Police officers in Nebraska object to the recently proposed self defense bill that would give residents greater leeway in using guns for protection. Citing the likely increase in shootings and killing that the increased use of guns would generate, officers from both rural and urban cities testified against the passing of Bill 889.
“We have enough people in the state killing each other,” stated a County Attorney, who has concerns about the proposed policy making it easier for people to shoot one another.
Supporters of the bill, including the National Rifle Association, believe that the bill would help protect individuals who use a gun when defending themselves against attackers. The current State law, argue proponents, may require those who have killed in self defense to then defend themselves against charges of manslaughter or murder in civil proceedings.
Falling under the “Castle Doctrine” category of laws which refers to the adage “a man’s home is his castle,” this bill is in line with similar laws in 25 other states. Current Nebraska law states that people may not use deadly force if they can retreat safely when threatened. While this restriction does not include the areas within a home or business, proponents of the bill want to include vehicles and the area around a home as well.
It has been argued that while it is possible to prosecute someone for the use of deadly force in self defense rather than retreating, it has never occurred. The fact that there have never been any problems relating to the current self defense law also seem to indicate that Bill 889 may be addressing a non-existent problem, while providing attorneys with greater leeway when defending clients accused of murder or gang related shootings.
Authors of the bill, after hearing police testimony, have agreed that the proposal may be in need some amending.
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Police were called to a school on Vine Street in Cincinnati in January 2010 to help break up a fight between five students. Officers driving past the school were flagged down by teachers as they passed by. Several more cars were called to the scene to assist. It appears that the fight took place after school hours, but still on school grounds.
While four of the students complied with police directions to cease fighting, the last child, a 12 year old boy of considerable size, 5’ 10” and approximately 200 pounds, continued to struggle with the officers. After the child struck an officer in the ensuing melee, another officer made the decision to employ a stun gun.
The child was subdued and then taken to Children’s Hospital for evaluation after the incident. After being seen to, the boy was placed in custody and taken to a juvenile detention facility. He is being charged with assaulting an officer. The officer was not seriously injured.
A Safer Approach
While it is unfortunate that a 12 year old experienced the effects of a stun gun, there is no question that the weapon was necessary in this altercation. The boy was as large as any of the officers called to the scene and the incident could have quickly escalated.
When it became clear that the child in question was not going to comply with police directions, it became necessary to control him in as safe a manner as possible. Physical altercations with police officers often result in serious injuries to all parties. The stun gun was a better choice for quickly ending the situation.
Fortunately for all involved, the officers of the Cincinnati police force carry stun guns with them when on duty. Had they not had this option they would have had to subdue the boy physically, at considerable danger to the child and themselves.
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A fight near a family party early on Saturday morning caused enough of a disturbance to warrant a call to the police.
Police officers were called to 25th Avenue and Leavenworth Street in Omaha, Nebraska at around 2 a.m. to break up a fight. One person was sufficiently uncooperative to require the use of a TASER. Two other people were treated for breathing problems at the scene without being transported to a hospital. Names, gender and other identifying information of the people involved in the incident have not been released at this time.
Two citations for disorderly conduct were issued by police on the scene but the incident remains under investigation, according to representatives of the Omaha Police Department.
Domestic disputes can often be unpredictable, especially early in the morning following a night of possible drug and alcohol usage. Brandishing a gun or other lethal weapon could have escalated the situation and created an even more unsafe environment for citizens and police officers alike.
Using a TASER, the police officers in this incident were able to subdue the unruly citizens without any additional injuries or fatalities. The reported incidents of breathing difficulities experienced by two people at the scene were apparently unrelated to the use of the TASER.
Police officers were able to control the situation with a minimum amount of force which kept this situation from becoming a major weapons incident, always a possibility when guns are drawn. It is good that police officers have this option.
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Police officers on the Gold Coast in Australia were called at about 3:30 p.m. to the scene of disturbance at a home in Tristan Court, Benowa earlier this week.
A 38 year old man produced a carving knife when confronted with police officers and the police officers called for backup. The police officers attempted to disarm the man by negotiating with him, hoping to get him to drop the knife himself, but instead he lunged at the police officers with the knife.
Forced to defend themselves, the police officers shot the violent and aggressive man. The man was taken to the Gold Coast Hospital in stable condition and was treated for a wound to his leg.
The Queensland Police Union Assistant Secretary said that the incident was an example of why the police union has been calling for police officers to be equipped with TASER guns.
“I don’t think there would have been injuries to the person at all had a TASER been used. They could have settled the situation quietly without other incident,” he said.
Luckily in this situation there were no fatalities, something that is always possible when deadly force comes into play. Police officers must often negotiate the fine line between using sufficient force to control the situation and excessive force. Giving officers additional tools that would allow them to use less force when the situation calls for it, seems reasonable and preferable to using high levels of force in all situations.
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Police officers in Columbus, Wisconsin were called to a residence on Hibbard Street at about 11:45 p.m. to deal with a man, age 30 years old, which was said to be suicidal and out of control.
The man fled the scene when police officers arrived and was found some time later at a residence on Ludington Street. The police officers spoke with the owner of the Ludington Street home outside of the premises. During this interrogation, an unknown person locked the front door of the home, locking both the homeowner and the police officers out.
The police officers were able to enter the home through another, unlocked, door and found the 30 year old man they had been pursuing. Once inside the house, the police officers encountered a woman who was violent and uncooperative.
The police officers used a TASER gun to take her into custody. The woman now faces charges including battery to a police officer and resisting arrest. The 30 year old man was also detained, although charges are still pending. The man was taken to a detox center in Madison, Wisconsin as he was intoxicated.
The situation at the Ludington Street residence quickly escalated from a simple call regarding one violent individual to a dangerous situation with multiple violent suspects. Police officers report that other people continued to arrive at the scene as the situation was unfolding, creating an escalation that needed to be brought under control quickly.
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An incident in and outside of a chicken and pizza restaurant near the 21st Street – Queensbridge subway station at about 9 pm on Thursday turned violent when a group of men chased a sixteen year old girl onto a subway train and tried to fondle her.
According to differing reports, the confrontation may have started with a young man in the 16 year old’s party bumped into one of the men who began the chase. A 29 year old ex-con then led what is described as a “pack of thugs” into the subway station to pull the 16 year old girl out of a departing subway car, a Queens bound F train.
The girl fought back, fatally stabbing the 29 year old man before fleeing on another departing subway car, a Manhattan bound F train. The 29 year old man was pronounced dead at a Manhattan hospital, leaving behind a 10 month old baby. Witnesses called 911 to report the stabbing.
The man apparently lived at a local shelter and had a long list of prior convictions including criminal possession of a weapon and selling narcotics. He had also once faced an attempted murder charge.
The 16 year old girl, who feared for her life and also feared that she would be raped, called her older sister after the incident and is currently staying with relatives to avoid retribution. As of Monday, the police had not made any arrests nor had they been able to question the young girl about the incident.
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A resident of Murray, Utah was working on his car in the driveway of his home on Hanauer Street when two men approached him with a handgun and ordered him into the house.
Their faces were obscured with blue cloths and, after ordering the victim into the house, the robbers bound him with duct tape and led him into a bedroom. The robbers were attempting to get to a safe held in the bedroom.
As they walked, the victim felt the tape come loose and he used this opportunity to break free from his bonds and use the advantage he had with the element of surprise in order to attempt to overpower his captors.
He threw a small keg at one of the robbers and ended up wrestling with the men on the ground, according to the charges filed in the 3rd District Court on Wednesday.
Eventually the robbers ran out of the house and were pursued by the victim, who sprayed pepper spray at them. Both robbers got away, but without the safe that they originally sought. When the victim took inventory of what was missing in his home he discovered that the robbers had taken his wallet, his keys, and his cell phone.
A 38 year old man from Holladay, Utah was identified by a fingerprint left on the duct tape used to tape the victim’s mouth shut. He was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. Both charges are first degree felonies.
The second robber is still at large.
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At around 10:30 am on Monday morning a San Bernadino County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a domestic dispute call involving two men on Sioux Road near Quinnalt Road.
A father and son were fighting and according to reports, the father was attempting to detain or subdue his son, who was behaving violently and out of control. The son, age 31, claimed to have a gun, which his father was attempting to take away. The son was repeatedly combative with both his father and the police officers who arrived on the scene.
He ignored multiple commands to stop resisting and eventually the police officer used a TASER gun. The younger man continued to be combative but was eventually handcuffed when additional sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene.
Two sheriff’s deputies received minor injuries during the incident and the son was arrested on the charge of assaulting a police officer. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center.
Despite claims that he had a lethal weapon, the only gun found on the scene was a pellet gun. Such claims cannot be discounted in the midst of an incident, however. Every threat must be taken seriously in the event that the person involved actually intends to harm those in the area.
Police officers quickly addressed the problem—an out of control man acting violently—by bringing him into custody as quickly as possible. This action was aided, in part, by the use of a TASER gun used to subdue the man to some degree until additional sheriff’s deputies were able to arrive on the scene.
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An abandoned vehicle in the Indianapolis metropolitan area became the scene of a potentially violent disturbance. The car had been tagged as an abandoned vehicle and was in the process of being towed when the owner of the vehicle attempted to interfere.
The man, age 48 years, threatened to shoot the tow truck driver and anyone else who attempted to help the driver accomplish his task. The police were summoned and as the police officers were attempting to arrest the man a large pit bull dog ran towards one of the police officers.
The police officer shot the dog with his service revolver. The dog died later on the way to the office of Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. It is unclear from reports whether or not the dog attack was instigated by the man in question or by another man, age 19, who was also involved in the disturbance. After the dog attack, though, the younger man would not comply with police orders ignoring the command to show his hands and to kneel on the ground.
Police officers used a stun gun to subdue the younger man and get him into handcuffs. He has so far been charged with resisting law enforcement and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanors.
Another participant, a 17 year old girl, was arrested on charges of interfering with an investigation. She was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center.
The older man has been charged with intimidation and resisting law enforcement. Both charges are misdemeanors.
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A 20 year old man was arrested on Thursday for stabbing a man, age 46, to death in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The younger man claimed that the stabbing was in self defense as the older man was beating him severely and that he feared for his own life.
The fight began when the older man tried to force the younger man to perform an oral sex act on him. Intimidated, the younger man pulled out a weapon to defend himself.
“He is twice my size, ok?” said the younger man outside of his first court appearance. “So, I pulled out my knife, and, yes, I stuck him with it because that was my last result.”
The younger man was apparently successful in ending the fight as the older man left the scene shortly thereafter. He drove himself to a nearby hospital, Forrest General Hospital, and died shortly after collapsing there.
The younger man is in the Forrest County Jail on a $350,000 bond.
When a fight results in the death of one of the participants it is very difficult to truly gauge what went on during the incident. Did the younger man have legitimate reason to fear for his life or personal safety? What were the circumstances that led to the confrontation?
No matter the specifics of the situation, whether or not the younger man had put himself into a dangerous situation or had acted foolishly, if a person feels like they are imminent danger they should be able to act in self defense. Only time and a thorough investigation will prove or disprove the claims.
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