Quote:
Originally Posted by Oliver_W
(Post 11482827)
Basically suicide then.
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1. This was a person who was petrified which was the reason for the call. It was evident it could be mental health and they had many options for deescalation. Mental health calls are very high risk, can go wrong very fast for their unpredictable nature, but it is the risk one must take when they sign up for this work. That risk may include their the loss of their lives.
2.
Officers don't get to decide who lives and dies, but some officers inherit that mentality when combined with dealing with the more cynical aspects of the work and start to believe that policy will always be enough to save them. Lethal force can only be used when other options are no longer viable. The other reason, there's no trial once lethal force is successfully used. That defeats the purpose of "justice". They weren't pinned in some tight corner. They had the screen door directly behind them. They even had a good amount of room around them. The officer who shot Massey had to actively step forward AROUND THE COUNTER to get a good view, much less to get a direct shot. This will likely make it
premeditated.
3. Most officers are trained to be aware of entry/exit points and to have an escape route in mind. That's very clear in the video they're very aware of that. (It's so well-ingrained, some will park in reverse or can't avoid sitting facing doors in restaurants so to as to not be an easy target) They kept their back to the doors it seems like at all points. They were on edge the moment they came in, imo, based on how they were basically standing over her while she was on the couch and ordering her around the home (for the water, her id, etc). The recording cop checking the bedroom multiple times, though not necessarily unusual, could be another clue to the recording officer's state of mind. So if they had an exit strategy, why did they have shoot a woman who posed no real threat?
4. She did not have them surrounded, but *she* was surrounded in her own kitchen. These are two men in uniform who are the most intimidating presence in her home at that moment. Consider too if they are both white, this could also be an exacerbating factor. In the end it's not about what race an officer is, or what the latest culture war chatter is, it's about the individual and how any one person might interpret their own circumstances (rightfully and wrongfully) and how little things like this must be accounted during mental health calls. It does not appear they were trained at all (or at least inadequately) for these types of calls and they did everything they couldn't possibly do wrong, imo. It is not effective to shout and behave in a domineering manner towards someone whose reason for making the call was due to concerns of safety.
Clearly they need more training, but the issue was not training. There was no need for a lethal use of force. Period. This was the result of someone taking liberties with other people's lives.
Schizophrenia is very difficult. Someone who are already in a heightened state of fear may not react normally to stressors, but it's not always evident an episode is happening The seemingly random rebuke you in the name of Jesus comment is a major tell though and fairly common with Schizophrenia. Even if they are medicated, their medication may not be enough or be the wrong kind, they may have episodes like this. My grandfather had Schizophrenia for most of his life and it's a very uncomfortable way to live when improperly treated. I was always super pissed when the doctors would unnecessarily change his meds without anyone's knowledge, because it always led to a return in symptoms. It's like their anxiety level can't go down no matter what and it's an excruciating way to live. This woman did not deserve to die this way.
