I have finally seen the video, and though brief as it is, I think that all the SPECULATION of how the officers should have approached is just that...speculation! The suspect "made " them as they approached. It happens and that's about all their is to say about that I think.
Hell, I can sniff out the stench of an off duty cop like a blood hound. It's not that hard. (they carry a certain body language and air of attitude).
Again, I say, I would have shot because I WANT TO LIVE!
All in all, what had to be done got done!
Could it have been handled better? After viewing the actual shooting portion of the incident, I'd say that one could get equal or even better shooting from an seizing epileptic.
It even appears that there was a brief pause by the cops (as the suspect, from what I see, did not just turn and point before they started shooting), perhaps to order the guy to drop the weapon. At least that's how I see it.
But seriously, even if suspect isn't "Quick Draw McGraw", just how long would you expect anyone to wait before firing when face to face with someone that you know has off'ed one person already?
MG, I'm not the biggest fan of cops either, but when your staring down the barrel of a gun, the only thing on your mind If you're not already frozen is "kill this guy". It's just that some have a better knack for such things than others.
The "what if" of my family or loved ones being hurt, you ask? Well sure I agree that both those cops are "urine" poor pistoleros, especially at urinating distance. But I'd really, more than anything, want to go up to the dead guy and stomp on his head a couple times for causing the situation in the first place.
You've got to understand that not everyone is a natural with a pistol and even those that are naturals on paper never truly know until that first sphincter puckering moment . And IT HAPPENS FAST.
The only thing one can fault these guys for isbeing a couple of spasmatics. It is just unrealistic to expect the kind of out come that I think you're looking for.
No one seems to ever have anything to say about the COST of training. And what about the difficulties of working with some of these goons. I'm sure plenty of you vets remember how many "rocks" there were in basic that got the whole company in trouble.
It's no different with cops. They're people, and people in general are FARRRR from perfect. Usually, I'm the one criticizing the cops here, but in this case, NY got about the best result they could hope for given the big picture of training, and ability.
A good handful of my high school buddies became cops, and none of them could ever be considered the sharpest tool in the shed. It is what it is and that's the pool from which the PD has to select. And those are just the ones that didn't get caught.
When I'm out in public, I avoid cops like the plague because they are targets. And when ever they're around, I keep my head on a swivel because you never know what the hell is going to happen. If your going to live in the big city, you've got to accept that reality or you'll end up another statistic one day.
Again, what had to be done was done and it was about as good an ending as a REALISTIC person could expect given the bigger picture of circumstances. Truthfully, I don't meet many realistic people these days. I think it's too much TV.
