Police Shootings / Possible Abuse Threads [merged] (28 Viewers)

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Wouldn't this have been a perfect time to use a taser?

Looks like maybe drugs or mental health situation

Not a 'bad shoot' but wonder if there was any other solution than killing the guy
========================================

A Maryland sheriff’s deputy who fired 12 shots at a man who attacked him with a tree branch will not be charged in the man’s death, Maryland prosecutors reported Monday.

Sgt. Frank Pruitt, according to prosecutors, took legal actions against Kevin Costlow, 52, the morning of Feb. 6 along a roadway in Montgomery County. The two had squared off after the deputy responded to a radio call about a motorist — Costlow — who had caused two crashes before getting out of his car and trying to attack people at the scene with what initially was reported to be a baseball bat, prosecutors said.

Video of the encounter taken by two bystanders showed the deputy — his gun drawn — backing away as Costlow walked forward, lifted the branch above his head and slammed it down several times on the deputy’s head and shoulder.

Ten of Pruitt’s rounds hit Costlow’s torso, according to a report prosecutors released that details the reasons Pruitt will not be charged.

“Although in some cases this could be viewed as excessive, based on the video evidence, it is clear Costlow did not stop advancing towards Pruitt until the last shot was fired,” prosecutors wrote. “Once Costlow collapsed to the ground, Pruitt no longer continued to shoot.”

Family members of Costlow, a retired information technology executive, have questioned why the encounter unfolded as it did.

“Kevin Costlow was a responsible and respected family man and business leader,” their attorney, Timothy Maloney, said in a statement. “He lived an exceptional life without any violence or criminality of any kind. This is what makes the tragic events of February 6 so inexplicable to his family.”

Prosecutors said they reached their conclusions based on the two civilian videos, statements from 13 witnesses at the scene and an interview with Pruitt.
The branch Costlow used — 2 or 3 inches thick and 4 to 5 feet long — had apparently been pulled from his car. According to one of the videos, recorded 10 feet from the fatal encounter, Costlow twice slammed the branch on Pruitt’s head and shoulder, causing the branch to snap in half.

Pruitt retreated and did not shoot.

As Costlow raised the branch a third time and slammed it down toward Pruitt, the deputy began shooting. By the third gunshot, according to the video, the branch had fallen out of Costlow’s hand. But with Costlow continuing to advance, prosecutors concluded, the deputy reasonably viewed him as a continuing threat — particularly if he obtained Pruitt’s service weapon...........

 
Optimus Prime said:
Wouldn't this have been a perfect time to use a taser?

Looks like maybe drugs or mental health situation

Not a 'bad shoot' but wonder if there was any other solution than killing the guy
========================================

A Maryland sheriff’s deputy who fired 12 shots at a man who attacked him with a tree branch will not be charged in the man’s death, Maryland prosecutors reported Monday.

Sgt. Frank Pruitt, according to prosecutors, took legal actions against Kevin Costlow, 52, the morning of Feb. 6 along a roadway in Montgomery County. The two had squared off after the deputy responded to a radio call about a motorist — Costlow — who had caused two crashes before getting out of his car and trying to attack people at the scene with what initially was reported to be a baseball bat, prosecutors said.

Video of the encounter taken by two bystanders showed the deputy — his gun drawn — backing away as Costlow walked forward, lifted the branch above his head and slammed it down several times on the deputy’s head and shoulder.

Ten of Pruitt’s rounds hit Costlow’s torso, according to a report prosecutors released that details the reasons Pruitt will not be charged.

“Although in some cases this could be viewed as excessive, based on the video evidence, it is clear Costlow did not stop advancing towards Pruitt until the last shot was fired,” prosecutors wrote. “Once Costlow collapsed to the ground, Pruitt no longer continued to shoot.”

Family members of Costlow, a retired information technology executive, have questioned why the encounter unfolded as it did.

“Kevin Costlow was a responsible and respected family man and business leader,” their attorney, Timothy Maloney, said in a statement. “He lived an exceptional life without any violence or criminality of any kind. This is what makes the tragic events of February 6 so inexplicable to his family.”

Prosecutors said they reached their conclusions based on the two civilian videos, statements from 13 witnesses at the scene and an interview with Pruitt.
The branch Costlow used — 2 or 3 inches thick and 4 to 5 feet long — had apparently been pulled from his car. According to one of the videos, recorded 10 feet from the fatal encounter, Costlow twice slammed the branch on Pruitt’s head and shoulder, causing the branch to snap in half.

Pruitt retreated and did not shoot.

As Costlow raised the branch a third time and slammed it down toward Pruitt, the deputy began shooting. By the third gunshot, according to the video, the branch had fallen out of Costlow’s hand. But with Costlow continuing to advance, prosecutors concluded, the deputy reasonably viewed him as a continuing threat — particularly if he obtained Pruitt’s service weapon...........

Click to expand...

I don't really like playing "what if" because I don't have the whole story, but I do wonder if a taser would have worked. The guy must have been having a psychotic break or something since it seems he didn't have any prior history like that.
 
Optimus Prime said:
Wouldn't this have been a perfect time to use a taser?

Looks like maybe drugs or mental health situation

Not a 'bad shoot' but wonder if there was any other solution than killing the guy
========================================

A Maryland sheriff’s deputy who fired 12 shots at a man who attacked him with a tree branch will not be charged in the man’s death, Maryland prosecutors reported Monday.

Sgt. Frank Pruitt, according to prosecutors, took legal actions against Kevin Costlow, 52, the morning of Feb. 6 along a roadway in Montgomery County. The two had squared off after the deputy responded to a radio call about a motorist — Costlow — who had caused two crashes before getting out of his car and trying to attack people at the scene with what initially was reported to be a baseball bat, prosecutors said.

Video of the encounter taken by two bystanders showed the deputy — his gun drawn — backing away as Costlow walked forward, lifted the branch above his head and slammed it down several times on the deputy’s head and shoulder.

Ten of Pruitt’s rounds hit Costlow’s torso, according to a report prosecutors released that details the reasons Pruitt will not be charged.

“Although in some cases this could be viewed as excessive, based on the video evidence, it is clear Costlow did not stop advancing towards Pruitt until the last shot was fired,” prosecutors wrote. “Once Costlow collapsed to the ground, Pruitt no longer continued to shoot.”

Family members of Costlow, a retired information technology executive, have questioned why the encounter unfolded as it did.

“Kevin Costlow was a responsible and respected family man and business leader,” their attorney, Timothy Maloney, said in a statement. “He lived an exceptional life without any violence or criminality of any kind. This is what makes the tragic events of February 6 so inexplicable to his family.”

Prosecutors said they reached their conclusions based on the two civilian videos, statements from 13 witnesses at the scene and an interview with Pruitt.
The branch Costlow used — 2 or 3 inches thick and 4 to 5 feet long — had apparently been pulled from his car. According to one of the videos, recorded 10 feet from the fatal encounter, Costlow twice slammed the branch on Pruitt’s head and shoulder, causing the branch to snap in half.

Pruitt retreated and did not shoot.

As Costlow raised the branch a third time and slammed it down toward Pruitt, the deputy began shooting. By the third gunshot, according to the video, the branch had fallen out of Costlow’s hand. But with Costlow continuing to advance, prosecutors concluded, the deputy reasonably viewed him as a continuing threat — particularly if he obtained Pruitt’s service weapon...........

Click to expand...

Article said he tried to use his taser, but it didn't work correctly. The guy was having a psychotic break down. It's a shame he died instead of getting help. Yea maybe the cop did everything he could to "prevent" shooting the guy, but the fact that he had a gun drawn on him is the reason he had to shoot him. I don't think this was a clear case of police with bad intent, but it is a clear case of police are not always the solution. Police should have been there to set a perimeter and more qualified professionals should have been there to deal with the guy. But that's a perfect world with unlimited resources solution. We are far from that.
 
Optimus Prime said:
Wouldn't this have been a perfect time to use a taser?

Looks like maybe drugs or mental health situation

Not a 'bad shoot' but wonder if there was any other solution than killing the guy
========================================

A Maryland sheriff’s deputy who fired 12 shots at a man who attacked him with a tree branch will not be charged in the man’s death, Maryland prosecutors reported Monday.

Sgt. Frank Pruitt, according to prosecutors, took legal actions against Kevin Costlow, 52, the morning of Feb. 6 along a roadway in Montgomery County. The two had squared off after the deputy responded to a radio call about a motorist — Costlow — who had caused two crashes before getting out of his car and trying to attack people at the scene with what initially was reported to be a baseball bat, prosecutors said.

Video of the encounter taken by two bystanders showed the deputy — his gun drawn — backing away as Costlow walked forward, lifted the branch above his head and slammed it down several times on the deputy’s head and shoulder.

Ten of Pruitt’s rounds hit Costlow’s torso, according to a report prosecutors released that details the reasons Pruitt will not be charged.

“Although in some cases this could be viewed as excessive, based on the video evidence, it is clear Costlow did not stop advancing towards Pruitt until the last shot was fired,” prosecutors wrote. “Once Costlow collapsed to the ground, Pruitt no longer continued to shoot.”

Family members of Costlow, a retired information technology executive, have questioned why the encounter unfolded as it did.

“Kevin Costlow was a responsible and respected family man and business leader,” their attorney, Timothy Maloney, said in a statement. “He lived an exceptional life without any violence or criminality of any kind. This is what makes the tragic events of February 6 so inexplicable to his family.”

Prosecutors said they reached their conclusions based on the two civilian videos, statements from 13 witnesses at the scene and an interview with Pruitt.
The branch Costlow used — 2 or 3 inches thick and 4 to 5 feet long — had apparently been pulled from his car. According to one of the videos, recorded 10 feet from the fatal encounter, Costlow twice slammed the branch on Pruitt’s head and shoulder, causing the branch to snap in half.

Pruitt retreated and did not shoot.

As Costlow raised the branch a third time and slammed it down toward Pruitt, the deputy began shooting. By the third gunshot, according to the video, the branch had fallen out of Costlow’s hand. But with Costlow continuing to advance, prosecutors concluded, the deputy reasonably viewed him as a continuing threat — particularly if he obtained Pruitt’s service weapon...........

Click to expand...
The way current use of force policy is written, the officer was justified in shooting. I don't know about using a taser or whatever due to the fact that as far as I can tell, the officer was alone and the suspect did have a weapon.
 
I wonder if we'll see more of these years/decades later apologies and if so and if the officers are still alive if that could mean arrests and charges. I'm sure it's way past any statute of limitation for a civil suit

And in this particular case - A Dollar??!! That is some trading Places bullshirt right there
==========================================================

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner recently apologized to the family of a man who was killed by Houston police officers in 1977, saying that it was "straight-up murder."

"I am the chief of police, but I am a son of Houston, and what people need to understand is if you cannot see and feel 44 years of pain and suffering of this family, you are not human," Finner said on Saturday during a ceremony in front of the man's family members.

Finner continued, "Let's get this clear because there's been some chatter in the neighborhoods about how Chief Finner feels about this. That's a straight-up murder of somebody. You got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier."

In 1977, Joe Campos Torres, who was a Mexican-American Vietnam War veteran, was arrested by Houston police officers on a disorderly conduct charge. According to police records, Houston police officers arrested Torres and then proceeded to beat him up in a secluded area of the city.

When the officers attempted to book Torres into jail, they were told to bring him to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. Instead, the officers continued to beat him up and eventually left his body in the Buffalo Bayou, which flows through Houston, and his body was found a few days later.............

Torres was 29 years old when he died.

Two of the officers involved in the incident were eventually convicted of misdemeanor negligent homicide. They were also fined $1.

Torres' death eventually led to protests..............

MSN

www.msn.com
 
Optimus Prime said:
I wonder if we'll see more of these years/decades later apologies and if so and if the officers are still alive if that could mean arrests and charges. I'm sure it's way past any statute of limitation for a civil suit

And in this particular case - A Dollar??!! That is some trading Places bullshirt right there
==========================================================

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner recently apologized to the family of a man who was killed by Houston police officers in 1977, saying that it was "straight-up murder."

"I am the chief of police, but I am a son of Houston, and what people need to understand is if you cannot see and feel 44 years of pain and suffering of this family, you are not human," Finner said on Saturday during a ceremony in front of the man's family members.

Finner continued, "Let's get this clear because there's been some chatter in the neighborhoods about how Chief Finner feels about this. That's a straight-up murder of somebody. You got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier."

In 1977, Joe Campos Torres, who was a Mexican-American Vietnam War veteran, was arrested by Houston police officers on a disorderly conduct charge. According to police records, Houston police officers arrested Torres and then proceeded to beat him up in a secluded area of the city.

When the officers attempted to book Torres into jail, they were told to bring him to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. Instead, the officers continued to beat him up and eventually left his body in the Buffalo Bayou, which flows through Houston, and his body was found a few days later.............

Torres was 29 years old when he died.

Two of the officers involved in the incident were eventually convicted of misdemeanor negligent homicide. They were also fined $1.

Torres' death eventually led to protests..............

MSN

www.msn.com
Click to expand...
It’s been said before, but a major issue is the BS ‘disorderly conduct’ or ‘resisting arrest’ charges - the parameters are so broad, and the check/balance of the courts are so pro-police that there’s no possible hope for fairness
 
Police tracking a car involved in a traffic incident in December 2019 followed Cameron Lamb as he was pulling his red pickup truck into the garage of his backyard in Kansas City, Mo.

Without a warrant or permission allowing them on the property, two plainclothes detectives “stormed around the side of the house” and demanded to know where he was, according to a federal lawsuit.


Then, while Lamb, a Black man, allegedly had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on his cellphone, detective Eric DeValkenaere, who is White, offered no warning before shooting him four times while the man was still in his truck in the driveway, hitting him twice and killing the 26-year-old, attorneys say.


Now, a federal lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of Lamb’s four young children accuses the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners and DeValkenaere of violating Lamb’s civil rights when they entered the property without permission and fatally shot him in his truck.


The 20-page lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Missouri, seeks $10 million in damages and alleges that the police board “failed to properly train, supervise, screen, discipline, transfer, counsel or otherwise properly equip and control officers” to avoid the use of deadly force against Lamb…….

 
Hope to see more of this
====================
A Colorado police officer is facing felony assault charges after two of his fellow officers reported him for allegedly using an illegal chokehold on a suspect during an arrest earlier this month, several local news outlets reported.

Officer Ken Amick, who has been with the Greeley Police Department since 2006, was placed on unpaid leave after Weld County prosecutors filed second degree assault charges — a Class 4 felony — against him in connection with his June 7 arrest of suspect Matthew Wilson.

The Weld County District Attorney’s Office issued a terse three-sentence statement which confirmed the charges were filed.

According to the reports, Amick and several other officers responded to an alarm that had been set off at City Center North. Upon arriving on the scene, City Center employee informed the officers that a man had been threatening to set the building on fire. The officers located the suspect in the building lobby and identified him as Wilson.

Amick then learned that there was already an outstanding warrant for Wilson’s arrest. He proceeded to take the suspect into custody in the building lobby.

As Amick was walking Wilson out of the building, Wilson complained that the handcuffs were too tight around his wrists and became increasingly “agitated,” police said.

“Officer Amick suddenly placed (the man) into a chokehold,” the department said in a news release. “After several seconds, (the man) showed ill effects from this hold while being placed on the ground. A second officer attempted to intervene during this initial encounter.”.............

MSN

www.msn.com
 
A grand jury Monday failed to indict a former Georgia state trooper who ran a Black driver off the road, then fatally shot him last summer.

The 22-person Screven County grand jury returned a “no bill” vote, declining to indict Jacob Gordon Thompson, who is white, for the August death of 60-year-old Julian Lewis.

Around 9:20 p.m. on Aug. 7, Thompson attempted to pull Lewis over for a broken tail light on his Nissan Sentra, according to the preliminary report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Lewis refused to stop and instead led Thompson on a “brief chase” before the trooper maneuvered his patrol car and forced Lewis to drive into a ditch.

Thompson, who claimed he feared for his life, fired once into Lewis’ car, killing him.

After the incident, Thompson told investigators that Lewis was trying to aim his car at the trooper after crashing into the ditch, but Dustin Peak, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, testified in September that Lewis’ car was completely inoperable after the crash...........

MSN

www.msn.com
 
SHEFFIELD LAKE, Ohio — Last Friday at the Sheffield Lake Police department, Police Chief Anthony Campo stood at the department’s copier and printed out a small note. He then placed it on the raincoat set aside for a black officer, just before he entered the room.

The note read “Ku Klux Klan,” the name of the nation’s most notorious white supremacy group.

“I said I didn’t even want to hear about it,” Sheffield Lake Mayor Dennis Bring said describing his conversation with Campo. “I said ‘You got ten minutes to get out of your office. You already have admitted to it. I want your keys and badge. That’s it. Get out.’”.........

www.wkyc.com

Sheffield Lake police chief out after racial incident

Anthony Campo placed “Ku Klux Klan” sign in black officer's raincoat.
www.wkyc.com www.wkyc.com
 
Chief for eight years and with the city for more than 30, Campo told 3News late this afternoon in an interview on the phone that he was not fired -- but retired -- and that he has great respect for the officer, whom he hired. He says the incident is being “overblown” – and that it was part of off-color humor.
Campo said he didn’t believe the officer targeted with the note complained, but someone else did. He said some people in the 14-member department were out to get him for past disciplinary actions taken against them.
Click to expand...

If he was the one who complained, he probably would have gotten fired.
Funny how people like that blame others. Oh, they were mad because i wrote them up. No, they were helping out a fellow officer who probably was afraid to lose his job...
 
I wonder if other major cities would have similar results
============================================================

Thousands of crimes — ranging from robberies to kidnappings — that victims reported to Metro Transit Police during an eight-year period were not investigated, according to a new report Metro's Office of Inspector General released Thursday.

Metro police didn't follow through with more than 3,000 complaints filed between 2010 and 2017, the report from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General says. They included a variety of felony and misdemeanor offenses such as armed robberies, sexual offenses, kidnappings, assaults and other crimes.

Of those 3,110 complaints, Metro Transit Police could only provide minimal documentation for 1,445 of the complaints, the report says.

“MTPD staff’s failure to properly and accurately maintain investigative files, evidence, and/or associated judicial records obstructed OIG’s ability to determine if Detectives ignored victim complaints between 2010 and 2017," the report reads.

The report goes on to say that “failure to properly maintain investigative files could affect past prosecutions and appeals and loss of public confidence in WMATA’s police department.”............

MSN

www.msn.com

 
Optimus Prime said:
I wonder if other major cities would have similar results
============================================================

Thousands of crimes — ranging from robberies to kidnappings — that victims reported to Metro Transit Police during an eight-year period were not investigated, according to a new report Metro's Office of Inspector General released Thursday.

Metro police didn't follow through with more than 3,000 complaints filed between 2010 and 2017, the report from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General says. They included a variety of felony and misdemeanor offenses such as armed robberies, sexual offenses, kidnappings, assaults and other crimes.

Of those 3,110 complaints, Metro Transit Police could only provide minimal documentation for 1,445 of the complaints, the report says.

“MTPD staff’s failure to properly and accurately maintain investigative files, evidence, and/or associated judicial records obstructed OIG’s ability to determine if Detectives ignored victim complaints between 2010 and 2017," the report reads.

The report goes on to say that “failure to properly maintain investigative files could affect past prosecutions and appeals and loss of public confidence in WMATA’s police department.”............

MSN

www.msn.com

Click to expand...

Disappointed? Yeah. Surprised? Not in the least. They have plenty of manpower...but they don’t utilize it well or efficiently.
 

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