LA - Officer fatally shoots Alton Sterling outside store, Baton Rouge, 2016

[Woodland]

So this guy threatens someone with a gun, and these two officers are sent there to deal with an armed man who was brandishing a gun. And they give him commands to comply with them and he refuses. So then they end up in a physical struggle with the armed , defiant man.

So then what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to wrestle with an armed man, that they were sent to detain, and they are not going to assume he might try and shoot them first?

How are cops supposed to do what we ask of them? How are they supposed to detain an armed man that was threatening others, without possibly shooting in their own self defense?

We don't know if they saw the victim trying to reach for his own gun or not. But why would they have shot him if he wasn't?

Who is the 'we' that asked cops to wrestle with someone that is armed? That strikes me as foolish as putting a gun out where a kid can pick it up - no good will come of such a situation.

 

[bluesneakers]

I understand that is your perception. I have studied this issue far to much to be able to support this kind of blanket statement. And I say that as the friend of a family who has suffered and lost from an unjust police shooting that is still making its way through the legal system.

I was simply answering a question with what I've heard and read previously and it's not a blanket statement - look at all the possibilities. But it comes down to they do it and who knows why they do it? :dunno: It happens all the time and their reasons vary.

 

[Woodland]

The 911 call was about a man brandishing a gun outside of the store. So when the cops were trying to detain him, they were aware of the 911 caller's accusation. When they were wrestling with him it was in his pocket, at the start. But we don't know if he tried to retrieve it or not.

UBM

Sure we do - a number of citizens have said the shooting victim did not try to retrieve it. See the links so far.

Let's respect WS and get what is written correct, discuss that and use links in our 'fact reporting'? TOS.

 

[Elley Mae]

Wonder who made the call to the police ?
AS was known to the store owner, Abdul. I'm curious if Abdul had previous altercations with AS as it's sometimes illegal to sell merchandise in front of a place of business.
:moo:

The 26-second audio clip reveals a Baton Rouge Police dispatcher telling police Sterling was selling CDs near the Triple S Mart and that Sterling had a gun in his pocket.

The complainant was not identified by police. A BRPD spokesman told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune police had not released the tapes to WAFB and they have no plans to do so. Messages to Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III to confirm if the 911 caller is sticking his story were not immediately returned.

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/07/alton_sterling_shooting_tapes.html#incart_river_home

bbm

 

[Elley Mae]

Sterling shooting: Police dispatch tapes obtained


http://www.wafb.com/story/32384244/sterling-shootingpolice-dispatch-tapes-obtained

Sterling's mother revealed to the media that Sterling had a prior history with police that included felony arrests. Court records show his arrest history includes:

9/09/96 aggravated battery
10/31/97 2nd degree battery
1/06/98 simple battery
5/04/00 public intimidation
9/20/00 carnal knowledge of a juvenile
9/04/01 domestic violence
5/24/05 burglary of an inhabited dwelling place
7/11/05 receiving stolen things
9/12/05 burglary of inhabited dwelling place
3/17/06 simple criminal damage to property, simple robbery, simple theft, drug possession, misrepresentation during booking, simple battery, aggravated battery
4/12/06 aggravated battery, simple criminal damage to property, disturbing the peace, unauthorized entry
4/04/08 domestic abuse battery
6/03/09 resisting an officer, drug possession, receiving stolen things, possession of stolen firearm, illegal carrying of a weapon with CDs, sound reproduct without consent
10/12/09 illegal carrying of weapon, marijuana possession
8/13/15 failure to register as a sex offender
4/08/16 failure to register as a sex offender
6/14/16 ecstacy and marijuana possession

 

[Woodland]

Sterling shooting: Police dispatch tapes obtained

http://www.wafb.com/story/32384244/sterling-shootingpolice-dispatch-tapes-obtained

It seems he pulled a gun on complainant.

Not a fan of the anonymous part - was the shooting victim in someone's way as far as territory to sell music? I can phone LE and say a lot of untrue things - but they will know who I am unless I use a payphone. Not feeling this yet.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

UBM

Sure we do - a number of citizens have said the shooting victim did not try to retrieve it. See the links so far.

Let's respect WS and get what is written correct, discuss that and use links in our 'fact reporting'? TOS.

I'm not sure officers need to wait until the suspect is retrieving the gun in his pocket, when he isn't complying. By then it could be too late. There was a witness that said he was tased at least two times and it had no affect on him.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Not a fan of the anonymous part - was the shooting victim in someone's way as far as territory to sell music? I can phone LE and say a lot of untrue things - but they will know who I am unless I use a payphone. Not feeling this yet.

I don't know that it matters why the person made the call. The police knew they were possibly dealing with an an armed man.

 

[Irish_Eyes]

I was simply answering a question with what I've heard and read previously and it's not a blanket statement - look at all the possibilities. But it comes down to they do it and who knows why they do it? :dunno: It happens all the time and their reasons vary.

Did we have a misunderstanding? It sounded as if you were saying that police often claim that someone was going for a gun when they were not. Was that incorrect?

 

[Woodland]

I'm not sure officers need to wait until the suspect is retrieving the gun in his pocket, when he isn't complying. By then it could be too late. There was a witness that said he was tased at least two times and it had no affect on him.

Don't understand and it's not important that I do, but officers need to wait until a suspect is retrieving a gun? Quite sure this is not part of any post to date.

 

[barcode]

There was a witness that said he was tased at least two times and it had no affect on him.

That is clear from video, you hear the two pops (being tased) beforehand. It does appear as though he was shot impulsively? Looked to be under control despite not being compliant. A warning was issued and gunfire immediately afterwards. Glad I was not in position to make that call, could be the difference between a single small or Veinte at Starbucks.

 

[Irish_Eyes]

Don't understand and it's not important that I do, but officers need to wait until a suspect is retrieving a gun? Quite sure this is not part of any post to date.

I assume some effort to try to reach the weapon has to be made. Otherwise, in a state where it is legal to carry concealed you could just shoot anyone who carried, in which case it isn't really legal to begin with right?

 

[Woodland]

I don't know that it matters why the person made the call. The police knew they were possibly dealing with an an armed man.

So they rush in and confront him? Up close and personal? Not getting that at all. Not hearing the ring of truth in it.

 

[drjones]

So they rush in and confront him? Up close and personal? Not getting that at all. Not hearing the ring of truth in it.

the confrontation was going on for some time before the video begins, the video starts with the first tasing.

 

[Woodland]

the confrontation was going on for some time before the video begins, the video starts with the first tasing.

Doesn't change that LE rushed in to confront someone, up close and personal, they thought was armed - why would anyone put themselves in that position until they could assess the situation? If they could use a taser - there was no gun visible in my mind.

 

[drjones]

again, all the talk about open carry, concealed carry, etc is just a distraction, it has no bearing on this situation

the police were responding to a call of a man taking out a gun and threatening someone with it, it doesnt even matter if that actually happened, that is what they were responding to
apparently they believed sterling to be that man and began to interact with him, it seems clear that at some point he became uncooperative and they decided they needed to threaten to tase him
and that is where the video begins.

 

[drjones]

Doesn't change that LE rushed in to confront someone, up close and personal, they thought was armed - why would anyone put themselves in that position until they could assess the situation? If they could use a taser - there was no gun visible in my mind.

you have no idea how they initially approached the situation and dealt with him, or how long the interaction went on for before the video starts. clearly there was no gun visible or they would have drawn their weapons sooner, im not sure what that has to do with anything tho?

 

[drjones]

new video. warning - this one is more graphic than the other one.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...a-gun-when-baton-rogue-police-killed-him.html

 

[Woodland]

again, all the talk about open carry, concealed carry, etc is just a distraction, it has no bearing on this situation

the police were responding to a call of a man taking out a gun and threatening someone with it, it doesnt even matter if that actually happened, that is what they were responding to
apparently they believed sterling to be that man and began to interact with him, it seems clear that at some point he became uncooperative and they decided they needed to threaten to tase him
and that is where the video begins.

OK - so what in the video shows he needed to be 'taken out'?

 

[barcode]

they decided they needed to threaten to tase him
and that is where the video begins.

That's not what happened, unless you can supply video where officers threatened to tase him. From start of video that I have heard, you hear a taser shot, then get on the ground said twice followed by a second taser shot. It is while on the ground that Officer issues a warning followed immediately by gunfire. I did not hear a warning before tasing. I am sure there will be much more video to follow up.