Police shoot pregnant woman dead (USA)

[SuddenlyOld]

Ok America, since when did it become normal for police officers to point guns at pregnant women accused of shoplifting?
She didn't have a weapon or get violent. Turns out she hadn't stolen anything either.
If I was black in America I'd be scared to go out 😪😪😪
This is probably the worst thing I've seen ever.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66690408

They said it had no plates. That is illegal.

This is an example of the hysteria people are talking about. Of course the lady had 'a chance'if she had have gotten out of the car and did as the police ask. There was an almost 0% chance that she would have been killed if she got out of the car. Why are people trying to whip up fear like this? Who do you think you are helping?

As America once again questions what constitutes 'reasonable force', a central question in this case is why the officer didn't just step out of the way as the car slowly accelerated.
Why did he feel a shot to the chest was necessary? Why not let Ms Young get away and trace her later?
Did he intend to fire the weapon? Was it discharged by accident as the vehicle nudged him? Why did he even draw it?
It’s notable that the other officer, his partner, who was at the scene before him had chosen not to draw his weapon.

Why not let Ms Young get away and trace her later? For shoplifting?

Many posters have asked this.

Some posters have suggested that in the 30 seconds it took to shoot her, the police made a profile assessment to stop her hurtling off and mowing down passersby left right and centre.

In 30 seconds.

You know big, black car and all.

I can believe she was afraid of being thrown to the ground and handcuffed. That would mean a high chance of serious injury to her and her baby. If someone was pointing a gun at my head and shouting I would be terrified and paralysed with fear.

This is an example of the hysteria people are talking about. Of course the lady had 'a chance'if she had have gotten out of the car and did as the police ask. There was an almost 0% chance that she would have been killed if she got out of the car. Why are people trying to whip up fear like this? Who do you think you are helping?m

Why are you down playing what's happened?

There is literally no hysteria. But I am horrified.

This thread has zero influence on anyone that matters.

No they haven't

Some posters are playing down this incident as if they doing some sort of public service.

@DrasticAction Gun violence has become so normalized over here that even a police shooting like this isn’t enough to make people angry.

It’s not being covered in our newspaper (we’re not Ohio)-but then, so many people are shot in our city every week that that Crime section is probably full. It’s sickening. ☹️

Gun violence has become so normalized over here that even a police shooting like this isn’t enough to make people angry.

Seems like a definite lack of hysteria.

Don't know how I'd feel if I actually lived in the States. In some ways normalising is a way to cope.

What hysteria. She must have been terrified. The officer was aggressive right from the start. Surely you’ve seen enough footage of people in the US being handled roughly by police, thrown to the ground, slammed onto. At bonnets etc, to understand why a pregnant black woman my have been afraid to get out of the car.

at no point in that video were the officers in danger of being run over, the car move at no miles and hour and they could have just stepped to the side. They murdered a woman that day. There’s no hysteria about it. She may or may not have committed a minor offence, but they are cold blooded murdered and should be sent to prison for a long time.

This is what my above comment should have quoted.

Thank you for sharing the factual statistic that she had an "almost 0% chance" of getting murdered by men with guns if she had stepped out of the car.

I'm sure all the people in America subject to the constant threat of death are resting easy now, can you share it with the news media so it gets around? Make sure you include your credentials so people understand your assertion is legit.

All guns should be banned

Have you not watched the video of the man shitting himself and then ends up getting shot. All guns should be banned rather than justifying why an innocent life should be taken.

Those saying to just let her go and find her later don't really understand investigations. THey have her there now and are actively investigating. They would have to put a lot of manpower into figuring out her identity, finding her, and by then any stolen merchandise would be long gone. And if she has no interest in cooperating now, why would she cooperate later. She won't.

Policing and crime investigation isn't a criminal centered system where the suspect decides the course of action. You can't say, I don't wish to be investigated for this crime right now so I am leaving and perhaps later if you identify me and find me, I might talk to you then. Or not and I will have destroyed or moved the evidence.

The whole attitude to here that if she doesn't want to be investigated for a potential crime when she doesn't have to be is weird. That isn't how policing works. If you get pulled over for speeding, you can't say, oh sorry, I am just going to leave and drive home and maybe some other time you can come find me to talk about speeding and then take off, banging into people as you go. All the people insisting she did nothing wrong and her actions are completely fine - were do you live?

In America being expected to stop when you are being investigated and told not to leave and not hitting people when you decide to drive away is not accpetable behaviour. No one thinks that will end well.

Not sure where the people who insist that police should just let her do as she wishes and just leave her be live. Never seen policing like that anywhere.

And yet guns will never be banned in the US. I’ve had some mind blowing debates with people from the US who support hun ownership. They’re honestly so irrational and just the sort of people who shouldn’t ever be allowed to own a gun!

it’s just madness and the rest of the world looks on in horror.

We have statistics to show it. In the last 9 years, 5 unarmed black women who didn't flee have been killed by police. Given the population, that is a .00000011 chance of being killed.

*Thank you for sharing the factual statistic that she had an "almost 0% chance" of getting murdered by men with guns if she had stepped out of the car.

I'm sure all the people in America subject to the constant threat of death are resting easy now, can you share it with the news media so it gets around? Make sure you include your credentials so people understand your assertion is legit.*

I didn't make that statement. I was disagreeing with it.

I can't see why posters think it's in anybody's interest to down play the incident, suggesting it was of the victim's own making.

Not to whip up hysteria apparently or influence young minds someone else said.

Apologist I say.

@beeswaxinc

The problem is the gun culture and the power associated with it. Even in the UK it won't go down well but they won't be shot dead. BLM started for a reason and that's because black people were treated in the manner the young pregnant lady was treated. A news reporter reported the statistics read it.

Those saying to just let her go and find her later don't really understand investigations. THey have her there now and are actively investigating. They would have to put a lot of manpower into figuring out her identity, finding her, and by then any stolen merchandise would be long gone. And if she has no interest in cooperating now, why would she cooperate later. She won't

Ahh yes this is a wise response. Too much man power to investigate a shop lifting suspect, let's just shoot her dead, case closed.

I sweat people are just heavy trolling or people just fucking say things with no thought whatsoever. A woman is dead. Her life is over and her entire family will live with the fallout for the rest of their lives, dealing with the loss of her and her baby. The political legacy and tensions in communities and societies incidents like this create are significant too. It's so abhorrent to me that people can glibly talk about it being effort to run an investigation so of course any force used would be reasonable to stop the criminal getting away... as if an investigation wouldn't have had to be done ANYWAY to actually PROVE guilt?

Sorry, but I still believe if the only options are a) shoot her dead or b) drop the matter and let her off scot-free then, for the absolutely heinous crime of potentially shoplifting a couple of bottles of vodka, just let her go.

But those aren't the only options are they? They had numerous avenues open to them as discussed including but not limited to letting her go and filing a report at the station later in the day. She was alleged to have shoplifted alcohol. It's hardly the crime of the century. I very much doubt many man-hours would have been spent trying to track her down. It's much more likely to have been kept on record to be used against her if she was later arrested for other crimes.

Interesting how you focus on the numbers rather than the fact that 5 (five) women have been killed while being unarmed and co-operating with the police. I'm genuinely unsure how your mind works if you think that the rarity of any unjustifiable event is a mitigating factor, genuinely.

Also interesting how the statistical focus is on a niche area when the point is, police should not be shooting people to fucking death. Even if they're bad people. Even if they're people you don't like the look of. Even if they're people you don't look like.

**Apologies to the poster who I misquoted and who was also disagreeing with this person.

So if youbelieve that anyone suspected of a crime should not be stopped or investigated if they don't wish to be, how do you see policing working.

There would be no real way to invrestigte it after she left. You don't understand policing or investigations. It would make no sense and get thrown out of court.

I don't believe they needed to shoot her, there were other ways to manage the situation but the answer is not to allow suspects to direct the investigation, to hit people with their cars if they wish and not to be investigated if they don't wish to be.

If someone invaded your house and stole from home and ran into your child as they were driving away would you really be fine with the police saying - oh they don't wish to be questioned or investigated. They have every right to invade or steal and hit your child. If at some point they wish to be investigated, we are happy to talk to them. I mean there are a lot of criminals out there who would love the lawless society you believe in so strongly.

ey have her there now and are actively investigating. They would have to put a lot of manpower into figuring out her identity, finding her, and by then any stolen merchandise would be long gone.

Actively " investigating"?

the alleged stolen merchandise = the bottles of wine

Give us a break.

I think the word we're looking for is " proportional "

They sorted that alleged crime out didn't they.