# Rate the bullshit level of this story of a man dying in police custody. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321 "2012-08-03T17:35:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/121 "2012-08-21T16:17:29Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I’m glad I didn’t see this thread until now so I could smugly vote for the correct option. Oh you didn’t need to wait. Plenty of us smugly voted for the correct option in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/122 "2012-08-21T16:37:49Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Oh you didn’t need to wait. Plenty of us smugly voted for the correct option in the first place. Some of us, on the other hand, feared Skald’s curare darts. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/123 "2012-08-21T16:50:06Z")
I for one am glad that it seems that my initial reaction was wrong. I thought it was impossible. I do want to see how all this works out, but yes it seems that I was jumping to mistaken conclusions Cheers **CAPT** ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/124 "2012-08-21T17:32:30Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > ..Looks as though he did it on purpose. Meth in his system… Police cover up is a hell of a drug. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/125 "2012-08-21T18:04:42Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The suspect allegedly being left handed and the wound being to his right temple is another anomaly… I’m too undecided to vote, but did want to point out that being left handed doesn’t mean someone won’t prefer to use their right hand for some things. I’m a lefty and the only time I fired a (pellet) gun, I did it with my right ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/126 "2012-08-21T18:15:24Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > How does a man with his hands cuffed behind his back shoot himself in the head? > > As my cousin commented on Facebook, “Plastic Man could do it.” But that theory presents its own difficulties, as Plastic Man (a) could have escaped handcuffs without difficulty and thus would have no reason to commit suicide; (b) is invulnerable to bullets and thus would not be dead; and (c) is a goddamn comic book character, and thus only slightly less fictional than the official police report. A lot of people can do it. Especially young men.. skinny ones..and women. It’s absolutely amazing how flexible an intoxicated woman can be in handcuffs.. (No jokes please) A look at the situation. The deceased had a warrant out of another jurisdiction and they were in the process of seeing if they (other jurisdiction) wanted to extradite. At that time the cops had no charges and were holding him. What they fucked up on is that they never searched him the first time. Trust me.. they just sat him in the rear of the car and left him their. THe deceased at that time took his handgun and stuck it under the seat to keep the cops from finding it. When the warrant was confirmed the local yokels then knew they needed to take him out of the car and search him. At that time they did and discovered a small amount of weed on him. That was nothihg. that would be a ticket. What the deceased knew is that when he returned to the station they would check the prison compartment seat and find the gun.. at that time he was fucked. The young man might have already had a felony on his sheet and being caught with a gun is a mandatory five three to serve in most places. This is when he decided to commit suicide. There was no reason at any time to threaten him with a gun.. This wasn’t a kingpin of some dope cartel.. just a wayward stupid young man with a record. Knowing what he knew about his last stay in prison.. it seems to me he made a decision to not go back.. All of what I have written of course is speculative.. but some of the facts involved I’ve experienced.. I was going to post a link of a guy who decided to end his life in a interrogation room.. but that is way to heavy and nasty for this site. I apologize for even considering it.. Why suspects kill themselves is beyond me.. You can have the green river killer or Jerry Sandusky.. and they would never think of it.. then you have the great blues Guitarist Roy Buchanan who has a drinking problem but everything to live for and he hangs himself in a jail cell.. Who knows.. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/127 "2012-08-21T18:18:07Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > So he’s got a gun tucked in his waistband, small of his back. He can’t believe the cops haven’t found it but he knows he’s screwed when he gets to the police station. He’s alone in the car so he pulls it out and starts trying to shove it down in the gap between the back cushion and the seat cushion. This being a police car, I would guess the gap is sealed because suspects probably try to hide stuff regularly. He doesn’t know that so he pushes harder and harder, looking over his shoulder and whoop, blammo. > > It could happen. The hardest part to believe is the gun surviving two searches. Perhaps **Loach** has had experiences where significant objects were overlooked during frisks? thats it slate.. they never searched him the first time.. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/128 "2012-08-21T19:50:38Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Police cover up is a hell of a drug. It would be a State Coroner cover up in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/129 "2012-08-21T19:52:40Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It would be a State Coroner cover up in this case. Oh, ok. I haven’t been following. I just wanted to use the phrase. Plus, I always assume most cops are covering up something, somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/130 "2012-08-21T19:56:09Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > thats it slate.. they never searched him the first time.. I believe it was Loach who said that some cops are reluctant to poke around in another guy’s crotch. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/131 "2012-08-21T19:57:43Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I always assume most cops are covering up something, somewhere. Probably. As Loach said, not finding a gun the guy shoots himself with is a career breaker. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/132 "2012-08-21T20:48:11Z")
Just wanted to point out to those of you who may be seeing this for the first time - this is a very long thread that was started over two weeks ago when very few details of the facts of the case were public. It was resurrected to provide links to those details and the findings of the investigation(s). Consequently, many of the questions you may have as you read through may have been asked, answered, and/or covered already. Also, kinda unfair to vote in the poll at this point. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/133 "2012-08-21T22:15:04Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Also, kinda unfair to vote in the poll at this point. 😉 Yeah, but we get to diss Skald. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/134 "2012-08-21T22:45:13Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Yeah, but we get to diss Skald. 🙂 I have never understood why, after all the injustices, plagues, and brutal assaults-by-flying-monkey you have suffered at my hand, you never take the elementary precaution of posting remarks like this from your bomb shelter. Ah, well, that is between you and mongooses. More seriously, though I will have to read the coroner’s report and look at the dash video in more detail to be sure, it certainly _seems_ right now that my initial impression was wrong, and unless there’s some hugely-unexpected revelation coming, I have to say that Chavis was indeed his own victim, not the police’s. In short, the officers’ story was not bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/135 "2012-08-22T02:07:04Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > unless there’s some hugely-unexpected revelation coming, I have to say that Chavis was indeed his own victim, not the police’s. In short, the officers’ story was not bullshit. I have never before had an email delivered by a little red fellow with horns wearing ice skates. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/136 "2012-08-22T12:27:25Z")
it STILL amazes me that another 5 people have selected option 4 even after the more recent revelations. I’m a little dissapointed in the ignorance fighting abilities of our Dope brethren ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/137 "2012-08-22T15:13:20Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If you add in a ricochet or other bizarro-world type thing that sometimes happens, maybe. Which is what somebody needs to rule in or out. Wait up. Did this happen in Dallas, and were the police driving a convertible? Maybe Arlen Spector can figure this out. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/138 "2012-08-22T20:35:29Z")
I tried to find the dashcam video. I found this link > **[Chavis Carter DashCam Video Released! (VIDEO)](https://globalgrind.com/1877467/chavis-carter-shooting-dashcam-video-jonesboro-police-released/)** > > As the public pressure mounted on police to release more evidence surrounding the Chavis Carter shooting, the Jonesboro, Ark. police department finally released the dashboard camera video last nigh… This version has several jumps in recording, including during Chaviss’ initial pat down. We see him spread his hands on the truck, the officer begin searching his pockets, then a flash and time jump. We cannot see how extensive the search is. As a Terry frisk, it might not be that more extensive, but it is annoying that there’s a break in that specific segment. This video also ends before the shooting is discovered. Not enough to go on here, and the time jumps not helpful. I’m reasonably certain things happened as described, I just find this video incomplete. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/139 "2012-08-23T01:00:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Option 4 is how I feel, but I picked 2 because there’s some weird chance that that they didn’t search him well, or left a gun in the car, and he managed to pull the trigger and the bullet ended up in his head. So once they investigate I’m sure they’ll find out the cops are lying and it’s manslaughter at a minimum. See, that’s option three for me, which is what I chose. Plus, I live in Arkansas and have heard (vague) rumors about corrupt Jonesboro cops all my life. Nothing concrete, just that they aren’t really on the up and up. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321/140 "2012-08-23T01:23:30Z")
Okay, so everyone is sure that the cops didn’t murder/manslaughter him, but why is that leaving out option 3? Is it not gross negligence to arrest the guy and not make sure he doesn’t have a gun? Or do I expect too much out of cops? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rate-the-bullshit-level-of-this-story-of-a-man-dying-in-police-custody/630321.md?page=8)