Shoot to kill

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

Shoot to kill

Short Santa · **For entertainment purposes only!**

only if you're sure you're shooting at the right person....

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

Hmm... Tricky one this. I think I'll reserve judgement.

Perhaps a little context is in order for anyone (specifically the americans and other johnny foreigners) who may not be aware to last week's little fracas on the tube. Not sure how much publicity it got outside the UK.

On the one hand - I'd rather that one guy gets shot than a tube full of passengers gets blown up. On the other hand... they made a mistake. The guy wasn't wired. On the other other hand... he ran away from armed police and vaulted a turnstile to escape. What were the police supposed to do. On the other other other hand... the police made a mistake.

On the whole (and I risk contoversy with this) I think I'll vote 'good'.

Short Santa · **For entertainment purposes only!**

apparently the police, rather than saying 'stop, armed police', started shouting, 'run, run,' (presumably to clear the tube station?) and as he was no more guilty than you or I he obviously ran....

Lite · **I'm lite... and I'm fantastic!**

Having shot a gun or two in my time I know its really not that hard to wound someone rather then shoot for the head/heart. So I think the police were wrong to shoot that man the way they did. I know they may have missed and killed by a mistake but from how its shown on the news I seams it was on perpuse.

Sure if the man had a bomb and was going to kill a whole load of people I would agree with taking him down.. but he was just running away unarmed.

For the record I really dont aprove of guns.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

I am on the fence

On the one hand we have no death penilty or summary exicution in this Country and yet we are prepared to let armed Police be judge, Jury and exicutioners hmmmmm

On the Other I don't want to see people get blown up.

And we are approaching Guy Falks night, don't know about where you live but for two Months we will be subjected to explosions going off all over the place in light of recent events this could cause panic.

HaloBurn · **Dad** Yarrr...

The other way to look at it is that the police intended to shoot and kill someone inoccent or not to terrorise the terrorists !

Copper · **Superhero Extraordinaire**

Lite wrote:

I know they may have missed and killed by a mistake but from how its shown on the news I seams it was on perpuse.

They shot him in the back of the head 5 times...

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

I seem to recall a quote from some bystander that went '4 or 5 policmen bundled on top of him and then they shot him'... or something. Seems like overkill.

I can't see the police shooting someone that they didn't see as a danger, however. Their resoning, however flawed must have led them to believe that this guy was an immediate threat.

For the record... killing is never a 'good' thing, whatever the provocation.

-- Edited by ddvmor at 14:57, 2005-07-25

Aodan · Teiam Member

I'm quite torn on this - and yes it has been covered here extensively.

I've read all the reports - and there seems to be some conflicting information. Bottom line is that it was a horrible, horrible mistake.

On the one hand, you know that the police are on edge, you know its dangerous times.. you act suspicious, and then you run and try to avoid the police - in the tube station. There's a wee bit of common sense there. I'm in no way blaming the guy - but really - I can't help but think that maybe.... well that sounds like blame but you know what I'm saying.

On the other, if some of the other reports that I read were correct, he was 1) followed from his home by plain clothes officers, 2) they yelled run and there was general pandamonium in the station with everyone screaming and running 3) they used EXCESSIVE force when they subdued him and THEN shot him - 5 times to the back of the head.

It's a scary world we live in.

bonniepirateanne · Date: Jul 25, 2005

in general, taking a utilitarian view, i agree with the policy - but they perhaps have to refine it somewhat.. i mean, shoot a man in the head once, you'll probably kill him - shoot him 5 times and it'll make no difference to his life/death status but it will make a difference to the public pereception of the policy

in this particular instance, in my opinion, excessive force was used, but the policy is a good one