Footage of two New York City police officers opening fire at a subway station as they confronted a man holding a knife shows they shot at him as he was standing still, his arms by his side and his back to a train.
In the days since Sunday’s shooting, police officials have repeatedly emphasized that the officers fired after Derell Mickles “charged” at one of them, and when their attempts to deescalate the situation and use Tasers had failed — leaving them with little choice but to resort to deadly force to protect themselves and passengers.
The footage, uploaded to the NYPD’s YouTube page Friday, offers a different view of the shooting that not only wounded Mickles but also a bystander, who was hit in the head with a stray bullet. Gregory Delpeche, 49, was sent to the hospital in critical condition, where doctors had to open up his skull to reduce brain swelling, according to his family.
I worked alongside law enforcement for awhile and this was my experience as well. The run of the mill patrolman isn’t very bright and will spend a long time sitting in a car. The smarter ones rise through the ranks pretty quickly, taking advantage of the huge growth potential in LE.
Most departments offer huge incentives and bonuses to continue your education and advance. It’s very military in its structure and by the time you’re working homicide or major cases pretty much everyone has a Masters degree or comparable specialized training. They’re still bastards but they’re definitely not stupid.