From the accounts I've read of the situation, that's unfair -- the guy was advancing on them and waving around a gun they did not know was unloaded. Mader himself said it was understandable given the circumstances.The people who came in after him and shot the victim are the terrible cops.
Sadly, because the honest officer was on probation the union cannot do a thing. As the article states West Virginia is an at-will state and therefore the police officer would accrue no rights until the probationary status was lifted. I doubt Offc. Mater was around long enough to be vested into the pension plan as well (which is why he was fired with no benefits)and didn't qualify for pension payout. Again, nothing the union can do. This sort of things is state law and not some jurisdictional bullshit.Also where's the police union now eh?
Except the police departments across the country has made it very clear to us that proper protocol is shooting first and asking questions later.West Virginia.
Cop follows protocol. Gets fired.
Cops shoot first and ask questions later on a daily basis: paid vacation.
Fuck.
Where is his Gofundme?
I'm actually serious. I don't have much right now, but I would spare a few bucks for him.
Somehow, I don't think you read the OP.Only read a page and a half but is there a GoFundMe or some kind of support for this guy? He should be receiving a medal for everyone coming out of the situation alive and the correct action to be taken for this man who needed help.
Moral of the story:
Never call the cops, under any circumstance. Every interaction with them is dangerous.
Avoid at all costs.
Ok I see my post being quoted with incredulous outrage.
What exactly is being objected to?
That cops aren't here to protect us?
That a person can be too good to be a cop?
That if you see that the police dept from the top down are not the good guys, it makes this firing understandable?
I might have a bit of snark in my post... But I don't get it. If you need me to expound on why, I guess I could... but it seems the majority (all?) of the thread would be in agreement with me. The story is proof enough.
What a infuriating and depressing story. The Police system in America is just fucked up.
You can't really say a person holding a gun and wanting to kill himself isn't a threat to anyone. You don't know what's going on in their minds at that moment. Even thinking about committing suicide shows you're not mentally well. Anything can go south in a heartbeat."But it does show that Mader had read Williams correctly he wasnt actually a threat to anyone but himself."
That officer should be commended with a medal for sure, zero doubt about it. But this line is kind of presumptive on the author's part:
You can't really say a person holding a gun and wanting to kill himself isn't a threat to anyone. You don't know what's going on in their minds at that moment. Even thinking about committing suicide shows you're not mentally well. Anything can go south in a heartbeat.
Anyway, I hope this goes farther in court. He's an example for officers around the country.
Does a police officer arriving at a scene like this know that though? There wouldn't have been a way to be sure.In this case theres no presumption being made, the gun wasn't loaded and it played out as suicide by cop.
Does a police officer arriving at a scene like this know that though? There wouldn't have been a way to be sure.
But he fought in Iraq for our freedom!!!!!!This dude should say screw the US and go be an officer in a sane European country.
But that's my point. I read the article but I didn't read anywhere where Mader said he knew the gun was empty, it sounds like he lucked out and it wasn't loaded. I could be wrong but that's how the article came across to me.That isn't what the author's statement you quoted is about though : "But it does show that Mader had read Williams correctly he wasnt actually a threat to anyone but himself."
What part of that isn't borne out by the facts?
But that's my point. I read the article but I didn't read anywhere where Mader said he knew the gun was empty, it sounds like he lucked out and it wasn't loaded. I could be wrong but that's how the article came across to me.
But that's my point. I read the article but I didn't read anywhere where Mader said he knew the gun was empty, it sounds like he lucked out and it wasn't loaded. I could be wrong but that's how the article came across to me.
He got a read on the guy and realized he was trying to Suicide by Cop because he kept threatening to shoot while not actually doing anything- he was scared. If at any point the gun gets pointed towards the cops, he's going to get shot, but since their sights are set on him, they're almost certainly going to get him before he can shoot. They unnecessarily escalated when he was in the process of trying to deescalate.But that's my point. I read the article but I didn't read anywhere where Mader said he knew the gun was empty, it sounds like he lucked out and it wasn't loaded. I could be wrong but that's how the article came across to me.