[nj96z28]

Originally Posted by 79T/A

As this is a performance car forum, I expect a little animosity when it comes to the police, who often give tickets to performance car enthusiasts. So I take a lot of what is said here about law enforcement with a grain of salt. But I can't stomach this one.

All of the facts have yet to surface. All we know is a cop was somehow dragged, shot the guy five times and killed him.

What we DON'T know is what happened when the officer walked up to that car. We don't know if there was a gun or knife in plain view, we don't know if the guy tried to assault the officer, we just plain don't know.

If we're going to make assumptions, here's one: For whatever reason, the guy struggles with the officer while he's still in the car, and during the struggle, decides to drive off. The officer is now in a fight or flight situation: If he lets go, he could be seriously injured or killed by the vehicle. Also, the guy, who has now MADE HIMSELF A THREAT TO THE LIVES OF OTHERS, is now getting away and can cause the death of someone else. The officer draws his weapon (If he doesn't have it out already) and fires until the threat is neutralized.

What if someone had been in the pool? Well, we can play this game all day and all night. What if the guy had driven away from the cops and smashed into the pool anyway? What if he'd run over someone who was putting out their trash or walking their dog?

Of course the media has already released a smiling picture of the deceased. Anytime an officer is forced to shoot someone, you always see the happy smiling picture, sometimes the high school graduation photo or the altar boy photo. Then, a week or two later, you find out the facts, like the guy's lengthy criminal history.

The cop wasn't trying to be a hero; at that point, he was trying to SURVIVE. Shootings don't happen like on the television. The hero doesn't calmly draw his weapon, aim carefully, and shoot the guy in the leg or kill the bad guy with one carefully placed shot. The cop shoots until the threat is gone. Period.

If you want to pass judgment, please wait until ALL of the facts come out. If the shoot was wrong, he'll be charged criminally and face trial. If the shoot was RIGHT, guess what? The cop's life will NEVER be the same again. Undoubtedly, the family of the deceased will launch a civil suit against the department and the cop, which drags on for years. The cop will be dragged through the wringer by internal affairs. And when all the legal smoke clears, life will STILL not be normal for him. He'll still have to live with the fact that he took a life. He'll spend time every day trying to figure out if there was something, ANYTHING he could've done differently.

If we want to play a guessing game, fine. I just wish we could reserve judgment until we know all the facts. Until then, statements like those made above are nothing more than armchair quarterbacking. Have you ever loaded a firearm and strapped it to your side, pinned on a badge, kissed your family goodbye and then left your house with the thought that you may never see them again in the back of your head?

Likewise, I have never been stopped and thought, "I have to run." I don't know his reasons for doing what he did, and I don't know what, if anything, was in his car or what his condition was that made him run. Therefore, I'm not going to just assume the cop was right and that the guy was a scumbag. We just don't know yet.

Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know.

Most of my friends are town cops around my area, I tell them constantly their cocky bastards (something about getting your shield makes you god , apparently). They admit this. I respect Police of all kinds and hate when i get caught doing dumb ****. Nevertheless, I have to admit that he didnt pump 51 rounds into the kid so at least he showed some restraint, the situation is unfortunate and from what I read in the bergen record the kid was the protagonist.