150
California sheriff releases bodycam video of killing of boy, 15, holding gardening tool
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2024
150 points (95.7% liked)
Interesting Global News
2633 readers
412 users here now
What is global news?
Something that happened or was uncovered recently anywhere in the world. It doesn't have to have global implications. Just has to be informative in some way.
Post guidelines
Title format
Post title should mirror the news source title.
URL format
Post URL should be the original link to the article (even if paywalled) and archived copies left in the body. It allows avoiding duplicate posts when cross-posting.
[Opinion] prefix
Opinion (op-ed) articles must use [Opinion] prefix before the title.
Rules
1. English only
Title and associated content has to be in English.
2. No social media posts
Avoid all social media posts. Try searching for a source that has a written article or transcription on the subject.
3. Respectful communication
All communication has to be respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences.
4. Inclusivity
Everyone is welcome here regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.
5. Ad hominem attacks
Any kind of personal attacks are expressly forbidden. If you can't argue your position without attacking a person's character, you already lost the argument.
6. Off-topic tangents
Stay on topic. Keep it relevant.
7. Instance rules may apply
If something is not covered by community rules, but are against lemmy.zip instance rules, they will be enforced.
Companion communities
- !legalnews@lemmy.zip - International and local legal news.
- !technology@lemmy.zip - Technology, social media platforms, informational technologies and tech policy.
- !interestingshare@lemmy.zip - Interesting articles, projects, and research that doesn't fit the definition of news.
- !europe@feddit.org - News and information from Europe.
Icon attribution | Banner attribution
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
It is not possible to know when you are confronted with coming at you holding a tool in a threatening manner whether or not he's autistic or "having a mental health crisis." An officer cannot afford to sit and wait to see if the attacker strikes him in the skull first.
I'm not saying this couldn't have been handled better and it should have been - but I can understand how it happens. Taking a reasonable amount of risk has to be balanced with instantaneous assessment of whether this person who's on a rampage is about to strike you or a family member in a lethal way. This may not be the happiest outcome, but people need to stop instantly criticizing every move the police make.
If YOU were the officer standing there having to make a snap judgment, you very likely would do the same thing, even if you think you wouldn't.
Why were the officers even there?
A nation whose only recourse to it citizenry having mental health crises is sending men to shoot them is a damned one.
Take some that change you're clanging 'round to buy local sheriffs F-18s and equip nurses and counselors with bearsuits and a living wage.
Then why is the US the only country where this kind of thing happens so regularly that every time a story like this comes out, I have to wonder if it’s about a new one or the last one? Cops shot a guy in his backyard for holding a cell phone.
American police are on a literal hair trigger for lethal violence, especially against minorities, and most especially against African Americans. They are taught that their lives are in constant danger, and their use of force regulations are ridiculously loose. There’s even an entire training course for law enforcement called “killology.”
It's a good thing they have like 4 different "less lethal" methods to handle that sort of thing. Oh wait they just shoot you dead and get a paid vacation until everyone forgets. Great system.
If a police officer is as likely as me to freak out and fuck up in an emergency, they don't have the required training or character to do their job.
No, I would not do the same thing if I were an officer. I just feel like this needs to be said. Not everyone is seeking to preserve their own life at the expense of others.
I'm sick of cops acting like they are supposed to do this. It's in direct opposition to the reason we pay them hazard pay.