Minnesota officer meant to draw Taser, not handgun

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — The police chief in a Minneapolis suburb where a Black man was fatally shot during a traffic stop said Monday that he believes the officer who fired intended to use a Taser, not a handgun.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting as “an accidental discharge.” The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was investigating.

Daunte Wright, 20, died Sunday in a metropolitan area that was already on edge because of the trial of the first of four police officers charged in George Floyd’s death.

Gannon said at a news conference that the officer made a mistake, and he released body camera footage from the officer who fired. The footage showed three officers around a stopped car. When another officer attempts to handcuff Wright, a struggle ensues. The officer is heard shouting “Taser!” several times before firing her weapon.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/minnesota-police-shoot-kill-man-014849404.html

So during that several times he shouted he didn't pay attention to what was in his hand? One usually looks through the sights before they fire.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. She.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. Article didn't say the gender of the cop

My point stands however.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Fair. And your point does stand.

[Grokenstein]

2. Because a Taser and a pistol weigh exactly the same, don'tchano...

And they're both bright yellow! Easy mistake! Nothing to see here!

[CrackityJones75]

48. And she had to disable the safety exactly the dame too.

This is such bullshit.

[EX500rider]

63. Most likely a Glock which has no external safety.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. Propaganda.

[LakeArenal]

4. Well officers are not allowed "mistakes" like that.

It’s called negligent homicide.

[Hoyt]

5. After looking at video, honestly think she did confuse the two. But that ain't going to make it OK.

How could she -- or anyone -- make that mistake, not sure the confusion around the situation is enough reason.

Did a squad of police need to stop a guy for an expired tag?

[Sancho]

8. This...why is an expired tag worth a heavy handed arrest?

That seems typical to me though. There is escalation with minority "suspects" which leads to confrontation.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

15. Apparently he had an outstanding warrant

Which is why he was being arrested. I haven't read what the warrant was for though.

[MiniMe]

17. I don't think they knew that until after the fact

I could be wrong, but that certainly wasn't why they pulled him over.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

19. I've read 2 stories on why he was pulled over

The first one said it was due to an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. Apparently that's illegal in Minnesota. The second was he had expired plates. I would guess once they ran his ID that the warrant popped up, which is why he was being arrested.

[MiniMe]

21. I think that is it

Pulled him over for expired plates, then they found out about the warrent.

[Sympthsical]

23. They mention the warrant in the video

It's told to him as the reason for his arrest.

The video's pretty short.

We have not been told what the warrant is for.

[Ms. Toad]

61. gun possession without a permit & fleeing n/t

[womanofthehills]

64. I read that the warrant was because he was supposed to be making payments for tickets

For a marijuana violation.

[CrackityJones75]

52. We do not need regular police taking in people with a warrant.

This is what defund the police was supposed to be all about.

There should be no such thing as a GI universal police officer.

Traffic cops shouldn’t be trying to be every kind of on the scene specialist. This is why they can’t do their jobs because many times they are not qualified to do their jobs!

[Sympthsical]

24. I sadly agree

She's repeatedly says "taser" (I think to get the other officers to step back) and seems genuinely shocked and distressed when the firearm goes off.

Doesn't mean there shouldn't be consequences, though. Oscar Grant's killer was tried and convicted for the same thing.

[uponit7771]

31. +1, this is how I felt up north KC; 2123 cops pulled for a damn unseen temp tag. It was the usual fo

... for me this was happening and don't know why there are always 123432 patrol cars when I got stopped for having a nice looking car.

[NutmegYankee]

33. I agree.

In the chaos she may have reverted to muscle memory and pulled her pistol without realizing it. Humans make mistakes like that when we try to do too much or take in too much info. It's been the cause of several airplane crashes.

[2naSalit]

7. Where have we heard this "explanation" before?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. Fruitvale Station.

[stillcool]

13. thanks for that...should have known it was

a workable defense for killer cops.

[Sympthsical]

47. Cop served 11 months on that one

He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and, I believe, a weapons charge. A judge threw out the weapons conviction.

It's a huge deal here.

The Alameda County DA wants to re-investigate with a thought towards filing new or additional charges against the officer, but that will probably run into double jeopardy problems.

[Bristlecone]

59. Exactly.

That was the first thing that came to mind.

[vlyons]

11. an accidental discharge is complete BS coverup

The officer is supposed to be trained to stay calm and know the difference between a taser and a gun.

[NutmegYankee]

39. In chaotic events, the brain sometimes "load sheds" and you won't realize you have the wrong thing

in your hand. This issue has caused several plane crashes where pilots reverted to muscle memory and pulled the wrong engine lever despite clear information that the other engine was the issue. Turned out the lever pulled back was the one used in simulations.

[Moostache]

12. Let me paint a different picture...

A few years ago, I - as a white male - was pulled over for speeding. The officer pulled me over on a very busy freeway and took my license and registration to his car. No back up unit was called in. No second officer was approaching the car from the opposite direction. Just one cop, one perp (me) and a document exchange.

Turned out that I actually had a warrant sworn out for my arrest for an unpaid traffic ticket (expired state tags) from 3 years earlier...I legitimately had no idea that there was a warrant out for me and was quite surprised.

So how did this exchange end?

1) Back-up was called in, lights and sirens were turned on and I was hauled from the vehicle and slammed to the pavement as a display to passing traffic that the police are in charge and not to be challenged?

2) I was arrested by the stopping officer and made to appear in court to answer to the derelict charges from 3 years prior?

3) I was let go with a warning to "take care of that ticket" and went on my merry way?

If you are an American male - white or black - you already KNOW the answer by my self-identified racial category of "white male".

I walked away from a traffic stop for speeding without so much as a citation for the actual offense because I was white and the officer was white and he did not feel like drowning in paperwork all afternoon on account of my "dumb ass".

If I were black, that scenario plays out diametrically differently.
THAT is the root of the problem.
Officers that cannot tell a pistol from a taser is simply another element of the problem to add on.

[Solomon]

16. Thank you for telling that.

[Sancho]

28. I agree with this!

...I was stopped once when my inspection sticker was expired. It turned out that someone with the same name showed up as a warrant (back then, it was just a radio call and not all the computers in the car).

The officer asked me a few questions, and gave me a phone number to call and straighten it out.

If you are black - it's guns and concrete!

[hlthe2b]

14. That headline should state "claimed"...

Why has that news piece DECIDED it as fact?

[Zeitghost]

25. The video is out there.

The whole thing is on video, it's pretty clear she thought she tasered him. That doesn't excuse it by any means or make the tragic loss of another life okay, but it appears to be unintentional.

[hlthe2b]

29. That is ridiculous. No video is going to show "intent."

Was it an accidental "confusion" (which, alone is damned hard to imagine, but still possible) or INTENTIONAL?

Sounds a bit like the Texas female cop who confused a man in his own locked apartment with his own furniture a floor or two above her own for a prowler: (who is in prison, now, btw)
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/01/765788338/ex-dallas-officer-who-killed-neighbor-in-upstairs-apartment-found-guilty-of-murd

[uponit7771]

34. +1,

[Zeitghost]

44. The officers words

The officers words and reaction are on video. She called out taser, taser and then was visibly and audibly shocked when it turned out she had used her firearm. That indicates to me that it was not an intentional act.

This in no way means there was not a crime committed, I just don't believe there is any evidence that she simply decided to execute this poor guy. It was a tragic incident that could have and should have never happened.

[sammythecat]

62. Are you suggesting this was an intentional murder?!

Really? She purposefully was willing to ruin her life and career just so she could kill a black man? Her life and career are indeed ruined but to suggest this was intentional is just plain fucked up.

[hlthe2b]

68. I am saying no video can show intent, including fear as motivation.

That is why these incidents are INVESTIGATED--including the officer's past record of behavior, reactions, and OVERreactions. Not left to video alone.

So you tell me! What would YOU say IF as a hypothetical it were to come out in weeks to come that this officer had done this before, sans actually shooting the weapon and had been verbally warned without the incident documented? Perhaps had other incidents where they had overreacted by drawing their weapon and brandishing it on innocent bystanders. Perhaps a history of such verbal warnings had including a requirement for both additional training and/or psychological counseling in the past that had gone unheeded or specific issues with POC or certain settings as a trigger for previous incidents?

No, an accident may be all or part of the explanation, but to assume that is the entire explanation--sans investigation which is protocol throughout the country is not what I am willing to accept from a single piece of video. Nor should anyone. Especially given the police chief so rapidly made his conclusion with no discussion as to further investigation, no questions allowed.

It is that so many of these incidents have been tied up in a "prettified" package immediately and dropped that I am unwilling to make such assumptions. Perhaps it is because the officer is female that you believe that should be the case here. Well, I am female and I make no such assumptions. When even the state's governor has asked for more answers, why are you so willing to ... take it all at face value?

[Caliman73]

57. She yelled, "I am going to taze you!!"

She then yelled "TAZER TAZER TAZER" that was for the other officers to clear the area to avoid collateral damage.

I don't think that it was murder, but I also don't think it was "accidental" it was negligent.

When driving, if a car clips your vehicle causing you to hit another vehicle, that is accidental. If you are day dreaming, or texting and you clip a car, that is negligent. Neither are intentional but there is a difference. Her actions were negligent and there was no need for the situation to become that escalated.

[uponit7771]

32. +1, ... She's white, a cop and given the benefit of the doubt

[Solomon]

45. Yep. Clear example of white privilege. Look how many people immediately seize upon the excuse.

Given out by the police chief! Why do they always do that? "She had a bad day" Nothing to see here. Move along.

So now all they have to do is say taser, taser, taser, then shoot, and get a paid vacation while the citizens have to cough up the money for the lawsuit.

[uponit7771]

49. +1, ... cough up a shit ton of money and are put on curfew

[tritsofme]

51. What excuse? The chief explained what happened.

The video makes clear that this shooting was the result of negligence, not an intentional killing.

[Solomon]

53. Lol. "The video makes clear".

Right. Especially when it's narrated by the police.

[tritsofme]

54. So you think she just decided to turn on her body cam and go shoot a guy?

[Solomon]

67. I'm saying it hasn't even been investigated yet but people are buying the first story out.

Easy peasy. Why do cops aways draw their guns on black people? Because they mean to draw their guns.

[hauweg]

18. Call it what it is

Leaving the headlights on over night in the car results in an "accidential discharge". Call it what it is: killing

[Progressive Jones]

20. Bull Fucking Shit! Another cop cover-up. nt

[uponit7771]

35. Right ?! Why is she even given the benefit of the doubt !?!?

[ecstatic]

22. Sorry. Not buying it

Cops haven't done anything to gain the benefit of the doubt from me, so I will continue to assume the worst each time.

My take? She's in a police gang and was tasked with killing someone (black) as part of initiation / ritual. Admittedly, she went about it in a smarter way than her fellow thugs. Now she gets to play victim and there'll be no charges or trials. Free to go about her business while MN burns. JMO.

[Raven]

26. You're kidding, right?

[BannonsLiver]

27. Yeah, that was my reaction as well.

[ecstatic]

41. It must be nice to not have to worry about criminal cops

YES, there are police gangs! Many of them have ties to white supremacist groups. Their crimes and activity are well documented, but unfortunately, not addressed because so many Americans refuse to wake up and call them out.

White supremacist groups have infiltrated US law enforcement agencies in every region of the country over the last two decades, according to a new report about the ties between police and far-right vigilante groups.

In a timely new analysis, Michael German, a former FBI special agent who has written extensively on the ways that US law enforcement have failed to respond to far-right domestic terror threats, concludes that US law enforcement officials have been tied to racist militant activities in more than a dozen states since 2000, and hundreds of police officers have been caught posting racist and bigoted social media content.

The report notes that over the years, police links to militias and white supremacist groups have been uncovered in states including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/27/white-supremacists-militias-infiltrate-us-police-report

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County has paid out roughly $55 million in settlements in cases in which sheriff’s deputies were alleged to belong to a secret society, records obtained by the Los Angeles Times show, illuminating the entrenched nature of a subculture that has plagued the Sheriff’s Department for years.

The figure comes from a list that includes payouts in dozens of lawsuits and claims involving deputies associated with tattooed groups accused of glorifying an aggressive style of policing. The report, prepared by L.A. County attorneys, lists nearly 60 cases, some of them still pending, and names eight specific cliques.

The county has paid out nearly $21 million in cases that began in the last 10 years alone, according to the document cited by The Times.

The high cost underscores how these deputy groups — with monikers such as the Vikings, Regulators, 3000 Boys and the Banditos — have operated out of several sheriff’s department stations and jails for decades, exhibiting what critics have long alleged are the violent, intimidating tactics similar in some ways to criminal street gangs, The Times reported. The cases involve incidents that date to 1990.

https://www.dailynews.com/2020/08/05/gangs-of-sheriffs-deputies-cost-la-county-55-million/

[BannonsLiver]

43. So beyond the cut and paste job

What evidence is there that, as you said, this was part of an initiation into a cop gang?

[ecstatic]

58. My circumstantial evidence. Let's start with the ridiculous acting job as she unloaded her gun

into an unarmed driver less than 10 miles away from where chauvin's trial is taking place. Who benefits from creating more unrest in the city right before the jury decides chauvin's fate?

We're supposed to believe she couldn't distinguish between a taser and a gun, which is stored on a different side and 3x heavier? Shouting "taser" while doing it doesn't make it OK.

The court of ecstatic rules: GUILTY!!! And if she's concerned about "due process," then maybe she should have given Daunte Wright the same consideration before she unleashed deadly force on him for no reason. Tasers kill people too!

[uponit7771]

38. I see some people still give bad PDs the benefit of the doubt, this shit is sad

[BannonsLiver]

40. So are deranged comments about police cults and initiations

It couldn’t be that they’re just shitty cops ill suited for their jobs in what is already a profession rife with systemic racism. It has to be some weird nutty shit on top of all that for some reason.

[uponit7771]

50. White supremacist are not a cult?! You're kidding right?! FBI Report?! tia

[ecstatic]

42. +1000. SMH. nt

[uponit7771]

36. AMEN AND AMEN!!! Last summer was it for me, they act a damn fool WAY too damn much for me

[DFW]

30. In other news, Mohammed al-Atta REALLY intended to fly his plane into Fire Island on 9/11

He was horrified at the last second when he saw that he was going hit the World Trade Center instead.

[uponit7771]

37. lol

[DFW]

55. It defies belief

Why couldn't she just draw a banana, like incompetent cops do in the cartoon films? A LOT less people get killed that way.

[Silent3]

56. I have handled neither a gun nor a taser, however...

...I have a very hard time imagining that the feel of those two things in your hand isn't very, very different, that the metal trigger of a gun doesn't feel very different from the plastic trigger of a taser.

"I was really sleepy this morning, and accidentally tried to comb my hair with the toilet plunger."

[fishwax]

60. she was a 26-year veteran

She'd been on the police force longer than her victim had been alive. But she couldn't tell her taser from her handgun?

[Cha]

65. Negligent Homicide.. is that right?!

[RANDYWILDMAN]

66. She might need some retraining after prison

Yeah does seem like a like kinda a big mistake.

White police officer guns down black man ? Shocked