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2005-07-25 Britain
London police defend shoot-to-kill policy
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Posted by Fred 2005-07-25 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11132 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Nothing to defend. This guy did all the wrong things and that is why he is dead. This will waste time of investigators who could be used elsewhere and be ruled a good shooting in the end.
Posted by Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-07-25 00:06||   2005-07-25 00:06|| Front Page Top

#2 Well said, SPo'D - right on the money in every way. *applause*
Posted by .com 2005-07-25 00:11||   2005-07-25 00:11|| Front Page Top

#3 What was it that Heinlein said about stupidity?
Posted by trailing wife 2005-07-25 00:54||   2005-07-25 00:54|| Front Page Top

#4 Unfortunately, I do think there should be an investigation of the shooting, since the English Media reported that one of the five shots was to the body. If that is true, the shooting officer will need to be sent back to pistol training, since the whole idea of doing head shots is to avoid body shots on kamikazees with belt bombs. Detonators tend to react badly to bullets.
Posted by Shieldwolf 2005-07-25 01:53||   2005-07-25 01:53|| Front Page Top

#5 what is wrong with you people
Posted by Elmoting Phaiger1295 2005-07-25 02:18||   2005-07-25 02:18|| Front Page Top

#6 Nothing, why?
Posted by .com 2005-07-25 02:27||   2005-07-25 02:27|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm willing to bet in the not too distant future. The police hesitate to shoot and as a result a boomer blows up people.
Posted by phil_b 2005-07-25 02:37||   2005-07-25 02:37|| Front Page Top

#8 It's certainly a sad thing that it happened. But given the circumstances the police had no choice. They had reasons to believe what they believed and the guy did not stop and ran towards the train.

The "shoot to kill policy" sounds drastic. But as long as you stop when police tells you so you won't be shot.

Try running away from drug police in Rio...
Posted by True German Ally 2005-07-25 02:53||   2005-07-25 02:53|| Front Page Top

#9 Please let's spend time on the war on terror and not on an individual that did not comply to police instructions. To which groups and elements in society do we have to defend this policy....?
Posted by Dutchgeek 2005-07-25 03:49||   2005-07-25 03:49|| Front Page Top

#10 TGA even look sideways at a cop in Brasil. I can assure people in Brasil stop when told to do so by the police.

There is no "shoot to kill" policy. It is a shoot to save lives policy. The UK police and are head and sholders above many police force in this world. This is totally blown out of importance.
Posted by Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-07-25 04:47||   2005-07-25 04:47|| Front Page Top

#11 The BBC has wanked itself into a frenzy over this for four days now. The bombs of 7/7 and the last week's failed attacks were being described on the Today programme (BBC Radio 4) this morning as the 'London incidents'. The Egyptian attacks and the investigations in London have had to play second fiddle to this story. Utter loonies. They should have had the photos of the bombers at the front of each bulletin like the other channels. But, as so often with the Beeb news, fuck the majority of people and concentrate on some poor prick from the minorities.

If this guy thought he was under threat why didn't he approach the uniformed coppers that are in all tube stations at the moment? Why vault the barrier? Prick deserved to be shot. South American? Coke dealer? Mmmmm...
Posted by Howard UK 2005-07-25 05:12||   2005-07-25 05:12|| Front Page Top

#12 Darwin Award nominee?
Posted by Aldos Huxley 2005-07-25 05:31||   2005-07-25 05:31|| Front Page Top

#13 what is wrong with you people

Not. A. Thing.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford  2005-07-25 08:09|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/]  2005-07-25 08:09|| Front Page Top

#14 Were the police justified in shooting this dummy?Damn straight.The only question that needs answering is:Why was he running?
Posted by raptor 2005-07-25 08:09||   2005-07-25 08:09|| Front Page Top

#15 As to the victim's mistake it's obvious enough that you don't run like a rabbit from the PO's and especially so when you are in a place that is under heightened security due to terrorist attacks. One would expect better discretion from a Brazilian abroad. The PO's though should look to learn from the incident.
Posted by MunkarKat 2005-07-25 08:24||   2005-07-25 08:24|| Front Page Top

#16 Shooting victim had expired visa...BBC.....
Posted by Dutchgeek 2005-07-25 08:54||   2005-07-25 08:54|| Front Page Top

#17 Unless I've missed a correction to the story, he *did* come out of a house frequented by Islamoboomers, right? If that is true, then perhaps he wasn't as innocent as the BBC is making out? Just because the police didn't have anything on him doesn't make him "innocent" except in the legal sense.

Hanging out with that crowd, then running like he did in a subway that's been bombed *twice* in two weeks... well, I hope the next cop pulls the trigger quick (and repeatedly) when faced with the same situation.
Posted by Laurence of the Rats">Laurence of the Rats  2005-07-25 09:14|| http://www.punictreachery.com/]">[http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2005-07-25 09:14|| Front Page Top

#18 I think it is important to conduct a full investigation here--this was a serious incident and a tragic misunderstanding. It's important to determine whether or not the police were uniformed or able to identify themselves to the victim. It's also important, as Shieldwolf stated, to ensure police are trained to hit potential suicide bombers with head shots, not body shots!

That being said, dressing unseasonably warm in a long, bulky coat while jumping turnstiles in a subway system that has been bombed twice in recent weeks to flee from police is NOT a smart thing to do--especially if you're a young male of a complexion that can be mistaken for Middle Eastern. It's unfortunate this idiot had to die for being nothing more than ignorant, but it sends a clear message that the UK is serious--deadly serious--about stopping terror.

I only hope this incident doesn't hogtie the police response in the future. It was regrettable, but it was also necessary.

And to the miserable apologist who asks what's wrong with us, understand this: We are at war. Incidents like this will happen when you are trying to defend a population from fanatics who are willing to kill themselves while taking as many innocent men, women, and children with them. These incidents are regrettable, but they are reactions to the real problem, not the problem itself.
Posted by Dar">Dar  2005-07-25 09:53||   2005-07-25 09:53|| Front Page Top

#19 'London Mayor Ken Livingstone described Mr Menezes as a "victim of the terrorist attacks".

He said: "Consider the choice that faced police officers at Stockwell last Friday - and be glad you did not have to take it." '

I find myself in complete agreement with the above.

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-07-25 10:07||   2005-07-25 10:07|| Front Page Top

#20 WIse words from Ken

*faints*
Posted by Howard UK 2005-07-25 10:19||   2005-07-25 10:19|| Front Page Top

#21 "Sor-ree!"
-- Monty Python
Posted by mojo">mojo  2005-07-25 10:42||   2005-07-25 10:42|| Front Page Top

#22 WIse words from Ken

*faints*

If only we could get Ken to spend a year as the mayor of Netanya, he might gain even more wisdom.
Posted by liberalhawk 2005-07-25 10:44||   2005-07-25 10:44|| Front Page Top

#23 LH - wonder what Ken's response would be had 7/7 and 7/21 not stirred up even his citizenry
Posted by Frank G">Frank G  2005-07-25 11:21||   2005-07-25 11:21|| Front Page Top

#24 Unless I've missed a correction to the story, he *did* come out of a house frequented by Islamoboomers, right?

not corekt lotr.

Police had been watching the block of apartments on Scotia Road near Stockwell where Menezes was staying and later raided a home there.

soundn more liker partment bildin
Posted by muck4doo 2005-07-25 12:59|| http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/]">[http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/]  2005-07-25 12:59|| Front Page Top

#25 Sad but understandable.
Posted by Cyber Sarge">Cyber Sarge  2005-07-25 13:43||   2005-07-25 13:43|| Front Page Top

#26 Dude sadly died from his own stupidity.

Had he not been acting stupidly, he would not have been shot, period.

Shoot to kill, necessary and welcome.

EP
Posted by ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding 2005-07-25 15:29||   2005-07-25 15:29|| Front Page Top

#27 U.S. SWAT team snipers are trained to shoot and sever the medulla oblongata. The boomer or perp as it is cannot pull the trigger or detonator. These police officers had a couple of seconds to make a decision. They were brave in that they did not know they would not be blown up. Let's wait and find out more about the Brazillian. Why was he wearing a heavy coat in warm weather. Why did he run? Why did he not stop when commanded? He did understand English from what I understand. Why did he vault a turnstile? Why was he coming out of a house that had been under surveillance for suspected terrorists. The police made a righteous shooting as far as I can tell. The one officer might have to go back to the range for more practice.
Posted by John Q. Citizen 2005-07-25 15:55||   2005-07-25 15:55|| Front Page Top

#28 Fox News reported he had overstayed his visa, wotta surprise, and authorities say that was probably why he ran.
Posted by .com 2005-07-25 16:04||   2005-07-25 16:04|| Front Page Top

#29 he had overstayed his visa

kinda makes my suggestion of deportation look tame, no?
Posted by Frank G">Frank G  2005-07-25 16:19||   2005-07-25 16:19|| Front Page Top

#30 Stupidity is a terminal illness. This case proves it.

Howard, what's the chances of getting a gang of renegade Welsh miners to take out the BBC? Seems to me that would warrant a medal or something from Parliament.
Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot  2005-07-25 17:41|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]  2005-07-25 17:41|| Front Page Top

#31 To put Brazilian complaints in context: Police violence has long been a fact of life in Brazil. Amnesty International reports that in 2004 there were 663 killings by officers in Sao Paulo state, and 983 in Rio de Janeiro state.
Posted by Kalle (kafir forever) 2005-07-25 18:48||   2005-07-25 18:48|| Front Page Top

#32 Aha. So the lad's parents are upset because they thought they'd sent him somewhere he'd be safer.
Posted by trailing wife 2005-07-25 19:18||   2005-07-25 19:18|| Front Page Top

#33 Cause its London, not Jerusalem!
Posted by gromgoru 2005-07-25 20:47||   2005-07-25 20:47|| Front Page Top

23:49 Sock Puppet 0’ Doom
23:40 Jennie Taliaferro
23:39 Bomb-a-rama
23:39 JosephMendiola
23:32 Mike Sylwester
23:26 JosephMendiola
23:20 CrazyFool
23:19 Old Patriot
23:18 Classical_Liberal
23:13 M. Murcek
23:09 twobyfour
23:06 True German Ally
23:05 Sock Puppet 0’ Doom
23:04 Cyber Sarge
23:03 OldSpook
23:01 bigjim-ky
22:59 True German Ally
22:59 Glenmore
22:59 Cyber Sarge
22:56 True German Ally
22:53 bigjim-ky
22:51 Sock Puppet 0’ Doom
22:51 bigjim-ky
22:51 True German Ally
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