Reader Roscoe writes:
I am hardly anti-cop. Having been one, I still carry the experiences and influences that come with the job. But some of the actions I see unfold in certain parts of the country of late are difficult for me to comprehend. In some cases the police citizen interplay appears to be more than simply a reaction to the circumstances of the contact, but an over-reaction based on what has become a highly charged, anti-gun influenced, fear response to what was once everyday contact interactions. The results are over-reactive judgment calls . . .
This story and accompanying video speaks for itself; Jersey coppers essentially execute a passenger in a highly charged, out of control encounter they escalated which was no doubt at least partly fueled by the anti-gun hype so pervasive in much of New Jersey.
This appears to be an instance of deadly poor judgment by at least one, if not both of these officers. The suspects appear to have been trying to comply with the officer’s instructions while commands were being yelled at them from both directions. Under those circumstances it is hardly uncommon for a person to misinterpret what they are being yelled at to do.
The officer, or officers let this situation deteriorate out of control by their own actions into “shoot first, ask questions later” free for all. I’m certain this was at least in part fueled by the rabid antigun atmosphere that permeates so much of this particular state.