Oh, please!! Cry me a river. You don't want to get shot,, then hello-!! DON'T point anything that looks like a gun or act in a threatening manner to a policeman. End of story. NO way am I going to participate in another session of picking apart a police officer's actions-- for DOING HIS JOB-- which is to keep society safe-- and he has a right to go home alive to his family too. I'm tired of seeing everyone give the criminals the benefit of the doubt, always. No way. The cop is the hero here... NO sympathy for the one who was the aggressor. I don't care 'what a great person' he was--- great people don't point things at cops.
I'm assuming you haven't read the articles, because #1, this man was NOT a criminal; #2, he was not even AWARE that there were any police officers near him, so no way was he able to point a gun AT officers he didn't even know were there! There was absolutely NO aggression on the part of Douglas! #3, these officers fired REPEATEDLY into a HOME! Where people live! Without even utilizing the most basic steps to ensure the safety of innocent residents/bystanders.
I take no joy in picking apart a police officer's actions---or in this case, the actions of MULTIPLE police officers. But sometimes, the action on the part of Law Enforcement is SO egregious (if that is even remotely spelled right!) that it BEGS to be held up to scrutiny.
I would guess that regardless of the public/official stance, the officers involved are suffering privately, I doubt very much they lack human feelings about what happened, and some may never get over it.
I Hope and Pray that these officers ARE suffering privately. Taking a human life SHOULD cause some soul searching, don't you think? And if the life was taken by MISTAKE, then it should absolutely feel horrible.
Not that I want these officers' lives to be destroyed by what happened, but what they did was something that had permanent consequences for the poor guy sitting in the porch area of his friend's house. There are permanent consequences for Douglas's little son, for his mother and father, siblings and friends.......there ought to be some soul searching going on in these officers. God help us if these men are so hardened that they can kill an innocent man and NOT suffer!
LONG BEACH -- The attorney for a man killed by Long Beach Police Officers called the shooting a "flat-out ambush" and "massacre."
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_16885718
I heard on the radio that the Coroner has sealed the autopsy pending litigation. The family spoke up early on as to the locations of the shotgun blasts and the story they tell as to how Zerby was seated.
The family is also saying that LBPD is flat out lying because none of theri stories can be corroborated by eyewitnesses.
Maybe it is because I am so familiar with the actions of the New Orleans police department----actions that resulted in murder, and lies galore to try to cover up (and not just in the case that has recently been in the news, but MANY cases!)----but I totally believe that many LE officers are totally into CYA, and are not beyond lying to try to protect themselves.
I truly believe that at least 90% of our law enforcement officers are men of honor who believe in and uphold the laws of our land, who temper their actions with wisdom and a desire to protect the innocent. But 90% is short of 100%, and there are officers who either maliciously, foolishly or ignorantly take actions that are wrong......and that is what I'm seeing here.
