off duty Texas cop responds to honk with bullet aimed at motorist's head

[Liberal_in_LA]

A reserve police officer in Houston has been charged in the shooting on a woman in an apparent road rage incident in which he shot her in the head.

Kenneth Caplan, the reserve deputy, cut the woman off and she responded by honking her horn. Caplan then got out of his car and shot her; the bullet grazed her in the head.

“I honestly got a taste of death. My heart was slowing down and I couldn’t really breathe,” the woman, who wants to protect her identity, told NBC2 in Houston. ”He was aiming at me and I thought he was going to cuss me out. It didn’t register that I was, you know, going to get shot. The blood was in between my nails, just crazy blood, and all over my cellphone, just covered.”

Investigators said Caplan’s female passenger leaned back in her seat while Caplan shot at the woman’s car. Caplan reportedly fled the scene, and has been charged with aggravated assault. The woman was hospitalized, but had “non life-threatening injuries.”

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/texas-reserve-police-officer-shoots-woman-in-face-in-road-rage-incident/

[Socal31]

1. Give the guy a break.

It states he is a reserve officer. Obviously he was trying to show his boss he is ready to be one of the big boys.

[upaloopa]

2. This is one of the good guys or non criminal

with a gun that we are told by gunners that we needn't worry about.

[friendly_iconoclast]

10. I'm quite sure you believe that's true- I, for one, would *never* imply that a fellow DUer...

...would tell a deliberate untruth in order to promote an ammophobic agenda.

Of course, you have an example of someone actually making such an idiotic statement
and will be sharing it with us Real Soon Now.

You do, don't you?

[belzabubba333]

13. ammophobic AAAAAAAAAAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHHHAHAAAGHA

ammosexual begets ammophobic we're all frank luntz-es now

[friendly_iconoclast]

16. "Never serve a dish you wouldn't want to eat."

[belzabubba333]

14. theyre all good guys/gals with guns until they kill with someone

but hey ebola didnt kill people, people kill people just the same with guns

[Nuclear Unicorn]

20. I'll wager the badge motivated him more than the gun did. nt

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. Actually, he's one of the cops anti-self defense sorts rely on to enforce gun control laws. nt

[BrotherIvan]

38. So he's not?

[madinmaryland]

24. Yeap. Another responsible gun owner until he wasn't. Something the

gunners don't seem to get.

[friendly_iconoclast]

33. We get that the concept of "precrime" is un-American. Do you?

[madinmaryland]

37. Obviously you and Wayne LaPierre do not...

[friendly_iconoclast]

43. Explain, if you would- your statement is somewhat...murky

[olddots]

3. road rage or roid rage

This wild west bullshit will be the end of this country

[Warpy]

11. When are police departments going to start testing these bastards

for steroid abuse? They go nuts testing athletes but cops are immune from it and incidents like this one are the result.

We've got a real epidemic of bad cops with hair trigger tempers and steroid abuse might be one of the major reasons for it.

[Fumesucker]

32. Athletes are role models for our youth

Cops not so much.

[BrotherIvan]

40. Agree 100%

You have to take a piss test to work at McDonald's but not to be a public servant with a gun and a (seemingly impenetrable get out of jail forever) shield? Along with cameras, this would be one of the biggest changes I would support.

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. "aggravated assault"

Attempted murder is more like it.

[bravenak]

5. She was honking like a demon.

He felt like a five year old fighting a monster car. She was in the middle of the street, jaydriving.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. 'jaydriving'

I shouldn't be laughing, but I can see that being used.

[bravenak]

7. I know.

I really shouldn't make light of this. I'm just so glad she lived.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. I am too.

I live in Houston, and we do a horrible job of analyzing and vetting people as actual human beings before giving them a badge.
I've run into far too many of the type who should never own a gun much less drive a cop car on a weekly basis.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

27. Either laugh or go completely out of your mind...

[BrotherIvan]

41. She had honked at somebody up the road

[Katashi_itto]

8. WE NEED MORE "GOOD COP" THREADS OBVIOUSLY!!!

[belzabubba333]

15. #notallcops

[Katashi_itto]

23. You stake your life on that idea. Not me.

[gollygee]

12. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation

as to why a police officer would shoot someone in the head for honking the horn. We should wait for the facts.

(/sarcasm . . .if not clear.)

[nc4bo]

17. Some cops behave like delicate little flowers over the smallest things, I declare.

These are the bullies, the thugs, the god complexed assholes charged with keeping the peace and the law.

Our attitude might change if they were outed and booted from their respective departments.........unless of course their departments are staffed with members of the kkk and other racists shit.

Yet here they are walking above the law and using the law to hide themselves or to justify their actions.

Too many psychos with big egos getting badges.

[NCjack]

18. Caplan probably is contacting Ferg PD about a recent position that has just open. nt

[ileus]

21. and remember only cops should have firearms...

[louis-t]

22. Yes, she should have been armed so she could shoot back.

Really? that's where ammosexuals go with this story?

[Doctor_J]

26. After the incident in Illinois a few years back where a nut shot up a lecture hall, the gunsters

posted that if all 100 students in the hall had been armed, it would have ended better - 100 20-year-olds firing pistols in one room. They're kind of funny when considered in the right light.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

28. No shit, that there is downright HIlarious

Also, remember, nobody has guns for self defense or because they fear anything, that I know cuz I asked right here on DU and not a single gun owner would admit owning a gun out of fear or over concern or for self protection.

[friendly_iconoclast]

31. You *do* realize people just might not want to answer your questions, right?

As an aside, I find it somewhat amusing that your avatar is a portrait of a man
that advocated armed self-protection...

[friendly_iconoclast]

30. Since you read no such posting at DU, where *did* you read this?

Just asking...

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

34. Sounds like Daily Kos.

Although half the time, it's operating like DU does, with people posting things they found elsewhere on the net, so the original comments could have come from anywhere.

[Doctor_J]

39. Well give me slightly expanded explanations of these attitudes among the 2A crowd

"The only person who can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

"The problem is that these schools are all 'gun-free' zones so the shooter is the only one with a gun"

And, two posts above this one, (slight paraphrase), "this wouldn't be as bad if the victim also had a gun"

How would any of these help in the situation in this OP, or in the NIU massacre?

[friendly_iconoclast]

44. None of the first two statements were made about the incident in the OP...

...and the quip in post #21 was a piss-take on an attitude held by some
of those on your side of this issue

As for NIU? Fewer people *may* have died-or not, there's way to know now.

Certainly public universities in Utah and Colorado (amongst other places)
haven't had problems with students carrying guns in classrooms.
The subject was discussed rather thoroughly in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x322788#322788

[friendly_iconoclast]

29. "(T)hat's where ammosexuals go with this story?"

Your reply might have been a little more relevent if your interlocutor had
actually said that...

That's at least the second reply to things that haven't actually been said on this thread.

Seems there's been a bountiful harvest of...




...this year, and much of it has ended up in this thread.

[RoccoR5955]

25. Only in Texass! n.t.

[ScreamingMeemie]

35. That's a bullshit post...

http://articles.latimes.com/1993-03-13/news/mn-10513_1_parole-officer

That cop is from your little corner of the country. Pretty sure this idiocy happens in all 50 states.

[WinkyDink]

36. But what had she been up hours before, HUH?

[whistler162]

42. No a RESERVE police officer did a stupid thing

why use a incorrect term when the correct term is almost as bad. Oh wait... I just answered my own question!