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Off-Duty NYC Police Officer Fatally Shoots Man in Brooklyn Traffic Dispute

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E

ElectricBlanketFire

Member
Police are investigating.

New York Times said:
An off-duty New York City police officer who had just finished his shift shot and killed a man during a traffic dispute early on Monday, the authorities said.

The officer, whom the police did not immediately identify by name, fired three rounds from his 9-millimeter service pistol after he and the other driver came to a stop at a red light on Atlantic Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, the authorities said.

Delrawn Small — who was traveling with a woman and their children, two girls ages 5 months and 14 years — was killed, the police said. (The authorities said records showed his surname was Small, though they noted that his relatives said it was Dempsey.) No one else was injured.

The gunshots were fired at 12:06 a.m. and followed a dispute between the two men that had occurred along Atlantic Avenue. But the details of what set off the dispute — whether, for example, one driver had cut the other off — were not immediately clear.

The woman and the children in Mr. Small’s car, a 2016 Kia EX, were taken to the 75th Precinct station house so the police could ask what prompted the argument and shooting, the authorities said.

The police, giving their preliminary version of events, said that when the cars were stopped at the light, at Bradford Street, Mr. Small got out of his car, approached the officer and punched him in the head through the open window on the driver’s side of his 2002 Nissan Altima. The officer then fired his weapon, the police said.

It was not immediately clear how many times Mr. Small was struck or where he was hit.
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V

Volimar

Member
I know better than to just take the police department's word for it, but if true, that's some shitty luck to road rage on an off duty cop.
 
G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Cops are always quick to pull the damn trigger on a black man. RIP to Mr. Small.
 
F

freeofgreed

Member
The police, giving their preliminary version of events, said that when the cars were stopped at the light, at Bradford Street, Mr. Small got out of his car, approached the officer and punched him in the head through the open window on the driver’s side of his 2002 Nissan Altima. The officer then fired his weapon, the police said.
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I believe this.
 
W

wildfire

Banned
Volimar said:
I know better than to just take the police department's word for it, but if true, that's some shitty luck to road rage on an off duty cop.
Click to expand...

I have a hard time believing it. Atlantic Ave is mostly a 6 lane road that's maintained pretty well. What the fuck could be going on over there where anyone could have an issue with someone's driving at midnight?
 
PreFire

PreFire

Member
So, someone allegedly punches you while you're in civilian clothes and you shoot him 3 times? Did he skip hand to hand combat training and went straight to the range?

RIP, horrible those young children had to witness that.

Mark my words, the officer will most likely get away with murder.
 
V

Valhelm

contribute something
You know, "thug culture" is pretty fucking apt for situations like this.

Who would have thought that violent institutions which uphold racism attract violent and racist individuals?
 
N

NoctisVsStar

Member
freeofgreed said:
I believe this.
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My whole thinking about this it's midnight you're driving home with your family in the car and you decide to hop off the car and punch someone ? Something doesn't add up I just don't believe this to be the case. However, if it's true cop or not someone is getting shot if you pull a stunt like this in NY.
 
K

Kin5290

Member
PreFire said:
So, someone allegedly punches you while you're in civilian clothes and you shoot him 3 times? Did he skip hand to hand combat training and went straight to the range?

RIP, horrible those young children had to witness that.

Mark my words, the officer will most likely get away with murder.
Click to expand...
How do you defend yourself with hand to hand if you're sitting in a car and your name isn't Jason Bourne?

That said, it sounds like there was a TON of room to deescalate and defuse the situation instead of jumping to lethal force against battery.
 
A

A Link to the Past

Banned
The police, giving their preliminary version of events, said that when the cars were stopped at the light, at Bradford Street, Mr. Small got out of his car, approached the officer and punched him in the head through the open window on the driver’s side of his 2002 Nissan Altima. The officer then fired his weapon, the police said.
Click to expand...

Manslaughter, this is manslaughter. That's literally the lowest they can justifiably charge him - any lower would suggest that responding to being punched through a window with execution is a reasonable response by police.

If he gets off for this, fuck him, the police, and whomever else will be behind the notion that there's not enough evidence or whatever. If this was just two people, the shooter wouldn't get even the slightest defense that he will get as a cop.
 
P

Paskil

Member
SillyEskimo said:
Dude punched the wrong person. This is why nobody should ever punch anyone, ever.
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Yeah, that statement from the police... He just walked up to dudes car and punched him? It's possible, but Jesus, it sounds absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable.

I really hope there are other witnesses because this just smells awful.
 
N

NoctisVsStar

Member
Paskil said:
Yeah, that statement from the police... He just walked up to dudes car and punched him? It's possible, but Jesus, it sounds absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable.

I really hope there are other witnesses because this just smells awful.
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Yup, I think something is missing. But if true this is the dumbest move you can do. You will get shot if you attempt to do something like that here.
 
V

Volimar

Member
Doesn't the law let you use lethal force to defend yourself if you're being assaulted? Or is there a threshold that the assault has to be potentially lethal?

I mean, the officer probably had other means to get out of it, but for citizen to citizen?
 
R

Redd

Member
Volimar said:
I know better than to just take the police department's word for it, but if true, that's some shitty luck to road rage on an off duty cop.
Click to expand...

Yup. Hopefully someone or something taped what happened. If not I've seen this too many times. They'll believe the cop after an investigation and that's that.
 
B

Big Baybee

Member
Don't believe the police version of this story. If there is video proving it right I'll hold that L. But that's where I'm at.
 
S

Seductivpancakes

Member
I'm going to guess the police didn't mention the part where the off duty cop drove like an asshole and nearly hit the guy, which prompt the punching.
 
G

Gallbaro

Banned
NAACP and ACLU should team up to give black people dash cams.

and lower insurance!

Also surprised the press release does not state he went ferel, found PCB on him, and his bloodshot eyes.
 
F

freeofgreed

Member
NoctisVsStar said:
My whole thinking about this it's midnight you're driving home with your family in the car and you decide to hop off the car and punch someone ? Something doesn't add up I just don't believe this to be the case. However, if it's true cop or not someone is getting shot if you pull a stunt like this in NY.
Click to expand...

Yeah so in the middle of the night a dude gets out of his car in a busy NYC street (with his family in the car) to go punch someone? Suuuuuuuuuure.
 
V

Volimar

Member
freeofgreed said:
Yeah so in the middle of the night a dude gets out of his car in a busy NYC street (with his family in the car) to go punch someone? Suuuuuuuuuure.
Click to expand...

Not that I believe this, but it's not like road rage isn't a thing. Why else do you think it makes such a good excuse? Because most everyone has seen some pissed driver doing something physical to another driver for cutting them off or whatever.
 
S

Syriel

Member
Volimar said:
Doesn't the law let you use lethal force to defend yourself if you're being assaulted? Or is there a threshold that the assault has to be potentially lethal?

I mean, the officer probably had other means to get out of it, but for citizen to citizen?
Click to expand...

The standard is basically "reasonable fear" for your life.

If the average person would fear for their life when being attacked, deadly force is an appropriate response under the law.

If it happened as stated in the thread, then the shooter being a cop has zero bearing on the case. As a civilian, if he thought the guy wasn't going to stop with the punching and was trying to kill him, shooting to stop the threat would be justified.
 
Emerson

Emerson

May contain jokes =>
A Link to the Past said:
Manslaughter, this is manslaughter. That's literally the lowest they can justifiably charge him - any lower would suggest that responding to being punched through a window with execution is a reasonable response by police.

If he gets off for this, fuck him, the police, and whomever else will be behind the notion that there's not enough evidence or whatever. If this was just two people, the shooter wouldn't get even the slightest defense that he will get as a cop.
Click to expand...

This case legally would have nothing to do with his being a police officer. He's off duty. The question would be, assuming he was assaulted as he claims, was the assault significant enough to warrant the man fearing for his life. If so, he's justified in defending himself with deadly force, whether he be a civilian or police officer.

That's making a lot of assumptions, and we have no real information. I have plenty of reason to suspect that the shooter's story isn't 100% true. But to say, as you did, that even assuming his account is true that he would be guilty of manslaughter at minimum is 100% untrue.
 
M

Mr.Monitor

Member
Yeaaaah I don't buy that fucking story. Also, someone's punching you at a stop at midnight and your first reaction is to shoot the dude instead of trying to get away? Ehhh unless there's traffic I think that's a justifiable reason to run a red light.
 
C

CrocMother

Banned
Mr.Monitor said:
Yeaaaah I don't buy that fucking story. Also, someone's punching you at a stop at midnight and your first reaction is to shoot the dude instead of trying to get away? Ehhh unless there's traffic I think that's a justifiable reason to run a red light.
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That would be the reaction of a normal human being, but perhaps not one that bullies people for a living.
 
C

ColdPizza

Banned
This is why I think twice and three times before honking my horn or gesturing at anyone in another car (no matter how right I think I am) while my kids are with me. It's basically Russian roulette.
 
P

PeterLegend

Member
Mr.Monitor said:
Yeaaaah I don't buy that fucking story. Also, someone's punching you at a stop at midnight and your first reaction is to shoot the dude instead of trying to get away? Ehhh unless there's traffic I think that's a justifiable reason to run a red light.
Click to expand...

He's an off duty cop, he's not used to running away from confrontation, he is trained to shoot.
 
B

BobLoblaw

Banned
Surely guns were invented to bring to fist fights. Fucking coward. A woman lost her partner and two children lost their father because some gutless cop decided he'd rather shoot someone rather than resolve things another way.
ColdPizza said:
This is why I think twice and three times before honking my horn or gesturing at anyone in another car (no matter how right I think I am) while my kids are with me. It's basically Russian roulette.
Click to expand...
Something something get a gun.
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
And another fucking inept piece of shit cop just ends someone else's life over... nothing. Must've really been wanting a paid vacation, huh?
 
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