Lawyer: Officer didn't target black teens at Texas pool

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

DALLAS (AP) — A white Texas police officer was not targeting minorities when he wrestled a black teenage girl to the ground and brandished his gun outside a pool party, his lawyer said, but rather was fraught with emotion after responding earlier to two suicide calls.

As activists demanded Wednesday that prosecutors charge former officer David Eric Casebolt, his attorney Jane Bishkin said Casebolt apologizes for his treatment of the girl and to others offended by his actions Friday at a community pool in the Dallas suburb of McKinney.

"With all that happened that day, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him," Bishkin said of her client, who is known to friends and family as Eric.

However, the attorney for Dajerria Becton, the 15-year-old girl whom Casebolt subdued, said that while her client's family appreciated Casebolt's apology, his stress is not an adequate defense.

FULL story at link. Video: http://launch.newsinc.com/share.html?trackingGroup=92351&siteSection=bigstory_hom_non_non_dynamic_wire_ap&videoId=29219541



Jane Bishkin, left, the Dallas County Police Officer's Association attorney who represents former McKinney Officer Eric Casebolt holds a news conference, Wednesday, June 10, 2015, in Dallas. Casebolt is the white police officer who resigned after being caught on video pushing a black teenage girl to the ground outside a pool party. At right is Daniel Malenfant, lodge president of the McKinney Fraternal Order of Police. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)



Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/45918ee8196541f68469310b3f13a976/lawyer-officer-didnt-target-black-teens-texas-pool

[Roland99]

1. riiiiiggghhttt

[rpannier]

2. That's Right He Didn't Target Black Teens

He targeted non-white teens

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. Melatonin enhanced future criminals.

[jwirr]

17. Especially with that statement. The video did not show one picture of white children being

hassled. Do they really think we are stupid? IF there were really 2 suicides that he was working on then maybe he should have taken the rest of the day off and not taken it out on these kids.

[Gothmog]

3. This poor lawyer has a really tough job

It is not easy defending this idiot

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. Kinda hinkey. Smells like...

[Solly Mack]

6. OK. Let's say he lashed out from all that emotion - but look at his targets.

His chosen targets lets us know who he scapegoats when he's all emotional. There were plenty of handy white kids around to take his emotions out on - but he chose African-American kids, and a young African-American girl in particular.

So, let's not pretend his racism isn't the issue.

[Dustlawyer]

10. We heard from the one white girl detained on the Chris Hayes Show.

She was siding with her friends and speaking out. Damn mouthy kids!

[Solly Mack]

11. I like mouthy.

[SamKnause]

7. The excuse makes zero sense.

He should have been in a caring and compassionate

mood, not in a mood to rage on children at a pool party.

Why would being called to 2 suicide attempts be an excuse

for out of control anger ???

[RobinA]

9. Not Excusing Him

but you don't work with suicidal people, do you?

If he did, in fact, previously deal with two suicide situations, he should have been off the street.

[SamKnause]

14. No I do not work with suicidal people.

Why would that make you angry at non suicidal people ????

Yes, he should have been off the streets.

He stated he did not want to go to the call at the swimming pool.

[RobinA]

24. Working With

people who are suicidal is very draining and at the same time causes a lot of feelings to build up. Which take energy to keep under wraps When you are emotionally drained and overwhelmed and then are called upon to walk into yet another situation that requires you to be in control and level-headed, eventually you will blow if you can't remove yourself. The well that you draw from to deal with people and their problems is not bottomless, although some people have a deeper well than others.

I don't know if this guy is a complete jerk or was utterly swamped on the day in question, but he should have been off duty if, yeah, he had dealt with even one suicide or attempt.

[Dont call me Shirley]

15. Yes he should have been! He should have been given a few days off after dealing with just one

suicide situation. That is traumatic in itself.

[ann---]

29. In a way, you are

If the job is too stressful that he can't handle suicides, then HE should have
excused himself and go find another job. There is NO excuse for his assault
on that young black girl - none whatsoever. If he felt "out of control" he
should have left before he put his hands on her and before he pulled out his gun
against unarmed teens.

[Cosmocat]

18. I am actually buying this

I will note out of the gates, what he did was clearly over the line, he should have been removed from his job and should absolutely face any criminal or civil charges that would be applicable.

Also, I don't totally discount color here, even if overall he might not be prone to having strong bias toward people of color.

That said, unlike most of these recent incidents caught on tape, this one struck me a little different.

I felt all along Darrin Wilson was a weak minded twit who caused the circumstances that led to his shooting Michael Brown.

But, I get the sense that this is overall a good person who was overall a good police office.

I can absolutely see how, if this is true, he was thrown mentally and emotionally and that opened him up to going off the hilt like he did.

I can see that, and if he is sincere about saying he was wrong and taking responsiblity he will be further ahead of the game than most of these guys have been.

But, still a fireable offense and full accountability for his actions.

[heaven05]

23. awww

poor "overall good person" cop...... Should never wear a badge or carry a gun again.....gets too unbalanced. Yes, I worked with suicidal people in my past and I didn't come home after a 'hard' day and "beat the kids and abuse the wife".

[RobinA]

25. Well, Neither Do I

but that doesn't mean I can't understand the forces that create someone who would. My concern is with the overall system that has a cop on the street after two suicide calls, if that is, in fact, what happened.

[heaven05]

30. good focus

and.....my focus is why a racist cop like this is on the force at all Well, sigh, this is america, after all. on edit: that was in suicide prevention, by the way. I won't glibly give this racist a pass because he had a bad day. At the least he should have taken himself off duty. But these kind of people never would admit that they are emotionally and psychologically compromised. So what can I expect.

[Cosmocat]

32. Yeah

I think I was pretty clear that he should have been dismissed and face any appropriate legal consequences.

I too have been educated, trained and worked professionally with people who have been suicidal, attempted suicide, committed suicide.

I can't imagine ever reacting like he did myself, but I understand people in general well enough to see how a police officer, people who tend to be suppressed and wound pretty tight by nature, could go on tilt if he did in fact respond to this after a real suicide and attempted suicide by a child.

Your response reaks of republican like small mindedness and indignation ...

[heaven05]

37. indignant?

damn right. gop'er small mindedness. no. All the apologists, including you, for those jerks called cops, and all the apologists for the two white women who started this along with the pool 'guard' zimmerman clone are the ones who's minds are stuck on republican talking points about these racists. You're not embarrassing me for being indignant at how that hopped up jerk and his zimmerman clone manhandled that 14 year old girl. I really have you understood. Not my type of person to engage with, no matter what you and the rest of the apologists and sympathizers, of this hopped up fool called a cop and those three other instigators, say. geez He took out his hate on kids just because he was emotionally distraught from his recent suicide calls/runs? Only black kids and an unarmed, bikini wearing 14 year old girl? Doesn't wash clean, he's dirty. You can sympathize and justify all you please, no justification for his actions at that pool party. NONE!!!!!!

[Cosmocat]

38. yeah

It isn't "justifying" it, it is understanding it, and I will once again repeat - he absolutely should have been removed from his job and face any appropriate legal consquences.

And, sorry, your hyper emotionality/indignation/holier than thou, reactivity here is very much republican like.

[heaven05]

40. not holier than anyone

except those 4 people who created and exacerbated this incident. You and the rest of the apologists and sympathizers of these racists, the cop especially, mean 0-ZERO to me. Because as in every incident of this sort and all following incidents it will be the same apologists and sympathizers that argue about reasons for justifying and sympathizing with culprits that are racist and haters of POC. A certain and specific type of cultural privilege does that to people and thusly makes them suspect of what your last line accuses me of. Pure and simple. Your sympathies for this poor, poor cop..means nothing to me. Still indignant, all the way from MLK to a 14 year old bikini clad girl slammed to the ground by a cop who NEVER should have had a badge to hide behind and a gun to threaten death with.

Your responses are enlightening in a typical privileged sort of way.

[Cosmocat]

41. Yeah, OK

Sure, I mean "mean zero" to you.

Which is why you can't help responding to me every time in some hyper emotional, irrational furry which is completely disconnected from what I am actually posting, the kind of reaction you get from some fox news watching loon.

[heaven05]

42. It's spelled fury

and totally understood how you couched your posting. It is transparent and obvious thinking such as a Tea Party member might have, since you like slinging mud. I can join you.....

[ann---]

28. Then, I have a bridge to sell you.....

as they say

[Cosmocat]

33. Well, the first step is admitting

that you are charlatan ...

congratulations.

[marble falls]

8. Thats the best that lawyer can do? "Ignore your eyes and listen to me."......

Bet she went right home and took a long shower with lye soap after pulling that duty.

[jayfish]

12. Are 911 Transcripts And...

first contact/incident reports available for these alleged calls?

[truebluegreen]

13. And was he the only officer of the 12 responding

who was involved with those suicide calls?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

35. I read that he was the first responder

but I'm not sure if that's true. I know he did sit with the family after the poor guy blew his brains out in front of his children. I don't know whether or not he was alone or with a partner, though.

Thankfully, most of us will never see that.

[truebluegreen]

36. Very true, we won't...

but I like to think that professional LEOs will behave professionally. If he was so over-wrought, he should not have responded to another call.

[valerief]

16. "It's just that he has a condition where white people are invisible to him." nt

[Fred Sanders]

19. Victims do not know the "mood" or personal history of an attacker. All they know is they have

been hurt, injured or abused for no apparent reason by a stranger.

The fact their criminal abuser had a bad day, a bad week, a bad life....what difference does that make to the victim?

Presenting having a bad day as an excuse is no excuse at all.

[asiliveandbreathe]

20. phuwey on this excuse - just phuwey -

because, because, he was dealing with the emotions of suicidal situations...after affects from earlier calls...okay Jane, I know you are only doing your job...but, seriously, if that were to be the case, he would have been much more aware, considering the negotiating skills required for suicidal situations -

Now, can we talk about charges for those who perpetrated the incident..a few charges come to mind - creating public unrest, inciting a riot, by racial slurs...I'm waiting ....

[Iggo]

21. Fuck him.

Drug test.

[heaven05]

22. CYA in action

what ever....apologies like this are like as......, everyone has one that wears a badge and carries a gun, who also abuses children of color and threatens them with death. May he get sued out of his gofundme money from allied racist citizens and the PD of mckinney also.

[arcane1]

26. That explains all the white people he told to sit on the ground.

[ann---]

27. Then, the man should never have become a cop

What feeble excuses for human beings he (and his lawyer) are.

[notadmblnd]

31. His he and his lawyer can make any excuse they want if enables them to sleep at night.

The rest of us? We know better.

[Aristus]

34. Poor guy; he's the real victim...

[madokie]

43. Yeah yeah yeah

we'll all heard this kind of shit before.
You fail is all I can say to him and his counsel