The more I read about the shooting last weekend in Everett, the fishier it seems to get. Dustin Willard, 31, was shot to death by three Everett police officers last Saturday night after they claim he pointed a gun at them from his front porch and refused to obey orders to put it down. The police were responding to a call from a neighbor who thought they saw someone breaking into Willard’s house.
Willard was a well-liked individual with no criminal record. Normally, people like that don’t point guns at police officers. Something isn’t right with this case, and hopefully we’ll find out what actually happened.
What I’ve noticed about cases in which police mistakenly shoot innocent citizens is that (a) the cops almost always lie about what happened, and (b) the cops are never punished. Absolute power with zero accountability, anyone?
FYI
“… boob bait to Bubba …” that’s what The Economist, a conservative UK newsweekly, calls Sarah Palin. Personally, I find this description more colorful than the popular “Caribou Barbie” moniker — and more informative. Because that’s exactly the role she, herself, has chosen to play — complete with saucy winks and short skirts. No wonder this self-defined sexpot pisses off women voters. With Palin strutting on the national stage, how can any woman hope to be taken seriously?
Police should film all their investigtive actions that are within range of their cars.
There is no excuse for not filming. The technology is just too cheap and easy.
@3
Good point. I’ve seen some people mention in reader comments that there is footage, and that it’s not being released, but I don’t know if that’s really true.
Set the bong down for about six hours, let yourself slowly come out of your pot-induced, cop-fearing and hating paranoid state, then think about this rationally.
Which is more likely to have occurred?
A) The police show up, he’s holding a weapon, he won’t put it down after ordered, the police shoot.
B) The police show up, the man isn’t holding a weapon, he says hi, and the police shoot him for the fun of it.
Without knowing more than either I or you do, Troll, I’d be a fool to answer.
You are an idiot for posing the question in that form at all.
@5
C) The police show up in the dark, don’t announce themselves, Willard thinks they’re robbers, raises a gun at people he can’t see very well, and gets shot up.
George at #6 is right, you’re an idiot for posing the question in that form. There are far more possibilities than the two you came up with.
I’d tell you to think rationally, but I’m already well aware that you’re not capable.
@5: I guess according to Troll, there has NEVER been a case of mistaken identity shooting or police that over-react and shoot someone that is not a threat.
Especially since there are only two alternatives, and we all know that police don’t shoot people for the “fun of it”.
Of course, situation one could also be possible, but situation two has about 1000 nuances, none of which is for “the fun of it”.
Question for everyone. Did you speak out, on HA, against the Ed (The Tuba Man) McMichael’s mugging and murder?
I did. And I went to his memorial. Did you?
@9
There have been hundreds of horrible things that have happened over the past few weeks that we haven’t written about. If you’re insinuating that people here don’t care about that, you’re even dumber than we thought (and that was already a really low bar).
@10
You are angry that I showed you up by pulling rank in terms of who has the moral high ground here (I do). But don’t try to compare yourself to me. Just do the best you can do.
Maybe the poor fellow bought into the “Obama’s gonna take your guns away” bullshit. Send the bill to the NRA.
@11
But don’t try to compare yourself to me.
Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.
Oh, and as for high moral grounds, let me post this again…