Officer Matt Marin shot and killed Brian Claunch, a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair who turned out to only have a pen in his hand. Nevertheless, Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva insisted that “fearing for his partner’s safety and his own safety, [Marin] discharged his weapon.”
Claunch was threatening people with a pen and “advanced” on Marin’s partner after “trapping” an officer with this wheelchair. Officers warned him to show them his hands and he failed to yield to their commands, according to the police reports.
Claunch had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He was reportedly upset when one of the caregivers refused to give him a cigarette and a soda.
Police say that Claunch attempted to stab the officer with the pen, but they were not sure what the object was at the time.
This is the second shooting incident for Marin who in October 2009 shot and killed a man with a knife after the suspect had stabbed his girlfriend and a neighbor.
In fairness to the officers, this is a highly disturbed individuals who they say was trying to stab an officer. The question is whether (given the fact that he is a double amputee confined to a wheelchair) it was not possible to subdue him given the multiple officers present at the scene.
Source: CNN
I am an old lady. I can take-down a guy in a wheel-chair. Are there no MEN left in the USA Police-force?!
the pen is mightier than the sword
but don’t bring a sword to a gunfight
Here’s another doozy for your consideration.
Scottsdale police suit claims lack of discipline allowed shooting
by Laurie Merrill – Sept. 24, 2012 01:27 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
The ACLU claims in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that Scottsdale failed to discipline an officer who has shot five people in the line of duty, which allowed the Feb. 14 fatal shooting of an unarmed man holding his infant grandson.
The lawsuit filed in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and a Chicago law firm on behalf of the daughter and father of the man shot, John Loxas, seeks unspecified damages against the City of Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Police Department, Police Chief Alan Rodbell, Officer James Peters and Det. Brian McWilliams.
Peters was one of six officers who responded to 911 calls from neighbors who said Loxas was threatening them with a gun in the 7700 block of East Garfield Street, near Hayden and McKellips roads on Feb. 14.
According to one 911 call, the neighbors said Loxas was pushing his 9-month-old grandson in a stroller when he kicked a neighbor’s trash can into the street.
When another neighbor went to pick it up, Loxas returned with the baby in his arms and started yelling, “You got a problem with that?” the caller tells the dispatcher. “The guy pulls out a gun, cocks it and aimed it at him.”
When officers arrived, Loxas had returned to his house, but came to the door with the baby in his arms, police said.
Peters and another officer told investigators that they saw a black object in Loxas’ hand. Loxas turned to go back inside when Peters, who was standing 18 feet away at the edge of the driveway, shot him in the head with his patrol rifle, police said.
Peters had shot five other people while on duty as a Scottsdale police officer. The suit says that despite five other shootings since 2002 and a “long history of excessive use of force against civilians, dozens of incidents involving Tasers,” Peters remained on active duty.
The suit accuses Rodbell of “rubberstamping” police shootings and for a review system that does not use witness testimony but relies mostly on police reports.
Scottsdale police said they continue to investigate the most recent shooting by Peters.
“The Scottsdale Police Department is still in the process of this multifaceted review which includes a review of the facts by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office,” said Scottsdale police Officer David Pubins on Monday.
“We have been informed that the MCAO will not be seeking criminal charges in this matter. This has allowed us to move toward finalization of our internal investigation and review by departmental and city staff. We urge the community to allow this very complex process to take place. When the entire process is complete, the results will be made public.”
The previous shootings were found to be justified, according to Rodbell.
pete,
… invisible ink?
in defense of the officers the pen did have ink in it
Kraaken, Hubert doesn’t know a gun from a pen. Maybe he’s a NYC cop.
Hubert Cumberdale: Please go back and read the article again. His hand (holding the pen) was in PLAIN SIGHT. He HAD no other hand to show. He was an AMPUTEE. According to the cops, he was killed because he refused to show his hand-S (plural). The excuse was that he was waving a PEN around and trying to stab the cop. One hand was allegedly occupied and in plain sight, the other was MISSING.
Sling said: ““Notice. Hands. Plural NOT singular. The ONE hand was ostensibly involved with a pen trying to stab the cop. The other wasn’t shown because he didn’t HAVE one to show.””
All it takes is one hand on one pistol to kill one of the officers. I would have plugged him too, if he looked like he had a gun and refused to cooperate.
If he has a pen and it is in his pocket and he’s trying to make them think he has a gun and he refuses to show his hands, I can understand the officers opening fire. Even moreso if he’s trying to stab them. Granted, looks like they could have just knocked him over in his wheelchair. But I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for sure. If he was looking like he had a gun and might shoot, then they are justified in opening fire on him.
Sorry Betty, you did not misspell “Wonder” in the quote, it was just my bad typing.
BettyKath contributed:
Winder if the group home can sue the cops for wrongful death.
~+~
As far as I know the group home probably could not sue for wrongful death because they do not have standing to do so, meaning the deceased was not a relative, a key business partner, or had some form of contractual or insurable interest. That is not to say the family or those having standing to file a claim for damages could.
Wonder if the group home can sue the cops for wrongful death.
Good one, ST! 🙂
Knowing the ways of the world, the first thing the cops ask on arrival is: “Does he have any relatives and do they care if we shoot him”.
First, why do cops in every situation shoot to kill? Second, using a lethal weapon, and even a taser, need to be weapons of last resort. Instead they are relied upon so officers do not need to engage people physically. Itis hard to imagine how multiple officers in this case cannot subdue, or at least avoid a one armed, one legged man in a wheel chair. At a minimum it is incompetence and perhaps negligence to allow someone with these characteristics to put them in this situation in the first place.
“Notice. Hands. Plural NOT singular. The ONE hand was ostensibly involved with a pen trying to stab the cop. The other wasn’t shown because he didn’t HAVE one to show.”
——————
“WALK AWAY FROM THE WHEELCHAIR!! WALK AWAY FROM THE WHEELCHAIR !! ” Bang!
So if the the one armed one legged patient wanted a soda and a cigarette,why not provide them ?
OT OT OT
This cop must have been filled with hate.
So here’s a current example of hate crime against jews.
What is their current holiday called? Thanks. i======================================
http://act.watchdog.net/petitions/1399?r=52570.YvfJ2P
MSU Student’s Mouth Stapled Shut In Horrific Hate Crime.
Zachary Tennen, a 19-year-old sophomore at Michigan State University, was at an off-campus party when two college-aged men approached him and demanded to know if he was Jewish.
After posting above at 1:47pm, I went back and read both the professor’s article and the Huffington Post article, thinking I might have missed something. I Did, and what I missed makes me even MORE upset about the veracity of this incident.
JT< "Officers warned him to show them his hands and he failed to yield to their commands, according to the police reports".<
Notice. Hands. Plural NOT singular. The ONE hand was ostensibly involved with a pen trying to stab the cop. The other wasn't shown because he didn't HAVE one to show.
P Smith, I hear you but your libeling pigs, the four-legged kind. Real pigs are much nicer than the officer.