# TX Deputy shot and killed while pumping gas **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 29, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292 "2015-08-29T15:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/81 "2015-09-01T16:14:19Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Ah so with Dylann Roof shooting, race was not relevant and should not be examined. Cuz just one dot. Nothing to connect. Gotcha. It’s not a trend numbnuts. It’s an example of a racist prick with a gun. Not every shooting involving a diversity of race is motivated by racial hate. Maybe this asswipe hated cops and saw the uniform as his enemy. Do us a favor, go back to howling at the moon. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/82 "2015-09-01T16:19:54Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I think his point is that the sample is defectively small in this case. Now, if we had 12 shootings, then examining race, among other things, would be relevant perhaps. You know, it’s easy to lose sight of what the original issue was in these long discussions. Let’s review what started it: > [@BobLibDem](#): > > It’s tragic that you have a nut job shooting someone in the back of the head. The occupation or race of the victim doesn’t matter to me. My response: > [@John Mace](#): > > Well, you’re not in the business of keeping law and order. If you were, the occupation and race of the two would be an important piece of information going forward. Bob: > [@](#): > > Why so? Let’s say you’re a cop. How is the death of another cop going to affect how you do your job? Why would it be different if the victim was the same race as you or not? One nut commits a crime. Other nuts will commit other crimes. I don’t see what useful information can be gleaned from this one incident. Now, are you saying you agree with Bob? That there is no reason, even for the cops, to care about and note the race of the victim or the shooter? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/83 "2015-09-01T16:45:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > … > Now, are you saying you agree with Bob? That there is no reason, even for the cops, to care about and note the race of the victim or the shooter? In this particular case, there is a mountain of evidence sufficient to prove the defendant committed a capital murder of a police officer. That’s a ticket to death row for the shooter. Why is discussing the race of the victims helpful to this investigation when there’s more than enough to send him to hell as it is? It might come out in a aggravation/mitigation part of a trial (if Texas has that in death cases). But at this time, it just fuels hysteria. Let’s let this unfold before going there. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/84 "2015-09-01T17:57:29Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > In this particular case, there is a mountain of evidence sufficient to prove the defendant committed a capital murder of a police officer. That’s a ticket to death row for the shooter. Why is discussing the race of the victims helpful to this investigation when there’s more than enough to send him to hell as it is? It might come out in a aggravation/mitigation part of a trial (if Texas has that in death cases). But at this time, it just fuels hysteria. > > Let’s let this unfold before going there. That’s not an answer as to whether or not the race of the two people matters in such shootings, in general, at the time when cops are collecting evidence. You’re answering a different question entirely. **Bob’s** comments were made at a time when we didn’t know much of anything about the case. If you want to have the last word, be my guest. I don’t have any interest in further discussion of this point. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/85 "2015-09-01T18:01:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > That’s not an answer as to whether or not the race of the two people matters in such shootings, in general, at the time when cops are collecting evidence. You’re answering a different question entirely. **Bob’s** comments were made at a time when we didn’t know much of anything about the case. If you want to have the last word, be my guest. I don’t have any interest in further discussion of this point. That was pretty much an answer to the question. I’m not surprised that you missed it though. I’ll use crayon next time. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/86 "2015-09-01T18:40:30Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I hear a theme being suggested here, insinuated with a sneer and a wink. It would seem that the link between this wretched murder and Black Lives Matter is so obvious and apparent that waiting for any actual evidence is a waste of time. > > Perhaps I misread, misunderstand. Hope so. Pessimists love being wrong. This theme is not being insinuated. I believe the sheriff of that county has explicitly said “all lives matter” He was clearly referring to the “black lives matter” movement and the antipathy it has created towards cops. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/87 "2015-09-01T18:47:27Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > To get it out of the way, it’s a tragedy and I feel bad for the guy’s family. I don’t have any evidence that he was other than a decent guy. The shooter shot him in a cowardly manner, behind the back in the John Wilkes Booth tradition. He’ll get convicted and hopefully spend the rest of his life in prison. > > That being said, there’s a shitload of recreational grief about this. Turning the gas pump into a shrine with flowers and flag balloons is silly. I hope the station owner tells people that they can’t place flowers without buying gas, to compensate him for the loss of the revenue from a pump. > > It’s tragic that you have a nutjob shooting someone in the back of the head. The occupation or race of the victim doesn’t matter to me. If someone is calling open season on cops, then it matters. If it is an expression of black rage against the injustice built into a system where cops get away with killing black men (or boys), then it matters. ~80% of cops are “good cops” ~80% of what’s left are assholes. ~80% of what’s left are bullies or on a power trip. The rest are either bad cops or incompetent cops. ~100% of cops look the other way when the bad or incompetent cops are being bad or incompetent. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/88 "2015-09-01T18:54:06Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Millions of blacks in the country, one shoots a cop in the back of the head at a gas pump. Not exactly a trend. > > I think the death penalty is in its last years. I would not be surprised to see the Supremes strike it down for the lack of truly painless ways to do it. Why does the death penalty have to be truly painless? ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/89 "2015-09-02T09:12:43Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > This theme is not being insinuated. I believe the sheriff of that county has explicitly said “all lives matter” He was clearly referring to the “black lives matter” movement and the antipathy it has created towards cops. You have the cart before the horse here. Black Lives Matter did not create the antipathy towards cops. The behavior of the cops and their apparent belief that black lives _don’t_ matter creates the antipathy that has led to Black Lives Matter. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2015, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/90 "2015-09-02T10:31:49Z")
Not said to me, but I’m responding to make a point. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Now, are you saying you agree with Bob? Yes, mostly. > [@](#): > > That there is no reason, even for the cops, to care about and note the race of the victim or the shooter? But not with that, because I think that’s a stupid interpretation of what he was saying. His first post was that race and occupation didn’t really matter to him–a tragic killing is a tragic killing, and the cop wasn’t doing anything cop-related. The second post was about how you can’t extrapolate this into some sort of trend of black people killing cops. I do disagree with him saying it’s completely irrelevant, as race and occupation may be relevant if they inform the motive of the killer. But I do say it is no more tragic. Had it been a cop shot in the line of duty, then I would there is more tragedy. I do sorta get how you get the interpretation that he thinks the cops shouldn’t take notice of race or occupation, but I think that’s a uncharitable interpretation. He just thinks that him being a cop should not matter more than if he were a hairdresser. It shouldn’t inform how they work on this case, instead of freaking out and calling him a cop killer and linking it to #BlackLivesMatter. If he truly is stupid enough to think the police shouldn’t note all the relevant details–ones they would also note with a hairdresser–and investigate them, then I agree he’s a moron. But I also have a hard time thinking said person could feed himself. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2015, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/91 "2015-09-02T10:33:22Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Why does the death penalty have to be truly painless? Because pain is not a part of the sentence and is usually seen as cruel and unusual punishment. We don’t even allow corporal punishment in the U.S. for the same reasons. If we can’t even spank someone, why would you think they should have to go through the pain of their entire body dying? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/92 "2015-09-02T15:36:34Z")
I don’t know why anybody invented the guillotine, the electric chair, etc., anyway. Hanging should be painless/quick enough if you use a drop. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/93 "2015-09-02T15:53:55Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Because pain is not a part of the sentence and is usually seen as cruel and unusual punishment. … That may be an argument under the _Evolving Standards_ application of the 8th Amendment, but a painless execution has yet to be mandated as far as I can tell. Perhaps someone with more knowledge can speak to this. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/94 "2015-09-02T20:26:53Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Ah so with Dylann Roof shooting, race was not relevant and should not be examined. Cuz just one dot. Nothing to connect. Gotcha. With Dylann Roof, race was relevant because _he_ brought it into the equation. It was his own stated reason for the killings he perpetrated. there were beliefs he espoused on his own, not that were assigned to him by others based on his skin color and the color of his victims. That being said, no he is not an example of a trend. There are not others connected to him doing the same thing. He was a lone shooter who was motivated by his own racist beliefs and not a trend. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/95 "2015-09-02T20:32:47Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I don’t know why anybody invented the guillotine, the electric chair, etc., anyway. Hanging should be painless/quick enough if you use a drop. A bit messy if you don’t get the weight/drop ratio correct though: too short and they violently choke to death, too long and they get decapitated. Why nitrogen asphyxiation never replaced poison gas, though… ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/96 "2015-09-02T21:16:06Z")
> [@bup](#): > > How long before Wayne LaPierre suggests we starting arming cops now, because that would have prevented– > > Hey. Hmm… I don’t support him, but LaPierre has maintained that an armed public would prevent _mass_ shootings, not individual shootings. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/97 "2015-09-02T21:21:30Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > It’s tragic that you have a nutjob shooting someone in the back of the head. The occupation or race of the victim doesn’t matter to me. Well, it’s not unlikely that the victim was targeted because he was a cop, that the perp wanted to shoot a cop, and it’s important to remember that’s the kind of risks cops live with. (Of course, they also live with the status of being somebody only a nutjob would dare to kill, because every sane crook knows killing cops is extraordinarily dangerous.) ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/98 "2015-09-03T03:33:05Z")
[Quote=BobLibDem] The occupation or race of the victim doesn’t matter to me. [/Quote] It should concern you. If it had been a random shooting, then truly who gives a fuck (about race and trade)? However, in this climate, a black person killing a white cop (execution-like, wasn’t being chased) indicates a grave social condition which needs to be diagnosed and a cure attempted. If you cannot see that, you are really fucking dumb or the most obstinate asshole ever. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/99 "2015-09-03T03:36:37Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think when you are mentally ill enough to pull a stunt like this (just like the TV shooting) race becomes an unlikely factor. Just like the slaves who were mentally ill enough to kill their masters in an attempt to escape. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292/100 "2015-09-03T04:20:22Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > Just like the slaves who were mentally ill enough to kill their masters in an attempt to escape. . . . How is anyone liberated by killing a police officer? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tx-deputy-shot-and-killed-while-pumping-gas/729292.md?page=6)