St. Louis teen "was wearing an ankle bracelet at the time he died

[pintobean]

a court-ordered monitoring system as a condition of bail in a gun case, according to his lawyer and police."

Court records show that Myers was scheduled to stand trial in November for unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. This summer, Myers was a passenger in a car involved in a high-speed car chase in St. Louis, officials say. The car crashed just after midnight on June 27 in the 1100 block of South Grand Boulevard. Myers got out of the car, and a police officer yelled at him to stop. Instead, Myers ran off and tossed a gun into a sewage drain. Police caught him nearby and recovered the gun, a loaded .380-caliber pistol.

Myers was jailed for a few days. Then, in early July, Myers was released on bail after posting $1,000 cash bond. His bail originally was set at $30,000 by Judge Rex Burlison but was dropped to $10,000 after Judge Theresa Counts Burke agreed with a defense motion that it was excessive. Burke allowed Myers to post 10 percent of that in cash. A second judge upheld that bond amount later.

On July 8, as a condition of bail, Myers was activated on electronic monitoring for house arrest, court records say. He could leave his home in the 4200 block of Castleman Avenue for work, school, court appearances, meetings with attorneys and meetings with the private monitoring firm.

That firm, Eastern Missouri Alternative Sentencing Services, Inc., was supposed to monitor Myers' movements and contact the court if he violated the rules. Nothing in the court file indicates any violations. Susan Ryan, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis circuit attorney's office, said prosecutors weren't told of any violations.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/off-duty-st-louis-officer-fatally-shoots-teen-who-fired/article_2d5a8c2a-97db-5cec-a477-1130d7d26f7e.html

[linuxman]

1. I heard it was actually a sandwich he tossed into the drain

[AZ Mike]

3. The incident in the OP is a prior incident....

....not the circumstances around his shooting.

[pintobean]

5. I heard that a cousin said it wasn't an ankle bracelet

it was actually an onion ring.

[otohara]

163. What An Ugly Remark

The only thing I know for sure is this kid was shot at 17 times including the face and the policeman had no bullet wounds.
Facts... police lie all the time, they are racist.

[Travis_0004]

2. DU jumping to conclusions before all the facts are released, Nah, that never happens.

[savalez]

109. Not sure what you're getting at.

So all people with criminal histories should be shot?

[Travis_0004]

122. Ill quote somebody else from this thread

Because they said it better than I could


They recovered the gun. They recovered the bullets that the guy shot from that gun at the cop. It's reasonable to assume that in the course of the investigation, they'll determine whether the guy's fingerprints are on that gun, and they'll likely do a gunshot residue test on him as part of the autopsy. And it's also reasonable to assume that there will be ballistics testing of the gun in question to see if the rounds that were discovered at the scene were indeed fired from that weapon.

Now, you can claim that this is all just one gigantic police conspiracy, that this cop just went out and decided to shoot him a young Black man, and then covered the whole thing up with a planted gun, fired off shots at himself, planted fingerprints on the gun, planted GSR on the guy's hand(s), and he was so spectacular at covering the whole thing up that he even got the guy to get arrested on another gun charge earlier this summer as part of this massive conspiracy to kill some Black teenager.

[scarystuffyo]

4. I was skeptical that this was a cover up by the police last night

but the more evidence that comes out the more it seems the officer is involved in a justifiable shooting

[pintobean]

9. He was violating the conditions of his bail

by being illegally armed. Again.

That's probably why he reacted the way he did when the cop showed up.

[randome]

14. "Maybe liberals..." Spoken like someone who doesn't consider himself one.

It isn't a meme. Pay attention to the news.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[Oktober]

12. Are you kidding me?

Have we reached the point where it is considered unreasonable to use past behavior as a possible indicator for future behavior?

From something that happened in June FFS? Is not like this was decades ago and he had all that time to reflect on his actions. He hasn't even gone to court yet.

[scarystuffyo]

34. I don't think any of that would being going through the cops mind if he was

being shot at. You don't think he shot at the cop?

[mythology]

139. Did the suspect know he had been arrested and was illegally in position of a weapon?

That's a much more relevant question because it points to his motive to shoot at the cop.

[Travelman]

144. How do you *not* know that you've been arrested?

The guy spent several days in jail before getting bailed out last June. He was ordered to wear a GPS monitor. He had retained an attorney for his defense at trial next month.

It's not like it was some sort of secret to him that he had been arrested and charged with a crime.

[pintobean]

149. I think your sarcasm detector

needs calibration.

[Travelman]

153. Probably so.

Let me go see where I left that screwdriver....

[ZombieHorde]

31. Of course past behavior is reasonable to consider,

but past behavior cannot be used for judgement if the past behavior is unknown. The cop who shot him probably didn't know his past behavior at the time of the shooting, and therefore wouldn't have been a factor.

[randome]

44. But past behavior will give more credence to the cop's version of events.

It's all we have to go on.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[ZombieHorde]

45. You mean in court?

You're probably right.

[logosoco]

76. Well, the judges seemed to think he was low risk when they lowered his bail and

set him up with the private monitoring firm. Perhaps there are some kick backs involved?

[Warpy]

152. Unfortunately, the past behavior we're considering is that of the police

I noted last night that the wagons seemed to have been circled very quickly.

Today it seems the shooting was likely justified.

[Beaverhausen]

11. What did he do that merits his now being dead?

did he murder someone?

[Oktober]

13. He gave it a good try it seems...

[Beaverhausen]

17. according to whom?

someone said in another thread that it should be easy to see if he has gun residue on his hands, which would prove he shot at the officer. If not, he should not be dead now.

[bravenak]

28. Get your racist ass outta here!

NoSurprises
25. Fortunately for the police officer

Blacks can't shoot straight to save their lives. Ever noticed how they always hold the gun sideways when they shoot? And they do that thing where they jab with the gun or flick their wrists as they fire, because apparently that makes the bullets go faster or more powerful, or something.

Get out now!!!!

[Glassunion]

32. That was the quickest jury I've ever served on...

[bravenak]

40. Good job!!! Some people make you wish their mothers were on birth control that month.nt

[DisgustipatedinCA]

170. 7-0, hopefully?

[giftedgirl77]

33. Had just went to alert on that bullshit...

The assholes are out in force today.

[bravenak]

39. Prepare yourself for another month of mind numbing insanity!!

The nastiest racists always come out during tragedies involving dead black men and boys.

[giftedgirl77]

43. I know, they're like sharks...

Meanwhile in my house it is taught as another life lesson on why just being a minority throws a target on your back. With 2 teenage sons it's always nerve-racking .

[riqster]

29. Your first post is a load of racist tripe. Hope your pizza arrives soon.

[scarystuffyo]

54. That was me

If I was the family it would be the first thing I would want tested

[pintobean]

15. Fired a gun at the cop.

[Travelman]

80. Apparently, he fired a sandwich at the cop.

I guess those projectiles that they recovered are pepperoncinis.

[savalez]

107. Flying pickles are lethal.

[Aerows]

145. He shot at an officer 3 times

In an attempt to kill that officer. Those bullets could have also ended up in an innocent bystander. When bullets start flying, officers have to respond with force for the protection of the public.

I don't like it, I don't think anyone does. I like even less innocent children getting gunned down because some nut decides to take shots at police officers.

[Beaverhausen]

147. and you are positive about that?

There are conflicting accounts of what happened, and sorry but I don't really have much faith in the police department there.

[Aerows]

148. Ballistics confirmed

that he fired 3 times.

[Beaverhausen]

151. link?

thanks.

[Aerows]

154. Latest I can find

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/10/09/crowds-in-streets-of-st-louis-after-fatal-shooting-by-off-duty-police-officer/

I'll look further if you want something other than the WaPost.

[Beaverhausen]

157. Nothing in there says ballistics tests on the kid

It's all what the police chief says happened.

[Raine1967]

23. The officer was off duty, wasn't he?

[Aerows]

155. In uniform

On an approved detail.

[Raine1967]

166. Blech.

Thank you for the information. This is all so depressing.

[uponit7771]

16. "...Nothing in the court file indicates any violations...."

[dilby]

18. Good to know it was justified murder.

I mean kid was obviously just asking to be chased down that night.

[pintobean]

20. Firing on a cop is never a good idea

unless one wants to die.

[dilby]

24. However firing on a unknown attacker is if one wants to try and live.

If you are randomly attacked by someone in some random car you will defend yourself.

[pintobean]

26. You seem to be going by

a set of "facts" that no one else is in possession of. Did you read the article or any of the threads on DU? The cop was in uniform.

[dilby]

35. Was in uniform but not in a police vehicle.

And I would not be able to tell if someone in a car was in a police uniform or a garbage collector uniform. I would not be able to tell if that person chasing me at night was in a police uniform or a garbage collector uniform either.

[pintobean]

37. Maybe not, but I bet this young man could.

[scarystuffyo]

42. Didn't the report say they had a physical altercation before he took off running?

The two got into a "physical alteration" that pulled off the suspect's gray-hooded sweater. As the teenager ran away, grabbing at his waist, Dotson said, the officer felt that the teenager was carry a firearm.

Dotson said, however, that the unidentified officer, a six-year veteran of the St. Louis police force, did not open fire because "he wanted to be certain it was a gun."

At one point, he said, the suspect turned and "pointed the gun at the officer and fired at least three rounds at the officer." He said the suspect tried to continue firing, but his gun jammed

[scarystuffyo]

48. It seems they knew he was a cop

[logosoco]

21. The article is not clear on why the cop was after the guys in the first place.

Did he know he was under jurisdiction of the private monitoring firm?

[Travelman]

86. It doesn't matter

Everyone keeps focusing on this as if it somehow mattered. It doesn't. The guy took out a gun and started firing on a cop. All bets are off at that point.

[logosoco]

91. It matters to me.

It matters to a lot of people who are stopped and questioned or harassed by the police for no good reason.
If the cop had a good reason, maybe. But they really need to explain that.
It sounds like the guy took out his gun because he was being chased. Why was he being chased in the first place. That matters a lot.

[KingCharlemagne]

113. "Why" seems so quaint and obsolete in this new era of Might makes Right. But, yeah,

I take your point and share your concern.

Someone was firing at the cop. The cop fired back at who he thought was the shooter. Is it possible Myers was simply caught in the cross fire but only had a sandwich in his hands?

I keep remembering the firefight scene from Olivers Stone's Platoon. I'll be damned if anyone can tell who is shooting at whom.

[boomer55]

22. Live by the sword die by the sword

I am not an xtian but this type of activity is pretty spot on with that thought.

the 18-year-old was armed, and he fired on the officer first.

[Iggo]

58. Cops live by the sword.

Is it perfectly okay by you if they die by the sword?

[bravenak]

142. +1

[orleans]

27. fucking tragic n/t

[pintobean]

30. I agree with that. /nt

[bravenak]

36. How come routine pedestrian stops always happen to black people??

How many of you white people have ever been routinely stopped, just because, by a cop? I have, more than once, first time I was an 11 year old girl. We got stopped for looking suspicious on the way to play at the park. I'm 33 now, and it's happened at least 10 times.

How many times have you guys been routinely stopped? And if you haven't been routinely stopped, why not? Is it just routine to stop blacks or what?

[giftedgirl77]

41. Brown folks as well, I posted earlier about all the times

I've been lucky enough to have guns drawn simply because my window tint was too dark. The first time I was stopped was right around the same age...

[bravenak]

47. I mean really, what the fuck is this shit?

It's like that thing in slavery where slaves needed passes to leave the plantation and had to be back on the premises by a certain time or any white man, usually a patroller (policeman) could give them 20 lashes for running wild. Free blacks also had to carry their freedom papers on them at all times for the same reason. If they tried to fight back, then they could kill them.

I suppose brown people have their own set of papers they have to carry too. Aint that some shit? And you know what? That 'had a gun' excuse is tired as shit, too. White people can have guns all day and make reality shows about it, but if a black person or evidently a brown teenager has an 'air fucking gun' in public, it's okay to shoot them in the back. For white people with open carry rifles? Starbucks politely asks them not to come in. That's it. No shooting in the back, not 'he's got a gun!' Nothing.

[giftedgirl77]

52. Exactly, we've been seeing the same old lines & excuses

thrown around for years. Somehow we are always just suppose to sit back, take the cops word for it & accept that another kid has been murdered by a cop with an itchy trigger finger. The shit is old, tired, and played out.

[gollygee]

49. Never

Not once, nor have I heard of this happening to anyone I know. I think this is generally pretty alien to white people. We're completely oblivious to stuff like this happening, and I think that becomes a self-propagating racism thing, like the idea is, "If the police officer stopped him, he must have had a reason." That is our general experience, and it's easy for people to assume their experience is normal for everyone.

[bravenak]

56. That hurts my feelings.

I'm mad that they act like they don't know that this shit happens all the time. I've literally been pulled over for no headlights in the daytime. 2 in the afternoon. Wearing a hoody. Thought I was a guy. And yes, he had his gun pointed at my head as he walked up. I screamed! He put it away. I asked him what the fuck is wrong with you!! He said my headlight was out. I told him i don't even have them on, it's daytime. He told me to have a nice day. How the fuck could I have a nice day after that? I still get sick to my stomach whenever I even see a cop. I just want t scream, "Psychopaths! Racists!" But they would just shoot me for verbal assault.

[gollygee]

61. That is terrifying!

I'm glad you're ok! Wow!

We need to take off our blinders. It could change the world.

[bravenak]

73. I think we need more people filming everything they do.

If they see a cop car, just start filming. Cops should always see cameras and phones and ipad pointing in their direction.

[gollygee]

77. +1 !!

[sabrina 1]

85. That is awful, I am sorry. I am sorry that the cops have so many apologists in this country

no matter how many times they kill and/or harass Minorities especially young African American males. The NYPD's stop and frisk 'program' is glaring racism yet nothing is ever done about it. Even when a judge rules it unconstitutional, still they continue to do it. That entire PD should be disbanded and rebuilt from the bottom up imo.

I'm sorry you have had to deal with this gross injustice. I hope we can change it but it isn't looking great, at least for now.

[bravenak]

88. Ah, Sabrina, I know YOU would NEVER condone this crap.

I think we are just going to have to do some fighting for justice. We need to start a non profit to sue police departments and take their money away from them.

I agree about stop and frisk. But, they are not the only ones who do it everyday. This problem is so widespread, it's a part of cop culture.

At least I embarrassed the guy who pulled me over. And I have no record for them to delve into to prove I am a danger. I am positive they will shoot the wrong person one day, and blow this thing up. Probably will be a judges kid or a politicians kid. Until then, we need video 24-7. I keep my phone and ipad charged up just in case I come upon abusive behavior.

[sabrina 1]

96. I know it isn't just NY, sadly. Clearly it is widespread. I definitely agree that everyone should

have a camera at all times. We know that is a good way to fight these crimes, because the cops tried to have photographing them made illegal.

Suing them PERSONALLY and their Police Unions, is another way. Let them feel the pain personally rather than suing the city or whoever usually has to pay for their crimes.

A non profit is a good idea with lots of lawyers ready to take on each and every case that occurs, to the point where they will have to THINK before the shoot.

And it's important to elect people at the LOCAL level who have the power to change the makeup of the PDs. I understand thinking that voting doesn't help, probably not on a national level. But after reading the stats on Ferguson, I came to believe that that is a powerful way to gain power that can change the culture of cities, one by one.

Looking at Ferguson and how they disenfranchize the African American MAJORITY there, with thousands of warrants and arrests, so they cannot vote, it is clear THEY know how powerful a weapon it is, to get people out to vote in those local elections.

There is definitely a need to fight for justice, there always will be.

There is a case that happened a couple of years ago that was truly heart-breaking, definitely criminal, with proof, yet the last I heard, no one had been held accountable. I thought about it the other day and meant to look it up to see if ANYTHING had happened to get justice. IT was an elderly African American man who was wearing one of those alert buttons, for people who live alone. He pressed it accidentally I believe which triggered the arrival of the police. He shouted to them that he did not need them. They kicked down the door, one of them yelling racial slurs, then fired and killed him. It was all captured on the medical emergency co's tape.

His family tried to get some justice but despite all the evidence they had, not a thing had been done the last time I heard about this case. The names of the cops had not even been released.

I will check to see if I missed anything, but that case was so tragic, in every way, I believe he was a Veteran also.

I am really glad you embarrassed the moron who harassed you. Maybe law suits each time they stop someone for no reason also. That is a violation of their Civil Rights.

[sabrina 1]

98. Here is the case I was thinking about.

Killed at Home White Plains, NY Police Called Out on Medical Alert Shoot Dead Black Veteran, 68

The most I can find on that case is there was a lawsuit. Doesn't look like anyone was held accountable. Shameful!

[bravenak]

100. Wow, that same cop was involved in a racism case in 2008.

The grand jury did not indict him. This is why, Fuck the Police.

[sabrina 1]

162. I didn't know that. I know I will get flamed for this, but our 'Civilian' police are out of control

There is no other way to look at it.

[pintobean]

57. I can't argue with that

because I know you're right.

However, in this case, they're saying the guy was "known to police". To me, that reads gang banger. The police and the press very rarely identify anyone as gang members. They rarely identify gang crimes. Yet, they often talk about our gang problem.

[gordianot]

135. The reports seem to be rather vague on numerous points but a police magazine was emptied.

It takes a good eye sight to spot someone with a concealed weapon at dusk id them as a gang member aim then return fire probably emptying a full magazine without a stray bullet hitting a bystander. Does known to police mean this specific policeman, do they have a history? It will be interesting to see if the investigation takes the Board of review the same amount of time as the Grand Jury.

From dealing with High School students in outlying St. Louis area I dealt with students who were labeled and self identified as gang members, and were not black or brown. Walking down the street it was hard to impossible to tell.

[bravenak]

65. Bullshit.

[pintobean]

66. You get disappeared

[gollygee]

69. Bullshit.

It had to be said again.

[Lurker Deluxe]

71. I used to get stopped all the time

When I was between 18-24 I got stopped all the time by the police. I have been written quite a few bogus tickets, some of which I was able to beat in court and some that I was not.

I had long hair, a hopped up '75 pickup with illegal tint, a stereo you could hear a block away, dual with glasspacks that ported just behind the cab, and a feathered roach clip hanging from the rearview. I was high half the time, and the other half I acting a fool in some other way. When I got pulled over I was belligerent and always argued with the cop. I went to jail a couple of times and eventually led to a "felony possession of narcotics paraphernalia" that was so bogus is wasn't even amusing but was my fault, when getting busted for a half a joint and being cuffed I laughed at the cop, "I'll be out before the sun goes down". Yea ... no. 5K and two years probation because my lawyer said there was a 25% chance that the jury could come back guilty and I would have a felony drug charge on my record ... deferred adjudication here I come.

Now, clean cut, new car, factory tint, normal stereo, and nothing that makes me stand out from the crowd and I am generally home by 8. Haven't been pulled over (knocks on wood) in a decade and if you even think of getting in my car with a joint, pipe, or anything else illegal we will have an issue.

Did I get pulled over because I was black? No. I was pulled over and harassed because I was a stupid kid who thought he was invulnerable. Had I been black as well ... prolly would have been in prison.

[bravenak]

75. Yeah, you would have.

I just meant walking down the street minding not tending, though. You know, walking along, not smoking or anything else. You got profiled in a different way. Still wrong though, just less likely to shoot a hippy for being aggressively high and nice and hungry.

[Lurker Deluxe]

83. I remember one instance ...

A couple of weeks before Christmas and I was shopping for my girl in a Macy's department store. Security was on me the second I walked in. Hair down to the middle of my back, fresh out of the shower, full length tweed overcoat, button down shirt, some kick ass slacks, and some shiny ass shoes. I was dressed to the 9's and most of that stuff was bought at Macy's. Most of the time I wore my hair pulled up or inside my shirt/coat ... that day it was all straighted out and in all it's glory, can't help but look at it.

Anyways, I did not find what I was looking for and as I left the security guard followed me out and asked me to open my coat as the real cops pulled up. They took me back in the store and searched me, of coarse found nothing, and when they were done I asked them if they had some scissors I could borrow ...

I cut up Macy's card right there for them and never did go back. Ever.

But yea, walking around, dressed as well as I could possibly be, fucked with 'cause my hair was long. Today I can wander through a store in dirty work clothes and no one gives me a second look ... straight buzz cut with grey hair and carrying a few extra pounds, long way from the crazy blond hair, gaudy clothes, and obvious attitude.

Profiling. It's a bitch. I was able to change the things that made me "suspicious" to those that had thoughts like that. A black person can not.

[bravenak]

84. No, we cannot. And don't want to.

When cops start being profiled as scary, crazy, dangerous, erratic people who we need to monitor at all times, then they will work with us. Because they will have no choice. We need to give them no choice but to respect the people who live in the communities they police.

[Lurker Deluxe]

89. I agree

But, there will always be people who have certain stereotypes. Just as the majority of cops are not racist and see all blacks as suspects, there were only a few cops who saw my long hair as "suspect".

You know, because "boys should not have long hair", I would imagine that now, twenty five years later it would not be as much of a problem but I am sure there are still people who think that way.

Any, and all, profiling is wrong. And yes, police (any authority) should have to treat those they encounter with respect.

[notadmblnd]

116. it's never happened to me, but

the first time it happened it my son though, I think he was 12 while he and his friend were riding bikes. Two brown skinned boys at the corner trying to decide which way to go. They couldn't come to an agreement so they went in separate directions. Police chased my son down, accused him of having a crack pipe and decided it was a drug deal. Upon closer inspection, and with the assistance of my son, officer became aware that the so-called crack pipe was actually a bike wrench. Since my son had broken no law, officer brought him home at which point I explained to him to never run from cops, because that is how he will end up shot in the back and just become another dead black child. And would you believe, the officer looked at me and actually said, "ma'am, we would never do that". I rolled my eyes and said good day.

[bravenak]

118. I am so glad I have girls.

For that exact reason. I do worry about cops raping my daughters, after Officer Rawlins got away with it for so long.

I have no idea why cops act like runaway slave catchers.

[notadmblnd]

129. when my husband and I found out we were having a child, we wanted a girl

just for that reason. But we got a son. He's been brought home twice by the police.
The time I just related and the second time when he jumped in a pond to pull out two little white boys who had fallen through. Unfortunately, his dad wasn't alive to see that. But you know, I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's never been in trouble, graduated from school, and goes to work every day. In fact, he just bought himself a BMW in August. Mom drives a beat up Chevy, which he helped tear up, while he drives a sport car. I see my husband everyday in him and I know if his father was still alive, he'd be beaming with pride.

[giftedgirl77]

38. Weird, I didn't know violating house arrest was an

automatic death sentence.

[boomer55]

46. pretty much shooting at a cop is though.

At one point, he said, the suspect turned and "pointed the gun at the officer and fired at least three rounds at the officer." He said the suspect tried to continue firing, but his gun jammed.

[giftedgirl77]

55. Oh yeah, the cop who just murdered someone said this?

Well that settles it then, because he would have no reason to lie....

[Travelman]

92. The forensics certainly seem to say that

They recovered the gun. They recovered the bullets that the guy shot from that gun at the cop. It's reasonable to assume that in the course of the investigation, they'll determine whether the guy's fingerprints are on that gun, and they'll likely do a gunshot residue test on him as part of the autopsy. And it's also reasonable to assume that there will be ballistics testing of the gun in question to see if the rounds that were discovered at the scene were indeed fired from that weapon.

Now, you can claim that this is all just one gigantic police conspiracy, that this cop just went out and decided to shoot him a young Black man, and then covered the whole thing up with a planted gun, fired off shots at himself, planted fingerprints on the gun, planted GSR on the guy's hand(s), and he was so spectacular at covering the whole thing up that he even got the guy to get arrested on another gun charge earlier this summer as part of this massive conspiracy to kill some Black teenager.



But that's awful damn tinfoily if you ask me.

[giftedgirl77]

115. Gotta link because this story says none of that.

Everything in this OP is about a previous ALLEGATION.

[pintobean]

119. The link in the OP say all of that

the excerpt is just part of the story.

[Travelman]

120. The link in the OP certainly has it for me

Twentieth paragraph down, at least as of right now; they keep updating the story:

Authorities found the gun, which appeared to have jammed after firing at least three rounds, at the scene, police said. Three bullets that had been fired toward the officer were also recovered. One bullet was found in a vehicle behind the officer. Trajectories showed they had been fired downhill at the officer, police said.

[scarystuffyo]

60. That's out of line man

[giftedgirl77]

62. This is what we call complete & utter bullshit.

Take this bullshit back under whatever bridge your racist ass crawled out from under.

[pintobean]

63. Don't anyone copy and paste this crap

please. Auto will erase it for us.

[bravenak]

67. Time for you to go home Darren.

[n2doc]

51. So many people take whatever the police say as god-given irrefutable fact

If the Brown case and others have taught us anything, it is that we should never take what the cops say as fact. They have been proven to lie in so many cases it isn't even worth debating.

Maybe, hopefully, there will be video of this. And other witnesses.

[bravenak]

68. Goodbye.

[Iggo]

72. Goodbye Mr Wilson.

[joeglow3]

74. So, you are pre-judging someone you don't know because of past behaviors of other in their group

Do you see something wrong with this? Or is it okay because YOU can justify it?

[n2doc]

79. I am not accepting the Police Chief's word as fact

Sorry if that offends YOU

[joeglow3]

81. I treat him no different than I would anyone else

One person's account that is really only utilized as a compliment to available evidence.

You, on the other hand, dismiss it out of hand because of the profession he is in. If I adopted that philosophy with any other group, most would blast me (for good reason), but you can justify it because your prejudices are okay.

[Quayblue]

82. The article doesn't state he was involved in a previous shooting fyi

**snipped**

Court records show that Myers was scheduled to stand trial in November for unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. This summer, Myers was a passenger in a car involved in a high-speed car chase in St. Louis, officials say. The car crashed just after midnight on June 27 in the 1100 block of South Grand Boulevard. Myers got out of the car, and a police officer yelled at him to stop. Instead, Myers ran off and tossed a gun into a sewage drain. Police caught him nearby and recovered the gun, a loaded .380-caliber pistol.

[Travelman]

93. Both the gun and the rounds he is alleged to have fired at the cop

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-officer-fatally-shoots-teenager-in-south-st-louis/article_2d5a8c2a-97db-5cec-a477-1130d7d26f7e.html

The teen had a gun and fired at least three shots at the officer, who returned fire, the chief said. The teenager attempted to fire more but his gun jammed, Dotson said.

~ snip ~

Police said they recovered a 9mm Ruger.

~ snip ~

Authorities found the Ruger, which appeared to have jammed after firing at least three rounds, at the scene, police said. Three bullets that had been fired toward the officer were also recovered. One bullet was found in a vehicle behind the officer. Trajectories showed they had been fired downhill at the officer, police said.

[theHandpuppet]

78. This is another one of those cases...

... where the "law enforcement" officer should have been wearing a camera. Working for private security firms should be no excuse -- it should be mandatory. Only then will the open season on black citizens in this country finally stop.

The "Hi Tech Security" outfit whose employee killed Myers has for years been involved in incidents like this. Their track record is appalling. I posted a few links on another thread but I'll report them here so everyone can see for themselves.

http://www.citysearch.com/profile/5737178/saint_louis_mo/hi_tech_security_inc.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/hi-tech-security-sued-owner-s-property-searched/article_29317505-0a58-55d7-a5b6-904a9dbc00d7.html
http://www.stltoday.com/news/cops-private-patrols-raise-questions-city-officers-with-hi-tech/article_cbd05c63-afe5-51eb-a32d-54ac2c6e0f2e.html

The question becomes, why is this outfit still in business? Is it because most of their employees are police officers? There needs to be a federal investigation. You don't need to be a bloodhound to smell the corruption all over this.

[dballance]

87. And so the smearing of the victim begins.

Why am I not surprised?

[pintobean]

94. By his own lawyer, too.

[madville]

101. From most accounts

It appears that the officer's intuition was correct in this case, if the guy did indeed have a stolen firearm and was willing to fire it at the officer.

These are the types of criminals that police should be actively pursuing, no one is really going to advocate that police NOT try to get felons in possession of firearms off the streets, right?

[bravenak]

106. Intuition tells cops to constantly stop black men and steal their money too.

Because if they have more than 20 buck on them, they must be selling drugs. Fuck cop intuition being an excuse to stop and frisk anyone. His intuition cannot say, that person has a stolen gun. Guns are legal. I am tired of cops only worrying about who has a gun, when the person with the gun is black. Their intuition only seems to help the find black or brown people to violate. They act like precrime investigators now. What if our collective intuition tells us that any stop by a cop is a life or death situation from now on? Should we arm ourselves with legal weapons just in case a cop tries to end our lives? If this continues we will be in a wild west situation.

[madville]

112. But this cop didn't stop them randomly

The initial reports say he pursued the suspect when he ran upon seeing the officer. The officer observed him holding something in his waistband as he was running, intuition says likely a handgun.

Could the initial reports be BS, absolutely. That's the available information at the moment though and it appears the officer was doing his job and that the shooting was justified.

[bravenak]

114. I would run if I saw an officer too.

Apparently he was right to run away. Why are cops allowed to chase a person that the had no initial contact with and are not a suspect of committing a crime. They saw him, they ran. Why chase them?
I don't believe jack shit the police say anymore. And like i said before. So what if he had a gun. They are legal. Do cops stop everyone they see with a gun? Or just young black men with guns? And why aren't young black men allowed to have second amendment rights?

Young white men open carry all the time , and cops don 't try to make police stops when they see them, they assume the gun is legal. So why do they assume that young black men with guns are committing a crime by having a gun?

Cops will start getting shot if they keep the pressure on black and brown america. And no witnesses will come forward. Is that what they want ? Will that satisfy the lust for black blood?

[Mugu]

123. No, he could not legally possess a handgun.

The minimum age to possess a handgun is 21 by federal law.

[bravenak]

124. You cannot tell by looking at someone if they are 18 or 21.

I looked like a teenager until I was 30. I still get carded for cigarettes.
Cops are notorious for aging UP black suspects, not aging them down.

[pintobean]

127. As I pointed out up-thread

he was known to police. That simple statement says so much, yet you choose to ignore it.

[bravenak]

130. Police chose to ignore that they are profiling black people and treat them differently.

I don't care what that cop knew. Cops need to stop looking for reasons to harass black people, now. Was that person in the act of committing a crime? If not, leave that person alone!!! No, random stop and frisks. No chasing kids, just because they ran when they saw a cop. Stop using the drug war as an excuse to make contact with black people. Stop shooting us. Stop killing us. We are tired of cops killing our kids and using any excuse in the book to excuse them even bothering our kids at all.

When you have cops chocking a man to death for selling loosies, shooting kids in Walmart holing air rifles, shooting deaf kids for not understanding commands, shooting shoplifters, raping women, manufacturing evidence, profiling and stop and frisking, then I have a problem believing ANYTHING they say.

Police are KNOWN to us too, we KNOW to run when we see police. If that police had simply waited and went over to the KNOWN kids home later, I mean since he knew him SO WELL, he could have spoken with him them.

Cops are getting more and more trigger happy. And that's a problem. And they are making the nation more dangerous by behaving in that manner. Citizens have guns too, I hope they don't force the Good Citizens of Missouri to feel in fear for their lives from Law Enforcement. It's easy to find yourself outnumbered and out gunned even if you are used to being in a position of power.

Power corrupts, and police have absolute power these days. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[bravenak]

133. I lived smack dab in the middle of gang territory.

And I am appalled that you think his neighbors are HAPPY he got shot by a cop. That's insane. Cops shoot innocent bystanders too. They also shoot black men who reach for their wallets after being asked to get their drivers licenses. The only person shot was the kid running from a cop.

I care that cops constantly stop black men for no reason other than 'looking suspicious' . I am surprised you don't see why I think that civil liberty violations is a problem. Now, had he been in the process of using the weapon BEFORE police contact, then I can understand. But he wasn't. Had he been left to continue on his way, we'd have one less dead kid. And you have no proof he was in a gang. Many teenage boys pretend to be gangsters for status and the safety in numbers. I know I did. I guess the cops should have shot me.

Owning a gun, or possessing one is not a good excuse for stopping black men unless EVERYONE who possesses a firearm is stopped and searched. My problem is police tactics. Police over notice and over suspect black people for everything and then use stupid ass excuses about what they think the person would have maybe done in the future one day to clean up the mess.

After all the foul shit police have done to black people over the years , why would we believe anything coming out of their lying ass faces? They hate us with a passion. Of course they lie on us. I have had a cop lie on me, and the judge decided to believe me, not him. He had lied before. Still kept his job. I could have gone to jail and have a felony record because of that lying cop. Cops are racist liars. I have seen this first hand. And never do the so called 'good' cops say shit. They just help with 'evidence management.'



And just for the record. NOBODY IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD HAPPY THAT THIS KID IS DEAD. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY YOU WOULD SAY SOMETHING SO INSANE.

[pintobean]

134. I didn't say anyone was happy

and you only speak for yourself. I know plenty of people who don't share your opinions when it comes to gang bangers.

[bravenak]

137. Oh, Excuse me. You said his neighbors are relieved he got killed by a cop.

Relieved.

. As sad as this young man's death is, I bet there are many in that area who are relieved that it happened. That decreased the odds that a child that they love will be hit by a stray bullet.

I disagree that his neighbors would be relieved that he was shot sixteen times by a cop. I know plenty of people who share my experience and who actually were in gangs. They consider the cops a legal gang of racist jackbooted thugs. I bet i can guess what the people you know whose opinion on gangs are whatever look and sound like. Gang activity has been decreasing for years. But cops still profile young black men as gang members. They cannot help their racist selves.

[pintobean]

138. Lol.

I laughed all the way through that post.

[bravenak]

141. I know, right??

Last edited Thu Oct 9, 2014, 07:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Dead black kids are so funny!! And so are racist cops!!
I mean, it is hilarious to say his neighbors are relieved that he's dead!! Lol!! Killing black men is a laugh riot, for real though!!

I am sure you are just glowing with pride at your comedy skillz, playa!


ETA: I did not alert on you.

[cali]

146. completely and utterly wrong. It's 18.

[Mugu]

168. Technically, an 18yo may own a handgun.

They may receive it by inheritance, as a gift, or purchase it from a private party. However, they may not purchase it from a dealer, they are not allowed to possess it outside of their residence unless supervised by an adult, and may not purchase ammunition for it from a dealer.

Also, in the state of Missouri the minimum age for a concealed carry permit is 23.

[Jenoch]

90. The gun has been traced back

to the store from which it was purchased.

http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-officer-fatally-shoots-pedestrian-who-fired-at-him-in/article_2d5a8c2a-97db-5cec-a477-1130d7d26f7e.html?mobile_touch=true

[Lee-Lee]

95. Interesting reading...

Already on probabation and under court ordered monitoring for a previous crime, now with a gun had a gun that was reported stolen a few months ago.

I hope they can track back and figure out just who stole the gun and put it in his hands.

Being on probation for two crimes now if caught with a stolen gun carried illegally he was facing some serious time.

[Jenoch]

99. What I do not find surprising

is all of the speculation on DU and negative comments about LEO. If some 18 year old shoots a store clerk then the question become 'where were the cops'? I'll reserve judgement until more information is in. These early news reports always seem to contain 'facts' that never happened.

[bravenak]

102. Maybe if cops stopped profiling and harassing people, we would stop profiling them.

And they could stop hiring the most racist assholes in the country. That might help. And and stop stopping black citizens like we are slaves off the plantation. It's their fault they are seen as racist violent maniacs.

[Jenoch]

105. You're doing a lot of assuming

in relation to this case. Maybe the cop saw the ankle bracelet. That alone is probable cause to make inquiries.

[bravenak]

110. Cops do alot of assuming too.

If it's good for the goose it's good for the gander. From now on, anything a cop says is suspect unless he has video proving his/her claim. Otherwise I'll just assume the cop was the one who planted the weapon there. They have done that sort of thing before. Hell, cops are some dangerous folks. They kill, they rape, they beat women, plant evidence, assault, and they steal. They deserve no benefit if doubt until they clean up their collective acts.

Where are the leaders of the Cop Community to speak out against bad cops? They expect black people , or brown people, or Arabs to speak out against wrongs in their communities, but cops NEVER speak out agains the crimes of others cops. They should be held to a higher standard that your average Joe.

[KingCharlemagne]

121. A lot of people won't believe you, I can see from this thread, but everyone here

should familiarize him- or herself with the LAPD's Ramparts Division scandal of the 1990s:

The LAPD Rampart scandal refers to widespread corruption in the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (or C*R*A*S*H) anti-gang unit of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Rampart Division in the late 1990s. More than 70 police officers either assigned to or associated with the Rampart CRASH unit were implicated in some form of misconduct, making it one of the most widespread cases of documented police misconduct in United States history. The convicted offenses include unprovoked shootings, unprovoked beatings, planting of false evidence, framing of suspects, stealing and dealing narcotics, bank robbery, perjury, and the covering up of evidence of these activities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rampart_scandal

N.B. The victims in the Ramparts Division scandal were, IIRC, largely Latino 'gang-bangers,' hence less than human!

[bravenak]

126. I was around for the Rampart scandal.

They are not good cops, never were. And they were just the tip of the iceberg. Many of the prostitutes will tell you they have been raped or robbed or both by a cop. A cops in Hollywood tried to accuse me of prostitution, but he 'lost' the recording of my supposed 'solicitation'. He managed to 'save' the 'transcript '. The judge called bullshit on him about having a transcript but no tape to back it up. And he told the cops that the wording he attributed to me sounded fake. He tried to make me sound ghetto on his transcript. I speak perfect english with a slight valley girl twang. The stuff he wrote down was bizarre. They still got me for public disturbance for not wanting to be arrested for nothing. Cops see their job as getting as many black people into the prison system as possible. Brown people too.

[Blue_Tires]

97. Cops get off the hook....

No matter what the real circumstances of that night, Myers' record will be used to justify anything...

[greytdemocrat]

103. That's brilliant!!!!

[cali]

104. but this seems to be not so much about his record but that he had a gun and

allegedly fired it at the cop. they've found the gun. they've found the bullets fired. Could the cops be lying? Could they have planted a gun? Planted bullets? It's possible. If he did fire the gun, would an autopsy show gun powder on his hand?

[Blue_Tires]

111. Since the cop was off-duty and working a second job

I'm interested to know exactly how he was dressed...

And the whole "off-duty cop driving down the street past three teens and they instantly take off running" -story makes zero sense to me absent of more information...

[cali]

125. I believe he was in police uniform.

but yeah, we need to know much more about what happened. None of the accounts I've read makes much sense.

[alcibiades_mystery]

108. I',m trashing this thread

Not because I don't believe or don't want to hear the information, but because I'm tired of smug and self-satisfied racism.

[pintobean]

128. In other words

you're making an accusation and running off before you're asked to explain it.

[Nye Bevan]

117. Can't really fault the officer in this case.

Myers turned and approached the officer in "an aggressive manner," police said, and the officer told Myers to surrender. Myers continued to come at the officer and the two struggled. A sweatshirt the man was wearing came off during the struggle, police said.

Myers then ran from the officer, up an incline in the 4100 block of Shaw, and the officer saw what he believed to be a gun. He did not immediately fire because he wanted to be sure it was a firearm, police said. Myers turned and pointed a gun toward the officer and fired at least three shots, police said.

As Myers fired, the officer returned fire, police said. Myers continued to pull the trigger, but his gun apparently jammed.

Assuming that the forensics back up the officer's account, I have no problem with his actions. Nobody should be comparing Myers to Michael Brown as that would besmirch Brown's memory.

[KingCharlemagne]

131. In order to accept the cops' version of what happened, one has to discard

entirely the eye-witness accounts which are that Myers had only a sandwich in his hands and no firearm.

[pintobean]

136. Who are these eye witnesses?

I've seen where non-witnesses have made that claim. I haven't seen any eye witness statements.

[KingCharlemagne]

140. "Eye witness" may be something of a misnomer, but there is a video still shot of

the three black teens . . . buying sandwiches shortly before the shooting. (Source thread does not provide a good external link and I'm only relying on what is presented there).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025644616

[scarystuffyo]

143. But he shot at the cop whether he had a sandwich in his hand or not

when the cop approached him and he fired his gun at the cop anything before that becomes irrelevant .


The only way this could appear to warrant him firing the gun at the cop would be if he thought he was
being chased by a mugger or some killer

This doesn't appear to be the case, from all accounts he and the other gentlemen he was with all knew it was a cop chasing them.

[KingCharlemagne]

160. Oh, Myers shot at a cop, did he? You've personally seen the independent forensics

confirming the presence of gunpowder residue on Myers' hands, have you?

"From all accounts" (non-constabulary, that is) Myers had only a sandwich in his hands, not a pistol.

[Aerows]

156. Eyewitness accounts

don't confirm the "sandwich", only his aunt (who wasn't there) said that. Everyone else, including baliistic reports say he fired at the officer 3 times.

[KingCharlemagne]

161. Maybe I'm behind the curve here, but as far as I'm aware, there has been

no independent forensics report confirming the presence of gunpowder residue on Myers' hands?

I know insisting on little sticky niggling trivialiities like that is somewhat old school in this era of might makes right, but please humor those of us who are skeptical of the police.

Do you have a link to these so-called 'ballistics reports'?

[NaturalHigh]

150. I don't think this is some big police conspiracy or cover up here.

If this kid had a gun and fired at a police officer, that is pretty easy to prove (or disprove if that's not the case). I find it hard to believe that the police threw together a cover up so quickly, especially when so many eyes are on this particular department already.

[damnedifIknow]

158. They are saying he ran

As he approached them, one of them started to run away, so the officer did a U-turn and then all three ran, Dotson said, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. "

Okay now this is less than 10 miles from where Michael Brown was killed. Could it be that they were just scared and this is why they ran?

[Travelman]

159. In a vacuum, maybe

"Could it be that they were just scared and this is why they ran?"

Just some guy, no police record, walking down the street, gets scared and runs because he's young, Black, and out after dark? Maybe.

Someone who is out possibly in violation of his bail, carrying a weapon he's not supposed to have, and likely about to go away on an existing gun charge? "Just scared" starts to push credulity pretty hard.

[CreekDog]

164. your OP is largely consistent with your posts about Trayvon Martin

[Hassin Bin Sober]

165. You won't get an answer. Not before December anyway.

[CreekDog]

169. oh

[Hassin Bin Sober]

172. .

[CreekDog]

173. .

i don't even know why i'm laughing.

well, i have an idea...

[Hassin Bin Sober]

174. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5603289

[representativepress]

167. Yes and people should note his own lawyer saying it

I thought it was an important point too. People need to stop jumping to conclusions about this case. I know many people dismiss anything the cops say but as I wrote, they should note that his own lawyer saying that he was wearing the ankle bracelet. I thought it an important point which I tweeted: "Myers was wearing a court ordered ankle bracelet, on bail for previous gun case his lawyer says"

[Jamastiene]

171. I'm still not sure that justifies shooting the kid 17 times.

The cops there are trigger happy AND at war with their black citizens. That much is really obvious at this point.