# Controversial encounters between law-enforcement and civilians - the omnibus thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942 "2014-10-10T07:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 512
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10222 "2016-12-26T16:30:09Z")
Let’s give credit where credit is due. When [a black man was released by Tennessee after serving 31 years for a rape he didn’t commit](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/21/us/tennessee-inmate-wrongly-imprisoned/index.html), he didn’t walk out of prison empty-handed. The kind government of Tennessee gave him a check for $75 to help him get a fresh start after 31 years. Although he had no ID, he was able to cash the check after a delay of only three months. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10223 "2016-12-26T17:09:15Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [url=[http://bigstory.ap.org/article/57acbd588ea54782a470d79e6fe815fe/family-nypd-raided-home-mistake-posted-snapchat-photos](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/57acbd588ea54782a470d79e6fe815fe/family-nypd-raided-home-mistake-posted-snapchat-photos)]Way to go, NYPD. :rolleyes: Maybe their motto should be, “We Celebrate Our Fuckups!” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10224 "2016-12-26T17:12:43Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Let’s give credit where credit is due. When [a black man was released by Tennessee after serving 31 years for a rape he didn’t commit](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/21/us/tennessee-inmate-wrongly-imprisoned/index.html), he didn’t walk out of prison empty-handed. The kind government of Tennessee gave him a check for $75 to help him get a fresh start after 31 years. Although he had no ID, he was able to cash the check after a delay of only three months. Jesus. In declining to exonerate him, the parole board cited infractions he committed while he was in prison. Yes, assholes: in prison for a crime he didn’t commit! How some people sleep at night, i’ll never know. Probably secure in the belief that they are God-fearing Christians. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10225 "2016-12-26T22:21:14Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Maybe their motto should be, “We Celebrate Our Fuckups!” > [@"\[W7ABC](#): > > ([http://abc7ny.com/news/family-nypd-raids-wrong-home-posts-snapchat-of-them-in-cuffs/1670637/](http://abc7ny.com/news/family-nypd-raids-wrong-home-posts-snapchat-of-them-in-cuffs/1670637/))"]The photo is under investigation by Internal Affairs, which late Friday said the officer who took the photo has been suspended without pay. The department also said the officers were at the correct address, and had a warrant to go inside the apartment. Obviously, it was not the _correct_ address, but it was the one they were given. Sadly, > [@](#): > > The NYPD has declined to name the officer or the squad to which he is assigned. I mean, fuck that noise. If you are being a worthless shitbag on _my dime_, I want to know who you are. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10226 "2016-12-28T20:57:05Z")
[Woman dies after ‘shooting herself’ with boyfriends gun.](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/suicide-or-murder-inside-the-mysterious-death-of-mom-michelle-o%E2%80%99connell/ar-BBxEw0Z) Sept 2, 2010. Woman found with gunshot wound to the back of her throat. 2 days later, coroner rules suicide, but then changes it to homicide. > [@](#): > > A special prosecutor’s investigator found no evidence of homicide, however, and the case was closed in March 2012 as a suicide. Family disagrees with finding, orders their own autopsy. They seem…skeptical…that their daughter, a young mother with no history or signs of depression, would have shot herself in the back of the throat. I mean, who the fuck does THAT??? Also, she was planning to leave boyfriend. 2nd autopsy notices something missed in 1st autopsy. She had a broken jawbone. Pathologist says most likely cause of the break was a human fist. Authorities are unconvinced, say it’s a suicide. > [@](#): > > Authorities also stand firm in that finding. “The information presented is nothing new and all was reviewed during the initial autopsy,” St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said in a statement, dismissing the continuing controversy as “a few family members who will go to any lengths to maintain their moment in the spotlight.” This is a lie, of coarse. You do not discuss things about the initial autopsy that are not IN the initial autopsy. Woman, planning to leave boyfriend, has young child and no history of depression, has broken jawbone and was shot through the _back of the throat_ with boyfriend’s gun. Any reasonable person would see that these are indicative of suicide, right? Well, they are if the boyfriend is a Deputy Sheriff, and the gun was his service weapon. Oh, the lead investigator was placed on leave. For 3 years. [Just came back on duty.](http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/st-johns-county/family-has-michelle-oconnell-exhumed_) Why on leave? > [@](#): > > According to the FDLE investigation, which was made public Tuesday, Rodgers demonstrated “sub-standard” performance during his investigation and was ordered to receive remedial training and increased supervision. > > The state’s internal affairs investigation into Rodgers found that "on some occasions, Rodgers did not follow established FDLE procedures.” Others involved in the investigation said Rodgers omitted or exaggerated information and lost objectivity. > [@](#): > > Deputies said during a presentation given to the medical examiner’s office, Rodgers detailed text messages between O’Connell and her sister, where O’Connell indicated she was on her way to pick up her daughter from her sister’s house at 10:58 p.m. the night she died. > > But the text couldn’t be found, and the only documentation of that text exchange was a handwritten note in Rodgers’ case file. The FDLE says found Rodgers did not properly document the information or the conversation he had with O’Connell’s sister. Suicide. Riiigghhht! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10227 "2016-12-28T22:02:51Z")
[ > [@](#): > > A police dashcam video released five months after a Texas officer shot a black man appears to show the man walking away as the officer fired, and the man’s lawyer says he was not a threat. > > David Collie was shot in the back, leaving him paralyzed, lawyer Nate Washington said Wednesday. Police said at the time of the July encounter that a Fort Worth officer fired twice, striking Collie “once in the lower torso.” > > The officer and a Tarrant County sheriff’s deputy with him were off-duty at the time and working a security detail at an apartment complex, Washington said. > > Police were searching for two shirtless black men who they believed had committed a robbery near a gas station, Washington said. Authorities said in a news release they issued at the time that Collie pulled a box cutter from his pocket and pointed it at the officers. > > Collie was charged with aggravated assault on a public servant but a grand jury declined to indict him. > > Fort Worth police on Wednesday defended the actions of the officers, who they have not named. Sgt. Marc Povero said in a statement that Collie failed to comply with commands to stop and that he appeared to point a silver object at the deputy, consistent with earlier reports by the robbery victim that a suspect flashed a silver handgun. Washington said Collie was not involved in the robbery. A box cutter found nearby didn’t belong to Collie, Washington said. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_POLICE\_SHOOTING\_FORT\_WORTH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-12-28-16-11-34](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_POLICE_SHOOTING_FORT_WORTH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-12-28-16-11-34)) I’ve only been to Texas a couple of times, but I’m not inclined to return for a third visit. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10228 "2016-12-29T08:01:58Z")
[ > [@](#): > > The New York Police Department is now allowing Sikh (seek) officers to wear turbans in place of the traditional police cap and grow beards up to a half-inch long for religious reasons. > > Police Commissioner James O’Neill announced the new rules that affect all religious members on Wednesday following a graduation ceremony for new police recruits. Officers must first get approval and the turbans must be navy blue and have the NYPD insignia attached. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_NYPD\_RELIGIOUS\_DRESS\_CODE\_NYOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-12-29-01-16-55](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NYPD_RELIGIOUS_DRESS_CODE_NYOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-12-29-01-16-55))I’m including this in the thread because I suspect there may be some controversy, hand-wringing and general expressions of disapproval (from the general public more than from anyone here), but I think it’s a great move and a reasonable accommodation of religious faith (and I’m not generally approving of much accommodation of religious faith in the public sphere). I do think that this will open the door to baseball hats, top hats and perhaps even propellor beanies, since a hat is a hat is a hat, but frankly as long as they conspicuously display the NYPD insignia, I think damn near any hat should be acceptable. And I don’t think beards should be verboten in the first place. So in a rare comment for this thread, I say “Good on you, NYPD!” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10229 "2016-12-29T08:04:21Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So in a rare comment for this thread, I say “Good on you, NYPD!” For once we agree. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10230 "2016-12-29T08:48:48Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Woman, planning to leave boyfriend, has young child and no history of depression, has broken jawbone and was shot through the _back of the throat_ with boyfriend’s gun. > > Any reasonable person would see that these are indicative of suicide, right? Well, they are if the boyfriend is a Deputy Sheriff, and the gun was his service weapon. What a horrid story. Just to clarify: The “throat” is the front of the neck. By “back of the throat” do they mean “back of the neck”? That’s an unusual place to try to aim a suicide shot. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10231 "2016-12-29T10:28:53Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Just to clarify: The “throat” is the front of the neck. By “back of the throat” do they mean “back of the neck”? That’s an unusual place to try to aim a suicide shot. I think they mean with the gun in her mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10232 "2016-12-29T14:18:33Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > 2nd autopsy notices something missed in 1st autopsy. She had a broken jawbone. Pathologist says most likely cause of the break was a human fist. Authorities are unconvinced, say it’s a suicide. > > This is a lie, of coarse. You do not discuss things about the initial autopsy that are not IN the initial autopsy. > [@](#): > > “Since the original investigation by the St. Johns County Medical Examiner in 2010, this case has been reviewed by two additional medical examiners and two special investigators appointed by the governor, none of which concluded that a homicide occurred," Bulic said in the statement. "The new findings have not been submitted to the St. Johns County Medical Examiner’s Office or State Attorney’s Office for review. Based on what has been reported, they do not appear to contain any new evidence not documented in the first three examinations, **including the fractured mandible**. If such findings exist, they should be submitted to the appropriate authorities.” Emphasis added. [Cite](http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/st-johns-county/medical-examiner-responds-to-autopsy-findings-in-oconnell-case). I would also be interested to know how it was determined that the most likely cause of the jaw fracture was a human fist. I’m no pathologist, but I have never heard of knuckle prints or the equivalent. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10233 "2016-12-29T15:40:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Emphasis added. [Cite](http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/st-johns-county/medical-examiner-responds-to-autopsy-findings-in-oconnell-case). > > I would also be interested to know how it was determined that the most likely cause of the jaw fracture was a human fist. I’m no pathologist, but I have never heard of knuckle prints or the equivalent. > > Regards, > Shodan I’m no pathologist, but I suspect they can tell it was done by blunt force and calculated the force needed to cause a fracture of that magnitude and subsequently determined that it’s approximate to force imparted by a human fist. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10234 "2016-12-29T15:52:48Z")
Or by falling and hitting a table or the floor after the shot? I’m not saying she wasn’t murdered, but I don’t think the fractured jaw is necessarily strong evidence that she’d been hit with a fist. Also, isn’t putting the gun in the mouth considered to be a pretty common and generally more effective way of committing suicide? I’ve read reference to it many times (and seen news video of it once) and wasn’t under the impression that for a person to shoot themselves this way is strange, as her family appears to think. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10235 "2016-12-29T15:59:55Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Or by falling and hitting a table or the floor after the shot? > > I’m not saying she wasn’t murdered, but I don’t think the fractured jaw is necessarily strong evidence that she’d been hit with a fist. > > Also, isn’t putting the gun in the mouth considered to be a pretty common and generally more effective way of committing suicide? I’ve read reference to it many times (and seen news video of it once) and wasn’t under the impression that for a person to shoot themselves this way is strange, as her family appears to think. Well, everyone reasonable knows that you should aim for the brain, but a suicidal person probably isn’t very reasonable. I tried to find statistics on how many people try to slit their wrists the wrong way as a comparison and couldn’t find anything. I imagine a table edge would have a different break pattern. Additionally, if it was done while she was in the middle of dying, there may be detectable differences in the tissue. On top of that, they can probably tell which way the body fell when it went down. However, it’s entirely possible she broke her jaw accidentally, then said, “Fuck this life,” and shot herself in the throat. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10236 "2016-12-29T17:04:55Z")
> [@Sinaptics](#): > > Well, everyone reasonable knows that you should aim for the brain, but a suicidal person probably isn’t very reasonable. I believe the idea is to send a bullet simultaneously through the area of the brain at the base of the skull (an action which is known to turn a person off like a light switch) and through the spinal cord as well, both being pretty much certain guarantors of death. Aiming for the brain in other ways has a mixed record of success. IMO, the movies are responsible for a lot of would-be gun suicides gone tragically wrong, as in the case of those who place a shotgun under their chin and succeed only in blowing their face off, or who try the gun-to-the-temple route and wind up merely blowing out their eyes, after which they not only have the same problems that made them suicidal in the first place, but they’re disfigured and blind on top of it. All in all, guns are a pretty risky way to try to do yourself in. The odds are fairly good that the effort won’t be successful and you’ll only wind up disfigured and in a lot of pain instead. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10237 "2016-12-29T17:19:10Z")
I did some Googling around, and I can’t find anything about break patterns from blunt force trauma differing depending on whether they were caused by a fist vs. any other kind. I did find [this](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/868375-overview#a9), which says that most of the jaw fractures not caused by a vehicular accident were caused by assault, but that’s not the same thing as saying that it was likely caused by a human fist. If the idea is that her cop boyfriend knocked her out with a punch and then shot her in the mouth, did he have any damage to his hand? I know this was five years ago, but he was investigated almost immediately - he was the one who called 911 when she was shot. Although FWIW the boyfriend’s attorney says > [@](#): > > How in the Hell could blunt-force trauma sufficient to break a mandible show no signs of exterior wounding whatsoever? I mean it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out how utterly ridiculous this is. The medical examiner indicated that most of it was split as a result of the gunshot wound. That’s a normal finding, and that he went ahead and split it the rest of the way during the autopsy. [Cite](https://crimewatchdaily.com/2016/05/23/who-fired-the-gun-that-killed-michelle-oconnell/). So it is not exactly open and shut. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10238 "2016-12-29T21:46:31Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I did some Googling around, and I can’t find anything about break patterns from blunt force trauma differing depending on whether they were caused by a fist vs. any other kind. > > I did find [this](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/868375-overview#a9), which says that most of the jaw fractures not caused by a vehicular accident were caused by assault, but that’s not the same thing as saying that it was likely caused by a human fist. > > If the idea is that her cop boyfriend knocked her out with a punch and then shot her in the mouth, did he have any damage to his hand? I know this was five years ago, but he was investigated almost immediately - he was the one who called 911 when she was shot. > > Although FWIW the boyfriend’s attorney says [Cite](https://crimewatchdaily.com/2016/05/23/who-fired-the-gun-that-killed-michelle-oconnell/). > > So it is not exactly open and shut. > > Regards, > Shodan I’m obviously in no expert in blunt force trauma, but it seems eminently possible to break a bone without splitting the skin. And if she was killed directly afterwards, swelling and bruising wouldn’t have happened. But that’s all just conjecture on my part. [Here](http://people.com/crime/michelle-o-connell-florida-suicide-forensic-experts/) is another article with a third pathologist discussing the findings of the first two. Long story short: it could go either way. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10239 "2017-01-03T13:48:57Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Let’s give credit where credit is due. When [a black man was released by Tennessee after serving 31 years for a rape he didn’t commit](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/21/us/tennessee-inmate-wrongly-imprisoned/index.html), he didn’t walk out of prison empty-handed. The kind government of Tennessee gave him a check for $75 to help him get a fresh start after 31 years. Although he had no ID, he was able to cash the check after a delay of only three months. A million bucks? He’s asking for a million bucks? He needs a better lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10240 "2017-01-03T13:54:02Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Jesus. In declining to exonerate him, the parole board cited infractions he committed while he was in prison. > > Yes, assholes: in prison for a crime he didn’t commit! > > How some people sleep at night, i’ll never know. Probably secure in the belief that they are God-fearing Christians. Yeah, I know, this is fucked up. This is why we have federal court. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/10241 "2017-01-03T14:03:18Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [Woman dies after ‘shooting herself’ with boyfriends gun.](http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/suicide-or-murder-inside-the-mysterious-death-of-mom-michelle-o%E2%80%99connell/ar-BBxEw0Z) > > Sept 2, 2010. Woman found with gunshot wound to the back of her throat. 2 days later, coroner rules suicide, but then changes it to homicide. > > Family disagrees with finding, orders their own autopsy. They seem…skeptical…that their daughter, a young mother with no history or signs of depression, would have shot herself in the back of the throat. I mean, who the fuck does THAT??? Also, she was planning to leave boyfriend. > > 2nd autopsy notices something missed in 1st autopsy. She had a broken jawbone. Pathologist says most likely cause of the break was a human fist. Authorities are unconvinced, say it’s a suicide. > > This is a lie, of coarse. You do not discuss things about the initial autopsy that are not IN the initial autopsy. > > Woman, planning to leave boyfriend, has young child and no history of depression, has broken jawbone and was shot through the _back of the throat_ with boyfriend’s gun. > > Any reasonable person would see that these are indicative of suicide, right? Well, they are if the boyfriend is a Deputy Sheriff, and the gun was his service weapon. > > Oh, the lead investigator was placed on leave. For 3 years. [Just came back on duty.](http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/st-johns-county/family-has-michelle-oconnell-exhumed_) > > Why on leave? > > Suicide. Riiigghhht! Until cop start going to FMITA prison for protecting the criminal activity of other cops, this shit won’t stop. Why the fuck would it? I don’t agree with it but I can understand how police solidarity might have started. Cops are put in life and death situations all the time and an error or a misjudgment can land a cop in jail. But protecting the off duty activity of officers against innocent civilians is really hard to reationalize. Its a good thin the victim is a white female, justice is much more likely in a case like this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=511) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=513)