How does this happen?

[Warrigal]

Instances of motorists being shot by traffic police is unheard of in Australia although police chases sometimes end in deaths when the chased car crases into a pole or another car. Because of this, police are under orders to break off pursuit when such an outcome is imminent.

How does a driver end up dead in a situation like this one?

Deaf Driver's Shooting Death by Trooper Under Investigation

• By jeffrey collins and martha waggoner, associated press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Aug 23, 2016, 10:37 PM ET


In North Carolina, where state troopers are trained in dealing with the hearing impaired, investigators are still trying to unravel how a traffic stop turned fatal for a deaf driver with a history of minor offenses.

The family of Daniel Kevin Harris said he was unarmed and suggested the sequence of events was a tragic misunderstanding — the type the state's training manual warns troopers to avoid.

Authorities haven't said why Trooper Jermaine Saunders fired, and a review of public records shows a few traffic charges against Harris from other states, including damaging his employer's vehicle with his own car after he was fired last year, according to a Denver police report.

Thursday's incident started when Harris did not pull over as Saunders turned on his blue lights on Interstate 485 near Charlotte about 6:15 p.m. and ended after Harris drove down several miles of surface streets to his home.
North Carolina's Basic Law Enforcement Training manual has a section that deals with interacting with deaf drivers. "Keep your eyes on the person's hands," it reads. "Deaf people have been stopped by an officer and then shot and killed because the deaf person made a quick move for a pen and pad in his or her coat pocket or glove compartment. These unfortunate incidents can be prevented by mutual awareness which overcomes the lack of communication."

The victim's family said Harris likely didn't understand the officer's commands.

The Highway Patrol on Tuesday urged people not to jump to conclusions.
"Let us all refrain from making assumptions or drawing conclusions prior to the internal and independent reviews" by the patrol, the State Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney, Secretary Frank Perry of the state Department of Public Safety said in a news release. The agency oversees the Highway Patrol.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/deaf-mans-family-unarmed-killed-trooper-41594981

 

[SeaBreeze]

Hard to know exactly how it happened without all the information and video to review, but from the looks of it it's just another case of a trigger happy cop, probably paranoid. I wonder how young the cop was and how long he was on the force. In any event, it is another example of life taken by the police for no good reason. Rest in peace to the victim and thoughts with the grieving family.

 

[911]

Gee, I am somewhat surprised that no one made mention that the cop is black and the driver was white. Aside from that, it sounds to me like SeaBreeze wants to sidestep "due process" and go right to sentencing. It sure would save a lot of taxpayer money and courtroom time, but dagnabbit, that thing called the Constitution states that we have to give everyone a fair trial before we hang them.

Like I have often said here and on other sites, I never knew of a cop that got up in the morning and started thinking about shooting someone. Just the opposite. State Police everywhere are taught the same thing while in training at their respective academy. The last thing we want to do is to shoot at anyone. Traffic stops are the most dangerous events that state police encounter on a daily basis. We never know who is behind the wheel or who others may be that are in the vehicle. Therefore, our adrenaline is running high. We have to remain cool, speak slowly and be hyper-vigilant of the person and situation that we are dealing with and also if there are others in the vehicle.

Dame---I am unaware of what gun control laws are in effect in Australia, but here in the U.S. right-to-carry permits are handed out like candy is to a child. Well over 5% of the U.S. population have a concealed weapons permit. In some states, that number is higher. Women also are onboard with carrying concealed weapons. Thus, police have become more vigilant than in the past. A young Trooper not long out of the Academy, like Trooper Saunders, may be just a bit more responsive in certain situations than a veteran cop when confronting a suspect.

Let's let this situation play out and see what comes of it before passing judgment.

Staying alive while keeping the public safe is our number one priority.

 

[WhatInThe]

The officer's reaction seems justified since the driver wasn't obeying commands and his behavior and gestures could be interpreted as aggression. I guess a question would be was there an unnecessary escalation or jump to lethal force.

To me if an impaired driver owns the car that should be indicated on the license plate and/or have placard like a handicap placard for special parking. If the officer didn't know he was deaf his interpretation of his behavior could be that of a threat.

It's tragic but the use of lethal force is the big issue, not being deaf.

 

[SeaBreeze]

Gee, I am somewhat surprised that no one made mention that the cop is black and the driver was white. Aside from that, it sounds to me like SeaBreeze wants to sidestep "due process" and go right to sentencing.

Like I have often said here and on other sites, I never knew of a cop that got up in the morning and started thinking about shooting someone.

Gee 911, I posted the video that shows the man who was killed repeatedly, and it is clear that he is not a black man. I don't know exactly what his nationality is, you'll have to find that out on your own if it interests you.

I never want to sidestep due process and go right to sentencing in any situation, and I clearly said it was hard to know exactly what happened without all the information.

Hard to know exactly how it happened without all the information and video to review,

Like I've often said here on this site, there are many good responsible police officers on the force who do the jobs they are paid to do and often go above and beyond the call of duty.

There still are bad cops out there who are definitely trigger happy and those should be removed from their positions. Many good responsible officers seem to acknowledge that and admit that those few on the force that act inappropriately cast a bad reflection on the entire force, and they want them out too.

 

[911]

Sorry, SeaBreeze, I think one of us is confused. I was referring to the State Trooper that is black. Perhaps, you did not read my post correctly or maybe I was not clear with my writing.

Jermaine Saunders is pictured below. Personally, I believe that the media should not have printed his name at least until after a decision was made as to how the state was going to proceed.

 

[SeaBreeze]

My mistake 911, I did misread it, sorry. I didn't know anything about the officer, actually I didn't hear about the incident until Warrigal mentioned it here, then I looked it up online. I don't think the race of the officer has any bearing on the case IMO.

 

[Warrigal]

Dame---I am unaware of what gun control laws are in effect in Australia, but here in the U.S. right-to-carry permits are handed out like candy is to a child. Well over 5% of the U.S. population have a concealed weapons permit. In some states, that number is higher. Women also are onboard with carrying concealed weapons. Thus, police have become more vigilant than in the past. A young Trooper not long out of the Academy, like Mr. Saunders, may be just a bit more responsive in certain situations than a veteran cop when confronting a suspect.

Thanks 911. You have just voiced my thoughts as to the crux of the problem. Down here the police are all armed but it is highly unlikely that drivers have a handy hand gun in the car. In rural areas there might be a long gun but still not all that common. The same applies to the homes. Less risk to the police must result in calmer policing IMO.

 

[911]

Dame---When I worked in traffic safety, we sometimes would concentrate on stopping certain types of vehicles on the I-95 corridor, mainly around Philadelphia. On some nights, we would confiscate enough weapons to outfit a small army. The weapons would range from a .22 caliber pistol to a fully automatic Glock handgun with a 200 round clip. We would also take in a small supply of UZI's, AK-47's and AR-15's.

The world on this side of the globe has become a dangerous place. I don't mean to scare anyone away, but I would like for people to keep aware of their surroundings and know the dangers to look out for. Anytime a person feels uncomfortable because of their surroundings and it causes a red flag to be raised, it is best to trust your instincts and move on.

So, maybe I don't agree with how the young Trooper handled himself, but I would never say that he over-reacted, unless I was there and witnessed the entirety of the situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HPcAvIbNsk