A Police Shooting deemed justified

http://heraldnet.com/article/20101201/NEWS01/712019813

Here's one where the Officer's actions were justified.

"This Man came home to "bills"� the article states, yet the slimy bustards who we share this country with and fight for as equally, got there money problems erased by bailouts."

So true. This is an unfortunate situation. The officer did what was right. The guy seemed to have some deep emotional issues, that might have been resolved, if he hadn't went at the officer with a handgun.

so somehow fighting for a government that is unappreciative and having issues because of it justifies him getting killed? I understand instincts and reactions when guns are involved, but this death lays at the feet of those in power inside the government. Just one more to add to their war tally.

devildoc5 said:

so somehow fighting for a government that is unappreciative and having issues because of it justifies him getting killed? I understand instincts and reactions when guns are involved, but this death lays at the feet of those in power inside the government. Just one more to add to their war tally.

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You know, you make it hard for me to be supportive of this incident. I completely agree with you.

I have a HUGE question that spring to mind: The man was a combat soldier, he knew that pointing his sidearm at an LEO would initiate the officers response of lethal force, which begs the question, is this suicide by cop, or was the guy actually not pointing his sidearm at the officer. A combat vet points a handgun and doesn't pull the trigger WTF...I highly doubt that would be the case.

This is not the only incident in which officers have claimed a gun was pointed at them so they drew and fired or fired because they had already been in ready. Some of the incidents deemed "suicide by cop" I question, and the above incident is one of them. A combat vet of many years doesn't pull the trigger...I wonder if the actually pointing his sidearm at the officer.

I don't know about anyone else, but generally speaking, if I were pointing my sidearm at someone and I knew they were armed or were at the ready to shoot me, I would pull the freaking trigger.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I truely feel sorry for anyone, LE or not, that is forced to defend themself and kills someone. It has to be one of the worst feelings a person can have.

In this case, the person is not alive to take responsibility for his actions. Too bad. It's not the officer's fault he was forced to defend himself is it? Put yourself in the officer's place.

SpyderTattoo said:

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I truely feel sorry for anyone, LE or not, that is forced to defend themself and kills someone. It has to be one of the worst feelings a person can have.

In this case, the person is not alive to take responsibility for his actions. Too bad. It's not the officer's fault he was forced to defend himself is it? Put yourself in the officer's place.

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The question isn't whether he was right in defending himself when someone points a gun at him, he has the right to defend himself.

I am just wondering why a combat vet would not pull the trigger and gave two reasons, either he was not pointing the gun at the officer or he was wanting suicide by cop.

"The officers were yelling “Police!” as they went inside. LaBossiere came toward them with a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, Roe wrote. LaBossiere reportedly was raising the weapon in the direction of officers when he was shot."

So the officers were in the ready and the man raised the gun in their direction. I sure wish we could receive more details on stuff like this...it would really leave less to the imagination.

I am not saying the officer did anything wrong.

I just wonder where the vet was in his head in that moment. It brings to mind a Vietnam vet that lived next door to me when I was younger. We would wake in the middle of the night to a dozen cops outside the guys house. He would be hiding up in a tree in his yard in the middle of the night, thinking he was back in the bush. Just wonder if we need to keep a better eye on these guys when they get home, especially if they are in some direct combat situations.

devildoc-

Would you feel differently had the distraught vet pointed his handgun at you? Would you feel justified in defending yourself, regardless of the circumstances and prior mental anguish the gentleman had suffered? Was there time to check his military service records and/or medical records before shooting him when he raised that loaded .40S&W at responding officers?

If the vet was that far off of the deep end (as you insinuate), then he had no business with a firearm at all. But is that the fault of the cop who fired at him, society in general, the NRA, OCDO or George Bush? Nope. It's his own responsibility, and subsequently, his own fault.

-G20