# Shooting Outside U.S. Capitol **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 3, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291 "2013-10-03T18:56:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/41 "2013-10-04T12:00:37Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > If you’re in an argument with your SO (a woman) and you say, “Jeez, are you on the rag or something?” it doesn’t make it any less offensive if she happens to actually have her period. **Euphonious Polemic** ’s original quote stuck out to me, as well. If it was a guy acting crazy, would most people’s first thought be “Must have something to do with a woman”? > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Well, I’m so sorry. > > Occam’s razor. We had a woman driving a car, acting completely irrational. There was a one year old baby in the car. I made a guess. > > I guess I’m even more sorry I was right. > > I suppose I should have restricted my supposition about what happened to “Maybe she was sad because her Womyn’s Mechanical Steam Engine club had been shut down by the city council” > > What pisses me of is the crap about “well, even if he was right, it was offensive to even suggest it.” Political correctness gone stupid. And the answer to woodystockbirdybird’s question is yes. When a man is acting “crazy” people do tend to assume it has to do with a woman. To quote Dougas Adams, “I’ve just had an unhappy love affair and I don’t see why anyone else should have a good time.” To quote the less eloquent masses, “Wow, somebody’s not gettin’ any!” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/42 "2013-10-04T12:05:35Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The cops shot an unarmed woman with a child in the car. Looks like an overreaction to me. Of course they may not make the assumption that she could have been an armed psychopath if it wasn’t so fucking easy for unarmed psychopaths to get guns. The fact that she was unarmed is an argument in favor of gun control?:dubious: Extremists on either side of the debate make it increasingly more difficult for those of us somewhere in the middle to take any of you seriously. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/43 "2013-10-04T12:25:46Z")
> **[Official: Woman killed in DC chase was delusional](https://turnto10.com/archive/mother-woman-killed-in-dc-chase-was-depressed)** > > A Connecticut woman shot to death by police after she tried to drive through barricades outside the White House held the delusional belief that the president was communicating with her. > [@](#): > > A Connecticut woman who was shot to death by police after a car chase that began when she tried to breach a barrier at the White House suffered from post-partum depression, her mother said. Looks like **Euphonious Polemic** nailed it. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/44 "2013-10-04T12:40:16Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > A car is a deadly weapon. You are not unarmed if you are aiming it at people. Probably had a swimming pool in the trunk, too. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/45 "2013-10-04T12:47:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The cops shot an unarmed woman with a child in the car. Looks like an overreaction to me. Obviously they should have let her run over a few more officers before resorting to deadly force. Wonder how long it’ll be before someone starts blaming this incident on antidepressant drugs and the first lawsuit gets filed. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/46 "2013-10-04T12:51:10Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > A car is a deadly weapon. You are not unarmed if you are aiming it at people. True. If someone is threatening with a vehicle, shooting might be justified. However, I have seen an article this morning stating that she exited the car and was shot while unarmed, and another article stating that she never exited the car and was shot inside it. So maybe she’s Schrödinger’s Perp. Until we get a clearer picture, I’m not sure what to think. For the record, I am against shooting unarmed people, but can see the need to shoot at vehicles ramming barriers outside potential terror targets. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/47 "2013-10-04T12:52:42Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The cops shot an unarmed woman with a child in the car. Looks like an overreaction to me. Of course they may not make the assumption that she could have been an armed psychopath if it wasn’t so fucking easy for unarmed psychopaths to get guns. > [@kayaker](#): > > The fact that she was unarmed is an argument in favor of gun control?:dubious: > > Extremists on either side of the debate make it increasingly more difficult for those of us somewhere in the middle to take any of you seriously. Seriously. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Probably had a swimming pool in the trunk, too. My case? It rests. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/48 "2013-10-04T13:10:42Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Fuck that. This isn’t the 16th century. Fuck that, driving a car into police cars and officers at the White House and Capital will get you killed. The 16th century has nothing to do with it, it’s what I want to happen in those situations. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/49 "2013-10-04T13:23:29Z")
Secret Service and DC cops treat a threat differently when it’s in the vicinity of the WH or the Capitol building- the priority is generally “eliminate threat” rather than “apprehend perp”. This is unfortunate, but I think it’s understandable. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/50 "2013-10-04T13:35:36Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Obviously they should have let her run over a few more officers before resorting to deadly force. > > Wonder how long it’ll be before someone starts blaming this incident on antidepressant drugs and the first lawsuit gets filed. They don’t have strips to flatten tires? They can’t shoot tires out? They couldn’t box her in with cop cars? I still don’t think she needed to be killed. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/51 "2013-10-04T13:42:59Z")
At first I was intrigued by a woman breaking the spree shooting / terrorism glass ceiling, but it wasn’t to be. Come on gals, aim high! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/52 "2013-10-04T14:00:14Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > They don’t have strips to flatten tires? They can’t shoot tires out? They couldn’t box her in with cop cars? I still don’t think she needed to be killed. In the video I saw, I’m not sure when they would’ve had an opportunity to deploy spike strips. It escalated very quickly and she was all over the place— not a exactly _Vanishing Point_ scenario where they have plenty of time to line up bulldozers in her path. That said, I haven’t seen any video (if it exists) of the moment where she was shot, so like **Sailboat** , I’m still undecided on what to think. Leaning toward “highly unfortunate but justified” pending evidence to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/53 "2013-10-04T14:11:27Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Fuck that. This isn’t the 16th century. You’re right. It’s 2013, a time when every idiot with an agenda is looking for his 15 minutes of fame. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/54 "2013-10-04T14:17:24Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > They don’t have strips to flatten tires? They can’t shoot tires out? They couldn’t box her in with cop cars? I still don’t think she needed to be killed. It’s different when next to the White House and the Capitol. This is probably how it should be. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/55 "2013-10-04T14:19:49Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > They don’t have strips to flatten tires? They can’t shoot tires out? They couldn’t box her in with cop cars? I still don’t think she needed to be killed. And if she detonated a bomb while trying to get closer to the Capital? In many situations the police don’t have the luxury of hoping for a best case scenario. In these cases you neutralize the threat first, and boxing in the car doesn’t really do that. Once you pass a certain threshold, shoot first and ask questions later is the appropriate response. It’s unfortunate for someone with mental illness (and her child) but that’s the reality of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/56 "2013-10-04T14:25:00Z")
> [@Eutychus](#): > > [Official: Woman killed in DC chase was delusional](http://www.turnto10.com/story/23608454/mother-woman-killed-in-dc-chase-was-depressed) > > Looks like **Euphonious Polemic** nailed it. I think it’s very insensitive of you to use the phrase “nailed it” in a discussion about a woman with post-partum depression. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/57 "2013-10-04T14:29:44Z")
I’m offended by your use of a smiley face with big teeth. It discriminates against the dentally challenged. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/58 "2013-10-04T14:32:49Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > It is in fact offensive to assume that the source of her behavior is her reproductive system - not because reproductive systems never go haywire, but because it assumes that she might not have other pressures in her life. Next time anything like this is in the news, I’ll make a comprehensive list of 23 guesses, so that will make you feel better. I’m sorry for putting all the clues together and coming up with a correct guess. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/59 "2013-10-04T14:40:26Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I’m offended by your use of a smiley face with big teeth. > > It discriminates against the dentally challenged. I thought that was the rodent smiley. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291/60 "2013-10-04T14:45:39Z")
She was, apparently, also suffering from [schizophrenia](http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/04/politics/u-s-capitol-shooting/). She’d believed Obama had been stalking her for almost a year. Postpartum depression and schizophrenia. As if one weren’t bad enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-outside-u-s-capitol/670291.md?page=4)