Another Black man killed by cops ... this time by accident?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

this was a terrible mistake...all lives matter and have a right to due process

approximately 100 cops have been killed on duty so far this year

Your last paragraph is irrelevant to this discussion.

[Billy Hoyle]

Resisting arrest is not punishable by death.  Well, as long as you are not an unarmed black man.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

how many "unarmed black men" have actually been shot and killed by cops across this country? How many individuals of other races have been?

Though I'm sure looting liquor stores, Dollar Tree, and Foot Locker will bring him back and get the founders of BLM a fifth home.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5

[jficke13]

this was a terrible mistake...all lives matter and have a right to due process

approximately 100 cops have been killed on duty so far this year

WRT this present instance, it appears that between Potter and Wright only one will end up the beneficiary of that right to due process.

[tower912]

https://www.odmp.org/search/year

97.    51 via COVID.    1 during the insurrection.   

[wadesworld]

how many "unarmed black men" have actually been shot and killed by cops across this country? How many individuals of other races have been?

Though I'm sure looting liquor stores, Dollar Tree, and Foot Locker will bring him back and get the founders of BLM a fifth home.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5

I stand corrected.  Daunte Wright deserved to be shot to death.  Thank you for putting me in the correct frame of mind.

[Lighthouse 84]

Death should never be an option for this situation.  It looks like it was clearly an accident, but I'd contend the cops F-d up also by (a) not removing the keys from the ignition, and (b) not closing the door to the car as they were trying to cuff Wright.  I'm thinking the outcome would have been avoided had the cops done (a) or (b).

The cop will, and should, get jail time.  But can someone post the evidence that makes it a racial killing?

[shoothoops]

The officer is being charged with 2nd degree manslaughter. It has a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.

[cheebs09]

Death should never be an option for this situation.  It looks like it was clearly an accident, but I'd contend the cops F-d up also by (a) not removing the keys from the ignition, and (b) not closing the door to the car as they were trying to cuff Wright.  I'm thinking the outcome would have been avoided had the cops done (a) or (b).

The cop will, and should, get jail time.  But can someone post the evidence that makes it a racial killing?

Maybe not racially motivated, but would the steps have been the same that led up to it if it were a white driver? I have no idea, but that’s where I could see race coming into it.

After the Jacob Blake incident, the officers mentioned how important it was to make sure he didn’t take the car and start a chase. Maybe that’s what led to the heightened response here, but like you said, there may have been other ways to accomplish this.

[Pakuni]

The cop will, and should, get jail time.  But can someone post the evidence that makes it a racial killing?

I think the argument there is that police - and this is backed up with data - are much more likely to reach for a weapon and use force (specifically deadly force) against black men than others.

Case in point, yesterday in the Chicago suburb Morton Grove, a white man wanted on a warrant for a violent felony held police at bay for 16 hours in a barricade situation. During the standoff, this man pointed a shotgun out a window at police several times and threatened to kill officers. Police did not shoot at him. They didn't bring in a sniper to take him out. They did not attempt to use force against him in any way. They negotiated with him for 16 hours until he surrendered.

Compare that to Daunte Wright. He wasn't armed. He didn't threaten anyone.
The question is, why is an unarmed black man wanted for a warrant shot to death but a white man pointing a gun at cops and threatening to kill them treated with kid gloves?

This is just once case, but you see it over and over again. White mass shooters like Dylan Roof, Robert Long and Patrick Crusius somehow get to surrender peacefully, but if you're black and resist there's a chance you end up dead. Why?

[Lighthouse 84]

Maybe not racially motivated, but would the steps have been the same that led up to it if it were a white driver? I have no idea, but that’s where I could see race coming into it.

After the Jacob Blake incident, the officers mentioned how important it was to make sure he didn’t take the car and start a chase. Maybe that’s what led to the heightened response here, but like you said, there may have been other ways to accomplish this.

  I think black, white or any other color the driver happened to be, once the cops learn of an outstanding warrant for aggravated armed robbery, and the driver resists the arrest, it's going to become "heightened".  And again, death should never be an option regardless of the resistance when the driver is unarmed, but it doesn't become heightened unless there's resistance does it?

I think the argument there is that police - and this is backed up with data - are much more likely to reach for a weapon and use force (specifically deadly force) against black men than others.

Case in point, yesterday in the Chicago suburb Morton Grove, a white man wanted on a warrant for a violent felony held police at bay for 16 hours in a barricade situation. During the standoff, this man pointed a shotgun out a window at police several times and threatened to kill officers. Police did not shoot at him. They didn't bring in a sniper to take him out. They did not attempt to use force against him in any way. They negotiated with him for 16 hours until he surrendered.

Compare that to Daunte Wright. He wasn't armed. He didn't threaten anyone.
The question is, why is an unarmed black man wanted for a warrant shot to death but a white man pointing a gun at cops and threatening to kill them treated with kid gloves?

It raises a question, but maybe the Chicago police officer is better trained than the Brooklyn Center officer?  Is there anything other than speculation that this particular officer was racist and shot Wright because of his race?

[jsglow]

This will follow a legal path to a previous similar situations in California where guns were employed rather than Tasers. Some of those cases were deemed 'voluntary' as officers purposefully reached for their sidearm. This, seemingly representing an error as evident from the audio, likely results in an involuntary manslaughter conviction and jail time.  That said, the victim (and I do mean victim) put himself at great risk when he chose to flee.  Mistrust of police, even if justified, is not a license to act rashly and dangerously, especially with tensions so high.  Most cops just want to go home to their families at the end of the day.  I have no doubt that's exactly what Officer Potter wanted.  Mr. Wright would have been wise to allow that to happen.  Both would be infinitely better off today.

I would never be a cop today.  Absolute no win situation ever.  The sad thing is that crime in underprivileged communities will continue to soar as departments stand down and law abiding Americans who desperately need police support will suffer terribly.

[Jockey]

The whole thing is terrible, but maybe people should stop resisting arrest.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Also, serious design flaw if the taser truly has the same feel in one's hand as the firearm.

Or maybe cops should stop harassing people of a certain color. Watch the video of the military guy in Virginia if you can't understand what I am saying.

Or maybe make police LIVE in the city in which they are officers so they have a stake and a presence there. As it is they are little more than shakedown artists from white communities who stop blacks to raise money.

[Pakuni]

It raises a question, but maybe the Chicago police officer is better trained than the Brooklyn Center officer?  Is there anything other than speculation that this particular officer was racist and shot Wright because of his race?

This is how people fail to see the forest through the trees, often because deep down they want to pretend the forest doesn't exist.

I'm not suggesting this officer was racist, at least not consciously, or shot Wright because of his race. And that doesn't matter and isn't the issue here.
The problem isn't that there's an abundance of openly racist cops who go out of their way to mistreat people of color. Rather, the problem is that there's a law enforcement culture in this country that says people of color - specifically black men - are more dangerous than others, and are deserving of added scrutiny and need to be treated more harshly.
It's why a white man can point a shotgun at cops and draw no response, but a black man who tries to flee cops gets shot.
It's why Philandro Castile can be shot to death for lawfully possessing a gun in his car, but Kyle Rittehouse can stroll down the street with an AR-15 after killing two people and cops don't bat an eye.
It's a problem with the culture of law enforcement, not individual cops.

[Jockey]

Just because the board moron says 100 cops have been killed this year does not make it a fact. It just makes him a liar.

28 does not equal 100.

[rocket surgeon]

I stand corrected.  Daunte Wright deserved to be shot to death.  Thank you for putting me in the correct frame of mind.

still have that racist and provocative name i see

[rocket surgeon]

Just because the board moron says 100 cops have been killed this year does not make it a fact. It just makes him a liar.

28 does not equal 100.

  seriously?  i hope you never need a cop dude!  liar?  i wish i was lying little man

https://www.odmp.org/search/year

[wadesworld]

still have that racist and provocative name i see

Not sure you know what racism means.  Which isn't surprising.

[jficke13]

still have that racist and provocative name i see

A Very Serious Man has entered the chat.

[Pakuni]

Just because the board moron says 100 cops have been killed this year does not make it a fact. It just makes him a liar.

28 does not equal 100.

To be more clear, 97 cops have had what's been deemed a line-of-duty death this year.
51 of them died because of COVID-19
15 died from gunfire
8 died in a vehicle crash
7 died of vehicular assault
6 were struck by a vehicle accidentally
4 died of assault
2 were stabbed
2 suffered heart attacks
1 died of 9/11-related illness
1 died from duty-related illness

[tower912]

I count 28 killed intentionally by others.    So far.     And one of those was during the insurrection.   Death by assault with fire extinguisher.   

[jficke13]

In honesty though one thing that strikes me as counterproductive is the Omerta-esque policy of solidarity among officers and civilians who reflexively defend officers regardless of the situation.

Like, it's okay for *Some* officers to be bad or *some* shootings to be bad. But with the thin-blue-line us-vs-them attitude that has so pervasively infected both police forces and their supporters we get situations like this where I struggle to see a justification where "I thought I had my taser but I had my service sidearm." She was bad at a very important aspect of her job and someone is dead because of that. What is there to gain by declaring zero-sum war on this particular case?

Honestly, Rocket and others that are inclined to leap into this fray, why this particular cop and this particular incident?

Have we learned nothing from institutions hiding malfeasors in their ranks from... oh... literally any organization who has done so with famous consequences?

[Hards Alumni]

There were 18 days total last year where police officers did not kill American citizens.

[rocket surgeon]

In honesty though one thing that strikes me as counterproductive is the Omerta-esque policy of solidarity among officers and civilians who reflexively defend officers regardless of the situation.

Like, it's okay for *Some* officers to be bad or *some* shootings to be bad. But with the thin-blue-line us-vs-them attitude that has so pervasively infected both police forces and their supporters we get situations like this where I struggle to see a justification where "I thought I had my taser but I had my service sidearm." She was bad at a very important aspect of her job and someone is dead because of that. What is there to gain by declaring zero-sum war on this particular case?

Honestly, Rocket and others that are inclined to leap into this fray, why this particular cop and this particular incident?

Have we learned nothing from institutions hiding malfeasors in their ranks from... oh... literally any organization who has done so with famous consequences?

  i do not defend those who are indefensible.  there are going to be bad cops as much as there are going to be bad dentists, teachers, firemen, etc etc  what makes me very uncomfortable is the ease with which others (jockstrap) are quick to "reimagine" our law enforcement.  i will be the first to admit that the cop "brotherhood" has historically been stretched a little too far and that is one of the reasons we have this mess.  police need to police each other better as their jobs would, in the long run. be much easier.  we have a lot of healing to do, but the left's way to do it is imho way too far

[Hards Alumni]

  i do not defend those who are indefensible.  there are going to be bad cops as much as there are going to be bad dentists, teachers, firemen, etc etc  what makes me very uncomfortable is the ease with which others (jockstrap) are quick to "reimagine" our law enforcement.  i will be the first to admit that the cop "brotherhood" has historically been stretched a little too far and that is one of the reasons we have this mess.  police need to police each other better as their jobs would, in the long run. be much easier.  we have a lot of healing to do, but the left's way to do it is imho way too far

I'm not confident that you can even explain the 'left's way'.  Please elaborate what you think the plan is.

[GooooMarquette]

FWIW...the MN statutory definition of second degree manslaughter that relates to this case:

609.205 MANSLAUGHTER IN THE SECOND DEGREE.
A person who causes the death of another by any of the following means is guilty of manslaughter in the second degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both:
(1) by the person's culpable negligence whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another;

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/609.205

Sure seems like she "negligently created an unreasonable risk" (by accidentally grabbing her gun instead of her taser) and "consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm" (by willfully firing what she thought was a taser).