Botham Shem Jean

[Sparko]

Surely there's a place to store it? I mean she's going home and she's so tired she doesn't know in what direction she's going. So tired that she'd mistakingly walk into the wrong home and shoot someone?

That's not an easy mistakes. That's multiple bad decisions one after the other. If she was so tired she shouldn't have driven a car home, much less had a gun on her. If you're too out of your mind to drive, you shouldn't be using your gun. And I personally think driving while sleep deprived should be illegal.

The place to store the gun is in it's holster until she gets home and puts it away.

and yes she made multiple mistakes. I think driving when that tired is illegal. She probably should have taken a taxi.

This is no excuse. Do you agree on that?

of course. I never said otherwise. I was just saying I can see how it happened. It was a tragic accident brought on by her recklessness in being too tired to drive or use a gun.

[Sparko]

Eh, you're doing a lot of "It was a mistake anyone could have made ... it would have been perfectly legal and just if it was her own home" kind of explanation. What does it matter if it would have been legal if it was a robber in her own home.

It wasn't a robber in her own her own. She was trespassing on someone else's home, and killed them.

I was just saying her reaction was not "wrong" - just the context of where it happened was "wrong" and that is entirely HER fault. She placed herself in the wrong location and did not realize it. That is completely her own fault. She killed someone. illegally.
tragically.

[Leonhard]

The place to store the gun is in it's holster until she gets home and puts it away.

There's no place at a police station where guns are kept? No locked cabinets. Nothing like that? That's somewhat surprising to me.

[Leonhard]

I was just saying her reaction was not "wrong" - just the context of where it happened was "wrong" and that is entirely HER fault. She placed herself in the wrong location and did not realize it. That is completely her own fault. She killed someone. illegally.
tragically.

Alright, thanks for the clarifications. I trust what you're saying.

[Sparko]

There's no place at a police station where guns are kept? No locked cabinets. Nothing like that? That's somewhat surprising to me.

There is probably an armory in some police stations where they keep extra guns or long guns (shotguns and rifles) that are used in cruisers or on raids that are not personal firearms, but each officer is issued their own handgun and they keep it with them 24 hours a day. At least that is the experience I have with my brother who was a police officer for over 20 years. CP might be able to answer it too.

[Cow Poke]

You think maybe she WAS drinking on duty or something?

"or something" -- I think there was reason for the Dallas Police Department to want to distance themselves from this.

[Cow Poke]

There's no place at a police station where guns are kept? No locked cabinets. Nothing like that? That's somewhat surprising to me.

When police officers interact with subjects under arrest in the jail, there is a locker for them to place their firearms before entering "detention" to keep from giving prisoners access to guns.

Police in the US are considered "on duty" 24 hours per day, and when in uniform, most (commissioned) officers are required to be armed.

[Leonhard]

When police officers interact with subjects under arrest in the jail, there is a locker for them to place their firearms before entering "detention" to keep from giving prisoners access to guns.

Police in the US are considered "on duty" 24 hours per day, and when in uniform, most (commissioned) officers are required to be armed.

Yikes. I guess that makes her responsible for her state of mind 24/7 then.

[Sparko]

Yikes. I guess that makes her responsible for her state of mind 24/7 then.

Pretty much like everyone else.

[Littlejoe]

There's no place at a police station where guns are kept? No locked cabinets. Nothing like that? That's somewhat surprising to me.

My best friend is a local LEO, and he's required to be armed when off duty unless he is/has been drinking. No officers that I know of (and I know several) leave their duty weapon at work.

[Cow Poke]

My best friend is a local LEO, and he's required to be armed when off duty unless he is/has been drinking. No officers that I know of (and I know several) leave their duty weapon at work.

Nope, because if they came upon a crime on the way to or from work, they might be required to intervene.

[Sparko]

police.jpg

[KingsGambit]

So it appears that her legal defense will be that she gave a verbal command to the man to stand down, which was ignored. I'm not sure this should fly. Was it even clear to the man that she was an officer? Could he see in the dark (since she couldn't?)? Does it matter? Was she even acting as an officer in the process of trespassing? This sounds like carte blanche for a police officer to do anything.

[Cow Poke]

So it appears that her legal defense will be that she gave a verbal command to the man to stand down, which was ignored. I'm not sure this should fly. Was it even clear to the man that she was an officer? Could he see in the dark (since she couldn't?)? Does it matter? Was she even acting as an officer in the process of trespassing? This sounds like carte blanche for a police officer to do anything.

Sounds to me like they're just trying to spin. I can't foresee a situation where this could be ruled as "justified" or "a righteous shooting".

[KingsGambit]

Sounds to me like they're just trying to spin. I can't foresee a situation where this could be ruled as "justified" or "a righteous shooting".

It could be the difference between murder and manslaughter (and it sounds right now like she probably is going to avoid a murder charge).

I know it's their job to defend her but I thought it was tone deaf that the police union head declared to the media that she was a good officer.