I’m in San Francisco for the holidays, and this story has been on the news every night since the New Year. There’s actually something of a mini-riot going on in Oakland right now, after a protest this evening.
Anyway, when i heard about this story, i wanted to wait until the final report before drawing any definitive conclusions. There were witnesses saying that the man was shot while prone on the ground, and some said he was in handcuffs, but witnesses to incidents like this are notoriously unreliable. I’m completely opposed to excessive force by police, but i realize they have a very difficult job, so it’s best not to judge incidents like this until you’ve at least seen some evidence. The IHOP case in Virginia a couple of years ago is a good case in point.
But then i saw this video. It’s not incredibly clear on the internet (the version they showed on TV was somewhat clearer), and after viewing that video i really cannot think of a single thing that would justify this shooting.
No, the guy was not cuffed. But he was, as WF Tomba said, on the ground with two cops on top of him. And no-one, as far as i know, is disputing that he was shot in the back. One of the main theories surrounding the case is that the officer intended to shoot the guy with a Taser, but accidentally drew and fired his gun instead. That is, from what i’ve seen so far, probably the most charitable interpretation that could be put on the incident, from the officer’s point of view. If it was NOT a case of mistaking his Taser for his gun, i shudder to think what his motivation was.
By the way, on the news a couple of minutes ago (KTVU Fox in SF), one analyst rejected the Taser/gun mistake argument, saying that the officer had been shown earlier drawing his Taser, so he clearly new where it was on his person. I haven’t seen the video of the officer drawing the Taser, so i can’t speak about that
The officer resigned from his job today.