$8M suit filed in fatal Pa. police shooting of armed man

[elwoodtrix]

http://www.policeone.com/officer-sh...led-in-fatal-Pa-police-shooting-of-armed-man/


Dashcam video in link


Jan 8, 2015

By PoliceOne Staff

YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The family of a man fatally shot by police in 2012 has filed a lawsuit claiming the officers’ use of force wasn’t justified.

According to the York Dispatch, 40-year-old Todd William Shultz was shot 17 times outside of a Kmart in December 2012 after failing to drop a table knife and pair of scissors he was wielding, despite repeated commands to drop the weapons from officers on the scene.

Police had attempted to arrest Shultz inside the store for shoplifting jewelry, but he resisted, and continued to do so as the struggle moved outside of the store.

Officers attempted to subdue Shultz with batons and a TASER, but the suspect continued holding the weapons.

In a recently released dash cam video of the incident, the officers’ ignored pleas can be heard as Shultz continues to advance.

Shultz, who was reportedly on cocaine at the time of the incident, did not go down after officers opened fire and struck him six times.

Police fired an additional 11 shots as Shultz moved toward the store entrance, facing away from officers.

The family’s lawyer, Devon Jacob, questions why officers continued to fire after the first six shots – claiming that Shultz was no longer a threat that required deadly force after he turned away from police.

"The threat had been reduced at that point. He's facing the window in the corner ... he's basically contained," Jacob told the York Dispatch. "Granted, he didn't put the knife down. But there was nothing that required them to fire again. Basically, there was a standoff at that point. They have him at gunpoint."

Both officers who shot Shultz were cleared in the incident. The family filed the lawsuit last month.


I felt pretty bad for the officers involved after the shoot.

 

[Sanford]

Video: Utah man fatally shot after attacking cop, dozens protest shooting

Officer shot and killed suspect after he began hitting the officer with a shovel

today at 12:50 pm - Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY - Dozens of protesters rallied Saturday afternoon outside the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building to denounce the fatal shooting of a man by police.

Speakers at the event, organized by the group Utah Against Police Brutality, said Thursday's shooting of James Barker, 42, by a Salt Lake City officer did not have to happen and called for an independent investigation into it.

"We believe that if the police take a life, they should not investigate themselves," the group said in a statement. "The shooting of James Barker is yet another case which should be handled by an impartial third-party with no departmental affiliations."

Police, in a statement, said the shooting would be investigated jointly by the department's homicide unit and Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office as well as by the department's internal affairs unit and a civilian review board.

The officer, whose name was not released, was placed on routine administrative leave. He was treated for fractures on his arm and foot at a local hospital.

Someone called police to report a suspicious man knocking on doors in the Avenues neighborhood and offering to shovel snow for money. Police say one officer responded and started talking to Barker, but at some point Barker began hitting the officer with a shovel.

Police on Friday released videotape from a camera worn by the officer, but said the shooting was not captured after the camera was damaged.

The video shows the talk between the two escalated as the officer pressed Barker to identify himself, saying residents thought he was acting suspiciously, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Barker refused and asked the officer to leave him alone because he is "trying to make a living." Barker is accused of swinging at him after the officer called for backup help.

Summer Osburn, a defense lawyer who met Barker 20 years ago while they were students at Brigham Young University, said she's frustrated by the number of cases involving police use of deadly force and was shocked by her friend's death.

"This is basically an execution," she told KUTV. "Full of life, full of love, that was James."

Ron Lee, a friend and neighbor of Barker, described him as a "kind" and "normal guy" who showed "absolutely no aggressiveness" during the years he had known him. He said he was surprised someone called police because he never knew Barker to be suspicious.

"I just can't understand how a man would be shot," he told the Deseret News.

But Ian Adams, a West Jordan police officer and spokesman for the Utah Fraternal Order of Police, said the video demonstrates a clear example of an officer doing his job.

"Officers have a job to do, and frankly the amount of victim-blaming on the officer is ridiculous and doesn't leave much air in the room for a rational discussion," he said. "That officer did nothing to provoke such an aggravated assault."

 

[kennedy]

Hmmm...both shootings look good to me.

 

[Maverick21]

Agreed. How could anyone that saw the second video feel the need to protest? Just don't attack cops. It's trending poorly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kennedy]

From watching the guy with the shovels reaction, there is no way I will believe there is not some form of physical violence charge in that guys past. He went from zero to ballistic in a matter of seconds.

The first video impressed me. When the coked out guy started heading back towards the front doors, those officers put themselves between him and everyone else inside. I can understand the "extra" shots as he was still armed and heading towards officers and innocents. I hope those officers can get passed what happened and realize their actions kept that guy from possibly getting back into the store and harming someone.

 

[Glocktogo]

http://www.policeone.com/officer-sh...led-in-fatal-Pa-police-shooting-of-armed-man/


Dashcam video in link


Jan 8, 2015

By PoliceOne Staff

YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The family of a man fatally shot by police in 2012 has filed a lawsuit claiming the officers’ use of force wasn’t justified.

According to the York Dispatch, 40-year-old Todd William Shultz was shot 17 times outside of a Kmart in December 2012 after failing to drop a table knife and pair of scissors he was wielding, despite repeated commands to drop the weapons from officers on the scene.

Police had attempted to arrest Shultz inside the store for shoplifting jewelry, but he resisted, and continued to do so as the struggle moved outside of the store.

Officers attempted to subdue Shultz with batons and a TASER, but the suspect continued holding the weapons.

In a recently released dash cam video of the incident, the officers’ ignored pleas can be heard as Shultz continues to advance.

Shultz, who was reportedly on cocaine at the time of the incident, did not go down after officers opened fire and struck him six times.

Police fired an additional 11 shots as Shultz moved toward the store entrance, facing away from officers.

The family’s lawyer, Devon Jacob, questions why officers continued to fire after the first six shots – claiming that Shultz was no longer a threat that required deadly force after he turned away from police.

"The threat had been reduced at that point. He's facing the window in the corner ... he's basically contained," Jacob told the York Dispatch. "Granted, he didn't put the knife down. But there was nothing that required them to fire again. Basically, there was a standoff at that point. They have him at gunpoint."

Both officers who shot Shultz were cleared in the incident. The family filed the lawsuit last month.


I felt pretty bad for the officers involved after the shoot.

Should be dismissed with prejudice at the 1st hearing.