Family says son killed by police in ‘swatting’ was unarmed, didn’t play video games

Quite the contrary: he murdered a man in cold blood.

 

Well said. You are dealing with a large group of police haters who don't care what the law says or care what the victim did to get himself shot. Some people simply hate the police and refuse to acknowledge the law or personal responsibility. they would rather lie about the facts and hope the police at the very least get hurt.

 

They also have hindsight. They know the person who was shot was actually a completely innocent person and the police shouldn't even have been there, but as far as the police knew, he could be a very dangerous, deranged individual. Something went very wrong there, that's about all we know.

 

Swatters don't kill people, police kill people.

 

It's a matter of them being in a place where they are not threatened. As in, not stand in the wide open and demand people to come out of their house and so feel scared that some heavy armed thug shows up ready to kill them. As I noted before, these cops do unskilled labor, with in company training. Hence they are paid as such. These are not the smartest tools. And so, even with all their good intentions, they must face the consequences when they mess up just like anybody else.

 

Maybe. But he had no gun and no phone in either hand. Remember, the caller was still on the phone at least 15 minutes after Finch received the kill shot claiming the whole time he had a gun in hand. Where was the gun and where was phone? Also, did Mr. Finch even know those commands were directed at him?

 

In short, he got shot for having a wedgie in his pajamas.

 

For next time maybe but will not apply here.

 

Whether he did or did not have something in his hand is not the issue, the police said it appeared he was reaching from something to put in his hand or he could have had a lights or a book of matches in his hand since he said he was prepared to set the house on fire.

 

Or he could have been an innocent person who was just seeing what all the commotion was about.

 

So what if it was a drunk driver who was a cop and because of his badge, he got two weeks paid leave and no charges were filed. Would you consider that justice? The point isn't whether or not you would be devastated. The point is that you would want justice for a wrongful killing. Being a cop with a badge does not excuse a wrongful killing.

Your argument seems to keep going back to because he is a cop with a badge under a stressful situation, he can kill. That is not the law, nor should it be. The argument is if there was a reasonable reason to fear for the his life or the life of others. Only one cop shot and there were many there. The one cop who shot was on the other side of the porch, and the guy had his back to him. He raised his hands quickly as cops with guns drawn were ordering him to. He complied, but this one cop shot, without seeing anything drown from a waistband, without seeing him reach for his waistband, without seeing anything in his hand, and with the guys hands in the air. Why did he have delusions of a non existent threat when every other cop on the scene did not? He killed based upon his own fear, not a legitimate threat of any kind. Hate to say it, but if you are that much of a coward, you should not be a cop. And if your own cowardice causes you to murder an innocent man, then you should be charged for it.

Here are what brave police officers do:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20180103/two-very-close-calls-for-portsmouth-officers

In this article, I would support the cop shooting a guy with a gun in the parking lot. He was almost too brave and risked his own life. But the point is as a cop, you have to identify a real threat. And part of your job is dealing with situations which could go bad, but you can not shoot first and ask questions later. That is exactly what happened here, and it is criminal.

 

Any commotion these days it's best to hit the deck. Lot's of drive-by shootings at houses or by stray bullets going through house walls and killing or wounding an resident.

 

He could not see and likely had no idea what was happening. I wonder if he was simply trying to shield his eyes from the dozens of strobes.

 

That's what I was thinking too. I mean I wasn't there, but given only the video that's been released Mr. Finch does not have the body language that I associate with someone who is hellbent on killing people. I do realize the officer only had 5 seconds or so to evaluate the situation so I'm not willing to place blame on him just yet. But, damn, that is an insanely short amount of time to size up a situation and make a decision you can never take back.

 

Not when someone WANTS to watch a man die.

 

That would have required raising his hands, not lowering them.
The simple facts as I see them are:
1. A criminal act was initiated by a phone call falsely reporting a murder and hostage situation at a location by a deranged person who appeared likely to kill the hostages.
2. The police responded quickly hoping to prevent the death of the supposed hostages.
3. A male appeared at the doorway, perhaps wearing an earbud to communicate with 911, not in direct contact with the officers.
4. The police, thinking the man was their suspect ordered him to raise his hands and his actions led the police to believe he was going to do something else resulted in his being shot.
5. As a result, a homicide occurred by the police as a result of a criminal act by the caller who in my opinion should be charged with Criminally Negligent Homicide or Second Degree murder at a minimum.
6. The police officers including the one who shot the suspect committed no criminal act, much the same as the driver of a vehicle who runs over someone who was pushed by another in front of the vehicle.
7. The family should focus any claims against the caller, not the police, whose actions resulted in a wrongful death as a result of HIS actions alone.

 

Bariss, the suspect who called 911, is being charged with involuntary manslaughter. The maximum sentence is 11 years in prison.

 

The guy lived with his grandmother so I doubt he has a lot of money...or any money at all really. Don't you think it would be better to serve the WPD with a lawsuit?

 

If money is what they want, probably.

 

The family of Mr. Finch is suing the WPD. The local prosecutor is still reviewing whether chargers will be filed against the police officer who fired the kill shot.

 

He'll walk.

 

Yes an innocent person who appeared not to be. We'll see what the final investigation determines.

 

How long would it have taken the guy to light his zippo and toss it on the gasoline he had poured in the house killing the other hostages? THAT is what the officers had to consider.

 

What if he were one of the hostages? Should that have been considered?

Also, what evidence can you present that proves Mr. Finch heard officer's commands, understood them, knew they were directed at him, and then willfully refused to obey?

 

What behaviors did you see in the video that made you think Mr. Finch was hellbent on killing people?