Toronto Policeman Charged with Murder

66 Replies to “Toronto Policeman Charged with Murder”

1. Protesters? Whatever.
   It -was- murder. Pretty obvious too. Unless Deputy Dawg can come up with something amazingly convincing as to why he really, really needed to shoot the already prone-on-the-floor of the EMPTY streetcar teenager with the small folding knife six more times after he shot him the first three times for no discernible reason. That would be different.
   That’s what trials are for, right? Ask Ian Thomson, who got dragged through a loooong trial for -not- shooting two guys who were trying to burn his house down with him in it. The Crown is considering an appeal, they say.
   Because when civilians use guns to not-shoot people in self defense, well we just can’t have that can we?

2. Well, the next would-be gangster probably won’t wave a knife around and create a commotion. That’s not so bad…saves all that paperwork if they have to kill one.

3. Rizwan – so what? What’s that got to do with this?

4. ya know dick?
   The more I read your comments, the more I appreciate your name. Just saying….

5. And enough with the Zimmerman comparisons. G.Z. was in extreme immediate danger – within seconds – of death or permanent brain injury. He did the only thing he could have done. There is no parallel here at all.
   They’re going after his wife now, did you know? That law enforcement apparatus that some of you trust so much. If they can’t destroy his life one way…. http://pjmedia.com/blog/vindictive-now-george-zimmermans-wife-faces-perjury-charge/

6. Good points Nick and Mamba. Policing is sometimes nasty thankless business, but cops need to be reminded that they are not above the law. We need better police policy so monsters like Li are shot dead and people like Yatim are arrested. Also remove the insanity defense for murder.

7. creepingdeath said: “All you internet policemen should volunteer sometime to take down a deranged man with a knife. Let me know what steps you would take when he lunges at you.”
   No knife, but he was fried on drugs so I figure it counts. I used my fist. He kept getting up, I kept putting him down. Eventually his friends dragged him away. He lived, I’m told.
   I figure if I had a tonfa (and fifteen friends with tasers and pepper spray), I could handle one dork teenager with a lock-back.
   Watch the video again dude. I could have shot the kid in both knees, both elbows and both eyes plus three in the ten ring at that range. Nine freaking rounds. Its disgusting. If he’s got some kind of miracle explanation, I want to hear it. In open court. Preferably on TV.

8. Black Mamba said: “And enough with the Zimmerman comparisons. G.Z. was in extreme immediate danger – within seconds – of death or permanent brain injury. He did the only thing he could have done. There is no parallel here at all.”
   Yes!
   There’s also another reason. George Zimmerman IS NOT A COP. He was not on duty, with backup. George Zimmerman’s sole duty in law and in morality was to himself, to save his own life from violent attack. Cops have a duty in law to use the minimum level of force necessary on the people they arrest. Nine rounds plus a tasering certainly exceeds the level of force required to lock one guy in an EMPTY streetcar until he gets tired. Nine rounds at fifteen feet? I could write my initials.
   This whole thing pushes all my p1ss-off buttons big time. My bet is on this cop being a known candidate for the rubber gun squad, and only kept on the beat by political shenanigans.

9. Not to play arm chair quarterback or anything but 9 shots then a tazer to a stoner/drunk in an empty streetcar? Give me a break, the cop went a bit over the top on this one. The on-scene supervisor was either absent here or as negligent as the shooter.
   Remind me never to go hunting with this cop… I don’t care for lead-a-la-ronge.

10. Sam Steele is spinning in his grave.
    I hope this cop receives full punishment under the law. At least he will be able to stand trial, unlike the dead kid he murdered.
    I can’t believe the “conservatives” in this thread, who obviously have no idea what “conservatism” is all about. It is not about sucking up to authority willy nilly, but about protecting yourself from excessive use of it!
    Our police forces have been degraded enormously over the past decades. Had it not been for the video footage, I doubt this cop-crime would have even been investigated.
    This is a disgrace to Canada. We used to be better than this.

11. Based on past posts about police, I’m surprised by the reaction to this post – pleasantly surprised.
    There was no need to shoot and kill this individual. He was not a threat and there were 10 policemen outside the bus. There is no doubt they could have waited out the kid, tased him, pepper sprayed him, whatever. Shooting once was excessive. Shooting 9 times was more than excessive. Anyone who has not seen the video should see it before saying anything more. The 9 other cops did not fire a shot. The one cop fired 9 shots. The kid was stuck on a bus armed with a knife, with 10 policemen outside.
    I don’t care if the kid was a crackhead, a loser, whatever. Nobody deserves to die like that. This is Canada, not Egypt.

12. I’m surprised by the reaction to this post – pleasantly surprised.
    Me too. What an improvement from the applause the G20 police state got.
    Of the police brutality that is rampant in North America, I’d say this is more ambiguous than a lot of cases. I think shooting once in the foot could be justified. Nine times and a tasering? Ridiculous! Save it for the RCMP.

13. “What about shooting him in the legs”
    What about a flash Grenada, riot gear, and a BIG dog?
    It’s what most taxpayers would get, at least until they sucked all the money and resources out of your family first.
    This was the act of a steroid head cop, who didn’t care about the “plantation rules” and acted on his own homocidal fantasys instead.

14. The tasering finale was beyond demented.

15. Yeah well, precisely mine own sentiments.
    22cops…22 batons….
    Despite our conclusions based on available intel….charges are necessary and a trial.
    Objectively the process is necessary for the optics alone. Justice MUST be seen to be done.
    IMHO this is part of a disturbing trend…militarized police………like getting tazered for “contempt of cop”.

16. I’m surmising that the charge of second degree murder was a clever tactical maneuver by the PTB to increase the likelihood of acquittal by a jury because of the severity of the charge.
    If I was defence counsel I’d argue that the cop was a victim of mob mentality (apparently there were 10 cops on the scene). Psychological research indicates that de-individuation is common in emotionally charged groups and normal people lose their moral compass – e.g., YVR hockey riots.