an episode.

Hmmm. Danger to others? He's in a wheelchair and everyone but crawling babies or toddlers just learning to walk can out walk\out maneuver him. I think the optics of a mag dump into a dude in a wheelchair, in the back no less, is just a weeeee bit worse than the optics of tazing or tipping the dude over, but that's just me.

There's "armed robbery suspects" and there's wheelchair bound dude's with knives who five fingered some stuff. Not excusing his actions, but he's not on the same threat level as your typical "armed robbery suspect".

The family guy idea would be hilarious. You should send it in an demand a small cut for the idea.

 

[yeahbaby]

That cop better have some other job skills. I would have to think his LE career is pretty much over.

 

[femurphy77]

holy cow, this isn't going to end well for that officer

Yeah this one isn't defensible IMHO

 

[Gunmetalgray]

One shot would have been a WTF is wrong with you (the officer) moment. But a mag dump??! W.T. ever loving F. is wrong with him??????

 

[BigRed]

One shot would have been a WTF is wrong with you (the officer) moment. But a mag dump??! W.T. ever loving F. is wrong with him??????

Incompetence perhaps?
Ego perhaps?


I do not know the details of the officer sending 9 rounds into the back of the armed theif in the chair, but I do wonder....... As it becomes increasingly difficult to attract solid folks to the position of LEO (due in large part to the "villification of LEOs"), will departments lower their standards and hire candidates they would have previously declined?

There is some evidence it is taking place in the downtown district of Indianapolis.