Cops’ pepper shot kills student

Boston Herald ^ | Friday, October 22, 2004 | By Tom Farmer and Dave Wedge

[monday]

"Come back with proof that those 6 policemen went out with the intent to kill this woman - picking her out of a crowd of 3000 and I might reconsider my opinion."

'Responsibility' and 'intention' are two different concepts. Of course the police did not 'intend' to kill her. Their actions, however, were 'responsible' for her death.

They misused the equipment, not only hitting an innocent bystander, not the intended target, but hitting her in the face, an area NOT to be targeted ever.

[ATCNavyRetiree]

Uh, READ POST #4!!!!

[ATCNavyRetiree]

Ooops, sorry...I thought you were criticizing the police.

[monday]

"Oh? It's clear?"

If you shoot someone with a pepper ball at 300-380 FPS, you intend to seriously hurt that person. It will leave welts and bruises that last up to five days, and can break the skin if the impact is near the bone, and can penetrate the brain if shot in the eye.

Given this, how could the police not know that they were going to cause serious physical harm to someone if they were using these weapons? Also, why would they use these weapons if they KNEW that the pepper ball could penetrate the brain and kill if shot in the eye?

Paint ballers ALWAYS wear eye protection as well as a variety of other protection when shooting paint balls. Paint balls are slower than pepper balls yet the police shot people who had no protection at all.

Common sense would tell you that people are going to be seriously injured and only luck would prevent a fatality. Unfortunately for the girl, luck wasn't on her side.

[monday]

"mainly due to the filler having a solid in it(Pepper), rather than being all liquid. If a paintball has too soft a shell, it will bust in the barrel."

I suspect the high velocity is used mainly to improve trajectory and precision when fired. I expect that her family is going to own the company that makes the gun. It's pretty much a slam dunk since the city has already switched manufacturers. Thats as much as an admission that the gun they were using is too dangerous. It's going to cost the city millions too.

[Vigilantcitizen]

I suspect the high velocity is used mainly to improve trajectory and precision when fired.

It's been my experience that raising the velocity on my paintball gun negatively affects accuracy and precision. Other than being disqualified from a tournament for shooting hot(300 FPS+)at the after match chrono, accuracy is the other reason I run my gun at 285 PSI.

Knowing that a paintball is a round projectile fired from a smooth bore barrel, not a rifled barrel, it makes sense. 300 FPS and higher causes a "knuckleball" effect on the paintball.

[LibSnubber]

'Responsibility' and 'intention' are two different concepts. Of course the police did not 'intend' to kill her. Their actions, however, were 'responsible' for her death.

Oh, so NOW you want to distinguish between intent and responsibility. I agree completely with your statements above.

The only fatality in this incident was caused by the police. You support the police, so presumably you support the killing of this young woman. See how you are?

Too bad, though, you weren't capable of distinguishing between my support of police and supporting the killing of civilians. Yeah, I go around supporting deadly mistakes all the time - not!

My stand was and is: "I support law-enforcement on this one especially - because that's what they were trying to do: enforce the law. So sorry a young girl got killed - but I will never believe that the police's intent was to kill anyone."

[MHT]

Kerry was endorsed by the Boston Police union.

[monday]

"Too bad, though, you weren't capable of distinguishing between my support of police and supporting the killing of civilians. Yeah, I go around supporting deadly mistakes all the time - not!"
"My stand was and is: "I support law-enforcement on this one especially - because that's what they were trying to do: enforce the law. So sorry a young girl got killed - but I will never believe that the police's intent was to kill anyone."

You not only support the police, you support the police in THIS INSTANCE. to quote "I support law-enforcement on this one especially".

The police have admitted making a 'deadly mistake' and killing an innocent girl. Of course they didn't kill her intentionally. They killed her negligently. It is still their fault and you still support them.

You can say that you don't support 'deadly mistakes', but in your own words, you admit that in this case, you do support 'deadly mistakes'.

[nmh]

Not me!

MOST police vote Republican too!

[LibSnubber]

HOW OLD ARE YOU? I've never tried to "debate" anyone so immature before in my life. I'm through trying to have a decent, logical debate with you. Frankly, I don't think it was ever your intent to debate. You were probably just bored and thought you'd get off on making stupid, illogical arguments. Well, I have so many better things to do with my time than waste it on you - so I don't give a flip what you say. I never posted to you to begin with - nor will I ever again. Go irritate someone else.

[monday]

" you'd get off on making stupid, illogical arguments."

I see. You get caught in a logical inconsistency and then accuse me of doing exactly what you do? .... and then insult me, ...and you question my maturity?

[ninonitti]

It's going to cost the city millions too.

It would nice if there were a "city" and then there were "taxpayers". Unfortunately, I still own property in Boston so I'll be paying for my share of the Darwin Award on this one. (Most Boston cops live in the 'burbs)