re: Alton Sterling shooting - discussion thread

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t's sad that the police and their families have to live with this all because this repeat offender made a stupid decision.

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I agree. None of us know the full details of what happened. However we do have some insight into the "decision making process" of the parties involved. Looking at only that evidence, the deceased seems to have a track record of making ill fated decisions. That has to weigh in on the situation.

The officers passed the interview process, the screening process and the training program so of the parties in that parking lot, I'm thinking their track record "appears" to be better at this point.

Sure, he had sat there selling CDs for years, but for some unknown reason the cops were requested at this location on this night for a weapons concern. Seems to me, even if you ignore his previous arrests, on this night, he was acting differently than in the past. Causing the police request. Toxicology report may provide more insight.


I hope no other loss or injury comes from the event.

There is one thing that we can all agree on.... that store owner is a terrible freaking camera operator. He jerks the camera out of view on every shot.






Wait, maybe he did it intentionally. Brilliant. Leaves the audience guessing.

Most like a seizure.

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that store owner is a terrible freaking camera operator. He jerks the camera out of view on every shot.

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It's ART, Bitch. He posts regularly on the soccer bd.

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Slackster and people like you have been trying to down play what sterling did and say it was justified but he didn't deserve it. You are just playing a game of semantics and dancing around the facts by moving the goal posts to say that we don't know if he was reaching for the gun. Last night Slackster was trying to downplay how much he was fighting back by saying just his head came off the pavement. Now we have clearer evidence showing what most of us could already see in the first video... That his right side was moving around aggressively. So, I can see clearly what Sterling was doing, Slackster is trying to make people think you can't definitively see that because we don't see his hand go into the pocket, or whatever his criteria would be for "going for the gun". You will never know what Sterling was thinking but to use that as a defense is called an arguement from ignorance.

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There are two distinct issues. The first, and by far the most important, is whether the shooting was justified because the cop feared for his life. I've already said that I believe that was the case, regardless of whether he was actually trying to grab his gun.

The second issue, and minor one I'll admit, is whether or not he was going for the gun. You can lay out your case, but to suggest that it is clear is absolutely ridiculous. His right arm is free because it is under the car. You see him moving but you cannot see his arm, you cannot see his hand, you cannot see his pocket, and you cannot see the gun. The cop might think he was going for the gun because the gun was seen in his right pocket and his right arm was free, and I don't really blame them for making that assumption given their predicament, but we don't have the same burden as we watch the videos. The threshold for a justified shooting was met. The threshold to suggest he was trying to kill the police officers is ridiculous given the two videos we've seen.

Store owner could be afraid of retribution if he identifies Sterling as the person he called cops on, causing this whole thing


Or he could be telling the truth and it was a coincidence that Sterling fit the description of the person he reported.


CCTV will tell the truth

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he's definetly grabbing towards the pocket with the gun

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If someone can show me a single screen shot with his right arm, his right pocket, or his right hand before the shots were fired I'd be much obliged. I WANT to see what some of you are seeing.

Second video is pretty intense. This whole thing is going to be a pretty wild ride it seems.

Wow, first time seeing that video. That looks really bad.

What else would he be doing with his right arm down around his waist area, while the cop at his legs is wrestling with his arm and yelling "Gun!!"??