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I've seen a few people ask questions like, "Why did police shoot Rayshard Brooks but capture Dylan Roof alive?"
I think it's an honest question, deserving an explanation.
A thread on police use of force:
I think it's an honest question, deserving an explanation.
A thread on police use of force:
The first important thing to know is that police use of force is informed by the crime the person is being arrested for, but the conditions and actions *at time of arrest* is what are of greater significance when it comes to using force.
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Let's first analyze the arrest of Dylan Roof.
Roof was wanted for the mass killing of several people at a black church in South Carolina. The bulletin for him listed him as "armed and dangerous."
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Roof was wanted for the mass killing of several people at a black church in South Carolina. The bulletin for him listed him as "armed and dangerous."
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This means police are going to be far more cautious if/when they find this person, and that's exactly what happened.
When Roof was spotted in NC, police did not attempt to stop his car until they had overwhelming force.
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When Roof was spotted in NC, police did not attempt to stop his car until they had overwhelming force.
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Roof was ordered out of his car at gunpoint. He complied, and followed officers commands. A firearm was eventually recovered from the vehicle, but Roof made no attempt to access the weapon.
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With a warning of "armed and dangerous", plus the heinous crime he was wanted for, officers made their choices accordingly. There was no friendly chit chat, no easy traffic stop. It was guns out, ready to shoot if necessary. The crime informed the posture of arrest.
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Roofs actions *at the time of arrest* are what kept him alive, though. If he'd decided to reach for his weapon, or say, into a glovebox, it's more than likely he'd be dead.
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The arrest of Roof is a success story. We should want our police to be able to arrest dangerous people without bloodshed. Thats the best case scenario for cops, subjects, and citizens.
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So, now let's talk about the arrest of Brooks in Atlanta.
Police were called to Brooks passed out behind the wheel at a Wendy's drive through. This is a regular DUI call most cops have seen before.
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Police were called to Brooks passed out behind the wheel at a Wendy's drive through. This is a regular DUI call most cops have seen before.
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The officers arrive and are polite with Brooks. Body cam footage shows them doing field sobriety tests, and having a conversation with him. Some have describe the chat as "jovial."
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Brooks fails the sobriety tests. It's very clear hes drunk and got behind the wheel. Hes gonna get arrested for DUI.
The officers choose their posture for this arrest based on the crime, and Brooks' behavior.
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The officers choose their posture for this arrest based on the crime, and Brooks' behavior.
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They dont draw their weapons or slam Brooks to the ground. They tell him to put his hands behind his back, and move to handcuff him.
At this point, Brooks decides to violently resist. What was calm 5 seconds ago is now a frantic struggle.
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At this point, Brooks decides to violently resist. What was calm 5 seconds ago is now a frantic struggle.
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The officers fight to control Brooks. One draws a taser and attempts to use it to subdue Brooks, but is unsuccessful. Brooks manages to get a good grip on the taser, and pulls it from the officers hands.
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Now, to fully understand what happens next, you need to know something about police use of force and firearm retention.
Police are trained to retain their firearms at all costs. If you lose your gun, you lose your life.
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Police are trained to retain their firearms at all costs. If you lose your gun, you lose your life.
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As such, police are permitted to defend themselves with deadly force in a number of situations that may seem strange to folks without this training.
Example 1: A 150lb female officer arrives at a 911 call to find a 300lb angry man.
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Example 1: A 150lb female officer arrives at a 911 call to find a 300lb angry man.
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The officer knows she will lose a physical struggle. It also seems unlikely she will be able to subdue this man using non-lethal tools. The man is too big and angry. If this guy wants to kill her, or take her firearm, he will be able to.
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The angry man advances towards her. She draws her firearm and tells him to stop. He doesnt. She shoots him.
This is a justified use of force. Had the man reached her, he could have killed her with his fists, or taken her gun and killed her with it. It's happened before.
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This is a justified use of force. Had the man reached her, he could have killed her with his fists, or taken her gun and killed her with it. It's happened before.
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Now, this example continues to other methods of rendering a police officer unable to defend themself, or retain their gun.
If a man is armed with a baseball bat, an officer knows that person could beat them to death with it, or render them unconscious, and take their gun.
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If a man is armed with a baseball bat, an officer knows that person could beat them to death with it, or render them unconscious, and take their gun.
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So, let's talk about Brooks and that taser.
Anyone hit with a taser knows that, if employed correctly, when you get shocked, you're going on the ground and you're unable to move. It's a remarkable tool for rendering someone helpless. Doesnt always work, but is still useful.
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Anyone hit with a taser knows that, if employed correctly, when you get shocked, you're going on the ground and you're unable to move. It's a remarkable tool for rendering someone helpless. Doesnt always work, but is still useful.
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When Brooks grabbed that taser, he acquired a method to potentially make the officer helpless, and unable to retain their firearm. That's a very bad thing.
Brooks managed to get up and run with the taser.
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Brooks managed to get up and run with the taser.
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As the officer chases him, he turns back and points the taser at the officer. The officer draws his pistol and shoots him. Since he is running away, Brooks is shot in the back.
Based on existing law, this looks like a good shoot.
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Based on existing law, this looks like a good shoot.
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The officer could clearly articulate that if Brooks had managed to tase him, Brooks could have gained access to his pistol and used it on him, or his partner.
Many officers have been killed with their own weapons after someone gets the jump on them.
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Many officers have been killed with their own weapons after someone gets the jump on them.
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Others have been shot with their own guns after suspects managed to use a non-lethal tool on them, like a taser or pepper spray, making them unable to effectively defend themselves. It's a genuine threat to the officers life.
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The officer has no way of knowing if Brooks will just keep running, or of he'll grab his gun and shoot him in the head. Everything was calm 30 seconds ago and now they're fighting on the ground. He doesn't get to take the chance that Brooks wont kill him.
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This is why I think this use or force is likely justified. But back to the original point, I hope this explains why Brooks was shot, and Roof was not, despite a huge chasm between the crimes they were under arrest for.
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It is actions *at the time of arrest* that are most influential on use of force. The crime of the arrestee will absolutely *inform* officer posture, but it is the actions taken by the subject that dictate how things will go.
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And before anyone tries to accuse me of glossing over police misconduct, yes, there are plenty of cases where cops dont do this correctly.
Some can be attributed to bad training. Some people just shouldn't be cops, and they panic. The shooting of Tamir Rice comes to mind.
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Some can be attributed to bad training. Some people just shouldn't be cops, and they panic. The shooting of Tamir Rice comes to mind.
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Other disparate uses of force can be traced to racism on the part of the officer, too. There are racist cops, and hot-head bad cops. They dont belong in our profession. Keep your cool, or get out.
I hope this thread clarifies some things.
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I hope this thread clarifies some things.
/end
