Alton Sterling

[arrowryan]

I'll save my opinion for later but I thought this deserves its own thread. A lengthy article and the disturbing video is in the link below.

Alton Sterling shooting: Video of deadly encounter with officers sparks outrage - CNN.com

 

[gkIrish]

I am at work and can't listen to the video. My screen goes black before I see any shooting. What happened exactly?

 

[arrowryan]

I am at work and can't listen to the video. My screen goes black before I see any shooting. What happened exactly?

I think the video is black for everyone in the beginning. Long story short, two cops had him pinned on the cement and against a car. They see that he has a gun (in a state that allows people to carry) and they shoot him. When you watch the video, you will notice that he was no threat to the cops

 

[gkIrish]

I think the video is black for everyone in the beginning. Long story short, two cops had him pinned on the cement and against a car. They see that he has a gun (in a state that allows people to carry) and they shoot him. When you watch the video, you will notice that he was no threat to the cops

I see them take him down and start to pin him. Then I see a cop pull out his gun. Then my screen goes blank again. Is there video of him actually being shot? I guess I am wondering if there is any chance at all that they were provoked. I am assuming no, but want to get all the facts.

 

[IrishLion]

I see them take him down and start to pin him. Then I see a cop pull out his gun. Then my screen goes blank again. Is there video of him actually being shot? I guess I am wondering if there is any chance at all that they were provoked. I am assuming no, but want to get all the facts.

The cops shoot him almost as soon as the camera gets pointed down (when it goes black).

It looked like he was struggling as they had him pinned just before the gunshots.

 

[Monk]

You can hear them say he has a gun, then the audio is muffled and some people believe they said he was going for his gun. The gun was apparently found in his pocket after the incident. From what I understand only one of the officers fired his weapon and it was fired around 6-8 times.

My opinion is this was taken to far on both sides. The suspect was reported to have a weapon from the original complaint and he was not responding to orders to get down while he was being tased. If he would have responded and laid down possibly could have ended differently. That being said, the suspect seemed to be contained on the ground with little threat. I could not see the suspects hands moving, but it doesn't look to me that he was a threat for anywhere near that kind of force (again I can't see the suspects hands to confidently say there was no threat).

 

[calvegas04]

Pisses me off when the article starts off with "White officers shoot black man" the media loves them some race wars. I also believe this thread should be in the police state USA thread

 

[wizards8507]

How to not be shot by the police:

1. Don't be a criminal.

 

[Irish Insanity]

How to not be shot by the police:

1. Don't be a criminal.

I expected better from you.

 

[IrishLion]

How to not be shot by the police:

1. Don't be a criminal.

This guy wasn't breaking any laws, so far as we know.

 

[tussin]

This guy wasn't breaking any laws, so far as we know.

Yeah, what were the circumstances of the arrest?

 

[GoIrish41]

This guy wasn't breaking any laws, so far as we know.

I read somewhere that he was selling DVDs on the street. Obviously a capital offense.

 

[wizards8507]

This guy wasn't breaking any laws, so far as we know.

Wrong.

1. The police were responding to a 9-1-1 call that Mr. Sterling was threatening people with his firearm (so the cops knew he had one)

2. He was also selling bootleg DVDs and CDs

3. He was a known gang member with tattoos indicating such

I read somewhere that he was selling DVDs on the street. Obviously a capital offense.

Are you a liar or just ignorant of the facts?

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police say they came to the scene early Tuesday after an anonymous 911 caller reported a man threatening him with a gun.

Alton Sterling Shooting: Deadly Encounter With Police in Louisiana Prompts Justice Department Investigation | KTLA

 

[IrishLion]

Yeah, what were the circumstances of the arrest?

There was no arrest.

Someone called the police anonymously to report Sterling for threatening them with a gun.

Sterling did have a gun, but he was not in the process of being arrested when the struggle began, at least so far as the information that CNN has.

 

[arrowryan]

Wrong.

1. The police were responding to a 9-1-1 call that Mr. Sterling was threatening people with his firearm (so the cops knew he had one)

2. He was also selling bootleg DVDs and CDs

3. He was a known gang member with tattoos indicating such


Are you a liar or just ignorant of the facts?

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police say they came to the scene early Tuesday after an anonymous 911 caller reported a man threatening him with a gun.

Alton Sterling Shooting: Deadly Encounter With Police in Louisiana Prompts Justice Department Investigation | KTLA

The cops drawing their weapons isn't the problem IMO. I don't think they were in any danger that required them to shoot him

 

[IrishLion]

Wrong.

1. The police were responding to a 9-1-1 call that Mr. Sterling was threatening people with his firearm (so the cops knew he had one)

That's an accusation. If it's true, then yes, "Don't be a criminal." But I think your post was in poor taste without all of the facts.

2. He was also selling bootleg DVDs and CDs

Were they bootleg? Where is that information?

3. He was a known gang member with tattoos indicating such

That has nothing to do with this instance of the man being shot (and I don't see that information).

 

[tussin]

Wrong.

1. The police were responding to a 9-1-1 call that Mr. Sterling was threatening people with his firearm (so the cops knew he had one)

2. He was also selling bootleg DVDs and CDs

3. He was a known gang member with tattoos indicating such

Do any of these facts / accusations excuse the actions of the police?

 

[wizards8507]

The cops drawing their weapons isn't the problem IMO. I don't think they were in any danger that required them to shoot him

Maybe not. But it's quite a leap from "possibly questionable police judgement" to "cops killed black man because racism." I'm inclined to give police officers the benefit of the doubt. This guy was 300 lbs and very possibly reaching for his weapon.

 

[calvegas04]

Do any of these facts / accusations excuse the actions of the police?

There isn't enough facts out to say they are right or wrong. The video quality isn't good enough to see if he reached for a gun or not. And when the other officer yells out he has a gun the other officer could be thinking that he has it out and is a danger to him and his partner.

 

[ACamp1900]

Pisses me off when the article starts off with "White officers shoot black man" the media loves them some race wars. I also believe this thread should be in the police state USA thread

They don't want anyone thinking.. they want that emotional response... what happened is bullshit and it needs to freaking stop... Clinton, Cops... whoever... the law should apply to everyone and while not every instance of police whatever is cut and dry a lot of them are and it's far beyond the point where it should still be happening without a nation wide, good cops included, pressure to stop this, now.

I get your point though,... they definitely only focus on the stuff that gets an emotional response (insisting Zimmerman was white, when we all know he isn't 'white' in any other walk of life for example). This is all over the place but cases like the Shaver one, white victim, are not even blinked at.

 

[wizards8507]

That's an accusation. If it's true, then yes, "Don't be a criminal." But I think your post was in poor taste without all of the facts.

He's a violent criminal and a sex offender. Even if the police behaved in the most abhorrent way possible, which I don't believe they did, it would not transform this man into the "gentle giant" martyr he's being portrayed as.

Were they bootleg? Where is that information?

That has nothing to do with this instance of the man being shot (and I don't see that information).

Do any of these facts / accusations excuse the actions of the police?

I don't know whether the police acted rightly or wrongly. I find the video to be inconclusive and I'm far from an expert on police procedure. But really, all of that is irrelevant. OJ Simpson is a murderer no matter how much of a racist SOB Mark Fuhrman was in 1994. The lesson here is not "fuck the police." The lesson is "don't put yourselves in situations where you're having violent encounters with the police."

 

[GoIrish41]

Wrong.

1. The police were responding to a 9-1-1 call that Mr. Sterling was threatening people with his firearm (so the cops knew he had one)

2. He was also selling bootleg DVDs and CDs

3. He was a known gang member with tattoos indicating such


Are you a liar or just ignorant of the facts?

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police say they came to the scene early Tuesday after an anonymous 911 caller reported a man threatening him with a gun.

Alton Sterling Shooting: Deadly Encounter With Police in Louisiana Prompts Justice Department Investigation | KTLA

What exactly am I lying about or ignorant of? You need to take your meds!

 

[IrishLax]

Cops were wearing body cameras, that "fell off" during the struggle but kept recording. Suspicious or no?

That cell phone video tells me nothing except that further investigation is warranted and hopefully there will be justice depending on where facts lead.

I still fail to understand why one cop needed to empty a clip into him, if the "6 to 8" shots thing is correct.

 

[IrishLion]

He's a violent criminal and a sex offender. Even if the police behaved in the most abhorrent way possible, which I don't believe they did, it would not transform this man into the "gentle giant" martyr he's being portrayed as.

I don't know whether the police acted rightly or wrongly. I find the video to be inconclusive and I'm far from an expert on police procedure. But really, all of that is irrelevant. OJ Simpson is a murderer no matter how much of a racist SOB Mark Fuhrman was in 1994.

Your first post:

"Don't be a criminal if you don't want to get shot"

We don't have all of the facts on what happened, and yet this is your first post on the specific thread?

I just think it was in poor taste, in this instance. I'll refrain from further commentary.

 

[wizards8507]

Your first post:

"Don't be a criminal if you don't want to get shot"

We don't have all of the facts on what happened, and yet this is your first post on the specific thread?

I just think it was in poor taste, in this instance. I'll refrain from further commentary.

I can't rep you again, but that's fair. I was responding in frustration from nonsense I've seen in other forums and on social media today and less specifically to anything I've read here on IE.

What exactly am I lying about or ignorant of? You need to take your meds!

You strongly implied that the cops went after this guy for selling DVDs and you omitted the fact that they were responding to a 911 call alleging threats with a firearm.

Cops were wearing body cameras, that "fell off" during the struggle but kept recording. Suspicious or no?

That cell phone video tells me nothing except that further investigation is warranted and hopefully there will be justice depending on where facts lead.

I'm not sure how body cameras are attached, but it seems reasonable to me that a struggle like that might cause one to fall off. I don't know.

I still fail to understand why one cop needed to empty a clip into him, if the "6 to 8" shots thing is correct.

Fear? I know police are highly trained, but they're not like combat soldiers where shooting at an armed person is a normal part of their day. If anyone broke into my home, I'd start pulling the trigger over and over again and I'm not going to stop just because the guy falls down and stops moving.

 

[ACamp1900]

Cops were wearing body cameras, that "fell off" during the struggle but kept recording. Suspicious or no?

That cell phone video tells me nothing except that further investigation is warranted and hopefully there will be justice depending on where facts lead.

I still fail to understand why one cop needed to empty a clip into him, if the "6 to 8" shots thing is correct.

1.) Yes
2.) Correct
3.) Three for three

 

[tussin]

I don't know whether the police acted rightly or wrongly. I find the video to be inconclusive and I'm far from an expert on police procedure. But really, all of that is irrelevant. OJ Simpson is a murderer no matter how much of a racist SOB Mark Fuhrman was in 1994.

What an awful analogy.

The real question isn't if the guy ever committed a crime, but whether the police were justified in shooting him at that moment. The jury is still out but I'm inclined to go with no.

 

[IrishLax]

To be fair to wiz, he's literally being portrayed as a "gentle giant" (direct quote) and "nice and respectable" (another direct quote) despite:
1. Doing multiple years for a sex offense.
2. Being arrested for aggravated battery and destruction of property, showing he has a criminal record and history as a violent offender.
3. Being arrested for domestic abuse.
4. Being arrested for illegal drug possession.
5. Being arrested for illegal possession of a firearm.
6. And he was illegally carrying a firearm when the above arrest occurred.

When people talk about gun control, the people they mean to keep them away from are the Alton Sterling's of world. He's obviously not a "good guy"... that does not in the slightest mean he deserved to die... but yeah, the narrative wars are quite disingenuous, so I think I get where Wiz is coming from.

 

[Monk]

Cops were wearing body cameras, that "fell off" during the struggle but kept recording. Suspicious or no?

That cell phone video tells me nothing except that further investigation is warranted and hopefully there will be justice depending on where facts lead.

I still fail to understand why one cop needed to empty a clip into him, if the "6 to 8" shots thing is correct.

I read the 6 to 8 times by one of the officers this morning. I just went back to find the article to post a link and I can't find it. Information that comes out this early often changes, so don't hold me to that.

 

[GoIrish41]

You strongly implied that the cops went after this guy for selling DVDs and you omitted the fact that they were responding to a 911 call alleging threats with a firearm.

I implied nothing of the sort. I responded to a post that suggested he did nothing illegal and pointed out that he might have, according to what I read. My editorial comment at the end was to suggest that they went too far, which is pretty clear to anyone who watched the video.