Florida Officer Adams Lin Guns Down Unarmed Black Man Dontrell Stephens

[Jeff]

Personally I think the cops got this one wrong, I understand you have to make a call in a split second, but even if this guy was reaching for a weapon he was fleeing. This video shows just how hard it is to make that call when you feel your life may be on the line.


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r-3hTWLHUOU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

On the last morning of the last day Dontrell Stephens could still walk, the 20-year-old was bicycling across Haverhill Road, talking to a friend on a cellphone.
A truck slowed as he rode against traffic.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy Adams Lin was watching schoolchildren waiting for a bus.
Later, he would say he followed Stephens to give him a traffic ticket for not bicycling properly. But he also would acknowledge he was suspicious of Stephens, whom he had not seen in the neighborhood before that morning, according to court records.
He intended to stop him, ask for identification and find out where he had come from and where he was going. He considered frisking him. But Lin, who is of Asian descent, denied racially profiling Stephens, who is black, and wore his hair in long dreadlocks.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...ry.html#page=1

[Noir]

Personally I think the cops got this one wrong, I understand you have to make a call in a split second, but even if this guy was reaching for a weapon he was fleeing. This video shows just how hard it is to make that call when you feel your life may be on the line.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...ry.html#page=1

He thought the way Stephens rode his bike was suspicious. He thought the way Stephens got off his bike was suspicious.

And four seconds after Lin got out of his patrol car, he shot Stephens four times, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Lin said he opened fire because Stephens was reaching in his back waistband, possibly for a gun.

Well this all seems perfectly reasonable...

[Jeff]

Well this all seems perfectly reasonable...[/FONT][/COLOR]

I guess you didn't see this.

Personally I think the cops got this one wrong,

[jimnyc]

This case was 2 years ago. He was cleared internally by police and the state who did a separate investigation. Looks bad to me.

Regardless - 2 years ago - and released amid racial tensions. I find that a bit odd.

[red state]

Couldn't see a thing to call this one either way. My first inclination was that the guy did act EXTREMELY suspicious and obviously went for something the way he exited the camera view. Who knows, he could have had a gun and until the investigation was complete, I'm sure they figured they'd find a gun where the actual shooting took place. I say this falls under a "GOOD CALL" when bad cuz it could have gone the other way.

My final comment is that the body cams will hopefully help keep the bad cops in "line" or at least more respectful to folks like me. HA!!! This cop could have approached with more caution so I'd probably write him up for that. I truly believe TRAINING is needed for most cops and I KNOW from experience and in cops I know (including my nephew who came back from two tours in Iraq) that many of them are adrenaline junkies looking for action. Heck, before my nephew had kids, he put his hat in the ring to cruise the WORST streets in Memphis). He's now at Melbourne Beach PD and is trying to tone down his career. There's simply too many in Law Enforcement who are in it for the WRONG reason. We have too many because of liberal after effects and if we had less, we'd have MORE quality officers who made better money. This would also cut down on corruption and they'd appreciate the 2nd Amendment more because, in my world, the 2nd Amendment would make their jobs MUCH easier!!!!!


(YEP.....I earned at least three).

[Noir]

This case was 2 years ago. He was cleared internally by police and the state who did a separate investigation.

You can see why he was cleared, his case was watertight.

"What he (Stephens) did to me that day is what his choice was," Lin said. "He decided to reach with his left hand and pointed at me like it was a gun."

Clearly, after being stopped for his bicycle offence, and with a policeman pointing a gun at Stephens, he chose to pretend to pull a gun from his waist, and point his fingers at the cop as if it were a gun.
(Some people on this very forum will actually get behind that, because the shooter was a cop, incredible.)

[jimnyc]

You can see why he was cleared, his case was watertight.

Clearly, after being stopped for his bicycle offence, and with a policeman pointing a gun at Stephens, he chose to pretend to pull a gun from his waist, and point his fingers at the cop as if it were a gun.
(Some people on this very forum will actually get behind that, because the shooter was a cop, incredible.)

Who ever said that was the basis of his defense? I have a sneaky suspicion these weren't only words spoken to police AND state investigators - but rather what the media chooses to write about. I don't know if there is other evidence that we don't know about. There has to be a reason he was cleared.

But funny that, how again you find ways to poke at police, but closed lipped when so many of these folks riot and shoot at that police. Just odd is all.

Oh, and how about them Rangers?

[Gunny]

You can see why he was cleared, his case was watertight.

Clearly, after being stopped for his bicycle offence, and with a policeman pointing a gun at Stephens, he chose to pretend to pull a gun from his waist, and point his fingers at the cop as if it were a gun.
(Some people on this very forum will actually get behind that, because the shooter was a cop, incredible.)

What's incredible is you making a snap judgement call when you weren't there and never been in the position to make the call. You go jerking around cops hiding your hands and they perceive a threat, you get shot. Common sense.

[aboutime]

Noir. You really should stick to your own versions of Hypocrisy over there, before coming here to stir up your need for hatred by re-visiting this.

Better yet. Why don't you bring your hypocrisy over here, to Baltimore, and stand on the streets to INCITE more rioting like the other Uneducated, Illiterate, Hate-filled idiots.

[Noir]

Noir. You really should stick to your own versions of Hypocrisy over there, before coming here to stir up your need for hatred by re-visiting this. Better yet. Why don't you bring your hypocrisy over here, to Baltimore, and stand on the streets to INCITE more rioting like the other Uneducated, Illiterate, Hate-filled idiots.

While its easier to poke insults at me, addressing the content of the posts would a better use of your time.

[aboutime]

While its easier to poke insults at me, addressing the content of the posts would a better use of your time.

I was mistaken. I should have remembered from previous posts how...trying to say anything to you IS a WASTE of time.