Here we have Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo explaining why the officer who killed Ma'Khia did the right thing. I doubt they read this forum, but they come close to plagiarism.

I sincerely hope the three or four of you who seriously answered with some form of "he should have tazered her and didn't have to use deadly force" watch that video and come away more knowledgeable for the next time you speak on the issue.

IF even after watching you double down instead of learn, please do me a huge favor and post that sentiment in here so I know not to take you seriously going forward.

"Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo Defend Cop in Ma'Khia Bryant Shooting"

https://www.mediaite.com/news/don-lemon-and-chris-cuomo-defend-cop-in-makhia-bryant-shooting-is-one-life-on-that-scene-more-valuable-than-another/

CNN's Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo have defended the police officer who shot dead Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old Black girl, in Columbus.

"Ohio is tough," Lemon said as he and Cuomo discussed the shooting on air on Wednesday night. Bryant was shot dead on Tuesday, shortly before former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.

Cuomo said he and Lemon had heard about the incident on social media on Tuesday evening while working on coverage of the Chauvin verdict."The initial reports didn't seem right … you were cautious about it," Cuomo told Lemon. 'You were saying, 'Huh, I want to see this one, I want to see this.' Because there was a lot of emotion, understandably, you got a 16-year-old kid that's gone."Cuomo added: "It's a hard one, I do not know how to explain this to people in a way that doesn't make somebody very angry."

Lemon noted that there was a "lot of anguish" about the teenager's death, but added: "We've got to be fair about what happens when police arrive at scenes."

"It is tragic that it's a 16-year-old girl, just as it is tragic that it's a 13-year-old in Chicago," Lemon said. "When police are chasing people, they don't know how old they are."

He continued: "When they roll up on the scene, they see people tussling around, someone has a knife, and their job is to protect and serve every life on that scene, and if they see someone who is in the process of taking a life … What decision do they have to make?"

The officer who shot the girl was identified on Wednesday as Nicholas Reardon, who joined the Columbus Division of Police in 2019.

Body camera footage of the shooting shows the officer pull up to a chaotic scene, responding to a 911 call from someone who said they were being threatened.

He moves toward a group of people brawling in a driveway, and Bryant is seen swinging a knife at a woman, who falls backward.

"Get down!" Reardon shouts several times as Bryant charges at another female, dressed in pink, who appears to be pinned against a vehicle in the driveway.

Reardon fires four shots and Bryant collapses to the ground. A knife is seen on the ground next to her body.During the discussion with Cuomo, Lemon also addressed comments that the officer should have deployed a Taser.

"Tasers don't work the way guns work," Lemon said. "Not at that distance," added Cuomo. "And not with that amount of time."

Lemon added: "If the woman in the pink was my sister, niece, wife, whatever … you have to make a decision. Is one life on that scene more valuable than another?

"And if someone is trying to take a life on that scene, do you protect the life of the person trying to take the life or do you protect the life of the person whose life is an imminent danger at that moment?

"It is tough because one is a 16-year-old. I don't know how old the other person is, but that other person's life was in imminent danger."

He later said: "Either way in that position, I think that someone's life probably would have ended. It could have been the other woman in the pink or it could've been the 16-year-old who sadly ended up dying."

Cuomo told Lemon: "Everything you're saying is instructive and brave. Because people don't want to hear you say that this was a justified shooting."City authorities have said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation will determine if the officer was wrong to shoot Bryant.

Who gives a flying **** what Lemon and Cuomo have to say? They’re as bad as Tucker and Hannity. I don’t need a talking head and its opinion on what I saw with my own eyes. A 16 year old is dead because a cop thought he was judge, jury and executioner. He was TRAINED that way. He didn’t need to put 4 SHOTS, CENTER MASS to stop her. He was TRAINED to respond that way. He didn’t even consider options. He put 4 SHOTS in the CENTER MASS of a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD within 10 SECONDS after his arrival exacerbated the entire situation. How can anyone not think there was a better ******* way?

Thanks for the alert.
In the words of Strother Martin "some people you just can't reach".

Either you really didn't watch either video or you are simply irresponsible and talking out of your ***.

I'd truly be interested in reading what your "better ******* way" might look like in this instance.

It could be true that shooting was within their training in this case. I still believe that we need to work harder to find a better way than this.

Posted by tangplay on 4/24/2021 10:51:00 AM (view original):
It could be true that shooting was within their training in this case. I still believe that we need to work harder to find a better way than this.

Could be true? Wow.
Please let's also see your "better way than this" in this situation.

Seems both of you would prefer if the girl in the pink was killed instead. Because that's the result if the officer hadn't put Ma'Khia down.

Posted by tangplay on 4/24/2021 10:51:00 AM (view original):
It could be true that shooting was within their training in this case. I still believe that we need to work harder to find a better way than this.

-1

im sorry jolly ranger but you disappoint me.

I hate seeing people think with their agendas.
If people that came to this forum had the guts and intellectual honesty to look at facts on a case by case basis and were able to face realities and practicalities and necessities without ideological dogma this forum could actually have worth.
and rsp you did the same thing.
you are capable of better.

being analytical requires a true attempt to use a straight arrow to get from A to be without preconceived conclusions. That’s what I try to do.

I may sound overly didactic but something needs to be said and the response by many to this shooting case is Illuminative.

Posted by dino27 on 4/24/2021 12:04:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 4/24/2021 10:51:00 AM (view original):
It could be true that shooting was within their training in this case. I still believe that we need to work harder to find a better way than this.

-1

im sorry jolly ranger but you disappoint me.

I hate seeing people think with their agendas.
If people that came to this forum had the guts and intellectual honesty to look at facts on a case by case basis and were able to face realities and practicalities and necessities without ideological dogma this forum could actually have worth.
and rsp you did the same thing.
you are capable of better.

being analytical requires a true attempt to use a straight arrow to get from A to be without preconceived conclusions. That’s what I try to do.

I may sound overly didactic but something needs to be said and the response by many to this shooting case is Illuminative.

One of the best posts I've read in these forums.

Your last sentence highlights the exact reason I started this thread. It seems there are more than a few who have no interest whatsoever in actual dialog or reform. Its quite telling when Lemon and Cuomo are more reasonable than some of these folks.

The above being said there will be analysis over whether he had to use a gun or if he should have a used a taser and if shooting was the proper and necessary thing to do then it turns to
did he shoot properly - should an officer shoot to stop the person with total assurance under those circumstances or take a chance by trying to injure.
were the other 3 shots right or wrong or irrelevant.

these are all fair questions but at this point still questions.

Posted by bruceleefan on 4/24/2021 12:15:00 PM (view original):

Posted by dino27 on 4/24/2021 12:04:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 4/24/2021 10:51:00 AM (view original):
It could be true that shooting was within their training in this case. I still believe that we need to work harder to find a better way than this.

-1

im sorry jolly ranger but you disappoint me.

I hate seeing people think with their agendas.
If people that came to this forum had the guts and intellectual honesty to look at facts on a case by case basis and were able to face realities and practicalities and necessities without ideological dogma this forum could actually have worth.
and rsp you did the same thing.
you are capable of better.

being analytical requires a true attempt to use a straight arrow to get from A to be without preconceived conclusions. That’s what I try to do.

I may sound overly didactic but something needs to be said and the response by many to this shooting case is Illuminative.

One of the best posts I've read in these forums.

Your last sentence highlights the exact reason I started this thread. It seems there are more than a few who have no interest whatsoever in actual dialog or reform. Its quite telling when Lemon and Cuomo are more reasonable than some of these folks.

Thank you. I appreciate that very much.

Posted by dino27 on 4/24/2021 12:22:00 PM (view original):
The above being said there will be analysis over whether he had to use a gun or if he should have a used a taser and if shooting was the proper and necessary thing to do then it turns to
did he shoot properly - should an officer shoot to stop the person with total assurance under those circumstances or take a chance by trying to injure.
were the other 3 shots right or wrong or irrelevant.

these are all fair questions but at this point still questions.

A taser from that distance is a poor choice.

This isn't Hollywood, so shooting with intent to injure is not a realistic option.

In most cases involving an unjustified, officer involved shooting, the standard most commonly pointed to is "does the perp present a real danger to the officer or others"?

This couldn't be a more clear example of exactly when it is not only appropriate, but demanded, that an officer use deadly force. To argue otherwise just reveals a lack of knowledge or an agenda driven ideology or maybe both.

Posted by rsp777 on 4/24/2021 10:29:00 AM (view original):
Who gives a flying **** what Lemon and Cuomo have to say? They’re as bad as Tucker and Hannity. I don’t need a talking head and its opinion on what I saw with my own eyes. A 16 year old is dead because a cop thought he was judge, jury and executioner. He was TRAINED that way. He didn’t need to put 4 SHOTS, CENTER MASS to stop her. He was TRAINED to respond that way. He didn’t even consider options. He put 4 SHOTS in the CENTER MASS of a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD within 10 SECONDS after his arrival exacerbated the entire situation. How can anyone not think there was a better ******* way?

There's a lot of wrong to unpack here.

"He didn't even consider options"?
This mayhem and chaos all unfolded in a matter of SECONDS. You said so yourself. He had no time to consider options. He had to react in order to save a person's life.

"Because a cop thought he was judge, jury and executioner"?
Wrong. While you can make this claim about many many unjustified police shootings, in this specific case there is nothing at all supporting that accusation. The only thing he judged was there was a woman whose life was in immediate danger, and he stopped the assailant saving that woman's life.

I'd also be very interested in understanding what exactly the officer did that would lead you to conclude "his arrival exacerbated the entire situation".

Just the very fact that he arrived at all? I am truly at a loss to understand this conclusion.

Posted by bruceleefan on 4/24/2021 11:01:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 4/24/2021 10:51:00 AM (view original):
It could be true that shooting was within their training in this case. I still believe that we need to work harder to find a better way than this.

Could be true? Wow.
Please let's also see your "better way than this" in this situation.

Seems both of you would prefer if the girl in the pink was killed instead. Because that's the result if the officer hadn't put Ma'Khia down.

It could have been the result if the police did *nothing*, I'm advocating for finding a middle ground between nothing and shooting to kill.

Also, I don't have a good answer. I don't study these issues. I would just hope that an answer is found. I believe in us.

Posted by dino27 on 4/24/2021 12:22:00 PM (view original):
The above being said there will be analysis over whether he had to use a gun or if he should have a used a taser and if shooting was the proper and necessary thing to do then it turns to
did he shoot properly - should an officer shoot to stop the person with total assurance under those circumstances or take a chance by trying to injure.
were the other 3 shots right or wrong or irrelevant.

these are all fair questions but at this point still questions.

Those are the questions I'm asking and I get blasted for it, not sure what the difference is here

I really don't think that my position on this issue is unreasonable. I don't even think the officer violated protocol in any way or should be prosecuted. I just believe that there should be a better way to resolve these situations.