The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - When Non-lethal can become lethal for the user.

stephen426 · January 29, 2012, 10:08 AM

Pond, James Pond,

Based on the video, we have no clue of what occured before the video began or why the police were there in the first place. What if the suspect had just bashed someone's skull in? The police are supposed to apprehend him and prevent him from threatening others. The amount of thime they gave him is irrelavent. The suspect's actions led to his own demise. The fact that the police officers even attempted to use a less than lethal weapon is a testament to their "sanctity" for life.

I'm sure the officers ordered the suspect to put down the weapon. The man clearly failed to comply. Less than lethal force was used to apprehend him. The officer that tazed the suspect made a tactical mistake by not retreating after the tazer failed to stop the suspect. At that point, there was no other option than for the other officer to shoot the suspect to prevent him from bashing in his partner's skull. It was a split second decision and in my opinion, the correct decision. The dog may or may not have been able to stop the suspect in time. I can assure you that a pipe bender can cause serious injury or death with a single blow, especially a two-handed swing.

If suspects don't want to be shot, comply with police officers. A good way to get shot is attack a police officer when multiple officers already have their weapons drawn on you.

January 29, 2012, 10:08 AM	#50
stephen426 Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2005 Posts: 3,840	Pond, James Pond, Based on the video, we have no clue of what occured before the video began or why the police were there in the first place. What if the suspect had just bashed someone's skull in? The police are supposed to apprehend him and prevent him from threatening others. The amount of thime they gave him is irrelavent. The suspect's actions led to his own demise. The fact that the police officers even attempted to use a less than lethal weapon is a testament to their "sanctity" for life. I'm sure the officers ordered the suspect to put down the weapon. The man clearly failed to comply. Less than lethal force was used to apprehend him. The officer that tazed the suspect made a tactical mistake by not retreating after the tazer failed to stop the suspect. At that point, there was no other option than for the other officer to shoot the suspect to prevent him from bashing in his partner's skull. It was a split second decision and in my opinion, the correct decision. The dog may or may not have been able to stop the suspect in time. I can assure you that a pipe bender can cause serious injury or death with a single blow, especially a two-handed swing. If suspects don't want to be shot, comply with police officers. A good way to get shot is attack a police officer when multiple officers already have their weapons drawn on you. __________________ The ATF should be a convenience store instead of a government agency!