Post: #1

Quote:HARRISBURG, Pa. — A small-town police officer who fatally shot an unarmed motorist in the back as he lay face down on the ground was acquitted Thursday at her murder trial.

A Dauphin County jury acquitted Hummelstown Officer Lisa Mearkle of third-degree murder and voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges in a shooting captured by a camera attached to her stun gun.

The video, which was played to jurors, showed Mearkle shocking 59-year-old David Kassick after he fled from a traffic stop before shooting him twice in the back as he lay face down in the snow in February.

After the verdict, Mearkle tearfully said she was sorry the shooting had happened.

"I feel relief right now, but it's going to take a little bit for me to get back to my normal self," she told reporters. "This has taken a toll on me that nobody understands."

Mearkle said she wanted Kassick's family to know that: "I truly wish it didn't happen. I want them to know that. I didn't want to shoot anybody."

Mearkle, 37, testified Wednesday that she believed Kassick was still a threat even after she shocked him repeatedly with a stun gun.

In the video, which was later released to the public after the verdict was handed down, Kassick's hands repeatedly disappeared underneath his body as Mearkle screamed at him to keep them where she could see them and then fired the fatal shots.

Mearkle's lawyer, Brian Perry, said Kassick's actions needed to be watched carefully, arguing that the conflict had escalated to the point where it was reasonable for Mearkle to conclude that Kassick was reaching for a weapon.

"It's unfortunate, it's tragic, nobody is celebrating death, but we think the jury reached the right verdict," Perry said.

During the trial, prosecutor Johnny Baer had argued that Mearkle "took David's life without justification. Took it unnecessarily."

The encounter began when Mearkle attempted to pull over Kassick after noticing an expired inspection sticker on his sedan. She pursued him to Kassick's sister's home, where he had been living, and he ran to the backyard.

Mearkle caught up to him in the yard. She said she was convinced he had a gun in his jacket and was reaching for it.

She described an intense scene in which dispatchers were talking to her by radio and Kassick's brother was yelling at her to stop shocking him with the stun gun.

The two gunshots were a few seconds apart. Mearkle administered CPR as others arrived.

It's not clear why Kassick fled the traffic stop, but investigators recovered a syringe by his body and prosecutors have said alcohol and unspecified drugs were in his system.

Mearkle has been on unpaid suspension since her arrest. The15-year police veteran said Thursday she intended to remain an officer in the Harrisburg suburb.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lisa...er-n458226

Here's the video:

Post: #2

Male officers get acquitted for this shit left and right too. This is not a pussy pass scenario and thread title is baiting.

Another viral "police brutality" story exacerbated by social media. That's what it looks like to me.

Post: #3

(11-08-2015 03:41 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  Male officers get acquitted for this shit left and right too. This is not a pussy pass scenario and thread title is baiting.

Another viral "police brutality" story exacerbated by social media. That's what it looks like to me.

This story has been out for nearly three days and it's barely making rounds in the media. Besides NBC, it hasn't been covered by any mainstream news platforms. I'm pretty sure if the cop were a guy, or if the victim had been black, it'd be a major news story.

Furthermore, the difference (aside from the cop being a woman) between this and other "police shootings" is that this was recorded by a body camera, which makes the situation easier to scrutinize. I'm not "baiting"--I just wanna hear everyone's opinion on the video, and on whether or not they think the shots were justified.

Post: #4

Both are in play. She gets both a pussy pass and a badge pass

Post: #5

Absolutely outrageous. He was not a threat in any way. This is just pointless sadism.

Post: #6

I normally like to give benefit of doubt to law enforcement officers, because most of the click bait cop threads turn out to be justifiable actions by the LEO.

I wasn't on the jury or entitled to more information on the case, but I've seen less controversial videos that resulted in the LEO being found guilty.

she sounded scared as fuck and likely fired due to her nerves. It's still inexcusable shooting a prone unarmed person with taser leads still in him and his hands showing.
Yet alone firing TWICE!

Pussypass or badge pass be damned, that was murder.

Post: #7

(11-08-2015 03:41 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  Male officers get acquitted for this shit left and right too. This is not a pussy pass scenario and thread title is baiting.

Another viral "police brutality" story exacerbated by social media. That's what it looks like to me.

No.

Said cop baiters normally link stories of police shooting involving aggressive suspects (the suicidal guy with knife or the retarded kid with a screwdriver were popular subjects here), or you know shootings of individuals that had just robbed convenience stores and then approached the LEO in an aggressive manner.

This was a guy on the ground actively being tased (I thought the razing was excessive, yet alone the shooting) and announcing his surrender. She was screaming at him to get on the ground and continuously tasering him when he was already on the ground, hands up, surrendering. She was a scared little kitten without her Bulldogs to back her up. She has no place in a law enforcement role.

there is no baiting about that. And there is no way I can fathom that this LEO isn't held responsible for her actions.

Post: #8

The only thing I took from the video was a shrieking, hysterical woman terrified of a man laying on the ground and not resisting. This is why women should not have access to firearms.

Post: #9

Women should not be cops. The video shows why.

Post: #10

Aside from pussy pass and badge pass, I think we can also add the pigmentation pass:



#WhiteLivesDontMatter