West Virginia police officer sues after being fired for not shooting black man.

[Cattledog]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/10/rj-williams-shooting-stephen-mader-fired-lawsuit?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

As police responded to a disturbance at Williams’ home early on the morning of 6 May 2016, Mader was the first officer on the scene. When he arrived and confronted Williams, he said, the man was keeping his hands behind his back. Mader commanded Williams to show his hands and when they came down to his sides Mader saw he was holding a pistol.

Mader drew his weapon. Williams allegedly screamed: “Just shoot me!”

“I said, ‘I don’t wanna shoot you, brother, just put down the gun,’” Mader recalled. “About that time two more cruisers arrived. At this point he starts to wave his gun at me and the other officers, and within seconds of the other officers getting out of their cruisers there were four shots fired.”

Williams’ gun, investigators would later learn, was not loaded.

In the termination letter, Mader’s superiors argued that he failed to respond to the threat. “The unfortunate reality of police work is that making any decision is better than making no decision at all,” it says.

Mader counters that he did make a decision – that he decided, based on Williams’ body language and apparent mental state, that he did not present a threat and that de-escalation was the best way to proceed.

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Damn, getting fired for not participating in suicide by cop....

Hope he wins.