Marathon Bomber Had No Gun
Jesus this is weird.
Obviously, I'm not a cop. It's not my ass on the line. But that's an awful lot of rounds to fire in response to...exactly zero rounds fired your way. No gun glimpsed. No gun present.
This was also a case in which it was very important to take the suspect alive, and in which there was no real chance that he would escape. It also doesn't exactly seem to be an isolated incident--stories of the police firing excessive numbers of rounds seem to crop up over and over.
I've never been in a firefight, but I do have a lot of experience with firearms. It's not like you can accidentally fire off your whole magazine... Sometimes such things are inexplicable from the outside, but not so from the inside...and this, of course, could be such a case...
But it could also be (more?) evidence that the police have a tendency to be--perhaps extremely--trigger-happy.
Obviously, I'm not a cop. It's not my ass on the line. But that's an awful lot of rounds to fire in response to...exactly zero rounds fired your way. No gun glimpsed. No gun present.
This was also a case in which it was very important to take the suspect alive, and in which there was no real chance that he would escape. It also doesn't exactly seem to be an isolated incident--stories of the police firing excessive numbers of rounds seem to crop up over and over.
I've never been in a firefight, but I do have a lot of experience with firearms. It's not like you can accidentally fire off your whole magazine... Sometimes such things are inexplicable from the outside, but not so from the inside...and this, of course, could be such a case...
But it could also be (more?) evidence that the police have a tendency to be--perhaps extremely--trigger-happy.
posted by Winston Smith at
9:51 AM
3 Comments:
Maybe the assault weapons ban should include law enforcement
I'm with FBI spokesmanPaul Bresson on this:
“Law enforcement was placed in an extraordinarily dangerous situation,” said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson. “They were dealing with an individual who is alleged to have been involved in the bombings at the Boston Marathon. As if that’s not enough, there were indications of a carjacking, gunfire, an ambushed police officer and bombs thrown earlier. In spite of these extraordinary factors, they were able to capture this individual alive with no further harm to law enforcement. It was a tremendously effective outcome under dire circumstances.”
I am reluctant to second guess the officer(s) on the ground, in the heat of the moment (something I took away from you, WS, and the other commenters when Star Simpson of MIT wore her LED name-tag to Logan airport).
I am very glad he was taken alive, and will stand trial.
best
Jim
Yep, Jim, I certainly do want to acknowledge that I wasn't there and didn't know what it was like. I think presumption has to go to the police--in the absence of overwhelming evidence that they did anything wrong. I totally agree, and I realize that it's easy to kibbutz, especially as a non-expert, and from the safety of my desk chair.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home