For anyone subscribing to the 'he only had a knife; so was no threat' school. Anyone know a bullet that can chop slices like that off someone?
Note there is barely any effort displayed. For the stab he's just extending his arm.
And note a threat vest and even chain mail are no protection.
qjs

http://www.coldsteel.com/spfko.html

No one is denying that a knife has substantial potential for damage. But for the context of this thread, let me just bring attention to the fact that even the venerable Cold Steel Spartan can do very little damage in the "closed" position.

Don't have it. Never seen it. My point when mentioning it wasn't to claim that his quilt and murderous intent would've been obvious from them, but to answer your question of how can anyone say what happened based on (just) the video from the vehicle. I would assume the board who reviewed the officers actions had some other evidence as well when they deemed his actions "unjustified".

And I'd also like to make clear that while from what little I do know I agree with the board's verdict, I don't call for blood or lynch mobs. My guess is the cop made a tragic mistake and overreacted to something he thought he saw. I think everybody misreads people all the time, this time seeing threat that (probably) wasn't there.

And I agree that all eyewitnesses make mistakes. Including the officer in question.

-jh

If he'd let williams walk up to him and then open the knife, it would be too late to stop him.

I notice that the inquest jury, unlike us, who have had a chance to see all the evidence; : were split on whether the cop was justified or not:

http://revolutionarypolitics.tv/video/viewVideo.php?video_id=13963

and that the police didn't have enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.

Sadly one can't 'assume' the review board had other evidence. Police forces throw their officers to the wolves if it's politically inconvenient.
qjs

Not sure what's your stake in this, but you keep quoting the 21 ft rule and how that if the guy rush the cop etc etc...

Yet you keep ignoring the fact that the knife was closed, and the guy had his back to the cop up till the point he was shot.

I sure hope you are not/will never be in a position of authority, consider you can justify shooting someone in the back who is walking away and unaware of you and killing him, just because he has a closed knife in possession.

It's no wonder why many people hate cops. It's a survival mechanism.

Evidently from the video, the disease of scared bully is systemic in that police department. The ten-man stack looked like a bunch of fumbling cowards with guns, a little book knowledge, and no real life experience...shameful and scary.

I've got to give this a BIG +1. The reasoning in QJS's post would permit the police to shoot everyone on the planet in possession of a knife or (heaven forbid) a gun. If the police were smart they would even be shooting each other. If officer B draws his pistol it would be too late for officer A to do anything about it. I'm sorry, the "reasoning" is just absurd.

If is a very big word.

>I sure hope you are not/will never be in a position of authority, >consider you can justify shooting someone in the back who is >walking away and unaware of you and killing him

Actually I was in the London police for 5 years, was rated 'Exemplary' on leaving and never had a complaint against me sustained.
I think that I dealt in facts helped.

Please produce the evidence Williams was shot in the back. None of the reports say this.

>The ten-man stack looked like a bunch of fumbling cowards with guns.

No they looked like people following their training, as they are supposed to. It's easy to say 'he was dead why approach him carefully?' But they didn't know that. Unlike in Hollywood, people simply fall down when shot. You've seen the news; where are the plumes of blood and bodies jerking in spasm when hit with bullets?

>If officer B draws his pistol it would be too late for officer A to do anything about it. I'm sorry, the "reasoning" is just absurd.

What has that got do with a man with a knife approaching an officer on the street and refusing to stop? Is inventing views I don't hold the best you can do?
qjs

The problem with police work is that the officer has to make split second decisions, potentially life or death, in what can be an extremely tense situation. These actions can then be reviewed endlessly by critics at leisure who are under nowhere near the same pressures and influences. Kind of like instant replay in sports.......

Most of the time the officer makes a good decision. This was not one of those times.

QJS -- What made you think the victim approached Birk? The victim didn't approach the officer, former officer Birk initiated contact after he saw the victim cross the street. Birk was never threatened; no one was threatened.

There's a reason "SPD's own Firearms Review Commission deemed the shooting "unjustified"". The knife as well as being closed when found at the scene, was of legal length in Seattle. The only thing the hearing impaired victim did wrong was not responding to Birk's verbal commands.