Oops! Sorry 'bout That...

I have been reading a lot of new stories about Jean Charles de Menezes lately. He is the man who was shot by British police as he was acting suspicious in the London underground. There seems to be conflicting stories on how, exactly, this went down.

Some news reports, like this one, indicate the de Menezes was "pinned down" when he was shot. If that is the case, there are two things that strike me. First off, of the police have him "pinned down", it would seem that they would be able to ascertain at that point if this person is a real threat or not. Second, it would seem that shooting someone who you have pinned down would be exceptionally dangerous. It would seem that you have a really good chance of shooting a fellow officer in a case like that. If this is truly the way it went down, I can understand the outcry.

Others news reports, like this one, mention nothing of de Menezes being pinned down. Reading these reports, it sounds like de Menezes was behavng suspiciously, ran from the police, did not obey orders (all not good ideas), and then was eventually cornered and shot. If this scenario is true, the shooting is perfectly understandable, and the outcry is just stupid. After all, a cornered person who is thought to have a bomb strapped to them is a very dangerous person.

Given what these people are up against, I have no problem with the British police having a "shoot to kill" policy. It is simply a fact that if the cops tell you to stop, thou shalt stop, period. Don't run, don't try to get away, don't act suspicious. If you do run, and you get killed (either shot, like de Menezes, or die in a wreck like so many people who lead police on a chase), there is really no one to blame other than yourself, and only yourself. Don't want to die? Then don't run...