A video from the GracieBreakdown channel I like for once. Agree with their perspective on Officer Hubbard's choices. WARNING - GRAPHIC VIDEO FOOTAGE [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3nhh3HEDkg"]Off-duty Police Officer Fatally Shoots Firefighter During Brawl (Viewer Discretion Advised) - YouTube[/ame] Here is an article on the story: http://www.policeone.com/off-duty/a...lly-shoots-newlywed-firefighter-during-brawl/
It was a good breakdown With regards to the video of the actual incident, scarcely has my contempt for bystanders been that high. "Oh that looks excessive" - yeah, you just stand there and comment rather than step in and assist you moron.
Hannibal...what's the LEO's stance on bystanders stepping in and assisting? Would they welcome it or want you to stay back even if it goes bad? Stay back to a point but help if it goes nasty?
It's sickening. Even if they didn't want to get physically involved, how they could just stand there and film it rather than phone the emergency services is completely beyond me.
It depends on the Dept - there is an absolute prohibition against it in nearly all Canadian Services...in fact holding a second job is a lengthy process. In the US the rules are different, and many Depts actually mandate OD carry
If I am struggling I would ask - hasn't happened yet but you never know Generally speaking I would require someone stay back a bit and say "Can I help Officer?" or somesuch Just steaming in may be warranted, but you run the risk of being mistaken for an assist to the detained party by the officer.
Yeah that's what I thought. In some ways I'd feel that stepping in to assist a cop would be like me stepping in to help an electrician. I'd feel poorly qualified and likely to do the wrong thing and get someone hurt by accident.
In this specific example had they done so instead of filming and being judgmental asshats then there would be one more person alive today
Yes, I hope they realise that had they acted differently, instead of thinking they were being clever and "catching-out a bad cop", they could have saved a man's life.
My thoughts too. These days it seems a lot of bystanders whipping out their cameraphones are liberal types wanting to be the next Edward Snowden or Julian Assange (probably vegetarians).
Nowt wrong with being liberal or vegetarian. To be honest...I wouldn't have filmed the incident but probably wouldn't have assisted either. It turned nasty very quickly and up until that point looked like a fairly standard arrest where the crim is a bit drunk and belligerent. Not compliant but not overly aggressive either. So I don't blame them for not helping and it's not their fault the guy died. The fault lies squarely with the guy that was shot.
I have to be honest, I wouldn't of intervened then either. When the guy swept the cop I would have but before that? Nope. I'm not going to intervene against an officer when all I would expect out of it is an ass whooping myself, or at least an assaulting a police officer charge that I doubt I'd get any support against. Filming it seemed like the best choice to me and is what I would have done. edit: And that's by UK standards. I have a much lower opinion of US police and would certainly expect a closed ranks prosecution for intervening and feel lucky not to get hit for it.
It is the holier than thou statements made by those idiots that quite clearly set their context and mindset If I am OD locally i will always help if I see someone struggling. If I am OD internationally i will offer assistance as decribed above. It is entirely likely my role colors my response, although I was always the "step in and help" type even before I was sworn in
I feel this is a bit unfair. I completely understand why they didn't get involved (even if sounding a bit less...youtubey...would of been nice) and they had no way of knowing someone was about to get shot. Course that does depend when you thought they sohuld intervene. They were filming instead of intervening during the police being over aggressive, in which case I stand by my previous post that that's completely understandable, and if you meant after the guy fought back then I agree, but at the same time I'm not surprised they didn't. I have never seen anyone intervene in a fight on behalf of a stranger unless its their job. I certainly understand why a guy out with his partner (and his voice doesn't sound like a 200 pound mma fighter) didn't rush to jump between an already proven to be violent cop and a big dude who's punching said cop.
