Cop in America doing a bad job, again

How fast can you fire a pistol? 7-8 rounds a second? Its dark and noise and confusion come into it. They both just emptied their clips as fast as possible. With hindsight sat on our comfy chairs with multiple video angles its easy to see the precise millisecond they should have stop shooting.
At somebody in his grannys backyard armed with a iphone.
 
How fast can you fire a pistol? 7-8 rounds a second? Its dark and noise and confusion come into it. They both just emptied their clips as fast as possible. With hindsight sat on our comfy chairs with multiple video angles its easy to see the precise millisecond they should have stop shooting.

That's not an excuse. They incorrectly thought he had a gun and continued shooting after he was down. Its not rocket science to see that this was both wrong and excessive.
 
At somebody in his grannys backyard armed with a iphone.


It's important to note that these cops had no idea it was his granny's home. They also have to take into account that an 'armed' suspect is behaving erratically in a residential neighbourhood.
 
It's important to note that these cops had no idea it was his granny's home. They also have to take into account that an 'armed' suspect is behaving erratically in a residential neighbourhood.

There seems to be a narrative being painted that we had Mother Theresa shot going to Sunday School.

A sheriff's helicopter spotted a man at 9:25 p.m. in a nearby backyard and told officers on the ground that he had shattered a window using a tool bar, run to the front of that house, and then looked in an adjacent car.

Police added that Clark had used either a concrete block or an aluminum gutter railing to break a sliding glass door one house adjacent to where he was shot, and that they believed Clark had broken windows from at least three vehicles in the area.

It appears Clark was the suspect they were looking for and he behaved highly suspiciously and irrationally. Doesn't mean he deserved to be shot or die but its all part of the big picture.

He also had a good reason to run:

Clark had a criminal history, four cases in four years that included charges of robbery, pimping, and domestic abuse. Sacramento County court files show he pleaded no contest to reduced charges, spent time on a sheriff's work detail and was on probation for the 2014 robbery when he was killed.​
 
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There seems to be a narrative being painted that we had Mother Theresa shot going to Sunday School.

A sheriff's helicopter spotted a man at 9:25 p.m. in a nearby backyard and told officers on the ground that he had shattered a window using a tool bar, run to the front of that house, and then looked in an adjacent car.

Police added that Clark had used either a concrete block or an aluminum gutter railing to break a sliding glass door one house adjacent to where he was shot, and that they believed Clark had broken windows from at least three vehicles in the area.

It appears Clark was the suspect they were looking for and he behaved highly suspiciously and irrationally. Doesn't mean he deserved to be shot or die but its all part of the big picture.

He also had a good reason to run:

Clark had a criminal history, four cases in four years that included charges of robbery, pimping, and domestic abuse. Sacramento County court files show he pleaded no contest to reduced charges, spent time on a sheriff's work detail and was on probation for the 2014 robbery when he was killed.​

Whether he was a choirboy or a 22 year old father of two with a spotty past is all irrelevant when it comes to whether or not he should've been shot to death.
 
It's important to note that these cops had no idea it was his granny's home. They also have to take into account that an 'armed' suspect is behaving erratically in a residential neighbourhood.
Right, so they empty their clip at him? One of those bullets could well have hit someone behind the next fence... it being a residential area doesn't exactly make indiscriminately firing 20 bullets in his general direction much better.
 
Right, so they empty their clip at him? One of those bullets could well have hit someone behind the next fence... it being a residential area doesn't exactly make indiscriminately firing 20 bullets in his general direction much better.


No that's one of my biggest problems. I think they were certainly reckless.
 
Whether he was a choirboy or a 22 year old father of two with a spotty past is all irrelevant when it comes to whether or not he should've been shot to death.

No one is disputing that. However the cops where doing thing by the book. They said they thought he had a gun and the video confirms that. What happened in the last couple of seconds is no fully known. Hopefully lessons will be learnt on both sides and his life is not lost in vain.
 
No one is disputing that. However the cops where doing thing by the book. They said they thought he had a gun and the video confirms that. What happened in the last couple of seconds is no fully known. Hopefully lessons will be learnt on both sides and his life is not lost in vain.

They said he had a gun doesn't mean he actually had a gun. Just because they made the wrong call doesn't excuse the logic behind why they got it wrong, and it certainly doesn't excuse firing 20 rounds at an unarmed suspect.
 
Whether he was a choirboy or a 22 year old father of two with a spotty past is all irrelevant when it comes to whether or not he should've been shot to death.


Cops wouldn't have been aware of his record. The Meadowview area is quite a troublesome neighbourhood. I used to live not far from there in Land Park.
 
Cops wouldn't have been aware of his record. The Meadowview area is quite a troublesome neighbourhood. I used to live not far from there in Land Park.

Know the area pretty well. I used to work off of Folsom and Watt in 2015.
 
Not sure what the answer is. Maybe they should have more dog units in the area. In the Clark incident would the helicopter lighting him up change the outcome.

The cops obviously had eyes on the suspect by way of the helicopter, so rather than the foot patrol immediately engaging with deadly force, they should've tracked the suspect and tried to arrest him. We know that he was unarmed, so that would've been the right approach. If they tried to arrest him and he charged them, then deadly force would've been authorized. The cops unnecessarily created the circumstances that led to them having to shoot the suspect rather than deescalate by talking to him.
 
Know the area pretty well. I used to work off of Folsom and Watt in 2015.


South Sac is not the best place. When I was Ubering I'd turn off the app if I ended up down there and head back to downtown. I wouldn't be surprised if cops were less worried about letting rounds fly because of the location.
 
The cops obviously had eyes on the suspect by way of the helicopter, so rather than the foot patrol immediately engaging with deadly force, they should've tracked the suspect and tried to arrest him. We know that he was unarmed, so that would've been the right approach. If they tried to arrest him and he charged them, then deadly force would've been authorized. The cops unnecessarily created the circumstances that led to them having to shoot the suspect rather than deescalate by talking to him.

What if he was armed and he opened the slider to that house and it ended in a deadly hostage situation?
 
What if he was armed and he opened the slider to that house and it ended in a deadly hostage situation?

What if he was carrying a massive dildo and a bag of chicken McNuggets ?

Let's stick to what he was actually carrying without inventing alternate realities.
 
You have to assume that these cops genuinely feared for their lives. I can't imagine that they would want to open up considering the implications of shooting a suspect in those circumstances.
 
You have to assume that these cops genuinely feared for their lives. I can't imagine that they would want to open up considering the implications of shooting a suspect in those circumstances.

I don't disagree with that. My point is that it was their self-generated security dilemma that created the conditions for them to use deadly force. In a nutshell, they were scared and decided to shoot him to justify their own fears of getting shot - nevermind their not having evidence he was armed.
 
I don't disagree with that. My point is that it was their self-generated security dilemma that created the conditions for them to use deadly force. In a nutshell, they were scared and decided to shoot him to justify their own fears of getting shot - nevermind their not having evidence he was armed.


It's bad decisions all round. Nobody will be satisfied by the outcome of this 6 months down the road.
 
There seems to be a narrative being painted that we had Mother Theresa shot going to Sunday School.

A sheriff's helicopter spotted a man at 9:25 p.m. in a nearby backyard and told officers on the ground that he had shattered a window using a tool bar, run to the front of that house, and then looked in an adjacent car.

Police added that Clark had used either a concrete block or an aluminum gutter railing to break a sliding glass door one house adjacent to where he was shot, and that they believed Clark had broken windows from at least three vehicles in the area.

It appears Clark was the suspect they were looking for and he behaved highly suspiciously and irrationally. Doesn't mean he deserved to be shot or die but its all part of the big picture.

He also had a good reason to run:

Clark had a criminal history, four cases in four years that included charges of robbery, pimping, and domestic abuse. Sacramento County court files show he pleaded no contest to reduced charges, spent time on a sheriff's work detail and was on probation for the 2014 robbery when he was killed.​


Classic victim blaming. The same argument lawyers would use to convince the jury in someway to say, “he had it coming”.Why should his past matter in any case.

I understand you are trying to argue that the cops did everything by the “book”. But incidents like these happening other week really begs the question whether the “book” needs change and certainly it does. Officers trained to shoot at even the slightest of movement are nothing but cowards and shouldn’t be in the force in first place.It’s just an easy excuse to cry “fear”.
 
Classic victim blaming. The same argument lawyers would use to convince the jury in someway to say, “he had it coming”.Why should his past matter in any case.

It doesn't matter. Nor does that fact he was shot in his grannies garden. And a lawyer can't usually interject his past record in a trail. That is just for the judge to consider when sentencing.


I understand you are trying to argue that the cops did everything by the “book”. But incidents like these happening other week really begs the question whether the “book” needs change and certainly it does. Officers trained to shoot at even the slightest of movement are nothing but cowards and shouldn’t be in the force in first place.It’s just an easy excuse to cry “fear”.

I agree with all of that. Every incident should be investigated. Keep what works and change the training/procedures when things are flawed.
 
He was facing them but it was dark and he had no way of knowing they were right around the corner from where he was. They fired about 5 shots, at which point he was already down. They then decided to unload another 12-13 rounds into him once he was already down. They then proceeded to wait about 5 minutes until approaching him. According to the autopsy (my last video), he was deemed to have died during that period.

The cops are on administrative leave, so we already know the department think something went terribly wrong.


After I watched the video I understand now why they shot him after all they are looking for someone and he run away, everything dark around the house -must be because the crazy electricity rates tgey have in California. Idon’ t understand why he ran from them and why he didnt said anything.
 
Not sure if it's the right thread, but just came across this:

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/30/...ly-excused-of-murder-released-trnd/index.html

It's the story about Richard Philips who's spent 45 years wrongfully in prison. What's almost as staggering is that already in 2010 his co-defendant told a parole board that he had lied when he was arrested and that Philips was innocent. Despite this knowledge it took four years until someone tipped off the Innocense Clinic and after that four more years before Philips was finally acquitted. Now that he's free he can potentially get a maximum of 2.250.000 usd in reparations.

Imagine spending 45 years in prison for something that you didn't do and learning that a parole board didn't act on it when they heard of your innocense eight years ago. And that spending 45 years in prison is only worth 2.250.00 usd.
 
Not sure if it's the right thread, but just came across this:

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/30/...ly-excused-of-murder-released-trnd/index.html

It's the story about Richard Philips who's spent 45 years wrongfully in prison. What's almost as staggering is that already in 2010 his co-defendant told a parole board that he had lied when he was arrested and that Philips was innocent. Despite this knowledge it took four years until someone tipped off the Innocense Clinic and after that four more years before Philips was finally acquitted. Now that he's free he can potentially get a maximum of 2.250.000 usd in reparations.

Imagine spending 45 years in prison for something that you didn't do and learning that a parole board didn't act on it when they heard of your innocense eight years ago. And that spending 45 years in prison is only worth 2.250.00 usd.

That is horrific, poor guy. His entire adult life wasted sitting in prison based on the testimony of a lying criminal. Wonder why the other guy even bother lying. He said he didn't know Philips, why the hell drag a totally innocent guy into the mix.

He should definitely go after the prison system and parole board for not immediately escalating the situation in 2010.
 

It was posted a couple of times already. I think this is far worse than the Clark case. It was broad daylight and the guy had his shorts around his ankle. It was very obvious he was unharmed. What sort of pussies are some of these cops when they can't use a baton to subdue an unharmed aggressor. Surely they have enough training to take care of themselves in those situations. Pulling a firearm and shooting should be an absolute last resort when you seriously fear for your life.
 
Not sure if it's the right thread, but just came across this:

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/30/...ly-excused-of-murder-released-trnd/index.html

It's the story about Richard Philips who's spent 45 years wrongfully in prison. What's
almost as staggering is that already in 2010 his co-defendant told a parole board that he had lied when he was arrested and that Philips was innocent. Despite this knowledge it took four years until someone tipped off the Innocense Clinic and after that four more years before Philips was finally acquitted. Now that he's free he can potentially get a maximum of 2.250.000 usd in reparations.

Imagine spending 45 years in prison for something that you didn't do and learning that a parole board didn't act on it when they heard of your innocense eight years ago. And that spending 45 years in prison is only worth 2.250.00 usd.

If you feel like getting irrationally angry at someone, here's a nice quote from Antonin Scalia about innocence and punishment:

"This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is 'actually' innocent," Scalia wrote in a 2009 dissent of the Court's order for a federal trial court in Georgia to consider the case of death row inmate Troy Davis. "Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly left that question unresolved, while expressing considerable doubt that any claim based on alleged 'actual innocence' is constitutionally cognizable."

The legal definition of "actual innocence" is the absence of facts required to convict someone based on a criminal statute, according to the Legal Information Institute. Defendants appealing convictions seek to prove actual innocence by submitting new evidence that reverses the court's confidence in a past verdict.

This was the context: Writing that "[t]his court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is ‘actually’ innocent," Justice Scalia opposed reviewing the innocence claim presented by Troy Davis (In re Davis) after 7 eyewitnesses had recanted their testimony.

Full article about his bloothirstiness: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_...ration_scalia_s_embarrassing_question_is.html
 
The cop clearly says "gun, gun" on the video so they genuinely believed he was armed. It was a tragic situation where the cops have to make split second life and death judgement calls.

Clark knew very well they were cops. There was an helicopter overhead and the cops had been in the neighborhood a few minutes. He was caught on camera by the helicopter acting suspiciously and trying to avoid detection.

It's always easy to say this when the person who's dead has absolutely nothing to do with you. And besides I don't know what you're trying to insinuate here. Even though he knew they were cops and a helicopter was overhead, I still don't see the need for the police to take his life away.