Houston cop shoots, kills man in wheelchair

[GlockOclock]

HOUSTON (AP) -- A Houston police officer has fatally shot a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair after police say the double amputee waved a metal object that turned out to be a pen.

Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva says man cornered the officer early Saturday inside a group home after police were called there to check on a disturbance.

Silva says the man was making threats while trying to stab the officer with the pen. She says the officer did not know what the metal object was at the time.

Silva says the man came "within inches to a foot" of the officer and did not follow instructions to calm down and remain still.

"Fearing for his partner's safety and his own safety, he discharged his weapon," Silva told The Associated Press.

Police did not immediately release the name of the man who was killed. They had been called to the home after a caretaker there called and reported that the man in wheelchair was causing a disturbance.

The owner of the group home, John Garcia, told the Houston Chronicle that the man had a history of mental illness and had been living at the house about 18 months. Garcia said the man had told him that he lost a leg above the knee and all of one arm when he was hit by a train.
Police did not immediately release the man's name. The officer, Matthew Jacob Marin, has been placed on administrative leave.


Houston cop shoots, kills man in wheelchair]Houston cop kills double amputee in wheelchair - US news - Crime & courts | NBC News

 

[HoJo]

Must have been one of those pens that looks like a machete.

 

[echoawake]

From my perspective, I must question the need to shoot a double amputee. If a police officer can't fend off an attack from a wheelchair bound person, he should be on permanent desk duty if not fired.

 

[kelcarry]

From my perspective, I must question the need to shoot a double amputee. If a police officer can't fend off an attack from a wheelchair bound person, he should be on permanent desk duty if not fired.

Does seem a "bit" but he still had the one arm and that is all he needed to kill anyone with a "possible" firearm.

 

[Firefighterchen]

From my perspective, I must question the need to shoot a double amputee. If a police officer can't fend off an attack from a wheelchair bound person, he should be on permanent desk duty if not fired.

Just to clarify, because we now know he couldn't figure out how to defend himself from a wheel chair bound double amputee, should he be on permanent desk duty or fired? Cause in thinking murder should have a jail sentence....

Food for thought...If it was a manual wheel chair how could the guy move the wheels and attack with one arm?

More food: All the police officers I know, had to train to identify objects, even doing so after been sprayed in the face with oc. How could a pen be misidentified?

Does the Houston pd have tazers?

 

[Seeya]

Anything can be used kill if used in way that would penatrate the skin and into a vital organ or artery. a pen qualify's as a weapon. It can be thrust into a body. I do not believe that LEO's are trained to recognize any of the object's that I have trained with that appear to be non-lethal. A pen can appear to be a firearm. A credit card can be razor sharp and still be functional. There are many ways to create a weapon that appears to be something else.

 

[Deanimator]

From my perspective, I must question the need to shoot a double amputee. If a police officer can't fend off an attack from a wheelchair bound person, he should be on permanent desk duty if not fired.

A while ago a Chicago cop savagely sapped a man handcuffed to a wheelchair because he spit on him.

The cop thought he was going to skate with administrative punishment, then the new Police Superintendent forwarded the case to the FBI for investigation. He was then indicted, tried and convicted of a felony. He did Federal jail time.

Needless to say, this sent the rank and file of the Chicago PD into an insane rage that makes the Islamist reaction to the Mohammed video look like a teenager's sulk. They spent the rest of the Superintendent's tenure in a slow motion mutiny against him.

One thing I've noticed is that a LOT of these things point to cowardice on the part of the perpetrators, be it savagely beating women to sapping elderly stabbing victims handcuffed to wheelchairs...

 

[Deanimator]

Does the Houston pd have tazers?

...or pepper spray?

I wonder what would happen to one of us if WE shot somebody in a wheelchair, even if he had an Arkansas toothpick?

 

[Bilgerat]

Nothing more dangerous than a one armed one legged man in a wheelchair with a pen.I think everyone should lay off the poor cop,he obviously thought it was a tactical pen and was fearing for his life.


BTW the above is pretty much the definition of pure sarcasm.

 

[foamx]

I wonder if it was a tactical pen?

 

[Caribou]

Two trained police officers have to shoot a wheelchair bound one armed man with a pen? This is a case that needs to go in front of a jury.

The problem with this type of case is that prosecutors work so closely with police there is really a disincentive to prosecute or win against officers. Furthermore, winning against a police officer can cost the government millions in future lawsuits.

 

[SR40c]

I wonder what would happen to one of us if WE shot somebody in a wheelchair, even if he had an Arkansas toothpick?

Exactly what I was thinking. Not sure what's more audacious, what has apparently happened, or the certainty of the obvious double standard when nothing happens to these agents of the Gestapo.

 

[Wyldekard]

From my perspective, I must question the need to shoot a double amputee. If a police officer can't fend off an attack from a wheelchair bound person, he should be on permanent desk duty if not fired.

Does seem a "bit" but he still had the one arm and that is all he needed to kill anyone with a "possible" firearm.

echoawake has the proper perspective and solution(just to lenient). This "officer" allowed himself to be outflanked and cornered by a man with one arm and one leg in a wheelchair. In addition, he was not able to tell the difference between a pen and a fire arm at distances "from inches to about a foot". This severly disabled, mentally disturbed person was shot dead by an incompetant coward. At most all the idiot had to do was use his baton. He could have also elected to use pepper spray or a taser. Why one of the two officers present didn't just tip the wheelchair over is beyond me.

I also think the other officer that was present is culpable as well. Two able bodied members of the Houston police force have to resort to lethal force to resolve a situation regarding a mentally disturbed man with one arm and one leg in a wheelchair?? That is the epitomy of pathetic as well as criminal in my opinion.

 

[Deserteagle]

A pen can kill you just like a firearm can. I remember a story about a girl in elementary school who fell on the pencil she was running with. It ended up piercing her heart.

I do not want to find out what a pen or any metal object feels like when it gets jammed into my body. It's obvious some of you do though.

Only thing I dont understand is why he didnt hit the guy with a baton or taser him. But if a guy wants to attack a cop, he is far from being an innocent, peaceful person.

 

[GlockOclock]

Another article from CNN with some priceless quotes:
Houston police fatally shoot threatening wheelchair-bound amputee in head - CNN.com

Claunch, who lost an arm and a leg in a train accident, trapped one officer with his wheelchair in the corner of a room "where he couldn't get out," said a Houston police department spokesperson who declined to be identified. The double amputee was "advancing towards" the officers and "refusing to show his hands."

And in another spot:

"Emotionally disturbed individuals, when threatened, are going to react in most instances, excessively," Dr. Ed Reitman, a clinical psychologist, told KRTK.

It's unclear to me if he's talking about the officer.

 

[Deserteagle]

Emotionally disturbed individuals, when threatened, are going to react in most instances, excessively," Dr. Ed Reitman, a clinical psychologist, told KRTK.

It's unclear to me if he's talking about the officer.

Since the first sentence of the article is this:

A Houston police officer fatally shot in the head a schizophrenic, wheelchair-bound double amputee threatening people with a pen at a group home for the mentally ill

It is rather easy to realize that the doctor in your quote is referencing the man who was shot as an emotionally disturbed individual.

 

[GlockOclock]

Since the first sentence of the article is this:


It is rather easy to realize that the doctor in your quote is referencing the man who was shot as an emotionally disturbed individual.

Yes, it was a cheap shot. If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.

I realize that police officers are held to different standards, but I can't imagine a situation where I could articulate that a double amputee in a wheelchair was an immediate threat to my life.

 

[Timothy Bryant]

So did he shoot him AFTER pepper spraying or tasering him? Seems like he jumped to lethal force too quickly.

 

[Deserteagle]

Yes, it was a cheap shot. If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.

I realize that police officers are held to different standards, but I can't imagine a situation where I could articulate that a double amputee in a wheelchair was an immediate threat to my life.

One thing I learned in academy is that you always have to expect the unexpected. Never assume that if you have to fire shots, you are going to be firing at a stereotypical bad guy. In reality, bad guys come in all shapes and sizes which is very evident in this case.

If there is any wrong doing revealed in the investigation, he will have his day in court.

 

[fudo]

echoawake has the proper perspective and solution(just to lenient). This "officer" allowed himself to be outflanked and cornered by a man with one arm and one leg in a wheelchair. In addition, he was not able to tell the difference between a pen and a fire arm at distances "from inches to about a foot". This severly disabled, mentally disturbed person was shot dead by an incompetant coward. At most all the idiot had to do was use his baton. He could have also elected to use pepper spray or a taser. Why one of the two officers present didn't just tip the wheelchair over is beyond me.

I also think the other officer that was present is culpable as well. Two able bodied members of the Houston police force have to resort to lethal force to resolve a situation regarding a mentally disturbed man with one arm and one leg in a wheelchair?? That is the epitomy of pathetic as well as criminal in my opinion.

My "like" button isn't working, but I agree 100%