Was Derek Chauvin Wrongly Imprisoned?

Fine. I'm all for throwing more government bullies in jail.

Not at all on board with letting a frustrated Nazi with a confirmed kill notched in his belt, out on a technicality.

 

The officer shot Babbitt as she attempted to enter through the window. He did not shoot until somebody attempted to make entry. It sure sounds to me like you'd do the same if it were your family in danger.

 

I would prefer not to watch it again but I don’t recall seeing her trying to come through the window when she was shot.

 

She was climbing into the frame of the broken window when she was shot. She was not shot through the window. The mob was also warned prior to her trying to climb through the window.

 

Context is everything. I had a black bear come up to our doors. It approached the door and gave it a nudge. I had gone to get my pump that has slugs loaded in it and when I got back to the view of the door it had backed up a little. I waited him out but I wouldn’t have been allowed to shoot until he came through. Even then, I would have been investigated with a dead bear bleeding all over my floor.

 

I rewatched it a few minutes ago to make sure my memory was correct, and this is right. She jumped on the frame and was attempting to enter through the window when the officer shot her.

 

Using the bear analogy if the bear had broken the door and was starting to enter your home but had not completely entered would you shot the bear or would you have waited until it had completely entered your home?

 

Without knowing what their orders were, I think the shooting of Babbit was justified (barely). I’ve often wondered though if the armed LE inside the chamber had jerked her the rest of the way through the window onto the floor and cuffed her none too gently, if that wouldn’t have been enough to dissuade the next idiot from trying to follow.

Would not act similarly with a bear.

 

I wouldn't have done that if I were in his shoes. There were only two officers in that hallway (that I could see). One posted up near the doors and windows using a wall as cover and another a considerable distance down the hall. The mob was trying to break multiple windows and had thus far only succeeded in breaking that one. If he takes her down, there's a massive risk more come through the window and go after him. If they attack and disarm him, they are now close to where members of Congress are and have a gun.

Shooting her made them all back up, and it prevented anybody from getting in. It's tragic. I feel for her family. I feel sorry that she was duped into doing that by a con man. But I don't blame the officer. He was in a bad situation and did what was necessary to protect our elected representatives and himself.

 

The lawyers here will have to quibble about Florida law but yes, as soon as that door was broken and a paw came through he would have had five slugs in him as fast as I can pump

 

Not to belabor the point, but can’t we agree that a warning shot was warranted before the shot to the chest was 95% chance of being fatal?

 

Where is he supposed to fire this warning shot? Again, they were warned to back up.

 

Ceiling. It might damage some wiring or A/C but it’s not going through the concrete and steel above

 

And hope it doesn't deflect back off of that steel onto him or one of the cops or staffers? They could clearly see him pointing the gun through the glass. How would firing a gun in a constrained space help?

 

I doubt you believe a warning shot was warranted.

 

Okay, here's another perspective of the context: a law enforcement officer shot the lead individual trying to breach the last barricade between an angry mob and members of the People's House in flight for their lives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/08/ashli-babbitt-shooting-video-capitol/

"woman climbing through a window". Sheesh.

 

If they are using the kind of ammo I would expect them to use in handguns it’s not passing through ceiling tile, deflecting off of steel and then back through ceiling tile. Unless of course you subscribe to the magic bullet theory.

 

Conservatives laugh when this is suggested in every other context where people criticize police for being trigger happy. Or in any case of self-defense really.

 

If she just complied, she’d still be alive. Hey that rhymes!

 

They would’ve cheered and celebrated a white Capitol officer shooting an Antifa or BLM protester who was trespassing. They won’t admit it, but part of the reason why they’re so mad about the (justified) Ashli Babbitt killing is because it was a white female killed by a black cop.