Observation: Chicago Media
So I get a little disgusted with our local television news from time to time. NBC5 did a special about the man in this story. Phrases that stand out in my mind from the evening news went something like,"It's like they were trying to kill him," and "why would you shoot someone 25 times." The reporters repeated the number 25 as many times as possible throughout the segment. As an afterthought they mentioned that the police department is conducting an investingation int to the officer's coduct.
I don't know if the man was right or wrong. That is not the point I'm trying to make. I want to try and help dispel myths that our local media are helping to perpetuate
If the police are shooting at someone they are trying to kill that person. It is that simple.
There is no shooting to wound. A semi automatic pistol is not designed to subdue a person. It is designed to put as much stopping power as possible in a small easy to use, close to medium range weapon. The same is certainly true of a revolver.
If a police officer is shooting he believed someone's life is in danger. (That includes the officers life. It is odd to me how dismissive the local news outlets can be of the peril the police can be in). This is not a sport. A gun is not pulled out to intimidate. It is pulled out to be shot.
Then there is the entire 25 bullets thing.
If I were to shoot another person 25 times that would be deliberate. It would require emptying the pistol and reloading it a number of times. That it is not an act of self defense.
Now here we have several officers shooting at the same target at the same time. It is not surprising he was hit with 25 bullets. If you want to eliminate a threat you continue shooting until the target is down. You do not hope that one bullet will do the job. You do not hope someone else hits.
The unusual thing here is not that the man was shot 25 times, but rather that he lived. The paramedics and doctors must be exceptionally skilled.
A more balanced look might at least try to understand the circumstance, perhaps going to a some private security firm to learn just how fast a few people can shoot 25 rounds. Instead it the news coverage makes it looks like the evil police are just out to kill people, and to do it brutally.
If the man is proved innocent, he will of course, launch a multimillion dollar law suit against the city, which we will settle. We will blame the police officers for saddling the city with such a debt, instead of the city officials for not fighting the lawsuit in court.
I'm glad I'm unemployed or those would be my tax dollars.
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I don't know if the man was right or wrong. That is not the point I'm trying to make. I want to try and help dispel myths that our local media are helping to perpetuate
If the police are shooting at someone they are trying to kill that person. It is that simple.
There is no shooting to wound. A semi automatic pistol is not designed to subdue a person. It is designed to put as much stopping power as possible in a small easy to use, close to medium range weapon. The same is certainly true of a revolver.
If a police officer is shooting he believed someone's life is in danger. (That includes the officers life. It is odd to me how dismissive the local news outlets can be of the peril the police can be in). This is not a sport. A gun is not pulled out to intimidate. It is pulled out to be shot.
Then there is the entire 25 bullets thing.
If I were to shoot another person 25 times that would be deliberate. It would require emptying the pistol and reloading it a number of times. That it is not an act of self defense.
Now here we have several officers shooting at the same target at the same time. It is not surprising he was hit with 25 bullets. If you want to eliminate a threat you continue shooting until the target is down. You do not hope that one bullet will do the job. You do not hope someone else hits.
The unusual thing here is not that the man was shot 25 times, but rather that he lived. The paramedics and doctors must be exceptionally skilled.
A more balanced look might at least try to understand the circumstance, perhaps going to a some private security firm to learn just how fast a few people can shoot 25 rounds. Instead it the news coverage makes it looks like the evil police are just out to kill people, and to do it brutally.
If the man is proved innocent, he will of course, launch a multimillion dollar law suit against the city, which we will settle. We will blame the police officers for saddling the city with such a debt, instead of the city officials for not fighting the lawsuit in court.
I'm glad I'm unemployed or those would be my tax dollars.
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posted by Rich Rosenthal II at 2:10 AM
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