Two Men. Same Fatal Mistake

[Bright Raven]

They both put themselves in a position in which law enforcement had to decide if they were a threat to flourish a handgun.

Castile: Black. Video implies he might have been reaching for the handgun he was armed with.

Lavoy Finicum. White. Video clearly shows him advance toward officers and reach into his coat. He was armed with a 9 mm pistol.

Both were fatally shot. Both made the same mistake.

IMO. Law enforcement in both cases made serious mistakes. Maybe what we are seeing is a lack of training and mental preparation.

 

[callmefence]

Have you noticed in the finicum video. He goes from hands up to hands grasping his side back to hands up. Does this three times.
The number of times he was shot.
Was he shot because he reached.
Did he reach because he was shot

 

[Bestoutwest]

Have you noticed in the finicum video. He goes from hands up to hands grasping his side back to hands up. Does this three times.
The number of times he was shot.
Was he shot because he reached.
Did he reach because he was shot

We'll never know, and that's why I don't like all of the media and society's armchair quarterbacking of these situations. I hope I never feel like I have to make the decision all those law enforcement folks had to make, but at the end of the day I sure know who it is that I want to go home to their family and it isn't the other guy.

 

[callmefence]

Have you noticed in the finicum video. He goes from hands up to hands grasping his side back to hands up. Does this three times.
The number of times he was shot.
Was he shot because he reached.
Did he reach because he was shot

We'll never know, and that's why I don't like all of the media and society's armchair quarterbacking of these situations. I hope I never feel like I have to make the decision all those law enforcement folks had to make, but at the end of the day I sure know who it is that I want to go home to their family and it isn't the other guy.

I agree..but if a officer fired on a man with raised arms. Out of fear or whatever. He's probably in the wrong profession. I wouldn't necessarily be for criminal punishment. But it should be determined and handled.

 

[Bestoutwest]

I agree..but if a officer fired on a man with raised arms. Out of fear or whatever. He's probably in the wrong profession. I wouldn't necessarily be for criminal punishment. But it should be determined and handled.

This is true, you can't be too trigger happy. I think a lot of cops are too trigger happy. The question becomes, is society too violent or does the media just portray it that way? I'm going with #2. I've never been shot at, never been anywhere where that shots have been fired. Doesn't mean that it happens, but how many people go about their lives and never have anything like that happen? Same with airplane accidents and shark attacks, they make for good news.

Here's a great cop, in case you haven't seen this. And no, I'm not naïve enough to think this will work in every situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgjtvBhHPF8

 

[ChrisB]

Here's my take from afar:

Castile was high at the time and wasn't lucid enough to follow directions. He was reaching for his wallet and not the gun but cop had no way of knowing that and was nervous as it was around the same time as other incidents were people were targeting police.

Finicum looked like suicide by cop. It looked like he was reaching for his gun and he knew that wasn't going to end well. Even if he would have pulled his gun I don't think he would have used it though.

In hind sight both cases could have been handled differently without loss of life, but it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. People complain about cops getting away with murder because they protect each other, but in cases where charges are brought they go before jury of civilians. It's not like a jury of other cops are finding them not guilty. And for people that suggest the Finicum shooting was planned out, with the FBI and State Police getting together and agreeing on something everything out; please explain why they would do that? What was the benefit? With dozens of people involved, none of them had an ethical bone in their body?

But as I've said before, people will believe whatever fits their narrative and no amount of proof will change their opinion. Myself included.

 

[Bright Raven]

Here's my take from afar:

Castile was high at the time and wasn't lucid enough to follow directions. He was reaching for his wallet and not the gun but cop had no way of knowing that and was nervous as it was around the same time as other incidents were people were targeting police.

Finicum looked like suicide by cop. It looked like he was reaching for his gun and he knew that wasn't going to end well. Even if he would have pulled his gun I don't think he would have used it though.

In hind sight both cases could have been handled differently without loss of life, but it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback. People complain about cops getting away with murder because they protect each other, but in cases where charges are brought they go before jury of civilians. It's not like a jury of other cops are finding them not guilty. And for people that suggest the Finicum shooting was planned out, with the FBI and State Police getting together and agreeing on something everything out; please explain why they would do that? What was the benefit? With dozens of people involved, none of them had an ethical bone in their body?

But as I've said before, people will believe whatever fits their narrative and no amount of proof will change their opinion. Myself included.

+1. I will give you another +1 for being lucid in your post.