73-year-old killed by police had crucifix but no gun

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Amanda Lee Myers and Andrew Dalton, Associated Press
Updated 10:29 pm, Wednesday, December 14, 2016


LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 73-year-old man with dementia fatally shot by police had a crucifix — not a gun, as officers were led to believe, Bakersfield police said Wednesday.

A coroner found the plastic crucifix on Francisco Serna well after an officer fatally shot him near his home just after midnight Monday, Sgt. Gary Carruesco said.

It's unclear if a 911 caller who had reported a man with a gun may have mistaken the crucifix for a weapon, as Serna's family speculated.

Officer Reagan Selman fired at Serna seven times after the grandfather refused repeated commands to take his hand out of his pocket and stop walking toward police, incoming Bakersfield police Chief Lyle Martin said Tuesday.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Police-kill-unarmed-man-73-who-they-thought-had-10795068.php

---

[center]

Francisco Serna

[KamaAina]

1. Remember, crucifixes don't kill people. People kill people.

[cstanleytech]

2. So where the hell is the body or patrol car cam? That might help to clear up if the officer

made an honest mistake or if he cold bloodily shot the guy.

[Feeling the Bern]

3. Latino. Not white. Kern County. . .nope, the cops executed this man and now they are looking to

come up with a bullshit CYA story to pin the blame on the senile old man with a cross in his hand.

[Crash2Parties]

8. Kern county? 'Nuff said...

[zonkers]

9. Bakersfield? Good luck.

[cstanleytech]

11. I thought I read that Bakersfield had added them unless that's a different Bakersfield

that I read it about.

[arithia]

4. another extrajudicial killing of the mentally ill by cops

Let it be said, if you act anything other than that particular cops definition of normal, your life is in danger.

F*cking sad.

[iluvtennis]

7. And it is so disgusting. Cops need to be trained to deal with folks with disabilities nt

[truthisfreedom]

5. Because that's the only solution to a mixed-up old man with his hands in his pockets walking.

Just keep shooting until you're out of ammo.

Again and again, cops can't make a rational decision about human behavior to save a life.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. They let god damn Barney Fife put the bullet in his gun.

Jesus, who is going to protect us from these idiot cops?????

[spiderpig]

10. Shot SEVEN TIMES?

Wouldn't once kinda sorta captured his attention?

Jeez.

[cstanleytech]

12. Most police departments kind of frown on warning shoots especially in area's

that are heavily populated as bullet's will keep traveling until they hit something like a tree, house, car window or even an innocent civilian down the block.
Oh and if you were going to suggest that they fire into the air I would suggest that you research a thing called gravity.

[LanternWaste]

13. Yet more relevant would be researching the difference between a crucifix and a firearm

"I would suggest that you research a thing called gravity..."

Yet more relevant would be researching the difference between a crucifix and a firearm, regardless of whether doing so many invalidate a deeply cherished bias (as we're pretending to be clever and snarky... six of one, half a dozen of the other).

[cstanleytech]

14. You do realize I was responding to his question about why police dont fire warning shots and not

debating the human stupidity for mistaking things in peoples hands as guns when they arent right?