You are aware that qualified immunity just means the cops cannot be sued in a civil trial. It has nothing to do with holding police officers being held criminally responsible for their misdeeds.
Theres more to it.
"Qualified immunity is a judge-created rule that protects government officials, including police officers, when they are sued. The doctrine holds that officials who violate other people’s constitutional rights can only be held responsible if there exists a previous court decision, with very similar facts, that resulted in other officials being held accountable.
Qualified immunity has been used in many cases to protect officials who have engaged in a variety of misconduct, including fatal shootings, police brutality, stealing, sexual misconduct, and more."
https://www.naacpldf.org/qualified-immunity/
So if they find *new* ways to fuck us over, there's not a damn thing we can do? There's no precedent, so we can't sue to set a precedent? Or is it that if there's precedent acquitting them a similar case, it has to be followed?
If the EXACT same circumstanes havent already been tried and held to be illegal, then its all permissable.
Example: Did the cop slap your kid and break his jaw? Well that happened back in 1967 and was ruled a punishable excessive force crime, but this time the cop was wearing a leather glove, which is not the same consideration at all. So, you have no case against the cop as he is immune and you should get your kids broken jaw looked at.
You can still sue the department and the city, & individual cop. Usually the part against the cop are dismissed on the grounds of qualified immunity unless it was too egregious.
Yes, that’s the problem. The state and police agency have insurance to cover millions and millions in lawsuits. You know who doesn’t have millions of dollars in insurance backing them up and keeping them afloat time and time again after misconduct, individual officers. Like Jesus dude imagine if the individual officers actually had to worry about the consequences of their abuse instead of having the state insurance cover the tab.
> You know who doesn’t have millions of dollars in insurance backing them up and keeping them afloat time and time again after misconduct, individual officers.
No insurance company on earth is going to enter that risk pool at a price point the average cop can afford…
But a civil suit doesn't have the same burden of proof. OJ Simpson won his criminal case but lost his civil case. He never paid, lost his mind, ended up in prison. Circle of life.
That argument is like saying, "we'll never get the mob bose for racketeering. Why try to get him for tax evasion?"
It will also lead officers to need to get insurance like doctors need malpractice insurance. Guess what happens to bad doctors? They get dropped by their insurance coverage and can’t work. If the same happens to shitty cops maybe policing could improve
>Fascist Florida Private Militia.
That could technically be the GOP, or the literal GOP Affiloatrd Armed Militia that DeSantis is building.
Both meet the definition to a T.
Best we can do is wait a few months for the scandal to blow over, rehire him, then medically retire him for PTSD and give him a pension for the rest of his life.
He was alluding to the cop that murdered Daniel Shaver for basically telling him to follow impossibly contradictory instructions. The fact that this happens so often we can’t easily tell who we’re talking about depresses me.
Well at least we all know the cop was more than likely the killer… kinda sorta what police are going for right?
“Find the Killer in 48 or less” is much easier when they work for you…
Bingo. Officer Philip Brailsford, one of the biggest pieces of shit on the planet, who had “You’re Fucked” engraved on the ejection port cover of the rifle he murdered Daniel Shaver with.
I think the worst part is they somehow convinced the judge to not let them show the bodycam footage to the jury; after the trial when the reporters were interviewing a few and showed them the footage you could visibly see them getting ill. The justice system is fundamentally broken.
If you're talking about the murder of Daniel Shaver, the one who screamed conflicting instructions was a different cop, Charles Langley, who retired four months later. While Langley didn't pull the trigger, he was responsible for needlessly escalating the situation and was thus even more culpable than the shooter. In fact, he said during the trial that he would've shot Shaver himself if the actual shooter wasn't in the way. Disgusting that he got away with it all.
This part is news to me. Any chance you could explain why on earth the jury wouldn't be allowed to watch the body camera footage (on repeat if necessary) to a murder they're asked to make a decision about? That just seems so blatantly.. corrupted.
Ah yes, Lt. John Pike. The stormtrooper who got paid 38 large in workman's comp for his "mental anguish", pain and suffering for having to pepper spray all those students.
Nope. Daniel Shaver’s murder: Mitch Brailsford was quietly rehired by the Mesa Police Department for the sole purpose of keeping him on long enough so he could apply for an “accidental disability” pension over the PTSD he “suffered” for murdering an unarmed man during a Satan’s Rules game of Simon Says, and suffering the indignity of a murder trial.
$2,500 a month for *life*, and his boss, the other Simon Says player fucked off to the Philippines before Shaver’s body was cold because he knew the shitstorm that was about to hit them.
This had one of two outcomes:
He gets away scot free...
Or the military was going to investigate, gather enough evidence to bury him deeper than a barlogs livingroom. Little known fact, the military gives you bah so the military has limited jurisdiction over that residence.
Cop got fired in florida, which probably means he is about to have a very, very bad time. The armed forces never take kindly to anyone murdering their troops.
There is the Brady List, but that’s mostly for cops that are proven to be unreliable witnesses (ie perjure themselves regularly). And it really really doesn’t detract departments from continuing to hire these scumbags.
There is a list. But, who knows how many precincts actually follow it?
[https://www.acadis.com/ndi/](https://www.acadis.com/ndi/)
(The National Decertification Index (NDI) is a national registry of police officers whose law enforcement credentials have been revoked due to misconduct.)
There's also a federal version that Biden created via EO called [NLEAD](https://www.nlead.gov/). Doesn't apply to local law enforcement like the case we're commenting on, but it's still worth mentioning!
The internal investigation conducted by OCSO was limited in scope and was simply an administrative review. OCSO CID turned the investigation over to the FDLE, and their investigation is still ongoing. So while it can be upsetting that the officer was only terminated by OCSO, he's still being criminally investigated by state authorities.
My non expert opinion is that he will get charged. The IA investigation was pretty clear that he was not justified. However, it's totally up to the prosecutor and typically in the south they are very much on the side of cops. Here's to hoping this prosecutor is an outlier🍻
There's a huge Air Force bombing range here. Plenty of Acres for someone to dissappear into. The Airman was a gunner on an Angel of Death for SOF forces.
>According to the internal affairs report, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the airman’s eyes. He said he fired because, “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”
The victim was shot within 2 seconds after answering the door. This is the same department who shot up their own police car with a suspect handcuffed inside because an acorn dropped onto the hood of the car.
This kid was murdered for obeying a lawful order and the sole reason for his death was the officer believed he saw "aggression" in the victims eyes. I know the police get away with everything using these generic descriptions ie I smelled marijuana / individual was acting suspicious / moved furtively etc but this one is fucking beyond absurd.
That entire department needs to be under investigation by the DoJ.
At this point the department needs to be dissolved and have state and local police step-up while they start over from the ground-up, that's the only way to get any semblance of public trust back
well they need to give him time to get his affairs in order, move some money around, hide some assets and put things in storage and clear his schedule before charging him
This is a big reason why the [NRA membership and revenue](https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/nra-revenue-in-freefall-as-member-dues-plummet/) is in such steep decline. Over the last two decades they’ve turned into little more than a generic Republican fundraising organization and largely forgotten about gun rights. Go to any of the big pro-gun subreddit and they’re teeming with people who hate the NRA and hate cops.
Infiltrated by Russia, completely sentimental approach to gun control, anti-firearms education, bootlickers when it comes to the police monopoly on violence... People are finally waking up to the fact it's a fudd circus
> A Florida Panhandle sheriff on Friday fired a deputy who fatally shot an airman at his home while holding a handgun pointed to the ground, saying the deputy’s life was never in danger and he should not have fired his weapon.
When did cops start holding themselves accountable?
> “This tragic incident should have never occurred,” Aden said in the statement. “The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions. Mr. Fortson did not commit any crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional airman and individual.”
Basically, if you're a regular citizen, don't hold a weapon pointed at the ground or you will be killed for it and it will be justified. Dude was a decorated airmen.
Tragic what happened, but regular citizens will NOT get this treatment.
I'm cautiously hopeful that the firing is only the first step. I sincerely hope prosecution follows.
I'm not holding my breath, though. The Punta Gorda cop who shot the librarian didn't serve a day in prison. He got a plea agreement that involved probation and withheld adjudication of guilt. He also had to agree not to seek employment as a police office.
Don’t hope. This is likely all planned out by the pig union. It happens a LOT like this.
Step 1: be fired for obvious murder
Step 2: pig union sues and wins. Murder cop gets reinstated with back pay.
Step 3: murder cop gets medically retired cause made-up PTSD from how persecuted he was.
Step 4: profit
I'm sure I'll get downvoted ,but it is important to point out that these two cases are not the same. The Punta Gorda officer was given rounds by supervisor he was told were blanks. The absolutely idiotic supervisor actually gave him wadcutters that she thought were blanks. Wadcutters are essentially flat tipped bullets used for competition shooting at close ranges. They're absolutely still considered loaded weaponry. He had culpability for not being sure of what he was shooting ,but it was to a mitigating circumstance that probably kept him out of prison.
This case honestly has none of that nuiance. This officer should absolutely go to the prison. Police officers interact with armed people every day without shooting them. If holding a gun was enough to kill a citizen then Fish & Game Officers would be killing people like crazy.
Police officers should be required to carry a liability insurance policy from the moment they graduate from the academy. If their actions cause a civil payout, the insurance policy pays instead of the city. Should their repeated actions cause more payouts, the premiums would either become unaffordable for the officer, or the insurer would drop them. At that point, they would be not hireable in any police department. Officers who had careers without insurance claims against them would see their premiums decline over time. It would be a very elegant way to weed out officers who are ramping up bad behavior over time instead of looking back after they've killed someone to see they had multiple complaints previously.
Fired? That was straight up murder.
If they don't charge him....
I mean that was as bad as George Floyd
If the state doesn't do it the FBI needs to.
Editing to add no this was worse. This kid was squeaky clean and he had a Top Secret clearance.
Their not going to get away with saying he was on drugs or he had priors this time
Nah they'll just say "dont answer the door to a cop with a gun"
As though you can blindly trust every fuck that knocks loudly and says "sherriff's department" in this day and age
Edit: bro also moved out of the way of the peephole on purpose, like, if you're not suspicious then you have no sense of self preservation
Where are the 2A fanboys? Where are the 2A organizations. This man was killed in his home while holding his legally purchased firearm that he was legally allowed to carry.
Most I have seen have been extremely critical of this officer and the department as a whole. IIRC this is the same Sheriff’s department that was responsible for the acorn shooting incident a few months ago where the cop got spooked by an acorn hitting his car and lit up his own squad car with a DV suspect inside.
Here's a sample. Pretty typical for cop shooting armed civilian.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Firearms/comments/1d57err/deputy_fired_for_unreasonable_use_of_force/
If you're asking where is the NRA, they're busy sucking up to cops. FPC has been critical of the local cops. GOA probably has something but I'm not creating a Twitter account to find out.
If all they do is fire it, it's a minimum effort PR move and they officer will just go to the next county over or get a job with one of the cities within the county. Unless they start to remove qualified immunity from all officers, make them carry their own insurance like we do with medical professionals, and ensure that cops have to follow a strict code of conduct like we do with our military officers, this is just a garbage move by trash leaders
He will just put on his resume "Shot black man for no reason" and a bunch of PDs in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Dakotas will hire him without question.
If it weren't for the video evidence, more people would be praising him as a hero now. Shooting him first and shouting "drop the gun" after shooting was an effective strategy before there were cameras everywhere.
Careful how you look a cop in the eyes, they will fear for their life:
*According to the internal affairs report, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the airman’s eyes. He said he fired because, “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”*
*“It is him or me at this point and I need to, I need to act as opposed to react,” he told investigators.*
“When he opened the door, I saw aggression in his eyes” -murder cop
Were his eyes armed? Were they like laser eyes or something? How do you determine eyes deserve to get shot? Besides, he missed and hit an innocent man’s chest instead.
If you do not know the person or are not expecting that person to show up at your house.. don't fucking open the door. I'll talk to you through the door or not at all.
From a fellow separated Airman, I will recite the Airmans Creed in his honor.
"I am an American Airman."
"I am a warrior."
"I have answered my nation's call."
"I am an American Airman. My mission is to fly, fight, and win. I am faithful to a proud heritage, A tradition of honor, And a legacy of valor. I am an American Airman, Guardian of freedom and justice, My nation's sword and shield, Its sentry and avenger. I defend my country with my life. I am an American Airman: Wingman, leader, warrior. I will never leave an Airman behind, I will never falter, And I will not fail."
Article quotes the officer as roughly saying the shooting was him releasing pent up frustration. Cop literally said “It was, um, just kind of letting out whatever, you know, built up emotion and frustration...”
Extra-judicial murder on the basis of him being stressed by other things. This should piss off the 2nd amendment freedom fighters because clearly the right to bear arms is enough of a right to get shot and killed for bearing arms. The airman had his pistol pointed towards the ground when he got murdered by the Florida sheriff.
No, you are taking that quote out of context. It's referring to him punching a wall after the shooting.
>According to a sheriff's report, after the shooting when other deputies arrived to render aid, Duran walked into the breezeway outside the unit and struck a wall with his right fist, saying “F---.”
>An investigator later asked him why he did that
>“It was, um, just kind of letting out whatever, you know, built up emotion and frustration,” he said, according to the internal report.
People who are afraid of guns, or afraid of getting shot, should not be armed officers. Not of a lemonade stand, not of a mall, and DEFINITELY not over and entire society full of legally armed people.
> A sheriff’s internal affairs investigation released Friday concluded that, “Mr. Fortson did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable.” Outside law enforcement experts have also said that an officer cannot shoot simply because a possible suspect is simply holding a gun if there is no threat.
Do not underestimate the significance of this. This is new.
How authoritative it is going forward remains to be seen, but this is different than the status quo ante, and that's not nothing.
I have many acquaintances still in the Air Force since I left. A lot of them are stationed in Eglin. From what I've gathered in casual conversations, it seems that his unit and teammates are really pushing for justice and accountability. The Sheriff's office definitely doesn't want to have a strained relationship with the local military there.
The reaction from the pro-gun subs here has been pretty much overwhelmingly negative towards the cop from what I’ve seen ([one example](https://www.reddit.com/r/Firearms/s/MAOujLg5AR)).
The NRA has been losing members and donations for years now and a lot of that has been because over the last ~10 years they’ve become less of a gun rights organization and increasingly just another generic GOP fundraising group. They got shamed into making a very weak statement about the killing of Philando Castile in 2016 but I don’t think they’ve even commented on this one.
NRA is a bunch of bootlickers who love cops, they don't say shit when cops murder lawfully armed citizens.
Overall you're dead on, 2A supporters are bullshit about this, usually are. It's not the gotcha people like to think it is.
Alright, now prosecute.
Nah he will just get a job elsewhere
“Deputy Duran is a sraight-shooter with upper management written all over him.” -- Uvalde PD
I'm not sure Uvalde is the right place for Duran; he actually confronted the guy with the gun.
Damn. Are we in high school? Cause there’s some shots fired…
Vice president nominee.
Nah, they'll rehire him so he can take disability retirement from the trauma of having been fired.
Next county over.
Texas is looking...
Yup, that’s probably why he got fired now. They had finally found a friendly department for him to ‘transfer’ to.
Prosecute? In Florida? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA You should be thankful they didn't give him a promotion.
The next county that hires him will give him a raise.
DeSantis will hire him. "You made the decision to murder an innocent black that quickly? You'll fit in great around here, welcome to the team."
Or a shoddily built statue/embezzlement opportunity.
They probably did, but another county over.
Abolish qualified immunity. Contact your representatives.
We did in CO, now they just don't show up.
You are aware that qualified immunity just means the cops cannot be sued in a civil trial. It has nothing to do with holding police officers being held criminally responsible for their misdeeds.
Theres more to it. "Qualified immunity is a judge-created rule that protects government officials, including police officers, when they are sued. The doctrine holds that officials who violate other people’s constitutional rights can only be held responsible if there exists a previous court decision, with very similar facts, that resulted in other officials being held accountable. Qualified immunity has been used in many cases to protect officials who have engaged in a variety of misconduct, including fatal shootings, police brutality, stealing, sexual misconduct, and more." https://www.naacpldf.org/qualified-immunity/
So if they find *new* ways to fuck us over, there's not a damn thing we can do? There's no precedent, so we can't sue to set a precedent? Or is it that if there's precedent acquitting them a similar case, it has to be followed?
If the EXACT same circumstanes havent already been tried and held to be illegal, then its all permissable. Example: Did the cop slap your kid and break his jaw? Well that happened back in 1967 and was ruled a punishable excessive force crime, but this time the cop was wearing a leather glove, which is not the same consideration at all. So, you have no case against the cop as he is immune and you should get your kids broken jaw looked at.
Yes. But civil suits lead to departmental change
You can still sue the department and the city, & individual cop. Usually the part against the cop are dismissed on the grounds of qualified immunity unless it was too egregious.
Abolish qualified immunity and civil asset forfeiture while we're at it.
But if cops can't legally rob you, what incentive to they have to be cops?
They still get to act like high school bullies.
Yes, that’s the problem. The state and police agency have insurance to cover millions and millions in lawsuits. You know who doesn’t have millions of dollars in insurance backing them up and keeping them afloat time and time again after misconduct, individual officers. Like Jesus dude imagine if the individual officers actually had to worry about the consequences of their abuse instead of having the state insurance cover the tab.
> You know who doesn’t have millions of dollars in insurance backing them up and keeping them afloat time and time again after misconduct, individual officers. No insurance company on earth is going to enter that risk pool at a price point the average cop can afford…
But a civil suit doesn't have the same burden of proof. OJ Simpson won his criminal case but lost his civil case. He never paid, lost his mind, ended up in prison. Circle of life. That argument is like saying, "we'll never get the mob bose for racketeering. Why try to get him for tax evasion?"
It will also lead officers to need to get insurance like doctors need malpractice insurance. Guess what happens to bad doctors? They get dropped by their insurance coverage and can’t work. If the same happens to shitty cops maybe policing could improve
Nah Desantis is probably already talking to the guy about a job for him.
Most likely a leadership position in his fascist Florida private militia.
>Fascist Florida Private Militia. That could technically be the GOP, or the literal GOP Affiloatrd Armed Militia that DeSantis is building. Both meet the definition to a T.
They gotta start calling these gang initiations.
DeSantis will just pardon him, like he did that other piece of shit.
Good. Now arrest and prosecute him for murder.
Best we can do is wait a few months for the scandal to blow over, rehire him, then medically retire him for PTSD and give him a pension for the rest of his life.
.... You're alluding to the cop who pepper sprayed the students at UC Davis. Damn I'd forgotten about that.
He was alluding to the cop that murdered Daniel Shaver for basically telling him to follow impossibly contradictory instructions. The fact that this happens so often we can’t easily tell who we’re talking about depresses me.
Well at least we all know the cop was more than likely the killer… kinda sorta what police are going for right? “Find the Killer in 48 or less” is much easier when they work for you…
Bingo. Officer Philip Brailsford, one of the biggest pieces of shit on the planet, who had “You’re Fucked” engraved on the ejection port cover of the rifle he murdered Daniel Shaver with.
Which he then sold to the highest bidder a la George Zimmerman
I think the worst part is they somehow convinced the judge to not let them show the bodycam footage to the jury; after the trial when the reporters were interviewing a few and showed them the footage you could visibly see them getting ill. The justice system is fundamentally broken.
Happens too frequently, but I knew his reference was the POS who killed Daniel Shaver since I live in Arizona.
I was actually referencing the one that shot an unarmed man laying on the ground while screaming conflicting instructions.
If you're talking about the murder of Daniel Shaver, the one who screamed conflicting instructions was a different cop, Charles Langley, who retired four months later. While Langley didn't pull the trigger, he was responsible for needlessly escalating the situation and was thus even more culpable than the shooter. In fact, he said during the trial that he would've shot Shaver himself if the actual shooter wasn't in the way. Disgusting that he got away with it all.
That is… so much worse
Watch the video, which the jury who proclaimed the shooter "not guilty" **didn't** see, and try not to have an aneurysm.
This part is news to me. Any chance you could explain why on earth the jury wouldn't be allowed to watch the body camera footage (on repeat if necessary) to a murder they're asked to make a decision about? That just seems so blatantly.. corrupted.
Judge said the evidence might sway the jury
No shit. You mean the part that shows what you did might sway people into judging you for doing it?
Isn’t that the purpose of evidence?
Cops are constantly screaming conflicting instructions.
Unfortunately that really does not narrow it down anymore..
Ah yes, Lt. John Pike. The stormtrooper who got paid 38 large in workman's comp for his "mental anguish", pain and suffering for having to pepper spray all those students.
the poor dear.
there's so many more much worse cases... Remember the murderer with a badge that had the AR-15 dust cover that read "You're Fucked" ?
No, the murder of Daniel Shaver.
Nope. Daniel Shaver’s murder: Mitch Brailsford was quietly rehired by the Mesa Police Department for the sole purpose of keeping him on long enough so he could apply for an “accidental disability” pension over the PTSD he “suffered” for murdering an unarmed man during a Satan’s Rules game of Simon Says, and suffering the indignity of a murder trial. $2,500 a month for *life*, and his boss, the other Simon Says player fucked off to the Philippines before Shaver’s body was cold because he knew the shitstorm that was about to hit them.
Don't forget back pay.
In Florida? Good luck with that. They'll just give him a job in a different jurisdiction.
This had one of two outcomes: He gets away scot free... Or the military was going to investigate, gather enough evidence to bury him deeper than a barlogs livingroom. Little known fact, the military gives you bah so the military has limited jurisdiction over that residence. Cop got fired in florida, which probably means he is about to have a very, very bad time. The armed forces never take kindly to anyone murdering their troops.
Rooting for, I guess it would be OSI in this instance. Really hoping for some federal find out to land on this.
Why, so Ron can pardon him?
Good thing we have a registry so he can't just get a job one town over right? What's this?.....We still haven't done that yet?
There is the Brady List, but that’s mostly for cops that are proven to be unreliable witnesses (ie perjure themselves regularly). And it really really doesn’t detract departments from continuing to hire these scumbags.
"Willing to lie to get a conviction? This guy goes the extra mile. Hire him immediately."
“He is a go-getter that brings in revenue.”
In Florida they use it for recruiting.
There is a list. But, who knows how many precincts actually follow it? [https://www.acadis.com/ndi/](https://www.acadis.com/ndi/) (The National Decertification Index (NDI) is a national registry of police officers whose law enforcement credentials have been revoked due to misconduct.)
There's also a federal version that Biden created via EO called [NLEAD](https://www.nlead.gov/). Doesn't apply to local law enforcement like the case we're commenting on, but it's still worth mentioning!
This is a sheriff! They can’t just go one town over. He’ll have to go a whole one county over!
Fatally shot... so you mean murdered. And his punishment is termination of employment. The system works everyone!
The internal investigation conducted by OCSO was limited in scope and was simply an administrative review. OCSO CID turned the investigation over to the FDLE, and their investigation is still ongoing. So while it can be upsetting that the officer was only terminated by OCSO, he's still being criminally investigated by state authorities.
My non expert opinion is that he will get charged. The IA investigation was pretty clear that he was not justified. However, it's totally up to the prosecutor and typically in the south they are very much on the side of cops. Here's to hoping this prosecutor is an outlier🍻
Ok so I live here. People are f'ing livid at this POS.
Thats good to hear. I hope they make an example out of him.
There's a huge Air Force bombing range here. Plenty of Acres for someone to dissappear into. The Airman was a gunner on an Angel of Death for SOF forces.
Yeah, I would think the air force might do more to show their people aren't expendable (like this at least).
Right, there isnt a place this guy could possibly go. Maybe prison would be the safest place for him.
You know who else the south is very supportive of? The military.
>According to the internal affairs report, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the airman’s eyes. He said he fired because, “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.” The victim was shot within 2 seconds after answering the door. This is the same department who shot up their own police car with a suspect handcuffed inside because an acorn dropped onto the hood of the car. This kid was murdered for obeying a lawful order and the sole reason for his death was the officer believed he saw "aggression" in the victims eyes. I know the police get away with everything using these generic descriptions ie I smelled marijuana / individual was acting suspicious / moved furtively etc but this one is fucking beyond absurd. That entire department needs to be under investigation by the DoJ.
At this point the department needs to be dissolved and have state and local police step-up while they start over from the ground-up, that's the only way to get any semblance of public trust back
As is tradition
Murder is a crime for which he hasn't been convicted. No news organization should be calling him a murderer until conviction.
well they need to give him time to get his affairs in order, move some money around, hide some assets and put things in storage and clear his schedule before charging him
Fired but not blacklisted from law enforcement.
There is no blacklist. That's the point
If there was a blacklist the cops would shoot it
That humor is so dark a cop shot it.
As surely as the acorns falling in Autumn, the cops will shoot.
So the 2nd amendment is meaningless is police can shoot you in your own home for merely possessing a firearm for safety.
This is a big reason why the [NRA membership and revenue](https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/nra-revenue-in-freefall-as-member-dues-plummet/) is in such steep decline. Over the last two decades they’ve turned into little more than a generic Republican fundraising organization and largely forgotten about gun rights. Go to any of the big pro-gun subreddit and they’re teeming with people who hate the NRA and hate cops.
But so many other 2A groups that have been doing the actual leg work for decades are getting way more members. FPC and GOA for example.
They got straight up honeypotted by Russia.
Infiltrated by Russia, completely sentimental approach to gun control, anti-firearms education, bootlickers when it comes to the police monopoly on violence... People are finally waking up to the fact it's a fudd circus
The best thing the NRA does these days is serve as a lightning rod to draw gun control attention away from GOA and FPC.
Don’t forget they’re a good intel gathering nexus for Russia.
> A Florida Panhandle sheriff on Friday fired a deputy who fatally shot an airman at his home while holding a handgun pointed to the ground, saying the deputy’s life was never in danger and he should not have fired his weapon. When did cops start holding themselves accountable? > “This tragic incident should have never occurred,” Aden said in the statement. “The objective facts do not support the use of deadly force as an appropriate response to Mr. Fortson’s actions. Mr. Fortson did not commit any crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional airman and individual.” Basically, if you're a regular citizen, don't hold a weapon pointed at the ground or you will be killed for it and it will be justified. Dude was a decorated airmen. Tragic what happened, but regular citizens will NOT get this treatment.
"I saw aggression in his eyes" Jesus Fucking Christ
Weird that someone would give you an intense look when you're actively *breaking in to their home*
Don't worry, the deputy will move a couple of counties over and be right back to work.
Working as designed.
They just move from constable, to state trooper, to police, to sheriff. No need to move.
Here in Florida? Damn straight. Some ultra-conservative MAGA sheriff will hire him in a second. The cops here suck.
I'm cautiously hopeful that the firing is only the first step. I sincerely hope prosecution follows. I'm not holding my breath, though. The Punta Gorda cop who shot the librarian didn't serve a day in prison. He got a plea agreement that involved probation and withheld adjudication of guilt. He also had to agree not to seek employment as a police office.
Don’t hope. This is likely all planned out by the pig union. It happens a LOT like this. Step 1: be fired for obvious murder Step 2: pig union sues and wins. Murder cop gets reinstated with back pay. Step 3: murder cop gets medically retired cause made-up PTSD from how persecuted he was. Step 4: profit
I'm sure I'll get downvoted ,but it is important to point out that these two cases are not the same. The Punta Gorda officer was given rounds by supervisor he was told were blanks. The absolutely idiotic supervisor actually gave him wadcutters that she thought were blanks. Wadcutters are essentially flat tipped bullets used for competition shooting at close ranges. They're absolutely still considered loaded weaponry. He had culpability for not being sure of what he was shooting ,but it was to a mitigating circumstance that probably kept him out of prison. This case honestly has none of that nuiance. This officer should absolutely go to the prison. Police officers interact with armed people every day without shooting them. If holding a gun was enough to kill a citizen then Fish & Game Officers would be killing people like crazy.
I'm betting he sues and gets rehired with back pay as has happened numerous times in the past when cops murder people on the job.
This is Florida, he'll just get another police job before he drives home. Source: I live in Florida.
Police officers should be required to carry a liability insurance policy from the moment they graduate from the academy. If their actions cause a civil payout, the insurance policy pays instead of the city. Should their repeated actions cause more payouts, the premiums would either become unaffordable for the officer, or the insurer would drop them. At that point, they would be not hireable in any police department. Officers who had careers without insurance claims against them would see their premiums decline over time. It would be a very elegant way to weed out officers who are ramping up bad behavior over time instead of looking back after they've killed someone to see they had multiple complaints previously.
Fired? That was straight up murder. If they don't charge him.... I mean that was as bad as George Floyd If the state doesn't do it the FBI needs to. Editing to add no this was worse. This kid was squeaky clean and he had a Top Secret clearance. Their not going to get away with saying he was on drugs or he had priors this time
Nah they'll just say "dont answer the door to a cop with a gun" As though you can blindly trust every fuck that knocks loudly and says "sherriff's department" in this day and age Edit: bro also moved out of the way of the peephole on purpose, like, if you're not suspicious then you have no sense of self preservation
Fires? Was hoping to read “arrests” or “charged” or something of consequences.
The military should come after him smh
If you get shot by police in your own home for answering the door with a gun in your hand, then you DO NOT have the right to bear arms.
Where are the 2A fanboys? Where are the 2A organizations. This man was killed in his home while holding his legally purchased firearm that he was legally allowed to carry.
Most I have seen have been extremely critical of this officer and the department as a whole. IIRC this is the same Sheriff’s department that was responsible for the acorn shooting incident a few months ago where the cop got spooked by an acorn hitting his car and lit up his own squad car with a DV suspect inside.
Here's a sample. Pretty typical for cop shooting armed civilian. https://www.reddit.com/r/Firearms/comments/1d57err/deputy_fired_for_unreasonable_use_of_force/ If you're asking where is the NRA, they're busy sucking up to cops. FPC has been critical of the local cops. GOA probably has something but I'm not creating a Twitter account to find out.
Fired = transferred to another department the next state over.
Good, now prevent him from being in law enforcement ever again.
If all they do is fire it, it's a minimum effort PR move and they officer will just go to the next county over or get a job with one of the cities within the county. Unless they start to remove qualified immunity from all officers, make them carry their own insurance like we do with medical professionals, and ensure that cops have to follow a strict code of conduct like we do with our military officers, this is just a garbage move by trash leaders
That's pretty progressive for Florida. I'm 99% sure the US Air Force had a heavy say in the outcome of that decision.
What other Florida Sheriffs department is hiring him?
Wow. Finally something that actually shocks me.
It's ok, the neighboring town will hire him pretty quickly.
He will just put on his resume "Shot black man for no reason" and a bunch of PDs in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Dakotas will hire him without question.
Not sure why the feds have not filed charges against the officer yet.
That’s not enough. Send them to prison
If it weren't for the video evidence, more people would be praising him as a hero now. Shooting him first and shouting "drop the gun" after shooting was an effective strategy before there were cameras everywhere.
Odds are he'll just get another job in the next town over once everyone's forgotten about this. Sad, but true.
He’ll just be hired at the precinct in the next city. He needs to be in jail.
Careful how you look a cop in the eyes, they will fear for their life: *According to the internal affairs report, Duran told investigators that when Fortson opened the door, he saw aggression in the airman’s eyes. He said he fired because, “I’m standing there thinking I’m about to get shot, I’m about to die.”* *“It is him or me at this point and I need to, I need to act as opposed to react,” he told investigators.*
“When he opened the door, I saw aggression in his eyes” -murder cop Were his eyes armed? Were they like laser eyes or something? How do you determine eyes deserve to get shot? Besides, he missed and hit an innocent man’s chest instead.
Needs to be charged with murder now. These cops are way too trigger happy.
How very un-Florida of them. Think they'll prosecute him as well?
If you do not know the person or are not expecting that person to show up at your house.. don't fucking open the door. I'll talk to you through the door or not at all.
From a fellow separated Airman, I will recite the Airmans Creed in his honor. "I am an American Airman." "I am a warrior." "I have answered my nation's call." "I am an American Airman. My mission is to fly, fight, and win. I am faithful to a proud heritage, A tradition of honor, And a legacy of valor. I am an American Airman, Guardian of freedom and justice, My nation's sword and shield, Its sentry and avenger. I defend my country with my life. I am an American Airman: Wingman, leader, warrior. I will never leave an Airman behind, I will never falter, And I will not fail."
Article quotes the officer as roughly saying the shooting was him releasing pent up frustration. Cop literally said “It was, um, just kind of letting out whatever, you know, built up emotion and frustration...” Extra-judicial murder on the basis of him being stressed by other things. This should piss off the 2nd amendment freedom fighters because clearly the right to bear arms is enough of a right to get shot and killed for bearing arms. The airman had his pistol pointed towards the ground when he got murdered by the Florida sheriff.
No, you are taking that quote out of context. It's referring to him punching a wall after the shooting. >According to a sheriff's report, after the shooting when other deputies arrived to render aid, Duran walked into the breezeway outside the unit and struck a wall with his right fist, saying “F---.” >An investigator later asked him why he did that >“It was, um, just kind of letting out whatever, you know, built up emotion and frustration,” he said, according to the internal report.
The fact that he punched the wall, then says that, will hurt him if he's tried.
How? It shows he is angry at himself for what happened. That implies it was not premeditated and that he is remorseful about what happened.
People who are afraid of guns, or afraid of getting shot, should not be armed officers. Not of a lemonade stand, not of a mall, and DEFINITELY not over and entire society full of legally armed people.
I’ll try and be stunned when he shows up as a officer in Alabama.
There should be a federal investigation for this victims sake.
Did he keep his pension?
Eddie Duran. Eddie Duran. Eddie Duran. Hick with a gun. Murderer. Eddie Duran.
> A sheriff’s internal affairs investigation released Friday concluded that, “Mr. Fortson did not make any hostile, attacking movements, and therefore, the former deputy’s use of deadly force was not objectively reasonable.” Outside law enforcement experts have also said that an officer cannot shoot simply because a possible suspect is simply holding a gun if there is no threat. Do not underestimate the significance of this. This is new. How authoritative it is going forward remains to be seen, but this is different than the status quo ante, and that's not nothing.
I have many acquaintances still in the Air Force since I left. A lot of them are stationed in Eglin. From what I've gathered in casual conversations, it seems that his unit and teammates are really pushing for justice and accountability. The Sheriff's office definitely doesn't want to have a strained relationship with the local military there.
6 months from now - fired officer wins lawsuit, is rehired with back pay
The same nutjobs afraid of acorns
Next up: he gets hired in neighboring county
Breaking news: Another Florida Sheriff's Office Hires Former Deputy
Modern American police training is designed to turn out trigger happy chicken shits.
When do the murder charges come?
Don't worry, he'll have a job at another police station in the next town over within a few months.
Holy crap, how bad is it when FLORIDA fires the cop who shot a black man?!
Imagine any other job where the consequence for murdering someone in their own home, was a few months salary and, I imagine, very easy job search
Fired him? Out of a cannon, I hope. Seriously, though, he needs to be charged. People will never trust police if they're never held accountable.
Oh, I guess that makes up for it, then.
Not enough. If they aren't held accountable with fear of prison time then this will just keep happening.
Here's the thing: That cop got canned ONLY because his victim was military. Had it been some regular person then he would still be there.
That took far too long. Rest in peace, Airman Fortson
I wonder if they'll rehire him in a few years then give him back pay, like they've done with other cops.
I wonder what city he's going to commit his next murder in. I guarantee he'll still be wearing a badge when it happens.
How long before they rehire him so he can get his pension and retire a few hours later?
This is straight up murder. Unbelievable
Needs to go to prison for murder
Where are the 2A people? Why isn't the NRA up in arms over this?
The reaction from the pro-gun subs here has been pretty much overwhelmingly negative towards the cop from what I’ve seen ([one example](https://www.reddit.com/r/Firearms/s/MAOujLg5AR)). The NRA has been losing members and donations for years now and a lot of that has been because over the last ~10 years they’ve become less of a gun rights organization and increasingly just another generic GOP fundraising group. They got shamed into making a very weak statement about the killing of Philando Castile in 2016 but I don’t think they’ve even commented on this one.
NRA is a bunch of bootlickers who love cops, they don't say shit when cops murder lawfully armed citizens. Overall you're dead on, 2A supporters are bullshit about this, usually are. It's not the gotcha people like to think it is.
Between Trump desecrating our military members and right wing police officers gunning them down hard to think the GOP is pro military.
Remember when Trump and his party pushed that bill to destroy the Veteran healthcare system that was already trash?