[WaPo]West Virginia cop fired for not killing a man with an unloaded gun

And you include mentally ill (you know suicidal folks, which was exactly this case) in that list. No compassion. No understanding.

 

I'm just saying people should have the expectation that they will be shot if they put a cop in a difficult situation by refusing to drop a gun.

Seeing this thread it is clear some people expect cops to cater and make exceptions for certain situations.

It's not about compassion. You don't know me. I have a lot of compassion.

If someone wants to die they will.
A suicidal guy could easily gotten frustrated with the cop for not shooting and pointed the gun at him. Then what?

Cops can't cater to these people.

The defense for these people is at home or with mental health specialists. If a guy is walking around menacing with a gun and refusing to put it down, what are you gonna do?

 

We just think he shouldn't be fired? You don't think this scenario every happened before? If so, can you show me some precedent where an officer was fired for NOT shooting someone? If you can't find precedent, then you have no argument to stand on.

 

It's a tough situation to be in for the officer, his partners, and his superior. I applaud the officer for his bravery, trying to resolve the situation peacefully, and ultimately reading the man correctly. But I can see how he put his fellow officers at risk. His superior wants to make sure his guys go home safe and sound every night.

I think if a law enforcement wants to risk his life to negotiate with someone with a gun, he should have that choice and radio to his fellow officers to not enter unless gun shots are heard. It's a risk that he alone would be willing to take without putting his partners in harm's way and absolving his superior of any responsibility if things go wrong.

 

It sounds rational.

 

Dude was canned anyway, so I guess it won't matter. But, if I'm that guy and I'm handling a situation and two co-workers come and second-guess me, I'd be pissed.

 

The sad thing is policy rarely seems rational and is usually favored heavily to one side. :\

 

I don't agree with the firing either.

It was his decision. I was talking more about public perception and expectation regarding lunatics with guns.

I believe in gun control except in areas where you can't rely on police.

 

Turns out the guy didn't even show up when he was given the chance to tell his side of the story at a hearing on the issue afterwards which is why they moved forward with the termination. It is telling that this guy wanted to make his case in the court of public opinion but not to his fellow police officers. It kind of shows that even he knew he was wrong.

 

He knew he violated department policy so it was pointless to contest his termination, but he did that knowingly and doesn't seem to regret his decision to try to talk the man out of suicide-by-cop.

 

It seems there was more to the story and this wasn't his first screw up in just over a year as a cop.

http://www.weirtondailytimes.com/ne...o-story-about-officers-firing-after-shooting/