Video of Daniel Shaver Shooting
I had resisted watching this at first, because I just couldn’t handle it. I will say that this isn’t “gory” but you do see the guy get shot, FYI.
I think the thing about this that outrages people is the buildup.
Some additional facts (please correct me if any of this is wrong):
==> The hotel desk had called 911 and said someone in Shaver’s room was pointing a gun at people out the window. This is what the police were responding to.
==> Shaver is an exterminator and apparently he had two pellet rifles (used for his job) in his hotel room, and had been playing with them around the window.
==> The cop who shot Shaver (Philip Brailsford) was not the one barking orders in this footage.
==> However, the cop who shot him *did* apparently have “You’re f*cked” carved into the dust cover of his AR-15, the weapon with which he shot Shaver. This fact was ruled as inadmissible evidence and the jury didn’t know it.
==> Apparently the reason the cops have the woman and then (unsuccessfully) Shaver crawl towards them, rather than just lying facedown, is that for all the cops knew, there were still armed person/people in the hotel room, and so it would have placed them in a more vulnerable position to advance and try to cuff the people in the open hallway.
As a former Marine, I would be in Leavenworth if I did this. It is bizarre that the ROE for fighting an armed conflict, or even a war, are more stringent than officers dealing with their employer/citizenry. Yes, the shooting victim does reach behind his back. I honestly don’t think I would have taken the shot.
There are two completely separate things, from a libertarian position, that need to be understood if we are going to successfully be able to convince Right Wingers (I come from the Right) that what happened here is wrong; And they need to be separated when explaining this to them.
The first thing is that it is surprisingly easy to damage or kill people – we are fragile, even when we’re very strong. Who knows what that guy had behind his back, and, like Bob said, the strategy, here, was to keep themselves safe.
There was nothing wrong with their strategy at all. This is how fighting is supposed to be done. The Right Wing is right on this point (when they support exessive force type actions, so as to er on the safe side). If you, yourself, make a mistake in your effort to subdue someone, it could mean your life (again, people are fragile). This is why the use of drones, or guns, or bows and arrows makes good sense when fighting.
It’s important that you do not come across as failing to understand the above point, when talking to Right Wingers because you will come across as anti-freedom Left Wingers (the right to defend oneself, and the right to dictate what people can and cannot do on your property being a foundational principle of individual freedom).
The second point is: the mistake that was made here was made long before it happened, when people accepted that defense personnel should be a public good and therefore not completely answerable to the owner of the hotel.
If someone points a gun at you – even if they’re wrong – you need to believe that they’re willing to take your life, and obey them to the extent that you believe it’s not worth risking your life to disobey.
Cops unknowingly follow Marxist orders. They are taught to enforce laws that impose socialism (by installments) and destroy economies. If they knew this, I think many of them would disobey orders. So, the only way to stop these tragedies from happening is to privatize defense.
And part of making that happen is to refrain from using public police services to the best of your ability, and to stop treating police as your friend.
Here are some helpful points about how to go about *not* treating police as your friend:
My Rights – Rights I should Know – Legal Rights And The Police
[www]http://policecrimes.com/police.html
“You have every right NOT to talk to a police officer and you should NOT talk to a cop unless you have first consulted with a lawyer and that lawyer has advised you differently. You can’t be arrested for not talking. Police officers depend on fear and intimidation to get what they want and this includes forcing you to give up your rights.”