Yeah, he is. They just released the video a few days ago. It’s just interesting to see him work out his alibi in real time.
First degree feels like an overcharge but I’m not a lawyer. Unless there is some evidence we haven’t seen that he was planning to cap this lady before he showed up. It was a fucking egregious shooting. That, plus his history of being bounced from multiple departments probably because they saw the writing on the wall.
I would charge him first degree. He was entering that home with the intent of killing her. Every single thing he said and did was with the intent of killing her. He was not leaving that place until she was dead. He got what he wanted. He’s a psychotic piece of shit gypsy cop, one of thousands. And remember: he did this willingly and knowing he was being recorded. I’d like to know why his partner Bonds behind bars for not intervening: he should have shot him dead for that, and nothing less.
You might be right. The conversation afterwards where he discusses trying to figure out a way to paint her as a mental patient to justify the shooting is really bad too.
He also tried to prevent her from receiving aid. I hope he gets buried alive, along with his piece of shit partner.
Not sure he even needed to have intent before entering the premises. Just intent to kill her in the moment when his claimed self defense didn’t actually apply. It’s a crazy situation because unlike other similar situations the officers seemed to have a good rapport with her until 2 seconds before he shoots. He went zero to authorutah to shooting her in the blink of an eye. I’d have never guessed based on how they were interacting with her that it would devolve that quickly.
Weren't his very first words to her "What took you so long to open the door?" That wasn't no Officer Friendly interaction, he had a hostile demeanor from the jump.
I wonder whether he even understood what she said when she said “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Because he gets real fired up real quick. My guess is he was just waiting for something he could take as an insult or threat so he could justify screaming and drawing a gun.
He was fishing for any and every excuse to take her life. Let me also add (if not mentioned before) that this maniac worked at 4 police departments in six years, and was arrested for DUI twice. Here’s a great idea— put this stable, law-abiding citizen on patrol with a gun.
As crazy and awful as this is, I'm acknowledging that the camera that recorded it, the other officer who didn't corroborate his bullshit, and the fact that he immediately was arrested and charged with manslaughter is progress from a decade or so ago. Still a nightmare, still a lot of work to be done. The best idea yet is an insurance requirement for anyone carrying a gun. Cameras always on, etc. I keep seeing the anti-cop sentiment creep up, and it's hard to argue with when you see someone force their way into your home and commit point blank murder.
That, and the literally hundreds to thousands of video clips of the same sort of shit, just making up the rules as they go— knowingly being recorded. They don’t care, because there is no reprimand. The only thing that works on cops is actual punishment. Not policy, not training, not “community policing”. You abolish both their precious fucking qualified immunity AND arbitration, and let them wallow in doing their jobs properly like any other normal person has to every day. And they should be punished worse than citizens because they took a fucking oath.
Took an oath, and for that we gave them the power to detain, arrest, and kill if necessary. The least they could do is be held to the highest possible standard.
Hurricane Debby making life interesting for the Carolinas and VA over the next few days. There's an unfortunate trend with these storms as they move slow, dumping rain, but with slow winds. So, no eye-catching Cat numbers, but absurd volumes of rain and flooding. Buy flood insurance, y'all.
Anyone else thinking Putin is getting close to setting off a nuke in Ukraine? The invasion into Russian territory that they seem to not be able to slow is a sea change in this conflict. Also, Putin knows his regime is on thin ice, and he needs to make the world and Russia afraid of him again. Trump and Elon talking about Nagasaki and Hiroshima (Trump literally said "that's great."...for fuck's sakes.) make me think the Russian's are testing the waters and trying to soften the backlash. This is shaping up to a nightmarish textbook case for the value of a nuclear weapon in the hands of a dictator who wishes to cross the Western powers. With it: untouchable. Without it: Saddamned and Husseined. The US politicians who refuse to support Ukraine, in full knowledge of the de-proliferation treaty we signed all start to sound like Russian agents, or at least, shitty Russian bots.
I don't see it. I think he would lose what support he currently has and the rest of the world would impose even further sanctions. Hell, someone in his own military may take him out if he attempts it.