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Police officer kills unarmed teen that crashed into car dealership - Arlington, TX

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D

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
IamMattFox said:
http://www.fox4news.com/story/29763807/arlington-officer-fired-for-shooting-death-of-unarmed-teen-suspect

The chief of police announced during a press conference that the rookie officer has been fired and criminal charges are possible.
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Case where there was no video of the actual event, and video that does exist shows the suspect acting very oddly, and they're firing the officer.

Now THAT'S Progress

No sarcasm there. I think it's great that an event where all we really have is the officer's word actually led to not only scrutiny by investigators, but action.

Johnson made the announcement on Tuesday evening at a press conference where he described a detailed timeline of the sequence of events that happened at an Arlington car dealership early Friday morning.

Johnson said the facts of the case will be presented to a Tarrant County Grand Jury, who will determine whether Miller is charged with a crime.

Johnson said Miller was the first officer to enter the dealership showroom, a break in protocol that forced others to follow him inside.

"This placed Officer Miller and the other officers on scene in a position of undue risk," Johnson said.

Taylor tried to initially flee from Miller, but encountered a locked glass door he tried to break down. Miller followed Taylor and Taylor turned toward Miller and began cursing at him.

Taylor then started advancing toward Miller, ignoring verbal commands to get down.

The training officer with Miller, Corporal Dale Wiggins, heard a pop and at first thought Miller had used his Taser. He then realized it was Miller’s gun. Wiggins used his Taser and then Miller fired his gun three more times at Taylor.

Johnson said Miller and Taylor never came into physical contact during the entire incident.

Johnson said other officers on scene had seen what they called a “bulge” in Taylor’s pocket. After Taylor was down, they discovered it was only a wallet and a cellphone.
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This is crazy. Competent and thorough police work, looking to serve the people, rather than the other officer...

gsurdJl.gif


While still great, I do have one cynical question.

As a trainee, was he part of the union yet? Because his firing seemed to come really, really quickly.
 
Velcro Fly

Velcro Fly

Member
So basically one asshole not only put the rest of the police at potential risk but also totally shot this dude for no reason when the rest of them were prepared to use their taser on him at worst.

Wonder if any of those other officers gave statements or anything and if so were they used to decide to fire this guy and turn it over to a grand jury.
 
T

Trouble

Banned
Pleasantly surprised they actually fired him. I hope charges are actually pressed.

The message needs to be repeatedly sent to police in this country that taking a life has to be the absolute last resort in any situation.

Gordon Shumway said:
Can't imagine what dude was thinking..though, I can assume it wasn't that he was getting shot and killed that day. Geezuz..
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My guess would be drugs and/or mental illness. Ultimately that doesn't matter, but I'm sure people will bring up his behavior to try to justify a cop unnecessarily taking his life.
 
I

IamMattFox

Member
DrForester said:
While still great, I do have one cynical question.

As a trainee, was he part of the union yet? Because his firing seemed to come really, really quickly.
Click to expand...

Probably. The chief clarified at the beginning that being in training doesn't mean he's not an officer yet. He's able to assess threats, make arrests, etc. while under the supervision of the training officer for six months.

I think once they graduate from the academy in Arlington you're considered a cop.

I think a reporter asked how far away Taylor was when the rookie shot him, and the chief said 6 or 7 feet. My audio cut out, so not too sure about this part, but if that is the case it seems like it's pretty open and shut which is why they dismissed the FBI and handled it so quickly.
 
G

Gordon Shumway

Banned
Trouble said:
Pleasantly surprised they actually fired him. I hope charges are actually pressed.

The message needs to be repeatedly sent to police in this country that taking a life has to be the absolute last resort in any situation.



My guess would be drugs and/or mental illness. Ultimately that doesn't matter, but I'm sure people will bring up his behavior to try to justify a cop unnecessarily taking his life.
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Unfortunate, but you're likely correct..damn shame.
 
D

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
IamMattFox said:
Probably. The chief clarified at the beginning that being in training doesn't mean he's not an officer yet. He's able to assess threats, make arrests, etc. while under the supervision of the training officer for six months.

I think once they graduate from the academy in Arlington you're considered a cop.

I think a reporter asked how far away Taylor was when the rookie shot him, and the chief said 6 or 7 feet. My audio cut out, so not too sure about this part, but if that is the case it seems like it's pretty open and shut which is why they dismissed the FBI and handled it so quickly.
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Cop yes, but was he part of the union? I thought it took a certain amount of time on the job before getting to become a union member. That's something I think is worth knowing given how fiercely the unions stick to their members, regardless of evidence and charges. I'm wondering if his quick dismissal was due to not having union backing yet. I'd love to hear he was in the union and was still kicked off the force so quickly.
 
I

Imm0rt4l

Member
IamMattFox said:
http://www.fox4news.com/story/29763807/arlington-officer-fired-for-shooting-death-of-unarmed-teen-suspect

The chief of police announced during a press conference that the rookie officer has been fired and criminal charges are possible.
Click to expand...
I'd be surprised except apparently feds were going to investigate this.


Law enforcement attracts a certain type of person with a lot of zeal and a chip on his shoulder. This guy was the itchy trigger type. Can't even say the guy was just shook since he broke protocol, superceded his senior and engaged the kid. That's some straight sociopathic shit. This didn't have to happen.
 
I

IamMattFox

Member
DrForester said:
Cop yes, but was he part of the union? I thought it took a certain amount of time on the job before getting to become a union member. That's something I think is worth knowing given how fiercely the unions stick to their members, regardless of evidence and charges. I'm wondering if his quick dismissal was due to not having union backing yet. I'd love to hear he was in the union and was still kicked off the force so quickly.
Click to expand...

Ah, true. No idea on this one. If the APA is the Arlington union, then I guess anyone can join if they're employed. Might not be the right organization though.
 
P

Patrol

Banned
DrForester said:
Cop yes, but was he part of the union? I thought it took a certain amount of time on the job before getting to become a union member. That's something I think is worth knowing given how fiercely the unions stick to their members, regardless of evidence and charges. I'm wondering if his quick dismissal was due to not having union backing yet. I'd love to hear he was in the union and was still kicked off the force so quickly.
Click to expand...
I remember paying union dues while on training and while on probation. You are part of the union the day you're hired, pretty much. I would be surprised if they did things differently.
 
D

darscot

Member
Patrol said:
It's always a case-by-case basis. The notion of "unarmed" has now been sensationalized an "innocent" persona, as if being unarmed cannot warrant deadly force. The truth of the matter is that there are always facts and circumstances (totality) which may lead down that dark path. It's a difficult notion to digest, but not every action is unreasonable.

Unfortunately, with a bare minimum amount of facts being present in this case, jumping to condemn the officer is not the wisest course of action.
Click to expand...

I guess in this case it wasn't sensationalized. It is sad to hear a cop spouting nonsense how you can justify lethal force on an unarmed man.

You do such a great job of improving the image of police its great to have you back. Yes that is sarcasm.
 
T

Two Words

Member
Sounds like the cop was wreckless and entered alone, which created an unpredictable circumstance where a cop has to assume the worst. The problem is that the officer created this situation as far as the shooting goes. I do believe there should be some criminal punishment for this. As a person with very little legal literacy, this seems like a lower case of manslaughter. His actions were wreckless and aided in the unneeded and questionable self defense through killing. While the victim's prior actions definitely created a situation where he could be considered dangerous, the officer essentially acted as the man throwing gas on a small flame.
 
F

FyreWulff

Member
DrForester said:
Cop yes, but was he part of the union? I thought it took a certain amount of time on the job before getting to become a union member. That's something I think is worth knowing given how fiercely the unions stick to their members, regardless of evidence and charges. I'm wondering if his quick dismissal was due to not having union backing yet. I'd love to hear he was in the union and was still kicked off the force so quickly.
Click to expand...

Should have been. With government jobs you're basically being hired by the union first and then slotted into available government positions second
 
T

Two Words

Member
E92 M3 said:
He shot to kill and should be charged with murder. Dumb fuck should rot in jail.
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Sounds like you're trying to make an example out of him. I don't think you can make a sound argument that this falls in line with the legal definition of murder.
 
H

HariKari

Member
Patrol said:
It's always a case-by-case basis. The notion of "unarmed" has now been sensationalized an "innocent" persona, as if being unarmed cannot warrant deadly force. The truth of the matter is that there are always facts and circumstances (totality) which may lead down that dark path. It's a difficult notion to digest, but not every action is unreasonable.

Unfortunately, with a bare minimum amount of facts being present in this case, jumping to condemn the officer is not the wisest course of action.
Click to expand...

It's entirely possible, given the evidence, that this guy joined the police force just for the chance to shoot a black person. Not only that, but he did it in a way that was completely indefensible, even with no video evidence when a coverup would have been easy. Think there might be a problem with police in America now? Not all police amirite?
 
P

Patrol

Banned
darscot said:
I guess in this case it wasn't sensationalized. It is sad to hear a cop spouting nonsense how you can justify lethal force on an unarmed man.

You do such a great job of improving the image of police its great to have you back. Yes that is sarcasm.
Click to expand...

It appears not, as the department is not standing by him. It's not nonsense. You really can't think of any scenario where lethal force can be used against an unarmed man?

I prefer open discussion on these matters with multiple viewpoints, don't you?
 
D

darscot

Member
Patrol said:
It appears not, as the department is not standing by him. It's not nonsense. You really can't think of any scenario where lethal force can be used against an unarmed man?

I prefer open discussion on these matters with multiple viewpoints, don't you?
Click to expand...

I'm sadly aware of your view point on all matters related to police violence and to be perfectly honest, I can do with out it.
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Patrol said:
It appears not, as the department is not standing by him. It's not nonsense. You really can't think of any scenario where lethal force can be used against an unarmed man?

I prefer open discussion on these matters with multiple viewpoints, don't you?
Click to expand...


How many cops in the UK killed unarmed suspects during the same period versus cops killed by unarmed assailants ? While it is absolutely true and problematic that gun culture here makes these situations more unpredictable it also shines a terrible light on police procedures and training that's hard to ignore. The stats are bonkers.
 
I

Imm0rt4l

Member
Two Words said:
Sounds like you're trying to make an example out of him. I don't think you can make a sound argument that this falls in line with the legal definition of murder.
Click to expand...
Maybe we can't make a sound argument. But considering that what those officers saw was enough to throw him under the bus and fire him as quickly as they did; and that the feds were made to be invlved, I'd say it's not out of the realm of possibility. There wasn't even a physical confrontation.
 
V

Vicetrailia

Member
Patrol said:
It appears not, as the department is not standing by him. It's not nonsense. You really can't think of any scenario where lethal force can be used against an unarmed man?

I prefer open discussion on these matters with multiple viewpoints, don't you?
Click to expand...

Potentially, potentially, potentially. Yes we know, any and anything that can happen, will happen. But what you try to point out doesn't mean much at all.
 
K

kirblar

Member
Stinkles said:
How many cops in the UK killed unarmed suspects during the same period versus cops killed by unarmed assailants ? While it is absolutely true and problematic that gun culture here makes these situations more unpredictable it also shines a terrible light on police procedures and training that's hard to ignore. The stats are bonkers.
Click to expand...
The vast majority of police shootings are not of unarmed people: http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/police-shootings/ (Good article highlighting the overrepresentation of black men in the "unarmed" category.)
 
B

Beefy

Member
Sad that another person ended up dead by another police man. But glad that this is getting dealt with quickly.
 
P

Patrol

Banned
darscot said:
I'm sadly aware of your view point on all matters related to police violence and to be perfectly honest, I can do with out it.
Click to expand...
Hm, well, part of the reason why division continues to occur is the lack of understanding from the other sides and a general refusal to see other viewpoints. Communication is key to establish commonality, and mutual understanding. Civility, too.
Stinkles said:
How many cops in the UK killed unarmed suspects during the same period versus cops killed by unarmed assailants ? While it is absolutely true and problematic that gun culture here makes these situations more unpredictable it also shines a terrible light on police procedures and training that's hard to ignore. The stats are bonkers.
Click to expand...
I am unaware as I do not follow policing in the UK. However, I would be very surprised if their policy completely disallowed deadly force against unarmed individuals.
ssolitare said:
Potentially, potentially, potentially. Yes we know, any and anything that can happen, will happen. But what you try to point out doesn't mean much at all.
Click to expand...
What do you mean?
 
A

Apt101

Member
E92 M3 said:
An unnarmed suspect was shot multiple times. What happened to using a taser?
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What happened to not shooting people who aren't trying to kill you or someone else? This shit is ridiculous. Police in small Nordic countries get college educations and years of training. Our comparatively dangerous society hires people with high school diplomas and trains them for 6-8 months, give them guns, scare the shit out of them, and let them loose on the street to arrest and kill people over fucking weed.
 
W

Weevilone

Member
Apt101 said:
What happened to not shooting people who aren't trying to kill you or someone else? This shit is ridiculous. Police in small Nordic countries get college educations and years of training. Our comparatively dangerous society hires people with high school diplomas and trains them for 6-8 months, give them guns, scare the shit out of them, and let them loose on the street to arrest and kill people over fucking weed.
Click to expand...

The talent pool for the job is interesting. Anecdotal experiences are just that, but the people I know at a young age that went into law enforcement tended to either be the folks that you figured weren't ever going to do anything legit, or the ones in college that were just there for a sport but got a criminal justice degree b/c it was easy. Again, that's just what I experienced, but it's scary to think about. Layer onto that, it's a thankless job that seems to only be getting worse in that regard. I would think it's a profession that would benefit from a deeper talent pool that isn't interested or motivated to take that path.
 
A

Apt101

Member
Weevilone said:
The talent pool for the job is interesting. Anecdotal experiences are just that, but the people I know at a young age that went into law enforcement tended to either be the folks that you figured weren't ever going to do anything legit, or the ones in college that were just there for a sport but got a criminal justice degree b/c it was easy. Again, that's just what I experienced, but it's scary to think about. Layer onto that, it's a thankless job that seems to only be getting worse in that regard. I would think it's a profession that would benefit from a deeper talent pool that isn't interested or motivated to take that path.
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I don't think it's a thankless job. One of my best friends is a cop in Virginia Beach, VA, another old friend is a cop in Norfolk, VA. They were both really bad kids when we were teenagers and took the job because it was easy and they're genetically gifted (tall, strong, fast) but not bright. I can't discuss policing with them or associated politics because they get angry ad feel like I am blaming them.

Anyways, their job sounds super easy. If anything they're living about as safe a life as one can expect, always backed up by packs of friends with guns who are granted incredible freedoms. They have never even had to draw their guns. They bust teenagers and black men for drugs and other bullshit. They're paid well and get tons of overtime and have a fat pension in their future. Companies give them free meals. One even gets a discount on rent, the other got some crazy low financing on his wife's BMW for being a LEO. Plenty of other people work more dangerous jobs for less pay, worse benefits, and no pension.
 
W

Weevilone

Member
That's interesting. I wasn't aware of the perks aside from pension (lol what's that?), but those sound like legit good things. When I mentioned thankless, I guess it's easy to get caught up into the current negative narrative that seems to spring from incidents that are probably much less statistically significant than their media attention would lead one to believe.

Of course I'm sure that within the profession there are good assignments, as well as less desirable ones. The later would probably increase hazard as well as the opportunity to be on the front page across the country.
 
PreFire

PreFire

Member
OP needs to update and link the latest articles of this story. The rookie cop cornered the unarmed victim after breaking protocol, and instead of using his taser, he shoots the kid after being cursed at. His partner then uses his taser on the shot unarmed victim, and the rookie cop shoots him 3 more times with his pistol-killing him.

The rookie cop has since been fired, and will possibly face criminal charges.

This still wrongfully takes a young man away from a family way too soon.

His Twitter posts about not wanting to die young and not feeling protected by the police are eerie.
 
Christopher

Christopher

Member
Usually, at least how it works here within he first two years of service you can be fired for anything at anytime...crazy huh?

So I'm assuming he wasn't protected by the union yet - also I don't think it had racial undertones to it at all. I just think stupidity once again prevailed for undertrained people with lethal weapons.
 
A

Any Questions

Member
border said:
Either he was drunk or trying to rob the place. It's hard to accidentally drive through the front of a building.
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Or he had an accident and was disorientated. Jeez.

You probably find most incidents of driving into buildings are because the car failed mechanically.

EDIT

Caught up with thread.
 
W

Weevilone

Member
Any Questions said:
Or he had an accident and was disorientated. Jeez.

You probably find most incidents of driving into buildings are because the car failed mechanically.
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You should really review the details or watch some videos before commenting on what happened. Not trying to be a jerk, just that it's clear he didn't have some accident that put him in this situation.
 
T

Two Words

Member
It just register to me that he put 3 more bullets into him after the suspect was on the ground and being tazed. That should definitely be reason to take this as murder. That is straight up executioner behavior.
 
V

Valhelm

contribute something
Two Words said:
It just register to me that he put 3 more bullets into him after the suspect was on the ground and being tazed. That should definitely be reason to take this as murder. That is straight up executioner behavior.
Click to expand...

From what I've seen of these cases, that's not at all uncommon.

Here in Miami, we've had multiple cases where suspects or their vehicles are just shot again and again and again. Cops are probably taught to do it.
 
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