White ex-officer charged in death of black Atlanta man
Source: Associated Press
White ex-officer charged in death of black Atlanta man
Updated 11:24 pm, Saturday, July 16, 2016
ATLANTA (AP) Court records show a white former Atlanta police officer who fatally shot a black motorist has been arrested.
Fulton County jail records show James R. Burns was arrested Saturday on charges including felony murder in the June 22 shooting of Devaris Caine Rogers.
Burns told investigators he shot a car that was "trying to run me over and kill me."
But a police internal affairs investigation found that evidence contradicted Burns' version of what happened. It showed that Burns shot into a vehicle not knowing whether 22-year-old Rogers was the person he'd been called to investigate at a northeast Atlanta apartment complex.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/White-ex-officer-charged-in-death-of-black-8382106.php
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Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)The black kid must have done something for this innocent cop to kill him.
840high
(17,196 posts)cstanleytech
(26,293 posts)officers who should not be police officers.
Fixing the problem though its not going to happen overnight but instituting better criteria for selecting candidates as well as vastly improved training and doing a better job at maintaining discipline for the police would be a good start.
Sand Rat Expat
(290 posts)840high is, I think, making the same argument I've made here on DU that, like people in general (being that cops are, yanno, people...), most cops are good and decent people trying to do their job as best they can. I've made the argument that given the myriad interactions between cops and citizens on a daily basis across America, the vast majority of interactions result in no harm coming to either party, and in some cases the cop helps the citizen in some way.
But no, we can't even acknowledge that. Nope. Cops are totally bad, all the time, no matter what, to hear some people tell it. The positive interactions and outcomes are utterly meaningless, and we must focus on only the negative outcomes, which clearly prove that police are terrible human beings.
That said, I agree with everything you posted about selection criteria, training, and best practices.
Sand Rat Expat
(290 posts)Some here on DU will show prejudice toward cops that they would condemn, in the most heated terms, if another person showed it to a different group. Apparently some prejudices are okay, as long as they're aimed at the "correct" targets.
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)See, we're still here! That means we haven't done anything wrooooonnnnnggg. Is that so hard to understand?
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)It should stand as a reminder to people to act subservient when cops approach you.
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)Obey, obey, obey.
God, what the hell as my country become?
cstanleytech
(26,293 posts)like they want to be treated, doesnt matter if its a cop to a civilian or a civilian to a cop if you behave like a dick to someone they are probably going to behave like a dick to you.
neohippie
(1,142 posts)I mean there has to be some difference between you and them that makes you feel safe and sleep better at night blaming the victim should at least serve some useful purpose
cstanleytech
(26,293 posts)If you get pulled over by a cop who behaves like a dick the odds are you are not going to behave towards them like you are best buds and vice versa.
Lulu KC
(2,566 posts)when did "behaving like a dick" turn into shooting and killing people? Out of control.
cstanleytech
(26,293 posts)someone which goes to show you that we have a long way to go as a species to improve ourselves especially when we are still in the murdering each other stage over stupid shit.