Trouble In America Guns /tazers

[in a mo]

I have listened to the Police Officers Full account on the shooting of the youth that has sparked the latest unrest in America in it he mentions reaching for his gun several times but there is no mention of the Police officer having a Taser do the offers carry this form of protection ?.
President Obama went on American Television late last night to plead for calm a little late when most of Ferguson was already rioting.

[ummmm]

I think they do carry tasers.

[Old_Geezer]

I have no experience but is it as quick to get the taser and use it when someone is going for their gun as it is to get the gun and use it ?

Obama has little choice, despite the progressing situation. What else should he do, save perhaps get the guard to stomp on it all, which would be a last resort ?

[TWR]

What would you do If a person raises his / her arm & getting ready In a Mo?
I know what I would do, the person carrying that gun had the intension, this time it back fired as it was a Fake, but tell that to many Families that thought they were facing a fake & have lost their Wife / Husband / Members of their family, sad but the lad should have known better.

[Baldric]

Wrong shooting TWR

///A 12-year-old boy has been shot dead by police in the US as he played with a fake gun in a park. Tamir Rice, who was black, died of his wounds yesterday in hospital after being shot twice in CLEVELAND, Ohio, on Saturday///

You're talking about Cleveland not Ferguson as in the OP.

[Baldric]

It's this one in the OP

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/25/-sp-ferguson-ablaze-michael-brown-verdict-war-zone

[TWR]

Yes I know Baldric, but to the point, the Police officer was right as much as the public cry out. carry a Gun, you take the chance as this young lad found out.

[Old_Geezer]

Ah I see the guard is already involved.

I'm unsure why folk would expect the court decision to be otherwise. I've not paid a great deal of attention to this case but I've not come across anywhere where it is suggested the officer did it for fun. If he did it would be a different matter, but as it stands the boy's death seems to be being abused as an excuse to riot.

[Baldric]

The teenager in Furguson (OP) was not carrying a gun, real or fake

///Unarmed Michael Brown Was Shot By A White Officer///

You're just muddying the waters

[ummmm]

Two different topics. TWR.

I wouldn't be confident it was the full account given.

[ivor4781]

baldric read the officers account
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2849513/I-know-did-job-right-Darren-Wilson-reveals-shooting-Michael-Brown-time-used-gun-five-year-career-says-just-wants-normal-life.html

[Zeuhl]

You need to view incidents like the Michael Brown shooting in context.

In the situation described, the officer had little option:

a belligerent and large teenager refused to follow the officer's instructions and 'grappled' with him

"He'd be alive if he just followed orders'"

But...

the context of Ferguson, Missouri is that police instructions to black youths are traditionally preceded by "Hey you dirty n199er" or similar.

It's not that long ago that Ferguson had signs warning 'n199ers' to be out of the town centre before nightfall

And the state's laws are still geared to allow police officers to abuse black people with impunity.

So perhaps its not surprising that people like Michael Brown become belligerent and aggressive when a police officer is barking orders at them?

[RandyMarsh]

TWR, carrying a gun in the USA is not a crime. A lot of states have open carry laws that means you can walk around with a semi automatic rifle if you want.

[trt]

## In the situation described, the officer had little option:

a belligerent and large teenager refused to follow the officer's instructions and 'grappled' with him

"He'd be alive if he just followed orders'" ##

And hadn't just robbed a shop!!!!

[stuey]

Here is an article followed by comments printed in the Columbia Daily Tribune: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/ferguson-businesses-torched-in-overnight-protests/article_e3fa0401-78bc-53e9-9b81-ec51779095d4.html?comments=focus

[Zeuhl]

The officer knew nothing about that trt

so it is irrelevant to the shooting and the sort of distortion introduced by apologists and those who want to obfuscate.

next thing trt you'll be telling us that Jean Charles de Menenez was seen running into Stockwell tube station

[Baldric]

Zeuhl, from Ivors link

///He says the two ignored his request and it was then that he noticed Brown carrying a handful of cigarillos - the same items stolen in a convenience store robbery he heard reported over the his police radio earlier///

[Baldric]

That ^^^ should have included

///Noticing the cigarillos in Brown’s hand, and how Johnson’s clothing matched the description in the robbery report///

[RandyMarsh]

"He'd be alive if he just followed orders'" ##

He'd be alive if the officer had not fired at him 12 times.

[Zeuhl]

//Noticing the cigarillos in Brown’s hand, and how Johnson’s clothing matched the description in the robbery report///

Cheers Baldric, i didn't know that

but it reinforces the fact that the teenager was unarmed because the radio report would have coded it as something other than an armed robbery.

the fact remains that a situation existed in which an arsey teenager had engaged in low grade anti social and criminal behaviour was shot dead

and the roots of that go a lot deeper than that situation alone