Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Wisconsin Rapids Police Shoot Man With Knife

JS onlune reports on the latest police shooting.

A police officer in Wisconsin Rapids shot a suspect after the person lunged at officers with a knife Sunday, the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune reports this morning.

The suspect, who was walking on a Rapids street with two other people, had threatened one person with a knife, refused an officer's demand that he drop the weapon and lunged at the officers before being shot.

Police released no information about the suspect other than he is a male and was flown to Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield for treatment.

Something about the story just doesn't sound quite right. Lunging at the police with a knife sounds like he was already too close to them. The other report said "moved aggressively towards police." However it really happened, I question if shooting is the right way to go in a situation like this. Although I realize one can be killed with a knife, I find it hard to believe that lethal threat actually existed.

What really happens in cases like this and in many so-called DGUs, is the armed person in authority, the policeman, the homeowner, whoever, is responding to excessive fear or excessive anger. Afterwards, they cover it up by calling it lethal threat.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

5 comments:

  1. [This guy shows](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWRM-UPzhGY) how quickly one can inflict a fatal wound with a knife from 21 feet away.

    Assuming instant and perfect incapicatation, the gun [isn't much of an advantage](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill).

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  2. The question should not be whether or not a man with a knife is a lethal threat--there is no doubt in anyone's mind that it is. The questions should be, did the man threaten anyone with the knife? Did he indeed lunge at the policeman? We have only the accounts related in this story to tell us.

    If it happened just like the article said it did then, yes, this was justifiable. Sharpened pieces of metal have still killed more people throughout history than lead slung out of a metal tube has.

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  3. FWM, exaggerating again, said, "The question should not be whether or not a man with a knife is a lethal threat--there is no doubt in anyone's mind that it is."

    Wrong, there's no doubt in anyone's mind that it CAN BE. Big difference.

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  4. You're right that there is a big difference.

    A man with a knife CAN BE a lethal threat.

    A man with his knife out, moving towards you IS a lethal threat.

    A man with his knife out, moving aggressively towards you while inside the "21 ft rule" IS an IMMINENT lethal threat.

    As to this:
    "...is the armed person in authority, the policeman, the homeowner, whoever, is responding to excessive fear..."

    Of course they are. They are in fear of being stabbed or slashed or killed. That's one of the requirements of a legitimate shoot. You must fear for your life or be in fear of great bodily harm.

    Ability, Opportunity, Jeopardy.

    The man in the story was armed, close and had threatened. That meets all three requirements.

    A good DGU, unless facts show otherwise. At this point, there is little to no reason to doubt the facts.

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