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  #46 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Traveler, do you by chance have a snake phobia?

I know that I'd be tempted to shoot a tarantula if it were near me....
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  #47 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
Wlessard Wlessard is offline
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Why is it we are trying to make out that a Police Officer should be perfect yet we vote in known incompetents and criminals into public office?
A Police Officer is a human being and therefore is subject to being imperfect. To expect perfection is completely wrong. To expect a higher degree of skill is fine. There is a difference.

Also from readin both the article and these responses the location of the child was 200yds/600 feet away and not in plain sight. At that distance a bullets trajectory can alter unpredicatably based on wind and even a single leaf on a tree. How far down range do you search and how long? Should I walk a mile down while I have a hysterical homeowner on me about getting rid of the snake? What is reasonable?

Finally again. If it is found that he acted rashly or out of the scope of his duties then he should be charged and tried.

Innocent UNTIL proven Guilty.

Most of you seem ready to hang him without any more information than what is in the article.
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  #48 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveler View Post
How, if they killed the snake the threat was gone....right?
They introduced an even bigger threat into the equation: stray bullets in an area that had civilians present. That is way worse than a snake in a tree.

Quote:
Well like i've said we have no way of knowing whether they contacted animal control or not. Or if they radio'd it in or not.
If they did, they should've waited until they arrived before doing anything. If they didn't, why not?

Quote:
Who's to say they didn't try it and it didn't work?
I saw no mention of it. Plus, if the snake isn't going to be bothered by pepper spray, I'd say it's a good bet that it's not going to be bothered to slither out of the tree and attack someone.


Quote:
no my assumption is that they were afriad for their own lives if they deemed it to be that dangerous they had to shoot at it. I think they would have shot it as the kast resort no?
Well, that is an incredibly bad judgement call. Anyone who makes that decision should not be in the roll of a law enforcement officer. And no, it couldn't have been a last resort. I can think of a trillion other ways to get a snake out of a tree before shooting at it.

Quote:
A tree on someone's property isn't exactly nature is it? Its not exactly miles away from people....
I meant in nature. There are lots of uncontained, hissing snakes around, it'd be ridiculous to go around shooting them all. That's what snakes do, they wander about freely and hiss at crap. I'm not sure why this particular snake needed to be shot at, while the hundreds of millions of other hissing wild snakes are simply avoided.
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  #49 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
Miranda Miranda is offline
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darth Mod View Post
I meant in nature. There are lots of uncontained, hissing snakes around, it'd be ridiculous to go around shooting them all. That's what snakes do, they wander about freely and hiss at crap. I'm not sure why this particular snake needed to be shot at, while the hundreds of millions of other hissing wild snakes are simply avoided.


I sense that it was racially motivated. Was it a black snake?








(This is my lame attempt at a joke - please take it as just that. Thank you)
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  #50 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darth Mod View Post
They chose to deal with the 'dangerous' situation by making it way, way, way more dangerous. This would be like trying to get rid of a hornets nest using 10 tons of TNT.
Although that would be so cool.
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  #51 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Miranda View Post
I sense that it was racially motivated. Was it a black snake?
Lol. Don't worry, snake jokes are going to be the next big thing, I'm sure.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Donkey_Left View Post
Although that would be so cool.
Yea, it would. If the situation was "Cop kills 5 year old while trying to remove hornet's nest with 10 tons of TNT", I'd certainly have to re-evaluate my views of the cop.
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  #52 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

The officer should be investigated and reprimanded if neglect is proven. He was a professional and should have known better…..It was a snake, not some street shootout !
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  #53 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Miranda View Post
I sense that it was racially motivated. Was it a black snake?

Shit that was good.
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  #54 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveler View Post
It was the folk who owned the house who insisted on the snake being removed by all accounts.
So what? Since when does the demand of a homeowner override common sense and good judgment? Since when do the cops have to follow every little demand?

Would you be OK with it had the cop decided to torch the tree or use explosives?

The police are not there to perform pest control duties.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveler View Post
We don't actually know what snake it was or how dangerous it could have been yet.
No, but considering it was in a tree, and there are few if any poisonous snakes which even climb trees, and fewer still which live in OK, its a safe bet it was nothing more than a common garden or tree snake - both of which are harmless. I promise you my friend, there are NO circumstances under which this fool's actions were justifiable or legally defensible.

I live about 30 miles from Noble my friend. The only snakes you've got to concern yourself with around here are the harmless sort. Sure, there are copperheads near the water and the occasional rattler, but not in a suburban neighborhood.
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  #55 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveler View Post
But we don't what weapon was used or how big the snake was.
Most LEO's I know carry either 9mm or .40 cal, neither or which will have a round stopped by a snake, regardless of how big the snake is...

Quote:
And the report did say the owner of the property and the cops had apparently tried their best to get the snake down several different ways first.
And since those brain surgeons failed, what they should've done is allow someone who actually knew what the fuck they were doing to come out and get the snake down...

Quote:
They mus have seen some serious reason for getting rid of this snake, else they would have just left it there.
I think it was nothing more than the property owner not wanting the snake there. Well, tough shit, that's not enough to warrant shooting at it...

Quote:
Maybe he thought the bark of the tree or one of the branches would have stopped it
Oh...

My...

God...

Quote:
Maybe he did check behind the tree and at the time the kid wasn't there, there was nothing there behind the tree at the time?
If he was such a fucking crack shot, what was behind the tree wouldn't have been any great concern. But, since it's obvious the idiot couldn't hit water if he fell out of a fuckin' boat, he really should've called a professional...

Quote:
Well he may well have been lacking the experience and training he needed to deal with the situation properly or maybe he was just a probationary officer, who knows.
If he was lacking in experience and training, he never should've unholstered his weapon.

You seem to be a big fan of "maybe".

Let me give you something which doesn't need a "maybe". If the dumb-fuck would've left his weapon holstered, the little boy would be alive right now...
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  #56 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wlessard View Post
Why is it we are trying to make out that a Police Officer should be perfect yet we vote in known incompetents and criminals into public office?

A Police Officer is a human being and therefore is subject to being imperfect. To expect perfection is completely wrong. To expect a higher degree of skill is fine. There is a difference.
When it comes to the use of deadly force, which is what's used ANYTIME an officer fires his weapon and isn't on a range, there is zero room for error. Period.

He'd better fucking do it right, and it's pretty fucking clear this moron didn't...
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  #57 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
Americano Americano is offline
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by EricOKC View Post
I live about 30 miles from Noble my friend. The only snakes you've got to concern yourself with around here are the harmless sort. Sure, there are copperheads near the water and the occasional rattler, but not in a suburban neighborhood.
Makes me wonder if there's an election coming up for whatever municipality getting the Noble tax revenue with an incumbent running or maybe their LE has way too much staff. That's trying to understand how normally stretched out LE can respond to snake in tree calls in Oklahoma with at least one really dumb cop.
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  #58 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Americano View Post
Makes me wonder if there's an election coming up for whatever municipality getting the Noble tax revenue with an incumbent running or maybe their LE has way too much staff. That's trying to understand how normally stretched out LE can respond to snake in tree calls in Oklahoma with at least one really dumb cop.
Noble's a small town. It was probably the most excitement he had all year. About the only thing they do in Noble is catch college kids fucking in the back seat of a car somewhere.
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  #59 (permalink)  
Old 08-07-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
Originally Posted by Traveler View Post
It was the folk who owned the house who insisted on the snake being removed by all accounts.

We don't actually know what snake it was or how dangerous it could have been yet.
Why not use a pellet rifle? machete? some other tool appropriate for the situation?
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  #60 (permalink)  
Old 09-08-2007
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Re: Stupidity + firearm --> dead kid

Quote:
NOBLE, Okla. -- Cleveland County's top prosecutor has decided to prosecute two Noble officers involved in the shooting death of a 5-year-old boy.

A Noble officer fired his gun at a snake more than a month ago, and the bullet ricocheted and hit 5-year-old Austin Haley in the head.

The Noble Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation looked into the case.

Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn explained on Friday that he took no pleasure in filing a pair of second-degree manslaughter charges against the officers, identified as Brad Rogers and Shawn Richardson.

They could face up to four years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.

However, he said that the officers failed to take reasonable care by firing shots in an open area at a non-poisonous snake. According to police reports, the officers responded on Aug. 3 to a report of a snake in a birdhouse.

Noble Officers To Be Prosecuted In Boy's Death - News Story - KOCO Oklahoma City
Not sure how they are going to make a case against the officer who did not fire the fatal shot.

But it seems plain that there was absolutely no justification for shooting at this non-poisonous snake in a birdhouse.

Matt
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