Police won't let man commit suicide by cop
Boston Police report a Roxbury man did his darndest to have officers gun him down on Blue Hill Avenue Sunday night, but that the officers declined.
Police say an officer had to slam on his brakes when the guy - and a pal - jumped in front of his cruiser at Quincy Street shortly before 7 p.m.
[The man] began gesturing with his fingers and yelled, “I have guns too” as he began to reach into his front waistband area. Officers quickly exited their vehicle with their weapons drawn and began giving verbal commands to the suspect instructing him to keep his hands visible. [He] continued to state that he was in possession of a firearm and then suddenly reached to the rear of his waistband area. ...
After he was handcuffed, [he] made several comments indicating he had been attempting to commit suicide by cop including, “Why didn’t you just let me tap out? If this was any other place in the country, I’d be dead.” It was later revealed that [he] had been arrested about two weeks prior during an incident at Boston Medical Center when he attempted to take a BPD Officer's firearm during an unprovoked attack.
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Pretty sure they get to pin that one up to the locker room board
Incredible
Incredible Job BPD!
It's a sad state of affairs
It's a sad state of affairs when somebody gets an "Atta boy!" simply for not killing somebody else.
Says the guy
who doesn't have to worry about getting a gun pulled on him.
That has absolutely nothing
That has absolutely nothing to do with my point, but yeah I guess you're technically correct. I did say that and I don't generally worry about being shot. You get a gold star.
It is a sad state of affairs,
It is a sad state of affairs, and I also don't know what I would do in that situation. I don't think one excludes the other.
Not really
I don't see how this counts as "simply not killing somebody else." The man was attempting to trick police officers into believing he had a gun and was dangerous. Suicide by cop is a real thing, and it doesn't only happen with officers who are trigger happy.
Police officers deserve some credit for getting through a situation like that without anyone getting hurt. It can't be easy, especially knowing that other very similar situations may require them to shoot, or get them shot if they hesitate too long.
you sound...
....like the entire reddit thread on this story. Guess it's no big deal to make a split second decision when someone is threatening that they have a gun and goes to reach for something.
And THIS is why BPD is the best police department in the country
When people talk about what police do wrong, THIS is what they wish police would do instead.
Dear every other big-city police department -- take note: this is what you're SUPPOSED to do.
20 20 hindsight
If the individual actually had a gun he was reaching for,thecop
could very well have been shot.The officer has every right to
protect himself.
If this is a paradigm of how the BPD react in these situations,
Boston will have a much higher rate of police
being shot.
Are you from around here?
Because Boston Police have been doing this sort of thing for a long time now and we don't have E a particularly high rate of cops being shot (no, not zero, but far, far from an epidemic).
If this guy was arrested 2
If this guy was arrested 2 weeks prior for attempting "to take a BPD Officer's firearm in an unprovoked attack" why was he out on the street again? This is clearly a person who is a danger to the community.