Based on the limited information we have right now, I'm going to guess that this was a horrible mistake. The cop that was killed was in street clothes and was chasing after someone while holding a gun. If I were witnessing this I too might suspect that he was a perpetrator chasing a victim and was intent on shooting him, but this is all based on the limited information that's currently available. One important detail would be whether the cop who shot him yelled "Freeze!" or something else before he fired his weapon. Anyway, it's too soon to tell for me.

*law

Adding video to channels (Law) - requested by kronosposeidon.

Hey, Al Shapton is lookin mighty slim these days. Did he have the strap surgery or is he just doing a bit more jogging?

are cops supposed to have their guns when off duty? Or allowed to? Was it his own gun, I dont know the rules in America

My ass its not about race. The guy was shot in the back. Clearly, the police officer who shot him was thinking (consciously or subconsciously) gun plus black person = dead black person. How can anyone seriously assert the police officer was "merely following procedures" when the guy was shot in the back? What procedures allow that? The guy they interviewed said he heard "police! police!" and "started" to turn. Yeah, but he was still shot in the back. Was he about to drop the weapon? Well if he was I doubt he was given the chance.

I'm not saying the police officer was a card carrying member of the KKK. But racism can become institutionalized and accepted even among fundamentally good people. It can become standard policy to "shoot first, ask questions later" when dealing with a black person with a gun - not officially of course, but in practice. People have all sorts of ways to justify things like that in their minds. And I think this incident (along with other similiar incididents) suggests there is a problem. That's why we need an independent investigation.

Also, we need to not take the police's word at face value when it comes to issues like this. If you've seen other examples of police abuse, haven't you noticed a pattern? Deny, deny, deny, deny. The police want to protect their own. Its our responsibility to make sure they're doing their job right - we can't always defer to their judgement.

One of the guys in this report says (to paraphrase)
"If you are a police officer and you are challenged by another police officer then you drop your gun, you do not turn, you drop the gun first"

So here's what you need to do to get a policeman to drop his gun.

1. Get behind him somehow.
2. Yell "Police! Freeze!".
3. He will automatically drop his weapon. (Without turning to check if you are real police)

Something seems wrong with that to me.

IMO there is racism involved, but not with the police. If this had been a white cop shot by a black one there would be no parade/march in the streets, no protest or calls for an independent investigation. Al Sharpton and his ilk are always very quick to blame white people for any bad thing that happens to a black person. Racism exists, but it exists both ways.

WTF was he doing running with his gun out? Isn't he supposed to secure his weapon during a foot chase?

I think he would have been shot if he was a white guy doing the same thing.
What this realy comes down to was -
Did he follow protocal?
Did the shooter identify himself as a police officer?
Did he yell freeze?
Did the victom drop his gun?
How quickly did he turn?
Did the victom identify himself as an officer?

In the end I expect the only person who will know this is the shooter and his version of the truth will always weigh in his favor.

*controversy

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Since police don't get convicted for shootings, and people who shoot police don't get off, shouldn't this cause a rip in the space-time continuum or something?

Skeeve: The reasons against the chance of there being a "parade" in your very hypothetical example is because there is no decades long trend of the police (extremely disproportionatly) killing innocent white people without justification, and getting away with it. Or even more specifically, of black cops killing/murdering innocent white citizens, and getting away with it.

When you bring up these analogies, you have to use context.

Notice that Mike Brooks in the video spoke for quite a while, but never answered the anchor's question: why do cops never shoot white cops?

Furthermore, people who are protesting this incident are not blaming white people in general for this tragedy, they are trying to hold one white cop accountable based on the known facts. Your hyperbole doesn't help, but it certainly reveals your bias.

NATIONAL BLACK POLICE ASSOCIATION STATEMENT
PRESS RELEASE
SHOOTING DEATH OF OFFICER OMAR EDWARDS

MAY 29, 2009, 1127 AM

The shooting death of NYC Officer Omar Edwards may be only hours old; however, the known facts thus far combined with the police experience possessed by members of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) reveal that the shooter, Officer Andrew Dutton, was reckless and shot without identifying himself as a policeman and worse, failing to give Officer Edwards a chance to drop his weapon. As has been the case in all shootings of black officers by white officers ---by example the shooting of Officer Ridley in Westchester and the shooting of Officer Young in Providence, the shooting officers recklessly mistake black officers to be criminals and then commence fire without warning. This shoot first and ask questions later behavior clashes with the caution and protocol that we as police officers are supposed to undertake when confronting individuals with guns. Furthermore, consider that coroner’s report shows that Edwards was shot in the back. Consider that Dutton’s weapon is limited to a three round burst. Six to seven rounds were fired. This means that Dutton pulled the trigger at least twice. By the end of the first burst—Dutton had to know he was aiming at a man’s back and wrongfully firing his weapon. Two other officers were with Dutton, yet Dutton was the only shooter. Lastly, after Dutton shot Edwards----Edwards was handcuffed and lay dying in his blood. The officers rendered no assistance to their dying black comrade. It was not until the paramedics arrived that Edwards was tended to. Without significant efforts by the New York City Police Department to cause officers to be more open minded, there will be many more black officers killed by fellow officers.

Writer & Member: Christopher Cooper: 312 371 6752 (E-mail: cooperlaw3234@gmail.com);
Executive Director: Ronald Hampton, 202 744 2897 (NBPANATOFC@worldnet.att.net)
National Chairperson: John Hayes

>> ^longde:
Furthermore, people who are protesting this incident are not blaming white people in general for this tragedy, they are trying to hold one white cop accountable based on the known facts. Your hyperbole doesn't help, but it certainly reveals your bias.


I'm not trying to defend the cop, he didn't do his job properly and he murdered an innocent man and he should be made to pay for it. And to insinuate that I am some kind of racist is one of the biggest insults I can imagine. Maybe I have a different point of view, but that's because I come from a place that racism is so incredibly rare.

I just find it so odd that it seems like every week Al Sharpton is on the news with a new person to label as a racist or with a new issue that he thinks is specifically designed to hurt black people. I just don't get it.

But then again, I also find it insane and disgusting that conservatives in America think that Sotomayor might be a bad choice as a Supreme Court justice because she is Hispanic and likes Hispanic food.

The simple fact of the matter is that the United States will continue to be pitied by the rest of the world until you can sort out this constant use of the race card.

^I said your bias was revealed, not that you were a racist. I meant you were biased in favor of the police. If you construe yourself as a racist; those are your inner demons talking, not me.

To me, you and Sharpton are the same: you both want to hype up strawmen. You should read the hyperbole in your post.

Black cops dont have many friends by the sounds of it.

"Amazing it doesn't happen more often?" Dude, I can't even recall the last time a Canadian cop shot another, let alone killed. Law enforcement *FAIL and *LIES America.

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