The Policeman Fell

[kristopher]

It's possible the Tamir Rice shooting was an accident.

At 7:12 to 7:15
The shooting officer disappears the instant after Tamir goes down. He can be seen picking himself up from the ground as he emerges from behind the car at the trunk.

One possibility is that he exited the vehicle with weapon in hand, pointed it at Rice, slipped and in trying to keep his balance, pulled the trigger. The way he leans on the car for support makes me think he is in a state of shock.

I'm not trying to excuse the shooting, because even if it was an accident it almost certainly could have been prevented if the overall tone of police response were not so aggressive.

BTW, there is a news feed from http://www.killedbypolice.net/ that reports on every officer involved death on a daily basis. They are building a database from news reports.
Please subscribe and spread the word about it so that understanding of the scope of this problem becomes common knowledge Too many think it is far less frequent than it is.

[blkmusclmachine]

1. http://www.killedbypolice.net/

http://www.killedbypolice.net/

[blackspade]

2. I might buy this argument if it wasn't for....

the abuse that was inflicted on Rice's mother and sister after the shooting.
If it was a tragic accident, I would have expected completely different behavior.
Even if your supposition is true, the officer is negligent.
In fact the whole interaction with Rice is negligent.

[kristopher]

3. I agree about negligence...

I don't think the behavior after the fact is an indicator of whether it was a willful shooting or an accident. In fact, the accidental shooting scenario would probably cost the police department far more than a 'justified' shooting of someone with a BB gun. And I think the department's reactions are determined at least as much by financial liability as they are by the shooter's legal jeopardy.

[blackspade]

6. I do notice that the title of the clip is called the 'full' video...

which is horridly misleading.
While it shows 5+ minutes of this child fucking around with a BB gun in an effort to portray him as a 'danger' to the public, it conveniently stops before the interaction with his sister occurs.
This is spin, an effort to justify the shooting by creating a narrative that Rice was a potential threat to the cops before they even arrived.
The kid was just sitting at the bench when these murdering assholes came barreling across the park straight at him.
I would have jumped up too, and likely would have been shot by these two pricks also.

[kristopher]

7. We are all in danger from the trend in the way law enforcement now thinks and acts.

Anyone here could be shot the next time they get a traffic ticket. It's nuts.

Spread the link above, please.

Here is their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KilledByPolice

[Spitfire of ATJ]

9. You're not in danger if you're white.

[kristopher]

10. That isn't true.

Subscribe to the newsfeed at killedbypolice's Facebook page and get back to me in a couple of months.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. Well,...if you're rich....

AND white.

[Dustlawyer]

4. He shot before he fell. He is still upright when Tamir bends over.

[kristopher]

5. Yes, I know.

As said in the OP, the possibility exists that he slipped and was trying to regain balance - an effort that resulted in an involuntary discharge. There is often considerable reaction involved in attempting to avoid a fall, even if the fall isn't prevented.

[cpwm17]

8. It looks like the cop shot the kid first and then as the cop moved to the right

the cop slipped. I presume the cop was moving sideways to avoid being shot in return. It was deliberate.

[kristopher]

11. I don't believe the timing can be determined accurately enough ...

... to reach that conclusion.

As things stand now, the family has less recourse than if this was accidental.