OT LA Officers Kill Hostage

Discussion in 'Blazers OT Forum' started by Chris Craig, Aug 1, 2018.

  1. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    Messages:
    58,687
    Likes Received:
    58,969
    Trophy Points:
    113
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/lapd-chief-officers-kill-hostages-1st-time-13-201845051.html

    For the second time in less than 2 months, Los Angeles Police officers have killed a hostage. The first was the Trader Joe incident, which is maybe explainable. This time not so much.

    A man with a knife took a woman hostage outside a church. After police arrived, holding her in front of him, he began cutting her throat, so they fire 20 shots through her in order to kill him. Did they even think about trying to save her?
     
  2. DaLincolnJones

    DaLincolnJones Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2011
    Messages:
    8,319
    Likes Received:
    1,885
    Trophy Points:
    113

    My webz stinks at the moment. Had trouble attempting to get the vid to play. Reading the story, he had stabbed his x girl friend already, they did make an effort to shoot him with bean bags. It does seem to make a case that they were trying to subdue the bad guy.

    Where the story goes off the rails is that the print story gives the impression that they fired only after the prep had cut her throat. Nowhere did I see that they "Shot through her to kill him" in the print story. Was that something that was in the video, of conjecture on your part?
     
  3. tlongII

    tlongII Legendary Poster

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2008
    Messages:
    17,114
    Likes Received:
    11,747
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Systems Analyst
    Location:
    Beaverton, Oregon
    They fired 20 rounds or which 3 hit the woman. It was a tragedy, but the officers were not at fault in my opinion. I think they just need to spend more time on the range.
     
  4. DaLincolnJones

    DaLincolnJones Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2011
    Messages:
    8,319
    Likes Received:
    1,885
    Trophy Points:
    113
    That is enlightening..3 of 20.

    More range time is always a good thing, I suppose. There are certain places that to qualify, one must be able to pull a trigger 60 times a minuet. In an adrenaline intense situation, even the best range shooters will miss entirely, so often the thinking is to shoot till the bad guy is down.
     
  5. barfo

    barfo triggered obsessive commie pinko boomer maniac Staff Member Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2008
    Messages:
    34,057
    Likes Received:
    24,946
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Blazer OT board
    So, hitting the wrong person 15% of the time is ok police work?

    barfo
     
    Chris Craig and Lanny like this.
  6. tlongII

    tlongII Legendary Poster

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2008
    Messages:
    17,114
    Likes Received:
    11,747
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Systems Analyst
    Location:
    Beaverton, Oregon
    No, that's why I said they need to spend more time on the range.
     
  7. oldmangrouch

    oldmangrouch persona non grata

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2008
    Messages:
    12,403
    Likes Received:
    6,325
    Trophy Points:
    113
    20 shots by how many different cops? Why not have *1* officer, hopefully your best available marksman, take the shot? Was this a breakdown in command?
     
    Chris Craig likes this.
  8. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    Messages:
    58,687
    Likes Received:
    58,969
    Trophy Points:
    113
    "A man held a knife to a woman's throat outside a church last month and witnesses said he began cutting her when officers shot at the pair nearly 20 times, killing them both, authorities say."

    They shot at her too. She was in front of him.

    "The police chief said Tuesday that he was concerned because the average number of rounds fired by officers during shootings had increased last year and the average number of officers involved in those shootings also increased."

    "Moore told reporters that hostages' lives are a priority and recruits are generally taught to use a "precise head shot." He said an investigation will look at whether the officers' actions align with hostage training"

    The officers panicked and opened fire shooting an unneccessary amount of rounds. The closest or best shooter should have been in place to take a head shot. A single shot.
     
  9. jonnyboy

    jonnyboy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    Messages:
    6,619
    Likes Received:
    5,254
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Wyoming
    If someone begins sawing into my throat I'm willing to take the chance of the police firing on him. It's a slim chance, but most people don't survive getting their heads lopped off either. Can't really blame the cops on this one, its just a terrible situation any way you look at it.
     
    Chris Craig and DaLincolnJones like this.
  10. DaLincolnJones

    DaLincolnJones Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2011
    Messages:
    8,319
    Likes Received:
    1,885
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Sure, I would concede that in the best case scenario, would to get a swat sniper out there to take the shot. Considering how quickly this situation developed, that was not practical. Seems that they responded to a knife attack against his X. They attempt to get the guy to guy to commands to no avail. Guy takes a hostage, cops try to bean bag him, that also fails..situation escalates as the guy starts cutting the hostages neck..I have to figure that thinking at that point is to remove any further threat. I am not defending the shooting of a hostage, rather stating that I can understand how it could happen. Where there were twenty shots fired and three rounds hit the hostage, that seems to invalidate your statement tat they deliberately shot the hostage to kill the bad guy.
     
    Chris Craig and jonnyboy like this.
  11. Natebishop3

    Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2008
    Messages:
    92,835
    Likes Received:
    55,492
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I'm pretty sure I saw this strategy in a movie. It's legit. The hostage and the cop give each other a nod and then you shoot the bad guy through the hostage's shoulder. If it can work in the movies, why can't it work here???
     
    Chris Craig, Lanny and SlyPokerDog like this.
  12. jonnyboy

    jonnyboy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    Messages:
    6,619
    Likes Received:
    5,254
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Wyoming
    I get where your coming from but shit just doesn't work out like that in an unplanned, fluid situation. Sounds good in theory but no amount of training wields a high success rate in making head shots on a moving target with a human shield. Pistols aren't the most accurate weapons. Think of the height of two people. His head was undoubtedly right next to hers. Do you take that risk? One misplaced head shot and the hostage is the one dead, which unfortunately ended up being the case anyway. There's just no sure fire way to eliminate a threat like that 100% of the time.
     
    Chris Craig and DaLincolnJones like this.
  13. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    Messages:
    122,982
    Likes Received:
    122,991
    Trophy Points:
    115
  14. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2008
    Messages:
    122,982
    Likes Received:
    122,991
    Trophy Points:
    115
  15. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    Messages:
    58,687
    Likes Received:
    58,969
    Trophy Points:
    113
    True
     
  16. DaLincolnJones

    DaLincolnJones Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2011
    Messages:
    8,319
    Likes Received:
    1,885
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I have to believe the Nate is kidding with the "I saw it in a movie" line...What was that in? One of the Mel Gibson movies?? Sure, those are realistic..
     
    Chris Craig likes this.
  17. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    Messages:
    58,687
    Likes Received:
    58,969
    Trophy Points:
    113
    And the hostage only gets a flesh wound
     
  18. DaLincolnJones

    DaLincolnJones Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2011
    Messages:
    8,319
    Likes Received:
    1,885
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Yeah..clean shot through the shoulder..In real life a 45 ACP or a 40 cal, like a lot of cops now carry, makes a pretty damn big mess.
     
    Chris Craig likes this.
  19. Chris Craig

    Chris Craig (Blazersland) I'm Your Huckleberry Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    Messages:
    58,687
    Likes Received:
    58,969
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I get the other side of the argument. My concern is that if there are a group of cops, amd one starts shooting, they all start shooting. Reaction rather than action.
     
  20. MarAzul

    MarAzul LongShip

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2008
    Messages:
    21,370
    Likes Received:
    7,281
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Life is good!
    Location:
    Near Bandon Oregon
    I don't see what the issue is about?
    If the dude "started" to cut the woman's throat, then shooting and hoping for the best was all the officers could do.
    Cut her throat would take but about .2 seconds, you are not going to check the records of the hands on deck to find the best marksman.
    Or even designate one. Shoot or do nothing was the choice these guys faced. I can't tell from the video, but perhaps they already knew the woman was all but dead anyway.
     
    DaLincolnJones likes this.

Share This Page