US Cops Shoot Dead Immobilized Double Amputee

hawley

A group of California police officers shot and killed a double amputee on Thursday as he tried to run away from them on his stumps after jumping out of his wheelchair. The three cops from Huntington Park Police Department were filmed firing at least eight shots at Anthony Lowe Jr., a 36-year-old father-of-two. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11697109/Huntington-Park-cops-shoot-dead-double-amputee-Anthony-Lowe-Jr-tries-run.html#article-11697109

This is a really horrible case. Am surprised that it isn't receiving more publicity.

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058282291/us-cops-shoot-dead-immobilized-double-amputee

He was armed and the tazer didn't seem to have an effect on him ,

The saddest part he lost his legs in previous altercation with police officers ,

wotzgoingon

Them officers are very brave....

That's sarcasm in case you didn't know.

dmc17

Seems he was after stabbing somebody and was trying to get away from the police

Overheal

"But it's not institutional"

It's not getting more traction because there's little sympathizing with his criminal action:

• He had just stabbed someone and was trying to flee on his stumps

3 handicapable cops can't nonlethally subdue a man with no legs. He was not being at all cooperative, but I just cannot imagine how they lacked the tools or the professionalism after all the decades of training and billions of dollars to know how to subdue a knife attacker in thick clothing without Dredd'ing them.

Boggles

Listen, fair enough. 3 or 4 shots, everyone panics. 🤷‍♀️

But why did they keep unloading into him when he was clearly not a threat anymore?

There was 11 cases found AFAIK.

It's another execution.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184032#Comment_120184032

But why did they keep unloading into him when he was clearly not a threat anymore?

The same reason why in China they continue to run over the pedestrian. A dead man doesn't get a trial, he doesn't get to testify. He cannot sue. He costs nothing to treat medically. That's a trick the institution teaches its Fraternity of officers.

And "don't point a gun at anything you don't intend to kill" mentality. As soon as guns go up, an Officer is premeditating the impulse to kill. But we decided to qualify this as an immunity! "I feared for my life"

He had a knife, these idiots need charging.

pjohnson

Imagine if there was only 2 officers, they'd be completly overwhelmed by him.

Chief Wiggum is starting to seem overqualified for the American police these days.

Run Forest Run

Why focus on the fact he was in a wheelchair, or how many times they shot him?

Surely the most relevant part of the story is that he was armed, had just stabbed someone in an unprovoked attack, and was resisting arrest?

If he had a knife, from the officer's perspective he could be capable of anything in that moment and possibly had other weapons on him too. You've gotta be pretty dumb to resist arrest with a weapon in your hand facing armed police officers... not to mention bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Darwin award contender imho.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184116#Comment_120184116

from the officer's perspective he could be capable of anything

Anything? Think you are stretching it there.

Sounds like they executed him because they couldn't use a taser.

As you do. 🤷‍♂️

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184132#Comment_120184132

Careful, he could have transformed into a car!

bmc58

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184116#Comment_120184116

How could he get away?How far could he run? Follow him and throw a net over him would surely stop him,No need to kill him.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184146#Comment_120184146

It takes 5 of them to deal with a unarmed man, these 3 were very lucky.

Run Forest Run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184132#Comment_120184132

Yes, anything... he was armed and had just stabbed someone in an unprovoked attack. Sounds like a pretty unstable and unpredictable person if you ask me.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184170#Comment_120184170

Sure these boys were lucky to come away with their lives intact.

i suppose the police have now become judge, jury & especially executioner. Suppose this is one way to free your courts time..

Overheal

Watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR-_R19TrrM

This is the extreme lengths the US Police force will go to in order to apprehend a suspect they actually value the life of. It's a classic.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184173#Comment_120184173

Yes, anything

Could he have kicked them or out ran them?

Run Forest Run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184284#Comment_120184284

Could he have taken a gun out and started shooting at them?

The officers don't have the benefit of hindsight, to know what he's capable of in that moment or how many other weapons he has on him.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184300#Comment_120184300

No, he had a knife not a gun.

Run Forest Run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184309#Comment_120184309

But could they be 100% sure about what other weapons he might have on him in that moment? Or his overall intentions?

Remember, this is an unstable and violent person, who has just stabbed someone in a unprovoked attack... try to put yourself in the mindset of these officers in that moment. Not someone just reading the story, after we have more of the facts and details of the incident.

It's very easy being captain hindsight, saying what should have been done after the fact. Too easy.

Overheal

.....!?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184300#Comment_120184300

How many other appendages did he have to reach for a weapon with?

That's not hindsight, that's sight.

Overheal

Oh hey, also relevant: when cops witnessed this fully handi-capable person whack Paul Pelosi with a hammer they still didn't blow his guts out, they didn't fear for their life. They didn't pull a gun on him either, they tried to talk with him. De-escalate. And he whacks Pelosi in the skull with a deadly weapon, a claw hammer, and they still don't grab a gun, they tackle him. They never even shout at him. (Viewer discretion is advised)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP3lNgR74zE

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184132#Comment_120184132

I don't know..

If he didn't want to get shot he could have tried not resisting arrest

And perhaps not stabbing someone in the lead up to that the first place etc

And maybe not being a criminal

I'm assuming those details are correct?

Still 11 shell casings and 3 of them vs 1 double amputee, it seems excessive.....it does seem like police should be equipped with more non-lethal means of containment/immobilising that neutralises and threat to their lives......if a taser doesnt work there has to be a better solution than pumping someone full of lead although having said that if I felt someone was a genuine threat and they were resisting I'd shoot first and ask questions later.

Run Forest Run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184373#Comment_120184373

He was trying to throw the knife at them, was he not?

He could easily have grabbed a gun from behind his waistband after throwing the knife. These officers have no idea what he's capable of, other than knowing he's violent and has just stabbed someone.

For all they know, he could be off his face on drugs. Why would you take a chance with a guy like this, so you can end up not going home to your family because you assume a guy in a wheelchair is completely harmless and not a threat?

These guys are trained to anticipate anything happening. Not just make assumptions based on the fact he's disabled. And like I said, many people here are making the mistake of allowing hindsight to influence their judgement of this incident... these officers did not have the benefit of this when making their decisions.

Danzy

Armed and violent felon with a history of extreme violence is killed after threatening the life of police and public.

His legs weren't the problem, the weapon was.

He can't hurt people in his community anymore.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184431#Comment_120184431

I think all that demonstrates is how easily one can craft paranoid scenarios that didn't happen.

Why do you think he had a gun behind his waistband then and not a pineapple grenade? It's all counterfactual both ways.

For all they know, he could be off his face on drugs

There's the trope again

The guy in a chair they sniped the gun out of the hand of in the video I posted above, could have been off his face on drugs

The man who cracked in the skull of paul pelosi, he could have also been on drugs.

This is a red herring.

Why would you take a chance with a guy like this, so you can end up not going home to your family because you assume a guy in a wheelchair is completely harmless and not a threat?

Because of Human and Civil Rights.

These guys are trained to anticipate anything happening. Not just make assumptions based on the fact he's disabled. And like I said, many people here are making the mistake of allowing hindsight to influence their judgement of this incident... these officers did not have the benefit of this when making their decisions.

We agree, they are institutionalized to have this warped mentality.

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184431#Comment_120184431

So suspicion of having a gun is grounds for opening fire? I'd hope the bar is a little higher than that.

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184398#Comment_120184398

Unusual to see you bringing race into it.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185068#Comment_120185068

Race is all up in it, don't kill the messenger.

You're not arguing the contrary, just bemoaning the truth being said.

hawley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184116#Comment_120184116

Did the police really feel that their lives were in danger? All it needed was for someone to talk to him in a calm manner. There should have been no need for that reaction.

Havenowt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184300#Comment_120184300

Yes, he might have had a gun strapped to his ankle.....

Whats the point handcuffing him when he is dead on the sidewalk.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120186004#Comment_120186004

So why not just start opening fire on everyone, all the time, everywhere? Anyone could always have a gun on them. Wouldn't make much sense, would it?

Whats the point handcuffing him when he is dead on the sidewalk.

Optics. Fewer bystanders can suss out that police are dealing with a dead body.

silverharp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188212#Comment_120188212

cant say I agree with your risk management, the secret it to absolutely comply with the police while knowing your rights, if the police overstep the mark sue em later and get a payout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188249#Comment_120188249

Sue the police? Is that before or after they shoot you dead?

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188249#Comment_120188249

sue em later and get a payout

'Oh my sweet summer child'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualified_immunity

(Breonna Taylor was sleeping, js)

deirdremf

What's the likelihood those cops got their training in Afghanistan or Iraq?

... I wonder if that is where yer man lost his legs as well.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188277#Comment_120188277

Yeah but how do you know she didn’t have a gun under that pillow? Or a gun pillow! OR MAYBE SHE WAS THE GUN.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188427#Comment_120188427

We don't know their names even yet because they aren't Black. Most recent reporting:

https://time.com/6251814/anthony-lowe-jr-death-huntington-park-police/

About 1 in 5 cops is currently a veteran. Following the vietnam was it was about half the force reportedly.

silverharp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188277#Comment_120188277

firstly the salient point was to get away alive , There is no generalised law you cant sue the police, for example there is a youtube channel called Audit the Audit and there are plenty of examples where the individual treated badly by the police sue and get payouts.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120188577#Comment_120188577

Audit the Audit doesn't Audit police shootings.

Potential-Monke

The only issue I see here is the amount of times they shot him. Overkill as usual, but it's basically standard at this rate from what I can tell. Shoot to incapacitate. If they die, that's just the outcome. The intent is to make sure they can't do further harm. These lads went overboard with that, but that's what American cops do.

Re: different cops doing different things in different situations, all I can say to that is people react differently.

Re: why handcuff a shot person? Procedure. They're handcuffed in case they can do further harm. Not everyone who gets shot dies instantly. Some can still move and potentially do further harm. Not when handcuffed. It's like asking why do they handcuff anyone. Procedure.

Now, I'm not defending it. Them lads are probably in bother. But the victim sounded like a right upstanding (pun intended) citizen. No loss really.

Strumms

He used a deadly weapon, unprovoked to attack and injure a person.

he was offered the opportunity to release the weapon and surrender.

he declined, so he’s dead.

he had choices to make,

1) don’t carry a deadly weapon and don’t attack people with it.

2) comply with the instructions of the police

he made the wrong choices

Quite simply choose violence and stupidity = end up dead…

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120183771#Comment_120183771

Arms were all they left him with, so they took those as well. 2 police murders via 'non-lethal' Tasers in a month, incredible place.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120189305#Comment_120189305

The cops had choices too you know.

You know how else you could figure out how to subdue a double amputee? Throw a blanket over him ffs. Get creative, he's not fleeing anywhere, it is a knife and he is running away from you.

Cops make the choice every single day to carry a lethal weapon.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120189307#Comment_120189307

The years Taser product placement took over north american policing were **** brutal.

There was another recent tasing killing and it was clear they had learned none of the takeways, just kept tazing this person again and again and again and again. That's like, oh I didn't subdue him with 1 tranq dart, let me try 12. The body can only take so much electrocution before cardiac arrest. They do not taze themselves this much in training.

The units since those years where deaths were prevalent have afaik had their voltages lowered and police (through billions of dollars in additional political funding mind you) were to have already been trained on the actual lethal potential of them.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120189330#Comment_120189330

if he hadn’t used the knife to injure another person, I’d agree.

however, he’d shown a propensity for deadly violence with the deadly weapon.

cops carry deadly weapons to protect themselves and the public…

he was an amputee yes, but the cops don’t need to risk their lives and wellbeing because of that..

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120189403#Comment_120189403

If he was charging at them, I might see that point of view.

The cops risked their lives for the attacker of Paul Pelosi.

Potential-Monke

When cops do different things, it really throws a spanner in the ACAB wheels doesn't it.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120189549#Comment_120189549

huh?

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120189355#Comment_120189355

Tasers are blatently used everywhere as a form of punishment. The repeated shocking isn't to subdue an already stunned person, it's to inflict severe pain.

The taser has two modes: the first, pulse mode, causes neuromuscular incapacitation as the neural signals that control muscles become uncoordinated, and muscles contract at random. The second mode, drive-stun, uses pain to get compliance.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/struck-taser-affects-human-body/story?id=55503687

The Taser has taken the place of a physical beating, but somehow what would be described as nothing less than torture in many other situations, US judges and officials in other countries find acceptable. Taser - OK - fists, kicking, not OK. There is absolutely no logic in differentiating the use of a Taser for punishment from a physical beating by a police person. The later is probably safer.

Police have killed over a thousand people using Tasers. A use-of-force expert says the weapon should be banned.

https://news.yahoo.com/police-killed-over-thousand-people-160800653.html