I don't get the Tulsa volunteer cop...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Even if it was a tragic accident he shows no affect and no remorse.


He isn't helping himself at all...

[tularetom]

1. He's only part of the problem

WTF were these people thinking giving a fat old fart like this a gun and a badge and turning him loose on the citizens to play cop? I hope there is a thorough investigation of this entire misguided program and that the sheriff and anybody else responsible for this clusterfuck are fired or removed from office and prosecuted as accessories in the death of Harris.

And I also hope that the family of the victim sues the shit out of the county so that this serves as an example for the hundreds of Police/sheriff departments across the country that let untrained volunteers act as officers.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. The whole situation is a mess.

It's not just that guy. It's a sheriff's department that apparently thought it was just fine to use a 73-year-old reserve officer with minimal training in a high-risk arrest (he was a cop for a year in the '60s and so far we don't know why he lasted only a year), who is now wealthy and has been buying the department a lot of expensive equipment. So he's basically an old wannabe cop who bought himself a position where he could carry a taser and a gun, even though reserve officers usually don't do anything more confrontational than direct traffic.

So this old untrained wannabe cop decides to tase the suspect but grabs his gun and shoots him dead instead. I think he's telling the truth when he says he didn't intend to kill the guy. But he probably shouldn't have even intended to tase the guy, and he shouldn't have had a taser, let alone a gun. He should have been directing traffic at the county fair or something. But the sheriff took his big donations and rewarded him with letting him play policeman.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. plus 100

[procon]

5. That's another thing that I don't understand.

If the suspect was already captured and pinned to the ground by multiple cops, why did this old fool even need to rush in with the intent to taser the man who is already in custody?

[procon]

3. I was shocked that his lawyer let him keep rambling on even after he ran off the rails.

Why hire a lawyer if the man is just going to sit there and not make any effort to stop the train wreck that is personified by Robert Bates. Lists of quotes featuring the word "fool" are still running through my head.

[malaise]

6. Is he a member of the KKK or some militia

Looks like he paid to play safari in the city - the entire system is broken and not just in America.

[Politicalboi]

7. Let's not overlook the cops who

Were there and did nothing to help the shooting victim. Perhaps he could have been saved if they did something to help him.