Video shows unarmed black man before he is shot dead by Texas deputy

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Cellphone video of sheriff’s deputy fatally shooting Danny Ray Thomas shows the man wandering in a Houston street with his trousers around his ankles before officer confronts him

Associated Press
Sun 25 Mar 2018 16.45 EDT

Cellphone video of a sheriff’s deputy fatally shooting an unarmed black man shows the man wandering in a Houston street with his trousers around his ankles and continuing to approach the deputy as the officer tells him to stop.

The video, obtained by the Houston Chronicle from a civilian witness, does not show the actual shooting because a car passes in front of the cellphone camera as the Harris county deputy fires a single shot.

A spokesman for the sheriff’s office says the man had an object in his hand, but no weapon was recovered at the scene.

Family members identified the man as 34-year-old Danny Ray Thomas, and said he had been devastated after two of his children were killed in 2016. The children’s mother is accused of drowning them in a bathtub.



Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/25/video-shows-unarmed-black-man-before-he-is-shot-dead-by-texas-deputy

[dalton99a]

1. Video is at:

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/WATCH-Video-shows-unarmed-man-with-pants-down-12778068.php

[cstanleytech]

2. Thats a tough one.

On one hand given so many cases of police using deadly force to often I want to say it was unjustified but on the other hand the video appears to show him approaching the officer while the officer had his gun out and thats just stupid of him.

[caraher]

3. What ever happened to nonlethal force?

The person shooting the video expected taser use, which may have been appropriate. That was how they sold us the taser - an alternative to the gun. But it doesn't seem like that has happened (admittedly good statistics on police shootings are hard to get; but that in itself indicates a desire for us not to know). Instead it seems like tasers are used to abuse people police find insufficiently respectful, while they still use guns just as they always have.

[cstanleytech]

4. Not all officers have tasers not to mention they have some issues from sometimes not

being effective to even killing a suspect either from the shock causing a heart attack to the person that is being tasered striking their head when they go down.

[caraher]

5. so in other words

Tasers are useless for their originally stated purpose.

I'm mainly pointing out the fact that tasers have largely been foisted on us on false pretenses.

[cstanleytech]

6. I would not say useless rather I think people need to be aware that they

are not foolproof.