http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/08..._r=0&referrer=
if you don't want to read the article or watch the video (there's video evidence of the entire incident, shot by bystander), here's the tl;dr:
a black man was stopped by a white officer for a broken tail light. the suspect had back child support payments and had been arrested several times for this. he attempted to flee and a scuffle ensued. the officer's taser was knocked to the ground and the suspect ran away from the cop. he got about 20 feet away when the cop opened fire. he shot eight rounds, striking the suspect five times in the back. later in the video the cop is seen retrieving his taser, walking to the body of the suspect and dropping it near him. he later claimed that the suspect had taken his taser, and that he feared for his life.
what are your thoughts on this incident?
the video shows that the man was running away from the officer before he even drew his pistol. the suspect was fleeing, and the officer made the decision to draw his weapon and fire at the man. it's very fortunate that this whole incident was caught on tape, otherwise there'd be no proof that the officer planted the taser and he may have had a chance of beating the charges.
i truly hope this cop goes down for murder. what he did was completely unwarranted. the suspect posed no threat to anyone. yes, fleeing from a police officer was a poor choice, but it doesn't mean he should lose his life over it.
fun fact: 47% of North Charleston (where the incident took place) is black and 37% is white. the police force is 80% white. take what you want from that.
the amount of unncessesary police shootings is on the rise lately. seems like every other week another one occurs, and it's almost always white cops shooting black suspects.
here's my idea: body cameras on every officer. it's obvious that the police can't be trusted with the amount of power and authority they have. i don't know about you guys, but i'm liking police less and less every time i hear a story like this. i know there are bad apples and a good amount of the force is comprised of honest people. but there are just so many incidents like this happening, it makes every cop look bad. the internet filled with video evidence of police abusing their authority. i think they'd abuse it a lot less if their actions were being recorded every second they were on duty.
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