Shooting People Holding Harmless Objects: Why Is It So Common?
Recent news has included a rash of police shootings involving people holding random and harmless objects—and yet, those objects were enough to make the police officers involved claim to fear for their lives. While this may seem like a fairly recent trend, the fact is that people holding random objects has been the catalyst for police shootings for decades. That’s why the California police shooting attorneys at the Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo have fought so consistently for clients’ rights. Call us at 818-347-3333 to discuss your case now.
If you talk to people across different segments of society, there’s still a widespread belief that any police officer who pulls the trigger is automatically in the right because they were in fear for their lives. However, court records show that there are many instances where the court does not believe that police officers automatically have the right to shoot. The police shooting lawyers at the Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo have secured over $500 million for families who have been victimized by police shootings.
Genuine Fear of Guns and Other Weapons
First, it’s important to note that this isn’t a new problem. While it may seem like it is, with news stories focusing on the deaths of victims holding candy, plastic forks, or cell phones, the fact is that there are hundreds of stories that have barely made it to the news. In fact, several years ago there was an entire art exhibition showcasing items that the police mistook for weapons, which subsequently led to shootings. Some of the items in that exhibit include sunglasses, toy trucks, cologne, a sandwich, a shower rod, and a hairbrush. Police shooting attorneys have seen tragic cases like these every single year for decades.
In some of these cases, the police likely had an actual fear that the person in question had a gun in their hands or pocket. Police have guns with them at all times; this automatically puts them in a state of hyperawareness, where they are always vigilant of items that could be guns. Undoubtedly, when you walk around thinking anything could be a weapon, you will misjudge more often than you should.
Knowing That the Standards Are Different for Police Officers
Another reason that police officers tend to shoot unarmed people is the fact that they often get away with it. In many courts, police officers have been allowed to walk away scot-free after shooting unarmed people simply by declaring that they feared for their lives. When they are rarely made to prove that they had legitimate reason to fear for their safety, they have minimal motivation to actually check the severity of threats before acting on them. This is why it’s so dangerous for police to have qualified immunity; if they can take whatever actions they deem necessary at a point in time, innocent people die. Although police shooting law firms work overtime to hold rogue police officers accountable, change must happen at a greater level.
Inability to De-Escalate Situations
If you watch the footage from many of these shootings, it’s clear that some police officers have a policy of shooting first and asking questions later. A key part of effective police work is knowing how to de-escalate situations, but in so many of these cases that end up with civilian fatalities, there is no effort to de-escalate before turning to violence. Instead, officers raise their voices, pull their guns out immediately, and start yelling instructions—often instructions that conflict with what other officers are yelling at the same time. This increases the tension and dramatically increases the likelihood of a shooting.
The Important Question: If a Gun is Suspected, Is a Fatal Shooting Always Acceptable?
This raises an important question. If an officer does suspect an item is a gun or weapon, is shooting always an acceptable option? We don’t believe so. Shooter bias—the assumption that someone is or is not armed—is heavily affected by racial disparity, as indicated by research. People who are Black or living in supposedly “dangerous” neighborhoods are more likely to be perceived as armed or dangerous than those who are white or living in “safe” neighborhoods, indicating that we cannot rely on an officer’s judgment alone when determining whether or not a shooting is necessary.
Fight for Justice With the Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo
The police shooting lawyers at the Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo are passionate about protecting your civil rights and demanding justice after your rights have been violated. Call our police shooting law firm at 818-347-3333 or send us a message online to find out how we can help.
