Shoot to kill

[georgit79]

What are your views on this? Is there any alternative?

Obviously, the police tracking Jean Charles de Menezes last week believed he was dangerous, they believed he was carrying a bomb, and when he ran when apprehended, they believed he wanted to cause human death. Did they have any choice but to shoot him in the head?

[georgit79]

Innocent people get killed by terrorism. Innocent people get killed by those fighting terrorism. Is the cure as bad as the disease?
Innocent people are always going to die. My view is that at present there isn't any alternative. Shooting anywhere else but to the brain is just too dangerous.

[nedflanders]

No they had no choice! but according to some of the answers you will get the whole of the worlds problems for the last 50 years have been caused by Sir Ian Blair, Tony Blair and George W.

[luckyboy]

Look the point for me is not whether they had no choice to shoot him, the point is was it neccessary to shoot the fella 7 times in the head while he was already apprehended by collegues, thats not a anti police viewpoint thats something that privately many officers will be saying too and is a reasonable criticism..that many like me who is fully behind our police and security services in theiir fight against the terrorist scum... i agree i wish sometimes people will not turn this issue into a pro or anti war thing or a pro anti police issue....

[georgit79]

On the contrary, I am not trying to turn it into a pro/anti- war thing. I believe they did what they had to do, and agree with you that 8 shots in total as it now turns out was excessive. If the first was aimed properly, the guy would be dead.

[luckyboy]

georgit.. not meaning you or anybody on this thread...

[Oneeyedvic]

4 years ago we were talking about them:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1468188.stm

what is wrong with tasers (other than the fact that a victim can still talk)

 

i would also point out Georgit that they didn't believe he was carrying a bomb initially or they would not have let him wonder for 2 1/2 miles around london.

[jno]

they have just - they say - caught one of the suspects, and they did it with nothing more than a stun gun. That makes a lot more sense. Means, for one thing, that they can interview him.

[WoWo]

"what is wrong with tasers (other than the fact that a victim can still talk)"

The problem with a taser and the reason to shoot him 8 times is it doesn't take much effort to press a button attached to a bomb. The point of shooting somebody is to stop them pressing the button.

Whats the difference between 1 and 20 shots. It's either one dead person or loads of dead people blown up by a bomb.

[WoWo]

" and they did it with nothing more than a stun gun. That makes a lot more sense. "

You can bet that if he started to run towards a packed bus or tube they would have shot him in a heart beat.

[jno]

'It's either one dead person or loads of dead people blown up by a bomb'. Er, no, it was either one dead person or no dead people. Mr de Menezes wasn't a bomber. Latest news is that he wasn't wearing a heavy coat, either. And he didn't even jump a ticket barrier, he used his tube pass. Very gradually the misinformation is being whittled away, but obviously some people still think he must have been a terrorist or they wouldn't have shot him. Stop blaming the victim.

[Ding-Dong]

Bit of a sound-bite, but I liked it nonetheless - it isn't a shoot to kill policy, it is a shoot to protect policy.

[jno]

excellent. I'm now protected from Brazilian electricians. I shall have to go back to Polish ones.

[Ding-Dong]

T'was tragic, everybody agrees, but nevertheless, I for one am pleased we have these men putting themselves in the front line, willing to take the risks that so many of us wouldn't be prepared to take ourselves.

Still, as you're happy to deride their efforts with flippancy, good for you - well done. I applaud you.

[smudge]

Just a few additions:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question128240.html

[rod]

Is it time to put notices Do Run When Told To Stop or just Do Not Run in different languages up on the tube? theres no way I would run for a train!

[chompu]

 jno, Do me a favour. Do you think the police would lie about these two important issues,barrier and coat,when there were numerous eye witnesses around. Unless of course Tony Blair has supplied the money for them to be bought off.

[LeMarchand]

Re the number of bullets: I was under the impression that the police are issued low-velocity bullets if their weapons are likely to be discharged in a public place (less risk of pass-through that might hit a bystander). This makes it harder/impossible to kill with one shot. Besides which, people have shot themselves in the head and survived.

 

On an offshoot: Apparently a thousand people have filed past this guy's coffin. Why? His death was tragic, but have a thousand people filed past the coffins of any of the July 7th bombings?