From the article:
Police said he was holding a rifle and was shot when he ignored their commands.
One guess as to the timeline:
4:00:00.0000: FREEZE!!!
4:00:00.0001: BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM....
I'm sorry, but between this and the garden hose massacre, the officers of the LAPD are appearing like paranoid chicken****s. What's departmental policy these days? "If you see anyone who even remotely appears to be armed with a deadly weapon, issue one verbal warning then open fire."
I like S.W.A.T.'s description: "They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers." -
Source
Apparently, a simple take-down is beyond the abilities of regular officers, so I think it's time S.W.A.T. take over the LAPD. I like the following quotes from the Wikipedia article:
"SWAT applicants undergo rigorous selection and training. Applicants must pass stringent physical agility, written, oral, and psychological testing to ensure they are not only fit enough but also psychologically suited for tactical operations."
Perhaps the LAPD should require at least the same psychological testing as required for members of S.W.A.T. I can imagine one question that would be an immediate disqualifier:
137. You come across an individual sitting on a back porch who is holding what appears to be a small caliber handgun. You:
a. Open fire.
b. Let him have it!
c. Determine whether or not what he's holding is a firearm or a garden hose sprayer.
d. Answer c has too many words, and big ones, so screw it - open fire!
e. I'm scared of this question BLAM-BLAM-BLAM! Stupid test...
Is it just me, or have the
actions of the several officers in California over the last year
earned them all a sordid reputation?