Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Shooting

[ricbak]

I am surprised that this site has not picked up on this incident yet. Something is missing in this report.

YouTube - Bart Police shooting in Oakland KTVU...

[Glockster20]

I've saw the video yesterday. Or maybe it was Monday. Anyway, the officer who fired the fatal shot is receiving multiple death threats;

BART confirms officer in controversial shooting receiving death threats

It's been all over the place for the last couple of days. Looks like the LEO went for his Taser and pulled out his gun instead. Tragic accident. Fight in a subway station with a lot of rowdies and confusion. Since then he and his family have been the target of threats on their lives, and BART is moving him around to keep him safe.

I know the LEO is screwed by this, but AFAIK, this was not a "police execution," it was a sad mistake. And if this guy had not been a participant in the melee, he'd still be alive.

[ricbak]

Originally Posted by gpbarth

It's been all over the place for the last couple of days. Looks like the LEO went for his Taser and pulled out his gun instead. Tragic accident. Fight in a subway station with a lot of rowdies and confusion. Since then he and his family have been the target of threats on their lives, and BART is moving him around to keep him safe.

I know the LEO is screwed by this, but AFAIK, this was not a "police execution," it was a sad mistake. And if this guy had not been a participant in the melee, he'd still be alive.

Agreed... I also think that is going to escalate into something "Uglier". The family of the victim is screeming coverup. I think BART moving this LEO is a wise thing.
I know some of you LEO's carry a ton on your duty belts, but do you carry your Tasers off hand or cross draw?

[Glockster20]

Originally Posted by ricbak

Agreed... I also think that is going to escalate into something "Uglier". The family of the victim is screeming coverup. I think BART moving this LEO is a wise thing.
I know some of you LEO's carry a ton on your duty belts, but do you carry your Tasers off hand or cross draw?

weak hand side of the belt, "cross draw" position. By the way, a taser virtually eliminates the need for an impact weapon such as a collapsable baton and or OC spray. Why carry all of that stuff on your belt when all you really need is the taser? I like having a couple extra pair of cuffs instead of all that "extra" equipment.

[gdcleanfun]

I've watched 3 or 4 of these videos from at least 2 angles and in none of them can I tell what the civilian had done, neither while sitting against the wall nor after he was prone on the floor. I barely could see that an officer stood and moved an arm. I could hear the shot but could not make out what anyone said besides those who held the phones or the ones yelling afterward that he was shot. Did the civilian draw something, have something in his hand to begin with? Say something? Did the officer over-react? I cannot understand how it could be said that he drew for his taser and shot a pistol by mistake. I had a taser, but the one i had way back then didn't have a pistol grip, it was an earlier style. That's a really bad lapse of judgment if that's what happened. I wish the videos were clearer! I would have a hard time if I was on the jury trying to decide what happened from just these videos, for sure!

If you watch the video from the BART camera, you can see the officer bend over the victim and can tell he's been pushed to the floor. YOu can also see the officer apparently pulling (or drawing) something, and then the sound of the shot. And the officer's hands go up.

Forget the cell-phone videos - none of them are clear enough to tell anything. But I think it's clear that the officer made a (fatal) mistake. And I also think that, despite what the critics are saying, no one is trying to cover anything up or make excuses. It was an accident that shouldn't have happened. It was also a fight between many people, and in one (cell-phone) video, it looks like one of the people involved may have been holding a weapon. As that video opens, you can see the person trying to palm something by his right side.

[gdcleanfun]

I'll look through the rest of them for sure, and I think it was a fellow I saw with something in his right hand, but he wasn't the one on the floor - he was walking toward the ruckus.

Originally Posted by gdcleanfun

I'll look through the rest of them for sure, and I think it was a fellow I saw with something in his right hand, but he wasn't the one on the floor - he was walking toward the ruckus.

That's the one I was talking about. And no, it wasn't the guy who got shot. Just stating that there may have been weapons involved in the fight that started the whole thing. Maybe gang-related. The LEOs probably had their hands full to start with.

[tattedupboy]

Originally Posted by ricbak

Agreed... I also think that is going to escalate into something "Uglier". The family of the victim is screeming coverup. I think BART moving this LEO is a wise thing.
I know some of you LEO's carry a ton on your duty belts, but do you carry your Tasers off hand or cross draw?

I am a security officer and I too wear a duty belt with a ton of stuff on it. Proper training should develop one's muscle memory sufficiently so that the officer, whether he's security or police, should be able to get what he intends to get, and get it quickly, almost without thinking. While this is indeed a tragedy, it should not have ended the way it did.