This is an older case from 2014. The video was just recently released. This poor bastard got into a fender bender with a semi on his way back to base (Airforce.) The police are notified and arrive on scene. Michael Davidson the young Airman likely saw the police pull up and got out of his car to talk with them. In his mind this was a minor accident so I'm guessing he would have no reason to think he did anything wrong or criminal. He's parked on the grass by the shoulder with his blazer on an angle. This makes it difficult for him to open the door. Within 6 seconds of him trying to get out he is shot. He has a wallet in his hands. The officer screams "show me your hands show me your hands" in rapid succession. Davidson has his hands almost completely up in the air before you hear the gun being fired. There's maybe a second and a half to two seconds in between command to firing. Now my hearing isn't the best. If I'm just getting out of my car on a busy highway and someone yells show me your hands I'm not sure how well I would be able to hear them. In my opinion this officer jumped the gun. The officer basically has a panick attack later in the video while the kid is writhing on the ground. What I don't get is why no one is attending to the kid. They just bend over looking at him. How about some basic first aid. Put some pressure on te wound. By this time the responding officers know it was just a wallet. If you watch the truck driver in the background he has his hands up the whole time. I'm sure he's thinking "I don't want to get shot for being in an accident."

Davidson ended up suing the police and city and lost. A 3 judge panel found the the officer acted reasonably. Situations like this give me pause. I do carry a gun and have called police for accidents and such. Seems like the wrong confluence of circumstances can get you shot for basically no reason. Maybe I need to rethink doing so.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dusty78,

I don't know how anyone could justify that shoot. The guy is lucky he didn't get shot again while writhing on the ground in pain.

It angers me to watch this video. I'm sure the officer didn't intend to shoot an unarmed man, but damn, he even knows he fucked up. Definitely not what I would characterize as "reasonable".

JP

Unfortunately even law enforcement can be incompetent.

That officer is in the wrong career.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was justified, but I'm not so quick to say it was bad either. It certainly was very unfortunate, but perhaps the lighting to a human was not quite as good as picked up by the dashcam? And while freakish in circumstances, the driver did come out quickly with a two handed grip on his wallet.

This looks like a shoot/don't shoot training scenario that's almost a lose/lose. If the officer had waited a second more and it was a gun he could have been shot.

I agree that the lack of first aid was ridiculous. The moral of the story is any time you encounter a LEO in the course of his duty, simply follow his commands, slowly and deliberately. I'm not saying the guy deserved to be shot, but he clearly would not have been shot if he hadn't quickly exited the vehicle before being asked. I do understand that it was an accident, and he wasn't being pulled over, so perhaps a different mind set.

Moral of the story. Either stay inside your vehicle and wait for command. Or, exit the vehicle already, and wait, before the cops arrive on scene. Don't just bolt out of your car like that.

I agree with honestlou's take.

I've been stopped and in fact not all that long ago. I never attempt to leave the car. I'll sit there with my hands visible until told to do otherwise. Jumping gout of the car? No way. But at mva sense people tend to lose common sense.

Fortunately, he survived.

So when they jump out, then what? A recent perfect example.

https://www.usatoday.com/story...reak-dies/444697001/

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
I wouldn't go so far as to say it was justified, but I'm not so quick to say it was bad either. It certainly was very unfortunate, but perhaps the lighting to a human was not quite as good as picked up by the dashcam? And while freakish in circumstances, the driver did come out quickly with a two handed grip on his wallet.

This looks like a shoot/don't shoot training scenario that's almost a lose/lose. If the officer had waited a second more and it was a gun he could have been shot.

I agree that the lack of first aid was ridiculous. The moral of the story is any time you encounter a LEO in the course of his duty, simply follow his commands, slowly and deliberately. I'm not saying the guy deserved to be shot, but he clearly would not have been shot if he hadn't quickly exited the vehicle before being asked. I do understand that it was an accident, and he wasn't being pulled over, so perhaps a different mind set.

I get all that but he was the one that called the police. This wasn't a traffic stop. If you call the police for a seemingly benign incident you don't think they are gonna come out guns blazing. How slowly or deliberetly did you want him to comply considering he didn't even have enough time to put his arms up before he was shot. Also the reason he got out of the car so fast was because he had to propel himself out of the vehicle due to the awkward parking angle.

Why would someone in a fender bender wait for police to show up and shoot them? Why wouldn't they just hit and run?

Why would the officer have been at such a high level of threat response upon arrival at the scene? Normal for this area?

Because weird things can happen even at a crash scene...

http://ktla.com/2017/01/12/tro...ally-shoots-suspect/

From what I read the kid ended up with a permanent colostomy due to intestinal injury and that de-railed his Airforce career. He was applying to the Airforce academy.

To the officer's benefit of doubt, it may not be a good thing to be holding something black in your hands when emerging from one's car.

Still, as a Monday morning QB, this seems like it could have been handled differently. There should be a way to avoid being shot just because you innocently have a wallet in your hand. Many people don't know what to do having never interacted with police before. Not saying this is the case here. But I can see my nephews and nieces doing this. Getting out of the car to politely greet an officer and having documents prepared. Naive behavior can be considered threatening.

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
From what I read the kid ended up with a permanent colostomy due to intestinal injury and that de-railed his Airforce career. He was applying to the Airforce academy.

He was an Air Force veteran.

"A federal appeals court held up a lower court’s decision that Opelika, Ala., police officer Phillip Hancock acted reasonably when he shot Air Force veteran Michael Davidson in March 2014, according to reports."


http://www.nydailynews.com/new...eo-article-1.2995182

He was active at the time of the shooting. He was on his way to his base in NC when he was shot. The ruling took place 3 years later after he left the military after the shooting hence why they call him a veteran since at the time of your article he was already retired. He was only 20 when he was shot.

http://www.oanow.com/news/atto...cf-ff4b48e36532.html

http://m.wsfa.com/wsfa/pm_/con...tentguid=od:bzZKdzLe

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
I wouldn't go so far as to say it was justified, but I'm not so quick to say it was bad either. It certainly was very unfortunate, but perhaps the lighting to a human was not quite as good as picked up by the dashcam? And while freakish in circumstances, the driver did come out quickly with a two handed grip on his wallet.

This looks like a shoot/don't shoot training scenario that's almost a lose/lose. If the officer had waited a second more and it was a gun he could have been shot.

I agree that the lack of first aid was ridiculous. The moral of the story is any time you encounter a LEO in the course of his duty, simply follow his commands, slowly and deliberately. I'm not saying the guy deserved to be shot, but he clearly would not have been shot if he hadn't quickly exited the vehicle before being asked. I do understand that it was an accident, and he wasn't being pulled over, so perhaps a different mind set.

I get all that but he was the one that called the police. This wasn't a traffic stop. If you call the police for a seemingly benign incident you don't think they are gonna come out guns blazing. How slowly or deliberetly did you want him to comply considering he didn't even have enough time to put his arms up before he was shot. Also the reason he got out of the car so fast was because he had to propel himself out of the vehicle due to the awkward parking angle.

I am normally as pro cop as can be. That cop deserves to be fired, jailed, and pay for all of that future kids medical care. Fuck that stupid cop. You don't go to a routine accident guns a blazing. Fuck the panel that didn't award that poor kid a payout. Michael Brown's family gets paid and an innocent man lives with this? WTF?!?!?

He got out the car awkwardly because of the incline the vehicle was on and likely body damage. As you could see he had to fight the door open then climb out.

Fuck that cop, I hope at the minimum he got fired.

Just read the above OAN link. Holy shit, they made him pay lawyers cost too! I hope he takes this to SCOTUS.

Not to self:

If ever in a fender bender, act like I have just been pulled over for a felony stop.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

Not to self:

If ever in a fender bender, act like I have just been pulled over for a felony stop.

Completely agree. Never know which cops are twitchy, and which are not. I've dealt with very professional cops, and I've dealt with nervous cops. The latter ones made me very nervous.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 12131,

I don't understand why it had to get to this?
If the cop was apprehensive about the approach (for whatever reason - right or wrong) he shouldn't have put himself in a position to even consider shooting ~ IE: stay far away and make him come out.

Also as sad as it is that we have to assume the cop is going to shoot first and ask questions later. The kid came out of his car innocently and not assuming the worst which could and did happen.

quote:

If the officer had waited a second more and it was a gun he could have been shot.

Such are the risks of the job.

I'm of the opinion the public ought to be given the benefit of the doubt, rather than the assumption going the other way. The perception of "furtive movement" is not enough, IMO. The officer could have taken cover, and/or called for help, and everyone would still be alive. Instead, a completely innocent American is dead for no good reason at all.

Sad, either way.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:

quote:

If the officer had waited a second more and it was a gun he could have been shot.

Such are the risks of the job.

I'm of the opinion the public ought to be given the benefit of the doubt, rather than the assumption going the other way. The perception of "furtive movement" is not enough, IMO. The officer could have taken cover, and/or called for help, and everyone would still be alive. Instead, a completely innocent American is dead for no good reason at all.

Sad, either way.

Luckily the cop was a horrible shot and shot him in the bowels. He is still alive but now has a colostomy bag for the rest of his life.