Posted on 07/10/2012 4:37:37 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin
A Houston police officer fatally shot a man Monday who refused commands to stop and approached her with one hand tucked under his shirt, an official said.
Officer J. McGowan shot the man, identified by relatives as Rufino Lara, about 4:30 p.m. in front of a vacant store along the 7000 block of Bissonnet near Fondren.
“I don’t believe this should be happening,” said his sister, Calixta Lara. “He never had a problem with the police.”
McGowan and her partner were investigating an assault at the center. McGowan told detectives five or six people were standing in front of the building when she and her partner pulled up.
The man later identified as Lara began walking away when McGowan’s partner started questioning the others, Houston police said.
She followed him along the walkway in front of the center, telling him to stop in both English and Spanish, said John Cannon, a Houston police spokesman.
“The male is ignoring her the entire time. She continues to tell him, ‘Show your hands. Show your hands,’ ” Cannon said.
At times, Lara would raise one hand but keep the other tucked under his shirt. He suddenly turned and faced McGowan in front of a vacant grocery. He hand was still tucked under his shirt.
The officer told detectives she was in fear for her safety. “She thought he might have a firearm with him,” Cannon said.
McGowan fired once and Lara, 54, died at the scene, police said.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.chron.com ...
Your 8 x 10 piece of paper rang my bell. At the range I put 47 out of 49 9mm shots through the paper at 50 feet. I was asked why I didn’t use an actual target.
I held the paper before my chest (center mass) and the question was answered without a word.
No boasting, though, I was the one MOST surprised, but my own questions were answered.
I pray I never have to do it for real.
Itchy trigger finger my ass! If the story as written is fact. I would call it a good shoot. Lara was told several times in English AND Spanish to show both hands WHILE HE WAS WALKING AWAY from the cop. He did not. Then he turned toward the officer with his hand still under his shirt. What would you have her do? Wait until he fired a weapon before shooting? Let him go since he was only fighting with other drunks? I seriously doubt the city of Houston hires police officers to any of these. Cops are not supposed to lose any fight. Regardless of your opinion of cops, they like you, have the right to go home after work.
Lara had the riight to go home tcept noww he's dead.
>> A scared police officer let herself get into a situation that she couldn’t control
Please educate us as to exactly how YOU would “control” this situation.
Lara had the right to go home except now he's dead.
Lara would have made it home if he obeyed the cop.
Depends on the department. Police around here seem to only fire their guns for annual qualification, and their marksmanship is pretty bad. I know this because they use our range for their quals.
Is this a great country or what??!!
>> Lara had the right to go home
Arguably; however, Lara DIDN’T have the right to...
a) Walk away from a crime scene when ordered to stop
b) Repeatedly ignore a reasonable order, delivered in two languages, to show his hands
c) Stop walking away and then TURN AND FACE the officer with his hand still in his shirt
If Lara had continued to “walk away” he probably would not have been shot.
More like disobey a cop when they ask you to show that you are not armed and are about to shoot them.
Not enough info to determine the righteousness of this shooting. But....
“she was in fear for her safety” It seems to me that too officers operate with too much fear. They are afraid of dogs, unarmed bums, innocent store patrons, children, almost everyone. They seem to be preoccupied with fear. Maybe they are in the wrong line of work. These types of cops need to get some balls! .........oops!
“Shoot first, ask questions later” seems to be their motto.
To me this is the logical outcome of cops hyperventilating that everyone wants to hurt them and everyone is a criminal.
In the end, Lara committed no crime yet was willfully shot and is now at room temperature.
OK, folks. Here is the way it is!
Police in many jurisdictions are being trained more intensively, based on results of studies of deaths in shoot-outs and other conflicts. It has been learned that in order to survive, police have to be trained to act almost automatically. Those who fuss around and winder what to do end up dead.
A poster at the Essex County Police Academy in New Jersey lists “Ten Fatal Errors That Have Killed Experienced Law enforcement Officers.” Number 6 on the list is “Failure to watch hands of suspect.” Police are now trained to watch hands.
This means that if you are ever stopped by the police, for any reason, make sure that your hands are in the clear. If in a car, keep your hands on the upper part of the steering wheel. You could even put then on the sill of the driver’s-side window! Keep them visible.
If asked for license of ID, say: “It’s in my wallet in my back pocket.” This way at least the office knows what your reaching for.
I had a student who was stopped and asked for his driver’s license. This kid liked to keep his wallet under his seat, so in response, he reached in that direction. The next sound he heard was the officer’s pistols being cocked, which is not a nice thing to realize is happening just behind you left ear.
Look at it from the police viewpoint. Not only are they trained with their own survival in mind, but some may be new and nervous. Others may be old enough to know a buddy who was killed through inattention. Don’t do anything which could cause an accidental misinterpretation of your intentions!
Good advice.
Of course there is that rule that I have been taught — Never, ever make a person with a handgun afraid; they might do something bad.
That is why I conceal carry, and not open carry.
Oh, I routinely post my silhouette target results on my front door and invite bad guys to enter at their own risk. I tell them that the door is unlocked, so please don’t break anything.
Gwjack
>> To me this is the logical outcome of cops hyperventilating that everyone wants to hurt them and everyone is a criminal.
You’re painting with a rather broad brush. I have read about cops who seem to be as you say — but all the ones I know personally are NOT like that.
I take these cops-vs-bystander stories on a case by case basis and examine without prejudice the FACTS that are presented. The cops are not always right, but neither are they always wrong (as you seem to suggest).
In this case IMO the shooting was justified.
That is what the law says just like in FL but it does not always work that way, ask Zimmerman.
she probably could not really speaka de espanol and the guy thought she was saying are you a rabbit or some such and kept looking at her like she was crazy so she shot him. Not a very good excuse
Zimmerman, like any of us who shoot another, will have to convince others that there was reasonable fear for his safety and he legally had the gun.
I did not claim it would be an immediate pat-on-the-back and no consequences. But if the above is shown true, there will be no 20 year sentence as the poster suggested.
>> she probably could not really speaka de espanol
So maybe he shoulda learna de fuquing langage a de land wherea he vivir’d. Si o No?
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