Supreme Court weighs S.F. police shooting of mentally ill woman - SFGate
Quote:
Wrestling with the case of a knife-wielding San Francisco woman who was shot in her room at a group home by city police officers ...
...When officers are facing someone who is armed and ?may be violent at any time,? there is ?some reason to give the police officers who have to deal with them the benefit of the doubt,? Justice Elena Kagan told a lawyer for Teresa Sheehan, who survived the 2008 shooting and is suing the city for damages.
The liberal Kagan appeared to be aligned with conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who ? referring to the legal requirement to ?reasonably accommodate? a person?s physical or mental disability ? declared, ?It is never reasonable to accommodate somebody who is armed and violent, period.?...
...?If the individual presents a significant threat, then no accommodation is required,? Van Aken told the court. Even if an armed suspect ignored an officer?s command to put his hands up because he was deaf, and the officer knew that, she said, the officer would nevertheless be entitled to shoot the suspect if necessary to ?protect public safety.?
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Idiots. When someone is wielding a knife use your club. If you are not man enough get a new job ...
It's our courts that allow the cops to kill with little restriction.
I guess if you are a potential or imaginary threat you can be shot and killed by the police legally.
The sensible thing to do was to say "drop the towel and show me your hand" to determine if there was a real threat -- he shot first apparently. No, I didn't read the article usually these first accounts are not entirely accurate. But that would decide if the cop walks or gets the firing squad if I was the Judge. Real knowledge of a life threatening situation before you kill.