California police fatally shoot double amputee, raising the question: Was lethal force justified?

[AZLD4Candidate]

Source: Yahoo via AOL

A Los Angeles County police department is facing intense criticism this week after a video surfaced on social media of two officers fatally shooting a double amputee moving away from them.

The short video showed the 36-year-old Black man, Anthony Lowe Jr., missing the bottom halves of both legs, holding a knife but leaving his wheelchair and shuffling away from the officers.

Jeffrey Fagan, a Columbia University law professor who is an expert on policing, told Yahoo News in an email that the details of the case call into question whether the use of lethal force was warranted.

“It's hard to imagine that the police couldn’t disarm a man in a wheelchair with either a Taser or some other less lethal force,” Fagan said. “Police often observe a ‘20-foot rule’ as the zone around a suspect when they are free from danger, and that they are in danger within that zone. ... I think most reasonable people would have thought the police had overstated the threat and were using an unreasonable level of force.”

Read more: https://www.aol.com/news/california-police-fatally-shoot-double-233840772.html

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I was in Tucson when a TPD officer emptied his clip into the back of a wheelchair bound man on Valencia Road.

Another day, another police officer killing people.

Man was black and "holding a knife."

The short video showed the 36-year-old Black man, Anthony Lowe Jr., missing the bottom halves of both legs, holding a knife but leaving his wheelchair and shuffling away from the officers.

Missing two legs. Cops are trigger happy cowards.

[RockRaven]

1. Reminds me of a Bay Area cop shooting from a few years ago, where there was a guy

in a wheelchair with a knife, and after a brief standoff with cops well outside of his reach the guy threw the [only] knife at a cop (thereby disarming himself -- but also behaving violently which opened the door to whatever the fuck the cops want to do to punish him apparently), who proceeded to shoot the now unarmed wheelchair-bound man because... reasons.

[NullTuples]

4. This one?

"On shooting a man in a wheelchair 9 times in the back: A tale of 2 justice systems"

https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/022722_remington_richards_feinman_op/on-shooting-man-wheelchair-9-times-back-tale-2-justice-systems/

"On November 29, 2021, a Walmart employee contacts off-duty Tucson Police Department Officer Ryan Remington, who was working as a security guard at that store, about a man in a wheelchair allegedly stealing a toolbox. The employee and Officer Remington follow 61-year-old Richard Lee Richards outside and ask to see a receipt. Mr. Richards allegedly brandishes a knife and says, "Here's your receipt," and "If you want me to put down the knife, you're going to have to shoot me."

A second officer arrives on the scene and Mr. Richards begins to enter a Lowes store across the street. Body-worn camera footage shows the two officers chasing after Richards and telling him to stop. Richards never turns his wheelchair around and never threatens either officer with a knife - or anything else. Just before Richards enters the Lowes, Officer Remington fires nine bullets into his back, killing him."

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. That's the one that happened on Valencia Road in Tucson near I-19.

I walked into the Walmart and asked them if their security is going to shoot me. I got a nasty look.

[C0RI0LANUS]

2. Imagine if Anthony Lowe Jr or the rapper Lazy Dub were confronted by British Constables?

https://policestateusa.com/

[Zilli]

9. Unarmed US cops would not last 5 minutes in the UK they would be terrified.

US cops do not, in my view, display the ability to de-escalate and UK constables walk into brawling crowds of Sat night drunks and often successfully clear and manage the disorderly crowd without shooting anyone or threatening any lives. We live in a dangerous country and if you are not white it is more dangerous.

[C0RI0LANUS]

10. Sad, but true Zilli. DWB or WWB has terrible consequences.

And here's a list of 18 countries where the police are unarmed (incl. the USVI):

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-where-police-do-not-carry-guns.html

Did you see how fully kitted out the Burbank police officer that stopped the rapper was? American police officers look they are ready for Kandahar instead of California. And we tax-payers are funding these so-called guardians of our civil rights.

[NullTuples]

3. "...his legs were amputated "after an altercation with law enforcement in Texas"

"...and that the family also has questions about that incident.”

(from the link in the OP)

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Had they no awareness this wasn't a necessity, or how it would appear to the public? Optics!

[Evolve Dammit]

7. Another disgusting, unnecessary death at hands of "law enforcement."

[Javaman]

8. Shoot many many many times then MAYBE ask questions later. nt

[C0RI0LANUS]

11. I was physically sickened watching that poor crippled man hobble away from the police.

These police officers were "in fear for their lives?" Anthony Lowe Jr was in mortal danger for his life-- he knew he was going to be killed-- hence his piteous attempt to escape on his stumps.

By testimony, the USCP Officers under attack at the Capitol on Jan6 were in fear for their lives.

By media reporting, some of the USSS agents protecting VP Pence on Jan6 divulged they were in fear for their lives.

And these assassins were afraid for their lives? They should be Court-Martialed.

Without fear, there is no courage.

[Bayard]

12. Another case of, "Stop. (bang) Or we'll shoot!"

This video is enraging, and oh, so sad.....

[republianmushroom]

13. and we decry gun violence. strange

[Lunabell]

14. Good god!

He was moving away! WTF!

[Samrob]

15. A double amputee fleeing, wielding a knife and they were afraid of him...all three or four? WTF?