Houston officer kills double amputee in wheelchair

[Jenne]

http://news.yahoo.com/houston-officer-kills-double-amputee-wheelchair-222540280.html

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston police officer shot and killed a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair Saturday inside a group home after police say the double amputee threatened the officer and aggressively waved a metal object that turned out to be a pen.
Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said the man cornered the officer in his wheelchair and was making threats while trying to stab the officer with the pen. At the time, the officer did not know what the metal object was that the man was waving, Silva said.
She said the man came "within inches to a foot" of the officer and did not follow instructions to calm down and remain still.
"Fearing for his partner's safety and his own safety, he discharged his weapon," Silva told The Associated Press.
Police did not immediately release the name of the man who was killed. They had been called to the home after a caretaker there called and reported that the man in wheelchair was causing a disturbance.
The owner of the group home, John Garcia, told the Houston Chronicle that the man had a history of mental illness and had been living at the house about 18 months. Garcia said the man had told him that he lost a leg above the knee and all of one arm when he was hit by a train.
"He sometimes would go off a bit, but you just ignore it," Garcia told the newspaper.
Silva identified the officer as Matthew Jacob Marin, a five-year veteran of the department. He was immediately placed on three-day administrative leave, which is standard in all shootings involving officers.
Houston police records indicate that Marin also fatally shot a suspect in 2009. Investigators at the time said Marin came upon a man stabbing his neighbor to death at an apartment complex and opened fired when the suspect refused to drop the knife.
On Saturday, Marin and his partner arrived at the group home around 2:30 a.m. Silva said there were several people at the house at the time. The caretaker who called police waited on the porch while the officers went inside, she said.
"It was close quarters in the area of the house," Silva said. "The officer was forced into an area where he had no way to get out."

tl;dr - One armed, one legged man threatens officer with a pen so the officer's partner shoots him.

[Arsenal 10]

This is why guns are bad.

[Thunder Strike]

Why didn't he just taser him instead?

[fAILiurestrategist]

Why didn't he just taser him instead?

Maybe his wheelchair was metal

[Arsenal 10]

Why didn't he just taser him instead?

Why would you carry a taser when you have a gun?

[Fake from State Jarm]

this is of course excessive, but

it's fucking stupid to corner a police officer and attack him. and crazy people will always be causing tragic situations.

just from that article you can see the guy had a previous experience of having to shoot someone to prevent a stabbing death. maybe it was like a flashback for him, in which case, he probably wasn't fit for duty.

[Thunder Strike]

Its fucking stupid for a police officer to be able to get cornered by a guy in a wheelchair.

[Arsenal 10]

this is of course excessive, but

it's fucking stupid to corner a police officer and attack him. and crazy people will always be causing tragic situations.

just from that article you can see the guy had a previous experience of having to shoot someone to prevent a stabbing death. maybe it was like a flashback for him, in which case, he probably wasn't fit for duty.

From what I read, the police officer did not prevent a stabbing or death the last time he shot someone, he simply killed the murderer. Don't know the details though, so I shouldn't be too skeptical. But does seem like there is evidence to suggest this guy is trigger happy.

Also, mentally challenged people don't cause tragic situations. Their carers should be aware of the situation and be able to take appropriate actions. When you know a dude in a wheel chair is going through something, you don't go into a small room and get cornered. That's fucking retarded. The mentally challenged dude in a wheelchair didn't cause this (his actions should of been expected and accounted for), the retarded police officer(s) did.

Another thing, to say that the dude in the wheelchair "attacked" the police officer seems silly. He was waving a pen for goodness sake. If you are cornered by the man, you would think you could see the difference between a pen and a knife. If you can't, he probably isn't close enough to be deemed to have cornered you. Doesn't sound like he "attacked" the police to me. But hey, this is just me being skeptical again.

Anyway, even if the guy in the wheelchair did attack the police, as if two police officers could not physically restrain a double amputee with a pen/knife. Seriously? I think that this is why guns are dumb, it gives people the power to do stupid shit. If the police did not have a gun, worst thing that would have happened is that he got tasered or maybe a dislocated shoulder. As it is, he got a oxet.

It seems obvious to me that someone like this may not follow instructions, which is not the wisest thing to do. But why did the police think they were there? The dude was clearly enraged. Do you expect someone like that to follow your instructions and act in a nice way. Be prepared, man.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I didn't think that this is exactly what you were saying, llama (even though I quoted you). I was just venting some more.

[Kenneth Kenstar]

This is why guns are bad.

No, let's get real.

That pen killed him.

[Fake from State Jarm]

EDIT: Just to be clear, I didn't think that this is exactly what you were saying, llama (even though I quoted you). I was just venting some more.

well you could be right, it could be all on the officers. I think the article said he had mental illness, and I stand by the statement that there will always be tragic situations involving them.

[Croix]

This is why guns are bad.

No, let's get real.

That pen killed him.

I mostly use pencils now.

[Fake from State Jarm]

KENNY THIS IS A SERIOUS THREAD YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE

[Arsenal 10]

This is why guns are bad.

No, let's get real.

That pen killed him.

The pen is mightier than the sword gun.

[Buck Turgidson]

Seems like they put that retarded cripple out of his misery.