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Blendon Township Police release body cam footage showing fatal shooting of Ta'Kiya Young
Link to article and video
I have mixed feelings but I believe the shooting was justified while acknowledging the cop put himself in danger without needing to do so.
How a cop is expected to engage:
Some other details:Blendon Township also sent its use of force policy for the police department. The policy states the following about how officers should respond to a moving vehicle:
"When feasible, officers should take reasonable steps to move out of the path of an approaching vehicle instead of discharging their firearm at the vehicle or any of its occupants. An officer should only discharge a firearm at a moving vehicle or its occupants when the officer reasonably believes there are no other reasonable means available to avert the imminent threat of the vehicle, or if deadly force other than the vehicle is directed at the officer or others. Officers should not shoot at any part of a vehicle in an attempt to disable the vehicle."
* car didn't have a license plate
* parked in a handicap spot (closer to the store)
* Others had stolen booze too but then went in different directions and so got away
So there was obviously a plan to steal alcohol (of all things).
My belief is the cop should not have placed himself in front of the car. He should have placed himself at an angle to the car to cover his bro. By putting himself in front of the car, he's putting himself in unnecessary danger.
However, the fact of the matter is she purposely hit the gas while he was in front, and while he tried to move away, the car made contact and did lift him off his feet when he fired. So while he could have moved out of the way, everything was happening so fast that he reacted with the thought his life was in danger.
This is irrelevant to whether the cop was wrong or right but just to let you know what type person this woman was: her grandmother, who raised her, had a restraining order on her. She's shoplifted before. As I already pointed out, she was part of a group that planned a mass theft of alcohol.
She was pregnant. Unfortunately, she and the fetus died.
She created this situation, and while I think the cop could have been smarter about the situation I wouldn't be able to convict him because of a situation in the moment where a car literally lifted him off the ground and so naturally he's going to react.
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