I heard that today here. Did people actually crowd around in a town up that way today and cheer. Were they cheering that a NY State Trooper had shot Sweat in the back while Sweat was apparently fleeing unarmed. I wonder what Cuomo would have said, and what the crowds would have been doing, had it been a black escapee. I wonder why we have heard nothing on this from Al Sharpton. Of course, I am being sarcastic to a point. I really do wonder why we have not heard from Al.
As for the trooper being courageous, yes he was courageous to have approached Sweat on his own and he most certainly knew to have waited for backup may have resulted in Sweat being able to evade capture one more time. Was he legally justified to shoot Sweat as he fled? Yes, I believe the trooper probably was justified more than enough to shoot him (although I am not sure about NY law on this, I am going by federal court decisions). Although I do not find anything courageous in shooting a guy as he flees, I do understand the necessity of it and I think that the trooper most probably understood also. I also understand the split second decision he had to make and the internal dilemma he may have faced to arrive at that decision. I understand a lot about the use of deadly force against a fleeing felon, after all, I had collateral duties (even full time duties for awhile) as a firearms instructor for a federal agency and taught about that in classes and was taught it myself by others several times.
So, I don't care that the trooper shot the guy from behind (or from whatever angle as he fled) and wounded him and that the suspect was unarmed at the time and there is no sarcasm in that. I would not care had he killed him, in fact I think we all would have been better off had it wound up that way. He stopped him, he caught him, he put an end to one of the largest manhunts ever and just about however he legally did it is okay with me. I would think with Sweat's record and with the actions of Sweat and Matt, since their escape, such as it apparently having been Matt who shot at a camper as it drove by him and the trooper believing that Matt and Sweat had been together at the time, the trooper had more than enough reasonable belief, even probable cause, to believe that this escaped murderer was an imminent threat to the trooper or others. So, fire away at the guy as he flees and stop him from doing any more harm. Good job trooper, excellent police work and I mean that with all of my heart felt thanks.
The thing that gets me though is I would bet my house (which is paid for) that had this been an African American escapee, Al Sharpton and the agitatahz-in-da-hood would have been calling for the trooper's blood by now. Granted, the guy who was shot down in NC (or was it SC) who was running away from the cop down there, that cop will probably get what is coming to him and from what I saw of the video (and basing it only on that video) likely deserves to be convicted. That may well have been manslaughter but that is for a jury to decide.
What I am saying is that I cannot blame people for getting all sorts of riled up about that but then there was Fergusson, MO. That officer should have, in my opinion, received a commendation and a medal. Yet, the Rev. Al and his type probably are still chanting "hands up - don't shoot" as often as they can and I truly believe had David Sweat been a black man - Sharpton and his race baiting agitator of a goon squad would be at it again. Note, I am not commenting about black people in general, I am only commenting about scum like Sharpton and all the race baiters and agitators out there who scream bloody murder if an officer shoots a black man. It truly is a sad state of our society not only that I am thinking along those lines but that in almost all probability I am right.
By the way, I think the trooper did one heck of a bang up job (no pun intended) as did the border patrol agent who shot down and killed Matt. Law enforcers involved in this mess did what they were supposed to have done, doing their jobs in the face of danger, risking their lives all the while during the search, and relentlessly tracking down these dirtbags. I tip my hat to them and give them my thanks.
Hopefully the officers involved in the shootings will at least get needed counseling through their jobs because if they were brought up at all in the Judeo-Christian ways or just to be good citizens - they are going to need it. I wish I could buy both of those officers a steak dinner and a beer or three, they deserve that too.
All the best,
Glenn B
As for the trooper being courageous, yes he was courageous to have approached Sweat on his own and he most certainly knew to have waited for backup may have resulted in Sweat being able to evade capture one more time. Was he legally justified to shoot Sweat as he fled? Yes, I believe the trooper probably was justified more than enough to shoot him (although I am not sure about NY law on this, I am going by federal court decisions). Although I do not find anything courageous in shooting a guy as he flees, I do understand the necessity of it and I think that the trooper most probably understood also. I also understand the split second decision he had to make and the internal dilemma he may have faced to arrive at that decision. I understand a lot about the use of deadly force against a fleeing felon, after all, I had collateral duties (even full time duties for awhile) as a firearms instructor for a federal agency and taught about that in classes and was taught it myself by others several times.
So, I don't care that the trooper shot the guy from behind (or from whatever angle as he fled) and wounded him and that the suspect was unarmed at the time and there is no sarcasm in that. I would not care had he killed him, in fact I think we all would have been better off had it wound up that way. He stopped him, he caught him, he put an end to one of the largest manhunts ever and just about however he legally did it is okay with me. I would think with Sweat's record and with the actions of Sweat and Matt, since their escape, such as it apparently having been Matt who shot at a camper as it drove by him and the trooper believing that Matt and Sweat had been together at the time, the trooper had more than enough reasonable belief, even probable cause, to believe that this escaped murderer was an imminent threat to the trooper or others. So, fire away at the guy as he flees and stop him from doing any more harm. Good job trooper, excellent police work and I mean that with all of my heart felt thanks.
The thing that gets me though is I would bet my house (which is paid for) that had this been an African American escapee, Al Sharpton and the agitatahz-in-da-hood would have been calling for the trooper's blood by now. Granted, the guy who was shot down in NC (or was it SC) who was running away from the cop down there, that cop will probably get what is coming to him and from what I saw of the video (and basing it only on that video) likely deserves to be convicted. That may well have been manslaughter but that is for a jury to decide.
What I am saying is that I cannot blame people for getting all sorts of riled up about that but then there was Fergusson, MO. That officer should have, in my opinion, received a commendation and a medal. Yet, the Rev. Al and his type probably are still chanting "hands up - don't shoot" as often as they can and I truly believe had David Sweat been a black man - Sharpton and his race baiting agitator of a goon squad would be at it again. Note, I am not commenting about black people in general, I am only commenting about scum like Sharpton and all the race baiters and agitators out there who scream bloody murder if an officer shoots a black man. It truly is a sad state of our society not only that I am thinking along those lines but that in almost all probability I am right.
By the way, I think the trooper did one heck of a bang up job (no pun intended) as did the border patrol agent who shot down and killed Matt. Law enforcers involved in this mess did what they were supposed to have done, doing their jobs in the face of danger, risking their lives all the while during the search, and relentlessly tracking down these dirtbags. I tip my hat to them and give them my thanks.
Hopefully the officers involved in the shootings will at least get needed counseling through their jobs because if they were brought up at all in the Judeo-Christian ways or just to be good citizens - they are going to need it. I wish I could buy both of those officers a steak dinner and a beer or three, they deserve that too.
All the best,
Glenn B
