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No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:37 am
by casingpoint
No trigger-happy cops here. Forced to shoot:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_14826948" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:05 pm
by gigag04
"slain"


right.


Tragic yes...but nobody was slain. I remember being 14 and being old enough to make decisions. This kid made a bad one and paid the consequences dearly. He did this to himself. My heart goes out to the boys family and the officers. I'm sure a civil suit will be forthcoming from family and I hope if falls flat.

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:44 pm
by timdsmith72
gigag04 wrote:"slain"


right.


Tragic yes...but nobody was slain. I remember being 14 and being old enough to make decisions. This kid made a bad one and paid the consequences dearly. He did this to himself. My heart goes out to the boys family and the officers. I'm sure a civil suit will be forthcoming from family and I hope if falls flat.
:iagree:
Well said, gigag04.

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:08 pm
by hoot
Death by police officer?
Permanent solution to temporary problem?
Hoot
(It really disturbs me when teen-agers curtail their life.)

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:01 am
by chabouk
gigag04 wrote:"slain"


right.


Tragic yes...but nobody was slain.
"Killed" = "slain" in my dictionaries. It doesn't assign motive, nor address justification. It doesn't mean "murdered"; there are several legal justifications for "slaying" someone.

I think you've attached an emotional meaning to the word beyond its actual definition.

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:59 am
by gigag04
chabouk wrote:
gigag04 wrote:"slain"


right.


Tragic yes...but nobody was slain.
"Killed" = "slain" in my dictionaries. It doesn't assign motive, nor address justification. It doesn't mean "murdered"; there are several legal justifications for "slaying" someone.

I think you've attached an emotional meaning to the word beyond its actual definition.
Disagree:

Main Entry: slay
Pronunciation: \ˈslā\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): slew \ˈslü\ also especially in sense 2 slayed; slain \ˈslān\; slay·ing
Etymology: Middle English slen, from Old English slēan to strike, slay; akin to Old High German slahan to strike, Middle Irish slachta stricken
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1 : to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers; broadly : to strike down
(source http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

The meaning is already attached - I didn't do it - "slay" is a violent "kill." While I don't have first, or even second hand information, if the story unfolded as it was published, then a violent attacker was stopped by police after they exhausted every possible alternative. The "boy being slain" headline leads me to expect a different sequence.

Sort of like mislabeling the victim...


Just another example of dramatic headlines to catch reader's attention.

Sincerely,

A former newspaper editor

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:23 am
by boomerang
gigag04 wrote:The meaning is already attached - I didn't do it - "slay" is a violent "kill."
So was it accidential? Or natural causes? I think neither. It sounds like it was an intentional shooting. It also sounds justified.

Should we object when someone says St. George slew the dragon?

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:30 am
by JNMAR
gigag04 wrote:
Disagree:

Main Entry: slay
Pronunciation: \ˈslā\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): slew \ˈslü\ also especially in sense 2 slayed; slain \ˈslān\; slay·ing
Etymology: Middle English slen, from Old English slēan to strike, slay; akin to Old High German slahan to strike, Middle Irish slachta stricken
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1 : to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers; broadly : to strike down
(source http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

The meaning is already attached - I didn't do it - "slay" is a violent "kill." While I don't have first, or even second hand information, if the story unfolded as it was published, then a violent attacker was stopped by police after they exhausted every possible alternative. The "boy being slain" headline leads me to expect a different sequence.

Sort of like mislabeling the victim...


Just another example of dramatic headlines to catch reader's attention.

Sincerely,

A former newspaper editor
:iagree:

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 9:21 am
by casingpoint
Wouldn't you know it? The kid was off his meds, and a gun enthusiast. The followup:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_14833714" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: No Trigger Happy Cops

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:17 pm
by karder
I know a photographer who covered this story. He talked to neighbors who told him that this kid had some mental issues and a history of acting up. It was a matter of time before something happened. Unfortunately, he lost his life, but I don't think that the officers were to blame. It's a sad case, but at least the boy was not able to hurt anyone else.