Warning: Unsettling, Death, Gore, Cops killing people
Let’s start with the facts, as reported [nbc]
NEW ORLEANS — Authorities say five people waiting at a downtown New Orleans bus stop were wounded by gunfire during a police shootout with an armed robbery suspect.
The shootout happened Sunday night, and officials say the robbery suspect was killed during the exchange of gunfire.
News outlets reported that the New Orleans Police Department said officers confronted a man deemed a person of interest in an armed robbery investigation. Police say the man, whom they haven’t identified, pulled out a gun and started shooting.
Of five people wounded at the bus stop, four victims were listed in stable condition at a local hospital, while the fifth victim was in critical condition Sunday night. Authorities haven’t released their names.
So, there was an armed robbery suspect standing in a group of civilians, and cops forgot the “armed” part and decided to go collar him. A gunfight ensued and cops sprayed down the entire bus-stop, killing the suspect and wounding 5 others. That’s some truly amazing crisis management, cops! Basically, they were so eager to take down a suspect that they couldn’t wait a while and try to get them when they weren’t in a crowd. That’s the same mentality that causes the many damaging and fatal high-speed chases that American citizens have to deal with: we have to get the suspect right now and we are willing to throw anyone’s safety to the winds in order to collar a Bad Guy.
And they sure gave him a speedy trial, too. Are you shocked to discover this happened in a poor neighborhood?
It should be possible to sue police departments for malpractice. Citizens have rights, and some of those rights include being able to stand at a bus stop without being blasted with a hail of bullets. Also – which many Americans appear to forget – suspects have rights. The man who allegedly pulled out a gun and started shooting had rights.
Then, there’s the whole problem of erosion of trust in the police. New Orleans police don’t have the best reputation for honestly reporting incidents. No American police, have a great reputation – that “he pulled a gun and started shooting!” story has exploded in cops’ faces a lot. Perhaps this time, the alleged suspect did draw a gun and start shooting, or perhaps cops were just quick on the trigger and fired suppressive fire at a bunch of bus-passengers. Perhaps someone will come forward with footage contradicting the officers’ story; I know that’s never happened.
“Protect and serve” done very wrong.
And how is it that the suspects always end up dead? On the one hand, cops are supposed to be trained to apprehend people. And on the other hand US cops are rumoured to be terrible shots, so they ought to incapacitate some of their victims / suspects by accident, at least. Or is the impression that suspects nearly always due to biased reporting (or reading on my part) since “cop shoots man” isn’t entirely newsworthy anymore?
While this didn’t make the “strategic genius category” a rather grim thought just occurred to me. Could this “impatience” to get the suspect – the shoot-outs, the car-chases etc. – just be another outcrop of the “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” mentality? That is, is it just operational stupidity or delibate SOP to accept massive collateral damage like this? If you wait until the crowd disperses you’re “giving in”, letting criminals know that they can use innocent bystanders as cover. If you let someone drive away because a chase is too dangerous for other motorists, you’re encouraging people to evade traffic cops. Therefore, screw the bystanders and damn the traffic, you hit your target hard right now, lest you appear weak.
P.S.: “Someone else shot first” should be considered a lie by default. So much for reputation.
I wanted to know the number of people shot and killed by cops here in Germany. According to Wikipedia [DE/EN], up to end of 2018 it is at least 526. … Since 1952.
Jörg@#2:
I wanted to know the number of people shot and killed by cops here in Germany. According to Wikipedia [DE/EN], up to end of 2018 it is at least 526. … Since 1952.
In the US, the police used to suppress that information entirely. Literally, nobody knows. Lately, there has been a more concerted effort to get that information out of them.
Jörg@#2:,
In the early 70’s I spent 2 years in Germany in the us NATO force. A lot of the GI’s, as they saw themselves, did not realize that we were not an occupying army and had really Bad behavior. When we came into contact with the civilian police they were not limp noodles but never did anything to escalate the situations even though they had provocation and they could have. Ask US civilian Law enforcement about dealing with grunts in barracks towns. But! I never saw a troop mishandled and certainly not killed. The law enforcement in this country has a gigantic issue. The majority are decent and honest but being the ”greatest nation” in history is preventing a process called learning.
Roebrt Estrada
Robert Estrada,
Lovely.
Here, have a chocolate from this box. The majority of it isn’t poisoned, after all.
PS One wonders how the decent and honest majority either tolerate or are blissfully unaware of the minority. Almost paradoxical, almost invites cynicism.
Anybody remember that shooting outside the Empire State building a few years back?
The guy shot two (I think?) people inside the building, and then he was confronted by cops when he went outside. Almost all the articles written about were worded in such a way as to make it seem like the guy shot several people. Eventually, it turned out that all of the people shot outside were shot by cops. :/
Once again, the military is better at managing unintended casualties then the damned police are.
Are they? I thought both groups handled this by just retroactively declaring all the casualties “intended”.