Cop Shoots His Own Tire

[lame54]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/berkeley-officer-fatally-shoots-teenager-at-gas-station/article_d45db16a-7422-5307-b81d-b45dbdc896ba.html

At that point, the chief said, the officer got his handgun, "and fired what we think is three shots." Belmar said one round struck the suspect, Antonio D. Martin, 18, and one struck a tire of the police car. Police said they did not immediately know where the third round went.

A man is aiming a gun at the cops
The cop draws and shoots his own tire while lifting his hand into position to shoot the man
The man hears the first shot and doesn't fire allowing the cop to shoot him
The cop fires two shots to hit the man and the man never fires at all
Sound reasonable?

[uponit7771]

1. Nope, neither does the cop not wearing the body cam and the BPD showing edited video...

... I want to hear from the witness's

[Mnemosyne]

2. Well, the tire was black... nt

[pinboy3niner]

4. And the tire was reaching for its waist

Grand jury finds shooting the tire obviously justified.

[Mnemosyne]

6. You know they would. :) nt

[L0oniX]

21. ^this^

[Malraiders]

3. I wonder if Martin had a cell phone with a camera? nt

[nichomachus]

5. Well, the tire was black -- and unarmed n/t

[Downwinder]

7. Rushed him.

[Locrian]

10. tire had the face of a demon - n/t

[Rex]

8. Well in all fairness, you have to shoot a tire because you cannot choke it out.

As for the third magic bullet shot...it probably doesn't even matter why won't people just follow orders and stop questioning authority!?

[_Blue_]

9. The decedent had a hi-point 9mm

They're notoriously unreliable, cheap firearms and prone to malfunction.

[UncleYoder]

11. Yep.

They're perfect for a throw down weapon.

[_Blue_]

12. Especially with the serial number filed off.

Why, if the decedent wasnt on video pointing the gun, and didn't have a history of violent crime, I would be suspicious of the officer's account.

[uponit7771]

17. THere's no UNEDITED video of the decent pointing a gun

[branford]

13. Missed shots are fairly common, particularly under stress.

If you read about any number of clearly justified police shootings, it's often mentioned how many shots were fired and how few actually hit, even among highly trained and practiced officers. It's the reason why officers are trained to aim for center mass to increase their chances of subduing a suspect without missing, and why demands that police shoot to wound are particularly ludicrous.

[Calista241]

15. In August of 2012, Jeffrey Johnson pulled out a gun and shot a former coworker.

Johnson then turned to walk away and put his firearm back in his pocket. Two NYPD uniformed officers witnessed the shooting and engaged Johnson. After firing 17 shots, Johnson was dead, and 9 innocent bystanders lay wounded on the sidewalk. Johnson never fired his weapon after the initial killing of his former coworker and all 9 victims were hit by police fire.

The chaos during a shooting is tremendous. I'm not surprised at all the the trigger was pulled while he was drawing his weapon. If anything, this leads me to believe more that he was shooting at a perceived threat.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/25/nypd-shooting-bystander-victims-hit-by-police-gunfire/

[branford]

18. I remember that shooting . . .

It was a particularly egregious example of what I was discussing. Usually only a car or a wall takes the brunt of any missed shots.

[lame54]

19. bad marksmanship is all the proof you need?...

he was afraid and is not properly trained

he needs to seek another profession

[Calista241]

22. it's not marksmanship. It's panic. Why would a trained officer pull the trigger while still drawing

their weapon? It's not easy to do, and it is a very good way to shoot yourself if it does happen.

Police holsters are not a soft pliable leather. They are a hard, molded plastic, with that plastic covering the trigger to prevent discharge while the weapon is holstered. They are designed to prevent all movement of the firearm except in one specific direction.

The fact that the officer panicked and pulled the trigger as soon as he could, before he had fully addressed the subject, while nearly shooting himself in the process is what tells me he thought he was in danger.

My opinion on this shooting does not mean that all police shootings are good, and that african americans are not treated woefully by our justice system. But this specific shooting does seem to be a legitimate one.

[Politicalboi]

16. Here's a video of it

Harry you stupid stupid man.

[lame54]

20. we may laugh at that...

but i think it's their training video

[NickB79]

23. "A man is aiming a gun at the cops "

That alone makes it entirely reasonable and justified.

Don't want to die? Don't point a gun at a cop.

[ManiacJoe]

24. If the majority of criminals were smart,

the job of the police would be a lot more difficult.