Quote:Honestly, though he used inflammatory language, there are some who are going to refuse to accept that this was murder. 5 shots close range? There's at least two videos out that show the perp subdued. It didn't take 5 shots. This has been an ongoing problem before it was so easy to record and it fell on deaf ears. Now in am instance where we have a recording, the result is still the same. Yes, he was running a criminal enterprise, albeit non violent. The gun in his possession was probably for the violent criminals who might try and take advantage of the fact he is running an illegal business, not for cops. The same as a legal store owner might have a gun. There are plenty of other instances where non violent offenders are apprehended without death occurring, but this particular storyline keeps being rehashed and swept under the rug. There's less evidence of any wrong doing in the Robinson car in the pond situation with more skepticism being rendered on all accounts, but in this case we need more facts.


My mom worked for JSO for 30 years. I haven't known a bad cop. I've had negative interactions, certainly been profiled, but not enough to condemn them. They are there though, and the tough job good cops have are further complicated by the blind eye turned to bad cops. At this point, the frustration you are seeing from TJ comes from the fact that it's not a matter of how many videos before everyone gets it, but that no matter how explicit it will always be the fault of the perp.

 

None of the videos I've seen show him subdued completely.  They were wrestling with him, and in the best angle I've seen, his right arm was anything but subdued. 

 

The non-violent offender you're referring to was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.  The police were responding to a call indicating someone matching the description of Sterling was brandishing that weapon, threatening someone in the parking lot outside of the store.  When they arrived and approached him, he resisted them, including fighting through being tasered.  When they wrestled him to the ground, he did attempt to do something with his right arm that appeared to be at a minimum, reaching for that pocket. 

 

 

The number of shots fired is irrelevant.  You don't know how many shots it would take to diminish the threat, and if you're the one pulling the trigger, your thought after every pull isn't "was that the one that ended this?"  When a law enforcement officer draws and fires a weapon, they're not shooting to injure. 

 

Had Sterling complied from the start, he'd still more than likely still be alive today, albeit in a cell.

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