re: Florida deputy fatally shot US airman that answered the door with a gun

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B/c people that are coming to shoot you knock on the door loudly. That's generally how people get murdered, so yeah you should be worried someone is after you when they knock like that at 430PM.

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…ok?

I just said it’s disconcerting. I didn’t say it means that Jack the Ripper is hanging out on your porch. If it’s not a cop then maybe it’s a scammer, or a crazy, or maybe it’s the lady from down the hall who was actually getting beaten by her husband trying to run away.

It doesn’t really matter, other than being unsettling when someone beats on your door and then you look out and don’t see anyone.

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why does that matter? It's 430PM.

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Because he fricking hid right after knocking, for starters.

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He went to the right apartment.

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He went to the apartment number she told him. That doesn’t mean he went to the right apartment. Again, the lady was clearly unsure of the apartment number. First she says she doesn’t know. Then she says “1401.” Then she says “it’s on this side” (the side where she was standing). Cop goes up and starts walking that way, but 1401 is the opposite way so he turns around.

My initial reaction was not to blame the cop for that. However, it seems like he was treating it as a fairly hostile scenario considering he was taking cover after knocking. So yes, he could have gone back down to verify that the lady gave him the right apartment number.

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Opening the door at 430PM to a guy announcing to you he's a cop, and then standing there with the gun clearly in your hand isn't smart.

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I don’t disagree. However, the period between the cop knocking and the first time the cop says anything is much longer than the period between the cop announcing himself and the resident opening the door. As I’ve said before, I suspect that the resident had gone to the door, didn’t see anyone, and picked up the pistol.. but then opened the door (without putting the pistol down) when the cop actually announced himself. I find it highly unlikely that he picked the pistol up after the cop announced himself, given the timing.

Should he have put it away before opening up? Yes. Can I understand how he might have frozen up once he finally started hearing “sherrif’s office, open the door!”? Yes.