Police Kill Retired Corrections Officer...

[Andara Bledin]

Article at the New York Times

Article at The Daily White Plains

Apparently, Chamberlain set off his medical alert device and officers chose to arrive with the ambulance. After the medics determined that he was not in need of medical assistance, they departed.

However, the police remained, for at least an hour, making demands to be allowed into his apartment. Multiple witnesses as well as a recording include at least one officer using a racial slur before they chose to break into his apartment, deploy their tasers, and despite being armed with beanbag-loaded shotguns, proceeded to shoot Chamberlain in the chest, twice, hitting him in the heart.

According to his son, one of the few non-law-enforcement people who have been allowed to listen to the recordings, his father said, "This is my sworn testimony. White Plains officers are coming in here to kill me," just minutes before police broke in and shot him.

While the officer who fired has been placed on modified assignment, but no charges have been filed, and the name of the officer has not been released.

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[Duelist925]

....What in the name of fuck?

Police shoot and kill a retiree. Thats a good headline. A retiree who can't walk 40 feet, according to one article, without weezing. And its called a lawful sue of lethal force?

Bloody hell.

[Greenday]

First article makes the guy sound mentally unstable. At least that's the vibe I got from it. I don't understand why, instead of just letting everyone see that nobody was in trouble, he decided to lock them all out and act like everything was not alright.

I'm going to wait for some facts to come out before blaming one side or the other.

[bara]

With GD, But if they guy was unstable I would imagine busting down the door isnt the right call in any event unless they have cause to think some one is in imminent danger.

Guy a couple houses down has some mental issues and had an episode of severe PTSD and had his family hostage with a shotgun. Instead of busting down doors they talked him down and no one was hurt and guy got the help he deserved/needed. Vietnam vet.

[Andara Bledin]

First article makes the guy sound mentally unstable.

Be that as it may, the paramedics had already cleared him as being ok, and I think they'd have mentioned if there was anyone in danger.

And, if they thought someone was in danger, why did they wait over an hour before breaking his door down?

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[KnitShoni]

They claim he grabbed a knife after he was tased and shot with beanbags. This man, who had heart issues and could barely walk 40 feet without wheezing, was able to grab a knife after being tased and shot with beanbags? Oh.

[Greenday]

Be that as it may, the paramedics had already cleared him as being ok, and I think they'd have mentioned if there was anyone in danger.

Did they clear him because they knew he was okay? Or did they clear him because "Ugh, fuck this shit, let's go home."

[Andara Bledin]

Did they clear him because they knew he was okay? Or did they clear him because "Ugh, fuck this shit, let's go home."

Somehow, I think that the contract he has with the medical monitor service is worth a little more and I would wager that the paramedics were likely of better character than the police who spent an hour harassing him outside his door, throwing taunts and at least one racial epithet without any care about who might witness them.

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[DrFaroohk]

From the first article I read it seems like a lot of this could've been avoided if he'd just opened his door and said "Yeah, I'm fine. fuck off."

Then again, it seems like it would set a precedent giving police even more power.


Aren't there laws that say if you instigate the violence with threats and taunts, you don't get to claim self defense? I may have misread, or it's just in my state.

[crashhelmet]

One of the things that bothers me from the article was this line:

The police say Mr. Chamberlain was “known” to them, although it appears he had not been convicted of a crime.

What kind of history did he have with them?

The second article mentions that the video footage from the officers' cameras shows he was 8 feet away and unarmed.

This may be yet another issue where it takes a nationwide, public outcry to get the Justice department involved.

[HYHYBT]

Too much left out, especially why the police were so insistent at getting in in the first place.

[Andara Bledin]

They were probably intent on getting in because he told them no and they felt offended because they're the Police, don't you know, and they shouldn't be barred entry to anywhere, even if it's a private residence and there's no cause to suspect the resident of anything.

Oh, and another part that makes the whole thing suspicious is the report of one of the officers claiming he wanted to use the guy's bathroom.

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[Greenday]

They were probably intent on getting in because he told them no and they felt offended because they're the Police, don't you know, and they shouldn't be barred entry to anywhere, even if it's a private residence and there's no cause to suspect the resident of anything.

Oh, and another part that makes the whole thing suspicious is the report of one of the officers claiming he wanted to use the guy's bathroom.

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Baseless opinion ftw!

[DrFaroohk]

If I was a cop trying to get into someone's apartment and I (presumably) had a good reason to want to go in and check him out, I'd probably ask to use the bathroom too.

I wonder how that all works out legally. Say ask to use the BR, now you've been invited in right? Does that make it easier for other police to legally gain entry?

[KnitShoni]

Baseless opinion ftw!

How is it baseless? It happens. More often than you think.