# Dallas cop kills innocent man **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119 "2018-09-10T19:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/442 "2019-10-01T18:44:30Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > “forgetting the blanket in the oven” ? > **[The Oven Quilt](https://themiddle.fandom.com/wiki/The_Oven_Quilt)** > > The Oven Quilt is Aunt Pearl's heirloom quilt. The Hecks do not have have a place to store it, so they put it in the oven. It gets burned when someone is using the oven and forgets to take it out, but sometimes is useful, as proved in Bad... “The Oven Quilt is one of Edie and Ginny 's heirloom quilts. The Hecks have nowhere to store it, so they put it in the oven. It gets burned when someone is using the oven and forgets to take it out” ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/443 "2019-10-01T19:09:56Z")
Good. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/444 "2019-10-01T19:12:31Z")
I honestly didn’t think she would be held legally responsible for killing this poor guy in his home. Glad to be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/445 "2019-10-01T19:22:59Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’d hope it’s less than 8 years. 7 sounds about right. She’d serve maybe 5 and get parole? > > There were a lot of extenuating circumstances. She shouldn’t serve 20 years for a mistake. What where the extenuating circumstances? She was tired & he didn’t properly close his apartment door? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/446 "2019-10-01T19:29:56Z")
20 years to Life in “Protective Custody” will drive her insane. Good. Let her mind and body rot. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/447 "2019-10-01T20:09:02Z")
There were zero extenuating circumstances and a fair number of exacerbating circumstances, such as ignoring her recent training as a police officer and telling a few obvious lies in her own defense. There isn’t much about this defendant worth saving that she can’t contribute from a cell, should she actually develop some remorse and choose to do so, even if it’s only the admonition that “There are only a few years left in which dead black men armed only with a bowl of ice cream will automatically be presumed at fault when they are murdered by a white person”. One thing I’m curious about: does Texas not empanel a separate jury for sentencing? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/448 "2019-10-02T02:12:41Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > “A mistake”? A mistake is forgetting the blanket in the oven when you turn it on. A trained police officer shooting an unarmed man in his own home is not “a mistake”. It’s criminal. And I agree with the jury verdict. 15-20 years sounds about right to me, and anything less than 8 is an insult to the murdered man. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/449 "2019-10-02T03:14:31Z")
It is possible for a mistake to be criminal, no? The two descriptors are not mutually exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/450 "2019-10-02T03:33:59Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > There isn’t much about this defendant worth saving that she can’t contribute from a cell, should she actually develop some remorse and choose to do so, even if it’s only the admonition that “There are only a few years left in which dead black men armed only with a bowl of ice cream will automatically be presumed at fault when they are murdered by a white person”. 100% agree. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/451 "2019-10-02T13:37:43Z")
I would not be surprised if during the sentencing she or her attorney argues that she can’t go to jail because once the other inmates find out what she did, her life will be in danger. She’s going to have to be put in protective custody. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/452 "2019-10-02T13:50:13Z")
Perhaps not surprisingly, [Dallas officer doesn’t think much of black people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/02/amber-guyger-offensive-texts-botham-jean-murder/). Who among us doesn’t joke about the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.? ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/453 "2019-10-02T13:56:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How about not shooting first and asking questions later? What’s wrong with talking to people before pulling out and using firearms? This was a police officer in an American city, not a member of the military in a war zone. So no change from current training? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/454 "2019-10-02T14:24:16Z")
Tangential question: Is there any data on whether female cops are likelier or quicker to pull a gun than male cops? I would theorize that many female officers, being at more of a physical disadvantage should a suspect try to overpower them, would have greater incentive to resort to use of a gun sooner should they sense imminent danger. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/455 "2019-10-02T14:36:32Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Tangential question: Is there any data on whether female cops are likelier or quicker to pull a gun than male cops? I would theorize that many female officers, being at more of a physical disadvantage should a suspect try to overpower them, would have greater incentive to resort to use of a gun sooner should they sense imminent danger. I would theorize that your opinion is rooted in classic sexism, and reeks of saying women are “too emotional” for police work. But it’s just a theory. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/456 "2019-10-02T14:39:46Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > Perhaps not surprisingly, [Dallas officer doesn’t think much of black people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/02/amber-guyger-offensive-texts-botham-jean-murder/). > > Who among us doesn’t joke about the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.? From anecdotal stories, I don’t think her attitude is unique among officers. Not just the racist quote, but the other negative and derogatory quotes in that article as well. It doesn’t seem unusual for officers to have an “us against them” attitude where anyone who is not an officer is seen as a suspect. Not all officers think that way, but it does seem a common way of thinking in that profession. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/457 "2019-10-02T15:21:27Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I would theorize that your opinion is rooted in classic sexism, and reeks of saying women are “too emotional” for police work. > > But it’s just a theory. AIUI, use-of-force policies allow officers to defend themselves with deadly force when they reasonably determine that they are in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. That threshold is necessarily going to be different for smaller officers than for larger officers, and women tend to be (but are not always) smaller than men. It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a correlation between gender and a tendency to resort to threatening/using deadly force earlier in a confrontation. If such a correlation exists, I would expect a correlation between physical size (blinded to gender) and deadly force usage to be even stronger. And if such a correlation does exist, it shouldn’t be controversial or cause for action; smaller officers, whether male or female, are at a disadvantage in physical confrontations, and so it seems reasonable for them to threaten/use deadl force earlier in a confrontation than larger officers. To be clear, none of this is intended to defend what Guyger did in Jean’s apartment. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/458 "2019-10-02T15:43:56Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > From anecdotal stories, I don’t think her attitude is unique among officers. Not just the racist quote, but the other negative and derogatory quotes in that article as well. It doesn’t seem unusual for officers to have an “us against them” attitude where anyone who is not an officer is seen as a suspect. Not all officers think that way, but it does seem a common way of thinking in that profession. She seems to have considered black police officers as “them” as well though. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/459 "2019-10-02T16:10:38Z")
It’s really easy to look up [research](https://time.com/4406327/police-shootings-women-female-cops/) and see that [female officers](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Augustine_Kposowa/publication/247745141_Police_Officer_Characteristics_and_the_Likelihood_of_Using_Deadly_Force/links/55ef4f4708aef559dc44c86a.pdf) are less likely to shoot suspects than their [male counterparts](https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=239782). When you start with the facts, it helps you avoid forming uneducated hypotheses that turn out to be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/460 "2019-10-02T16:32:58Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > It’s really easy to look up [research](https://time.com/4406327/police-shootings-women-female-cops/) and see that [female officers](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Augustine_Kposowa/publication/247745141_Police_Officer_Characteristics_and_the_Likelihood_of_Using_Deadly_Force/links/55ef4f4708aef559dc44c86a.pdf) are less likely to shoot suspects than their [male counterparts](https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=239782). When you start with the facts, it helps you avoid forming uneducated hypotheses that turn out to be wrong. Fair enough; thanks for looking all of that up. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119/461 "2019-10-02T17:18:56Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > When you start with the facts, it helps you avoid forming uneducated hypotheses that turn out to be wrong. Well, what fun is that? 😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-cop-kills-innocent-man/821119.md?page=24)