Are The Police Out Of Control?

Cap'n Slappy · Are The Police Out Of Control?

You probably read the story about the police in Atlanta killing the 92 year old women. Now the police kill an unarmed groom on his wedding day. Are the police out of control these days? Should they shoot first and ask questions later? http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-11-25-police-shooting_x.htm

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Fifty rounds sounds like a bit much but I wasn't there.

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And the mayor of NY thinks so too. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/27/nyc.shooting.ap/index.html

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Something closer to home. http://www.wral.com/news/10449139/detail.html

Nighthawk

I've seen pictures from the kids Facebook. He has pics of he and his boys posed with two pistols, a shotgun, and an assault rifle. And he held up a person at gunpoint to steal their PS3.

From what I have heard of the situation I would say he probably answered the door, his dog may have lunged at the cops or started running at them and they opened fire and a stray round hit the kid, or he went in to pull the dog back or something and got in the line of fire. Utter speculation at this point. The "witnesses" they have talked to so far were the other kids that were playing the stolen PS3 at the time and were also being served arrest warrants. Not very reliable.

Cap'n Slappy

If the guy was unarmed I don't see any justification for shooting him. My dog might lunge at you if you try to come in my house. He really doesn't have the "I have a warrant" thing down pat yet. Of course my dog may be shot but I don't think I should be.

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It looks like the DA in New Hanover County didn't see any justification in it either. http://www.wral.com/news/10511332/detail.html

THE CURE

I can't believe that the deputy just walks up to the door and starts shooting.

teribt · Wilmington case

With regard to the tragic death of Peyton Strickland, he had been charged with assault (felonious, I believe) this past September - prior to the robbery/assault that led to his demise - so it seems he had much left to learn about respecting the lives of others.

As usual, the media has carefully selected information to broadcast over and over, that would serve to undermine law enforcement, rather than keeping the facts in the spotlight. For a fleeting period, comments were broadcast in the Triangle area from persons who knew Strickland - the comments were such that they "were not surprised". How odd that the media has attempted to depict him as little more than a "mischievous child".

Where did the media "lose" the information about Strickland's crony who was arrested around this same time with a loaded weapon in his vehicle?

These young men seemed to be on the road to no return, and picking up speed all the time.

Strickland refused to answer his door that fateful evening, and was apparently viewed through a window or peep-hole holding something in his hand which could not be identified as something *other than a weapon*. Latent reports said the object was possibly a handheld game controller. Only a fool who knew this young man's history, part of which he himself publicized via the Internet with the pics of himself and weapons, could not be thinking of the possibility of his holding a gun.

The confusion of too many officers, a fool-hardy young man who refused to open a door when he knew that the encounter was inevitable - and mounting adrenaline - seemingly transformed the loud sound of a battering ram into what Officer Long equated with shots fired from within that apartment. He reacted with gunfire, as is highly possible had it been it any one of us who had been in his position at the time.

As for the dog, I understand that the animal was outside in the yard, ergo, he must have charged into the unfolding scene from the darkness and ended up getting shot as a result. This was not a case of an animal being killed out of meanness nor spite, but one of reaction to the unseen.

I dare say that Chris Long has as much regret about what transpired, as anyone close to the situation. One young man has lost his life, and another one's is scarred for eternity.

The sad fact is that this whole snafu was handled from the initiation stages so as to put Long - and everyone else - in the situation to begin with. In a perfect world, it would have approached in an entirely different manner. In a perfect world, Strickland WOULD have been a mischievous, but basically law-abiding citizen, and would have had no qualms about answering his door to law enforcement.

Think what each individual may, but if we don't support our LE officers, the time may come that we need their help and support - and red tape and fears of persecution may cause their response to be too little or too late.

As well, it would behoove our District Attorneys to spend a bit more time investigating all sides in these situations before making their decisions, rather than taking what seems like "the re-election line of thought"... as D.A. Nifong may just discover in the current Duke lacrosse case.

Cap'n Slappy

Things like this tend to happen when you use "SWAT" tactics that aren't necessary.

Are The Police Out Of Control?

Wilmington case