Trump chickens out again.

[webfact]

No charges for Los Angeles officers who killed unarmed black man

By Curtis Skinner

REUTERS

 

FILE PHOTO - A man stands near a mural for Ezell Ford after the Los Angeles County Coroner released an autopsy report on the LAPD's shooting of Ford in Los Angeles, California December 29, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Alcorn

 

(Reuters) - Two Los Angeles police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black man described by his lawyer as mentally challenged will face no criminal charges over the 2014 killing, the district attorney said on Tuesday, calling their actions "legally justified."

 

The killing of 25-year-old Ezell Ford was one of many shootings of unarmed black men by U.S. law enforcement that triggered national protests and fuelled a renewed civil rights movement known as Black Lives Matter.

 

In a redacted report, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said Officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas spotted Ford leaving a "known gang area" on Aug. 11, 2014, and suspected he was trying to dispose of something illegal.

 

As Wampler tried to apprehend Ford, the two men scuffled and ended up on the ground with Ford reaching for the officer's gun, according to the report.

 

Villegas then shot Ford twice, the report said, while Wampler pulled out a backup weapon, reached around Ford's back, and also shot him.

 

"Although the loss of Mr. Ford's life is tragic, we believe the officers' actions were legally justified and the evidence supports our decision," Lacey said in a statement.

 

The family's attorney, Steve Lerman, said that while Lacey's decision was expected, it was disappointing.

 

"It's politics as usual," said Lerman, who represented motorist Rodney King, who sued the Los Angeles Police Department after he was beaten by officers in 1991 in an attack that was filmed by a witness and broadcast around the world.

 

"It's very discouraging. Unless criminal penalties are imposed on officers who commit homicidal acts, then there is no justice for anybody, whether it's black, white, brown or other," the lawyer said in a phone interview.

 

Lerman, who said Ford suffered from schizophrenia and manic depression and had the "thinking pattern of a child," said he had been in settlement negotiations with the city over a $75 million lawsuit filed by Ford's family.

 

Lacey's decision not to file criminal charges came almost 20 months after the Los Angeles Police Commission ruled that Wampler violated several department policies in the killing. Villegas was cleared in the shooting.

 

Both officers were taken off street duties. That prompted the pair to sue the city last year, alleging the move was racially motivated. Villegas is Latino and Wampler is white.

 

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-01-25

[NumbNut]

Hmmm, these LA police officers are a bit behind the times...

 

Haven't they heard of 'alternate facts'? They should have said he had a gun, claimed 'alternate facts', and this all would have gone away.

 

Such a shame that it will all go away anyways...

[DM07]

No there's a surprise...

[JAG]

So they shot him in self defence, twice (!), and then again, in the back!

 

 

[DM07]

1 minute ago, JAG said:

So they shot him in self defence, twice (!), and then again, in the back!

 

 

Jepp, because he was in an area, known for gangs (as were they!) and he looked like, he wanted to dispose of "something" and in a struggle, he (obviously) reached for one of their guns...so they (2 vs 1) had to kill him first!

All clear! 

[Kasset Tak]

The police in US has killed 79 people so far this year compared to 99 people recorded killed by police in UK... starting from the Bloody Sunday (Dublin) in 1920 until today!
I think that US really need to make efforts to educate their police force and should extend the education from today's around 20 weeks to be 2-3 years long like in most of Europe or even up to 4 years (full bachelor degree) like it is in some countries!

[evadgib]

Cue Al Sharp-tongue...

Edited January 25, 2017 by evadgib

[maewang99]

I cannot imagine getting into a tussle with police.  you just don't do that.  

I don't like cops in general, I've had bad encounters.... but you don't resist them.  and generally... once they are confident of what the f%#k is going on... they are quite professional and even quite okay dudes. much more so than any nutter who tries to take them on. they've got backup! and yeah, they can shoot you dead. of course they can.

Edited January 25, 2017 by maewang99

[2008bangkok]

Such a shame that in america, if you have a badge then you are somehow justified in killing another human based on the fear for you own life when you have the option to use tazers rubber bullets etc.... 

How can 2 different officers shooting somebody be classed as "legally justified."

[Merzik]

You try to take a cop's gun away from him in a street fight ...and get killed. Som nam na ! 

[Vegetablebottom]

4 hours ago, DM07 said:

Jepp, because he was in an area, known for gangs (as were they!) and he looked like, he wanted to dispose of "something" and in a struggle, he (obviously) reached for one of their guns...so they (2 vs 1) had to kill him first!

All clear! 

The police were also in an area known for gangs. Too funny. And, it was two on one. 

Edited January 25, 2017 by Vegetablebottom
Grammar error

[retarius]

One wonders why this is even news. There are never any charges for police who kill unarmed black children, teenagers or adults. That's why the killing spree goes on and on.

[Baerboxer]

10 hours ago, JAG said:

So they shot him in self defence, twice (!), and then again, in the back!

 

 

 

In the UK armed officers were taught to shoot to wound. Former soldiers couldn't become armed police officers as soldiers are trained to shoot to kill. 

 

In the US, it seems it's shoot several times to make sure you kill.

 

Having said that, my eldest daughter a final year criminology student went out on patrol with a deputy sheriff in North Texas as part of a Uni exchange visit. She said that it was very different to how it's portrayed in the media.

[Grubster]

On 1/25/2017 at 9:33 AM, JAG said:

So they shot him in self defence, twice (!), and then again, in the back!

 

 

You make it sound like there was a lot of time between shots, this stuff happens fast and you don't know how you will react in the same condition. Its very simple, Obey the police you hire to protect you and none of this can happen.

[Grubster]

On 1/25/2017 at 10:49 AM, Kasset Tak said:

The police in US has killed 79 people so far this year compared to 99 people recorded killed by police in UK... starting from the Bloody Sunday (Dublin) in 1920 until today!
I think that US really need to make efforts to educate their police force and should extend the education from today's around 20 weeks to be 2-3 years long like in most of Europe or even up to 4 years (full bachelor degree) like it is in some countries!

You can have all the education you want and you will not know how you are going to react in a life threatening situation. Just ask combat veterans.

[JAG]

1 hour ago, Grubster said:

You make it sound like there was a lot of time between shots, this stuff happens fast and you don't know how you will react in the same condition. Its very simple, Obey the police you hire to protect you and none of this can happen.

 

1 hour ago, Grubster said:

You can have all the education you want and you will not know how you are going to react in a life threatening situation. Just ask combat veterans.

At the risk of sounding melodramatic I am (what you would term a "combat veteran"), and that is why I view shooting an unarmed man twice, and then again in the back, with a "back up weapon" (whatever that is) in "self defence", with a lot of scepticism. 

[Kasset Tak]

1 hour ago, Grubster said:

You can have all the education you want and you will not know how you are going to react in a life threatening situation. Just ask combat veterans.

They asked one man to show license and registration and then shot him when he reached for it and later the police officer said  "I thought he was reaching for a gun."... But they had just asked him to show his documents!!!

 

Police officers shot a blind man because they thought his cane was a sword!?

A police officer killed a boy playing with a toy gun in the park... he didn't even get out of the patrol car before he shot!?

 

A police office shot a man laying on the ground with his hands in the air and when asked why he shot said "I don't know!"!?

 

Australia had 94 police killings 1992 to 2011 compare that to 97 people fatally shot by the US police just in march 2015

 

Last year the police in California had 144 fatal shootings and a total of 160 people in total was killed by California police officers, compare that with a total of 18 police shootings and of them 9 fatal and a total of 10 people killed by police in Canada. (I can't even find the total amount of times the Californian police used their firearms).

The Swedish police fires about 20 shots a year against perpetrators and in 2015 2 people were killed by the police, compare that to the Pasco, WA. where the police fired 17 shots killing 1 man or Washington state where 23 people were killed by the police in 2015. (Sweden 9.9 million people Vs. Washington 7 million people).

And then you say that education don't matter!? If you have education then you are thought to think true the situation before you act, at least that's what I was thought in the army!

[Grubster]

1 hour ago, JAG said:

 

At the risk of sounding melodramatic I am (what you would term a "combat veteran"), and that is why I view shooting an unarmed man twice, and then again in the back, with a "back up weapon" (whatever that is) in "self defence", with a lot of scepticism. 

All three shots may have been fired in one or two seconds and the second officer may not have known if the offender was doing the firing or his partner or both. I think you should become an officer and maybe you could see first hand what they are dealing with. I guess you think officers are looking to kill unarmed people, or you think they should wait until they are shot to respond. If this scum bag hero of yours had got the gun at first try we would be talking a whole different story.

                              

[Grubster]

22 minutes ago, Kasset Tak said:

They asked one man to show license and registration and then shot him when he reached for it and later the police officer said  "I thought he was reaching for a gun."... But they had just asked him to show his documents!!!

 

Police officers shot a blind man because they thought his cane was a sword!?

A police officer killed a boy playing with a toy gun in the park... he didn't even get out of the patrol car before he shot!?

 

A police office shot a man laying on the ground with his hands in the air and when asked why he shot said "I don't know!"!?

 

Australia had 94 police killings 1992 to 2011 compare that to 97 people fatally shot by the US police just in march 2015

 

Last year the police in California had 144 fatal shootings and a total of 160 people in total was killed by California police officers, compare that with a total of 18 police shootings and of them 9 fatal and a total of 10 people killed by police in Canada. (I can't even find the total amount of times the Californian police used their firearms).

The Swedish police fires about 20 shots a year against perpetrators and in 2015 2 people were killed by the police, compare that to the Pasco, WA. where the police fired 17 shots killing 1 man or Washington state where 23 people were killed by the police in 2015. (Sweden 9.9 million people Vs. Washington 7 million people).

And then you say that education don't matter!? If you have education then you are thought to think true the situation before you act, at least that's what I was thought in the army!

Your numbers are total fabricated garbage. I don't know what Army you were in but when the enemy points a gun at you, you are dead son. No thinking needed. Bye

[JAG]

On 1/27/2017 at 11:56 AM, JAG said:

 

At the risk of sounding melodramatic I am (what you would term a "combat veteran"), and that is why I view shooting an unarmed man twice, and then again in the back, with a "back up weapon" (whatever that is) in "self defence", with a lot of scepticism. 

On 1/27/2017 at 1:50 PM, Grubster said:

All three shots may have been fired in one or two seconds and the second officer may not have known if the offender was doing the firing or his partner or both. I think you should become an officer and maybe you could see first hand what they are dealing with. I guess you think officers are looking to kill unarmed people, or you think they should wait until they are shot to respond. If this scum bag hero of yours had got the gun at first try we would be talking a whole different story.

                              

 

 

On 1/27/2017 at 1:30 PM, Kasset Tak said:

They asked one man to show license and registration and then shot him when he reached for it and later the police officer said  "I thought he was reaching for a gun."... But they had just asked him to show his documents!!!

 

Police officers shot a blind man because they thought his cane was a sword!?

A police officer killed a boy playing with a toy gun in the park... he didn't even get out of the patrol car before he shot!?

 

A police office shot a man laying on the ground with his hands in the air and when asked why he shot said "I don't know!"!?

 

Australia had 94 police killings 1992 to 2011 compare that to 97 people fatally shot by the US police just in march 2015

 

Last year the police in California had 144 fatal shootings and a total of 160 people in total was killed by California police officers, compare that with a total of 18 police shootings and of them 9 fatal and a total of 10 people killed by police in Canada. (I can't even find the total amount of times the Californian police used their firearms).

The Swedish police fires about 20 shots a year against perpetrators and in 2015 2 people were killed by the police, compare that to the Pasco, WA. where the police fired 17 shots killing 1 man or Washington state where 23 people were killed by the police in 2015. (Sweden 9.9 million people Vs. Washington 7 million people).

And then you say that education don't matter!? If you have education then you are thought to think true the situation before you act, at least that's what I was thought in the army!

 

On 1/27/2017 at 1:56 PM, Grubster said:

Your numbers are total fabricated garbage. I don't know what Army you were in but when the enemy points a gun at you, you are dead son. No thinking needed. Bye

Having read your responses to Kasset Tak and my posts, I have rather come to the conclusion that the experience which you imply that you have has been gained from some of the more fevered "cops and robbers" TV programmes, together with a liberal dose of computer games. You have , I suspect, never been near the real thing.

Edited January 28, 2017 by JAG