Newark Police Officer Is Charged in Shooting Death of Fleeing Driver

SummerMadness

Senior Veteran
Mar 8, 2006
18,201
11,829
✟331,677.00
Faith
Catholic

High Fidelity

Well-Known Member
Supporter
Feb 9, 2014
24,258
10,276
✟896,801.00
Country
United Kingdom
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Private
Running a red light does not justify a death sentence.

It's frustrating to see instances where a suspect outpaces an officer and their first instinct is to draw, or at least employ, their weapon.
 
Upvote 0

Orthodoxjay1

Well-Known Member
Sep 21, 2015
1,731
770
40
✟58,504.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
It is tragic, we should pray for the victim soul, it sounds tragic, on the one hand, what this officer did went above the beyond measure to subdue the situation, on the other hand, one shouldn't flee from the officer, police are under a lot of stress.
 
Upvote 0

dgiharris

Old Crusty Vet
Jan 9, 2013
5,439
5,222
✟131,531.00
Country
United States
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
It is tragic, we should pray for the victim soul, it sounds tragic, on the one hand, what this officer did went above the beyond measure to subdue the situation, on the other hand, one shouldn't flee from the officer, police are under a lot of stress.

THere are dozens of jobs way more stressful than being a police officer and yet we never tolerate excuses for those jobs.

If you can't handle the stress, then you shouldn't be a police officer.

Why is it that police is the one profession where we will accept mediocre excuses.

Would you feel differently if the police fired at the fleeing car, the bullet goes through the windshield, travels about 500 feet, then strikes your child in the head killing him or her. Would you then say, "Well, he shouldn't have run the red light and fled the scene..." No. You would be screaming that running a red light is not worth the death of your child...

Somehow in this country, we've bought into this fiction that if you break the law then police should use whatever means necessary to enforce the law without any sense of proportionality or consequence to the general public.

We live in an age where 99% of us walk around with a television studio in our pockets ala smartphones. There are cameras everywhere. In Most cities, there are cameras on the actual street lights at every intersection. Cell phones are tracked, cars have GPS in them, there are a dozen different ways to track down cars that flee a scene that don't endanger the citizenry.
 
Upvote 0

Ana the Ist

Aggressively serene!
Feb 21, 2012
37,388
11,317
✟433,397.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
THere are dozens of jobs way more stressful than being a police officer and yet we never tolerate excuses for those jobs.

If you can't handle the stress, then you shouldn't be a police officer.

Why is it that police is the one profession where we will accept mediocre excuses.

Would you feel differently if the police fired at the fleeing car, the bullet goes through the windshield, travels about 500 feet, then strikes your child in the head killing him or her. Would you then say, "Well, he shouldn't have run the red light and fled the scene..." No. You would be screaming that running a red light is not worth the death of your child...

Somehow in this country, we've bought into this fiction that if you break the law then police should use whatever means necessary to enforce the law without any sense of proportionality or consequence to the general public.

We live in an age where 99% of us walk around with a television studio in our pockets ala smartphones. There are cameras everywhere. In Most cities, there are cameras on the actual street lights at every intersection. Cell phones are tracked, cars have GPS in them, there are a dozen different ways to track down cars that flee a scene that don't endanger the citizenry.

You seem awfully upset considering that no one actually excused the officer's actions.
 
Upvote 0

SummerMadness

Senior Veteran
Mar 8, 2006
18,201
11,829
✟331,677.00
Faith
Catholic
THere are dozens of jobs way more stressful than being a police officer and yet we never tolerate excuses for those jobs.

If you can't handle the stress, then you shouldn't be a police officer.

Why is it that police is the one profession where we will accept mediocre excuses.

Would you feel differently if the police fired at the fleeing car, the bullet goes through the windshield, travels about 500 feet, then strikes your child in the head killing him or her. Would you then say, "Well, he shouldn't have run the red light and fled the scene..." No. You would be screaming that running a red light is not worth the death of your child...

Somehow in this country, we've bought into this fiction that if you break the law then police should use whatever means necessary to enforce the law without any sense of proportionality or consequence to the general public.

We live in an age where 99% of us walk around with a television studio in our pockets ala smartphones. There are cameras everywhere. In Most cities, there are cameras on the actual street lights at every intersection. Cell phones are tracked, cars have GPS in them, there are a dozen different ways to track down cars that flee a scene that don't endanger the citizenry.
Unfortunately, the line from the union president is to defend bad policing.

Newark Police union president 'confident' officer charged with manslaughter will be proven innocent
Newark's fraternal order of police is standing behind an officer who was indicted yesterday after a January 28 police chase ended with one man dead.

Yesterday, a grand jury brought down six charges on the rookie officer, including manslaughter.

"His life was in danger and he took the appropriate action," said Newark FOP President James Stewart Jr.

Every time we have an officer committing a crime, the blue wall comes in to provide opacity to the public and lies to cover up reckless and criminal actions.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Aryeh Jay

Gone and hopefully forgotten.
Supporter
Jul 19, 2012
15,312
14,321
MI - Michigan
✟498,114.00
Country
United States
Faith
Judaism
Marital Status
Married
From the article provided…

The pursuit began, according to authorities, at 11:15 p.m. on a Monday night after an unidentified female officer spotted a handgun in Mr. Griffin’s car. After an attempted traffic stop, Mr. Griffin fled.

Mr. Crespo tells his fellow officer. “I seen the gun, he pointed the gun at me. Bro, he pointed the gun right at me.”

A handgun with hollow-point bullets was found inside the car; Mr. Dixon was charged with possession of an illegal gun.


Well, that sure changes the narrative from “New Jersey Cop coldly executes traffic light runner”

But yes, we need to make the land safer for criminals who carry illegal firearms and prevent the bad police from allowing these cute and cuddly criminals from making a dishonest living at the law abiding citizen’s expense.
 
Upvote 0

Ana the Ist

Aggressively serene!
Feb 21, 2012
37,388
11,317
✟433,397.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
From the article provided…

The pursuit began, according to authorities, at 11:15 p.m. on a Monday night after an unidentified female officer spotted a handgun in Mr. Griffin’s car. After an attempted traffic stop, Mr. Griffin fled.

Mr. Crespo tells his fellow officer. “I seen the gun, he pointed the gun at me. Bro, he pointed the gun right at me.”

A handgun with hollow-point bullets was found inside the car; Mr. Dixon was charged with possession of an illegal gun.


Well, that sure changes the narrative from “New Jersey Cop coldly executes traffic light runner”

But yes, we need to make the land safer for criminals who carry illegal firearms and prevent the bad police from allowing these cute and cuddly criminals from making a dishonest living at the law abiding citizen’s expense.

Well....

Let's assume that he's telling the truth, there was a gun, and the driver did point it at him. That clearly would justify the initial shooting.

The thing is, the driver continued to flee after that...and the officer pursued....and then jumped out and shot the guy two more times. Those are tougher to justify. One could make the argument that the driver posed a threat to any officer or citizen who stood in his way, but that's a tough argument to make.

We'll see how it turns out I guess. I agree though, that NYT article was light on details....heavy on "cops are evil" rhetoric. They spent almost as much time talking about Castile and Sterling and other irrelevant stuff as they did the actual case.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: anna ~ grace
Upvote 0

rambot

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2006
24,491
13,116
Up your nose....wid a rubbah hose.
✟361,590.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
CA-Greens
THere are dozens of jobs way more stressful than being a police officer and yet we never tolerate excuses for those jobs.

If you can't handle the stress, then you shouldn't be a police officer.

Why is it that police is the one profession where we will accept mediocre excuses.

Would you feel differently if the police fired at the fleeing car, the bullet goes through the windshield, travels about 500 feet, then strikes your child in the head killing him or her. Would you then say, "Well, he shouldn't have run the red light and fled the scene..." No. You would be screaming that running a red light is not worth the death of your child...

Somehow in this country, we've bought into this fiction that if you break the law then police should use whatever means necessary to enforce the law without any sense of proportionality or consequence to the general public.

We live in an age where 99% of us walk around with a television studio in our pockets ala smartphones. There are cameras everywhere. In Most cities, there are cameras on the actual street lights at every intersection. Cell phones are tracked, cars have GPS in them, there are a dozen different ways to track down cars that flee a scene that don't endanger the citizenry.
While I agree with all the rest of your post, I 100% disagree with your openning line. I'm simply not convinced that many people recognize how difficult police work is. You are always dealing with people who are at their very worst; their angriest, their most violent, their most broken, sad. At the very least you are ruining someone's day because you're giving them a speeding ticket. Your job is to put yourself into dangerous situations and end them. In other words, you are surrounded by negativity, anger, resentment and sadness.

I am very curious about the list dozens of jobs (outside of all first responders) more stressful than being a police officer.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: JCFantasy23
Upvote 0

rambot

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2006
24,491
13,116
Up your nose....wid a rubbah hose.
✟361,590.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
CA-Greens
From the article provided…

The pursuit began, according to authorities, at 11:15 p.m. on a Monday night after an unidentified female officer spotted a handgun in Mr. Griffin’s car. After an attempted traffic stop, Mr. Griffin fled.

Mr. Crespo tells his fellow officer. “I seen the gun, he pointed the gun at me. Bro, he pointed the gun right at me.”

A handgun with hollow-point bullets was found inside the car; Mr. Dixon was charged with possession of an illegal gun.


Well, that sure changes the narrative from “New Jersey Cop coldly executes traffic light runner”

But yes, we need to make the land safer for criminals who carry illegal firearms and prevent the bad police from allowing these cute and cuddly criminals from making a dishonest living at the law abiding citizen’s expense.
1) A gun was seen in the car
2) A gun was pointed at an officer
3) The officer was not in any type of danger as the suspect fled
4) Cop shoots guy.

Are those, essentially, the details of this story?
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

SummerMadness

Senior Veteran
Mar 8, 2006
18,201
11,829
✟331,677.00
Faith
Catholic
From the article provided…

The pursuit began, according to authorities, at 11:15 p.m. on a Monday night after an unidentified female officer spotted a handgun in Mr. Griffin’s car. After an attempted traffic stop, Mr. Griffin fled.

Mr. Crespo tells his fellow officer. “I seen the gun, he pointed the gun at me. Bro, he pointed the gun right at me.”

A handgun with hollow-point bullets was found inside the car; Mr. Dixon was charged with possession of an illegal gun.


Well, that sure changes the narrative from “New Jersey Cop coldly executes traffic light runner”

But yes, we need to make the land safer for criminals who carry illegal firearms and prevent the bad police from allowing these cute and cuddly criminals from making a dishonest living at the law abiding citizen’s expense.
I am reminded of the arrest of Michael Jeter, where the police officer was screaming "Stop reaching for my weapon!" while punching the man with his hands up. They attempted to bury the dashcam video and prosecutors were preparing to send Jeter to prison before it got leaked to the defense.

One tactic that is often used by some officers is to say something out loud to justify their actions. That's why you see many officer shouting "stop resisting" to people that are clearly complying. It is hard for him to justify the claims of a gun pointed at him when he immediately shoots at the car as it is driving away.
 
Upvote 0

SummerMadness

Senior Veteran
Mar 8, 2006
18,201
11,829
✟331,677.00
Faith
Catholic
1) A gun was seen in the car
2) A gun was pointed at an officer
3) The officer was not in any type of danger as the suspect fled
4) Cop shoots guy.

Are those, essentially, the details of this story?
#2 is probably made up, he was firing at the car before he even said a gun was pointed at him. He made this claim, the second time he exited the vehicle and started shooting at the opposite side of the car. So 1-3-4 seems about right.
 
Upvote 0

dgiharris

Old Crusty Vet
Jan 9, 2013
5,439
5,222
✟131,531.00
Country
United States
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
While I agree with all the rest of your post, I 100% disagree with your openning line. I'm simply not convinced that many people recognize how difficult police work is. You are always dealing with people who are at their very worst; their angriest, their most violent, their most broken, sad. At the very least you are ruining someone's day because you're giving them a speeding ticket. Your job is to put yourself into dangerous situations and end them. In other words, you are surrounded by negativity, anger, resentment and sadness.

I am very curious about the list dozens of jobs (outside of all first responders) more stressful than being a police officer.

I hate replying to posts when I only have a minute, but first off, let me be clear. I am not saying police jobs are not stressful, they are incredibly stressful. So lets get that out the way.

All I am saying is that it is not "the most stressful" and that there are plenty of jobs more stressful.

First off, I guess we have to define what stress is, and i don't have time to do that adequately but I will say a situation in which lives can be put at risk either directly or indirectly by your actions and/or whatever situation environment you find yourself in.

So in no particular order:

Jobs in the medical professions (Surgery, assisting surgery, etc), working the graveyard shift at any convenience store in low income areas, logging, certain types of construction, various types of high power system electricians, a decent amount of combat related jobs in the military, various high tech jobs in which you work around substances that if released would not only kill you instantly but could even wipe out a few blocks around where you live (I worked one of those jobs),

I'll stop there. Again, i'm not sayign police work is easy, but this notion that it is so stressful that we should automatically forgive all manner of incompetence and bad judgement is something I vehemently have to reject and through the bull excrement flag on every time it comes up. I'm all about logical consistency and I find that a majority of arguments used to "excuse" bad police behavior are not logically consistent and logically applied to other areas. We quibble and use logical fallacies to explain why it is different and we do so in a way we do not do for anything else, which is a strong indicator of cognitive dissonance.

I have to run but that is my response
 
Upvote 0

Ana the Ist

Aggressively serene!
Feb 21, 2012
37,388
11,317
✟433,397.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
1) A gun was seen in the car
2) A gun was pointed at an officer
3) The officer was not in any type of danger as the suspect fled
4) Cop shoots guy.

Are those, essentially, the details of this story?

Close....

From what I understand....the officers were responding to a call about a gun in a car, but I don't know what kind of call that is. I don't know the gun laws in Newark, but unless they're very strict, having a gun in your car doesn't sound like a crime.

We also don't know that it was pointed at the officer. They stopped the car, the officer approached the window, and he's claiming a gun was pointed at him. That is when he fired on the driver the first time.

The driver sped away....the officers pursued....and I believe they caught it stopped at an intersection where the shooting officer got out, ran up to the driver's side again, and fired on him a second time.

Apparently, something similar happened a third time....but the article was rather light on the details of the case. It doesn't even state if a gun was found in the car....nor does it tell what the bodycam shows.

If a grand jury decided to indict the officer though, chances are the bodycam footage isn't going to work in his favor.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: rambot
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Nithavela

our world is happy and mundane
Apr 14, 2007
27,997
19,442
Comb. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell/Jamaica Avenue.
✟488,924.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Single
It is tragic, we should pray for the victim soul, it sounds tragic, on the one hand, what this officer did went above the beyond measure to subdue the situation, on the other hand, one shouldn't flee from the officer, police are under a lot of stress.
I wish I had a job where I could just start killing people when I'm stressed.
 
Upvote 0