05-28-2020, 12:10 PM
(05-28-2020, 08:27 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: I don't know if there will be union backing. What I have seen from the LE community has been nearly universal condemnation. I follow a lot of current and former LEOs on social media and every post about this situation I have seen from them is condemning it.
For some reason this incident made me think to look in here for the response. I am pleasantly surprised for the most part. There is zero excuse for what this guy did, zero. You don't put your knee on someone's neck intentionally, and you certainly don't hold someone down that way for over seven minutes. Honestly, I can't even comprehend what this guy was thinking. If you're a sadist then you're trying to hurt the guy, but even if you're that type of odious human being why would you do that in front of numerous people recording you? Like I said, I literally can't fathom this guy's behavior, it's a combination of sadism and extreme idiocy. Now his actions tar all of law enforcement with the same brush. It will be used as fodder for the type of person who hates law enforcement for decades, and yes there is a not insubstantial number of those people. It will put the lives of LEO's everywhere in jeopardy.
As far as union backing, they're obligated to defend a union member, it's why you pay dues. It's analogous to a defense attorney defending their client to the hilt regardless of how vile the crime committed. The other three officers may well get their jobs back, depending on who was senior officer on scene etc. but not the main dude, he's dust. I would be very surprised if he doesn't get a conviction for voluntary manslaughter. If you're looking for murder one you're setting yourself up for failure. Overcharging to please the people would be a horrible mistake as it would substantially increase the chances of him getting off. While there is a "depraved heart" road to getting there it's definitely not a sure thing. Third degree murder is a slam dunk though.
