Recently here in North
Charleston S.C. we had a police shooting incident that made national news. The officer made a traffic stop for a
tail-light being out. The man stopped
ran on foot and was shot several times in the back. The officer made a statement that he felt his
life in danger. He has since been charged
with murder. This is on the heels of
several other national cases where a police shooting has caused tension between
the Police and the public. One of the
interesting aspects of this case is that the report the officer gave, seems to
disagree with video footing that was turned in by a nearby bystander who shot
the incident on his cell phone. This
evidence led to a swift charge of murder for the officer. The mayor of North Charleston has ordered
that all police officers will now wear body cameras.
I do not envy the stress
and tension being a police officer in certain areas entails. I can not fairly imagine how I would respond
in any given circumstance. However, it
is hard to conclude that in any way the officer SHOULD have felt his life in
danger. On all accounts the murdered
individual was fleeing, not acting aggressively. Beyond the poor choice to use inappropriate
force, the officer also filed a false report in order to cover for his
mistake. He inflated the story to
present a sympathetic situation. Without
the video evidence, it is likely the officer would have been trusted and
justice not served.
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