Naked unarmed college student murdered by police

[BradM]

Great, were're going to sword fight now.

Fify

[krazy kris]

"Top flight mother fuckin security, Craig!"

[idrivea4banger]

Bitch, don't act like you don't play tummysticks.

Fify

Its on motherfuckers!!!

[talisman]

Well this sure went to shit!

[ceyko]

Well this sure went to shit!

Everyone is getting old dude and is in bed by midnight TOPS.

[talisman]

A University of South Alabama campus police officer who fatally shot a naked student was carrying pepper spray and a baton at the time, the school said Friday.

University spokesman Keith Ayers said Officer Trevis Austin, a four-year employee in his first police job, was armed with all three weapons when he walked outside the police station with his gun drawn to confront Gil Collar. The 18-year-old college freshman was naked when he banged on police department windows in the pre-dawn hours last Saturday.

It's unclear why Austin went for his gun first, but the sheriff has said the decision was proper.

Authorities said Collar, a 5-foot-7, 140-pound high school wrestler in his first semester of college, was on LSD when he moved aggressively toward the officer in an athletic stance, prompting the shooting. But surveillance video shows the student never tried to grab the officer's weapon or got within 4 or 5 feet of Austin.

A copy of the university's weapons policy, released to The Associated Press in response to an open records request, shows an officer's actions in cases where force is necessary should be based on how much a suspect resists. Deadly force is justified only when a suspect has the intent, ability and opportunity to kill or injure someone else, the policy states.

The policy says that an officer's attempt to control a situation "should match (the) level of resistance then move up or down as resistance changes." But Ayers declined comment on how the guidelines are interpreted when an officer is confronted by someone who doesn't have a weapon, yet could present a threat.

"The university is withholding further comment at this time as the district attorney and sheriff's office have time to conduct a thorough external review," he said.

An attorney for Collar's family, former Alabama Lt. Gov. Jere Beasley, said the university's policy "totally gives support to our position" that the shooting wasn't justified.

"There is no question the required force here was much less than shooting somebody," he said. "He could not say his life was in jeopardy or he was in fear of bodily harm."

Authorities have said a grand jury would review the shooting to determine whether charges should be filed. Such investigations are typical in police shootings in Alabama.

Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran has said it was unclear whether the officer could have done anything other than shoot Collar because he walked outside with his gun drawn.

"Had the officer had a Taser or some other less lethal instrument, I do not know if that officer would have had an opportunity to ... holster his pistol and to use something else because the events were evolving so rapidly and he was so close that had he put the pistol in the holster, I don't know that he could have drawn something else," Cochran told reporters earlier this week.
Cochran said he believed it was proper for the officer to go outside with his gun drawn after Collar repeatedly banged on windows at the campus police station, but he hasn't said whether he thought the shooting was justified.

Authorities haven't said why Austin drew his gun first rather than opting for a less-lethal weapon. Collar managed to get up even after being shot once in the chest, and backup officers arrived seconds after the shooting.

Beasley said there was nothing to justify the shooting on the surveillance video, which was shown to both the media and representatives of Beasley's law firm but has not been released publicly.

Collar's funeral is scheduled for Saturday in his hometown of Wetumpka, located about 20 miles north of Montgomery.

The university police department has 33 sworn officers, Ayers said. Members are required to meet the same type of minimum training standards as officers in a typical municipal or county department, but the school hasn't released details on Austin's training.

[naynay]

Is this tray on all over again?

[ThreeFingerPete]

Is this tray on all over again?

Nope. Trayvon was in the commission of a violent crime against a civilian. The keep using stupid trite little sayings like "aggressive stance".

They might as well say he was in the buffalo stance.

[Forever_frost]

So wait, where was everyone talking about this guy had no other weapons but his pistol?

[Big A]

So wait, where was everyone talking about this guy had no other weapons but his pistol?

You're completely glazing over the fact that he purprotedly didn't have time to holster his weapon, and draw another means of force.

In that situation he was completely justified in going out there with gun drawn, I would have to see the video to come to any conclusion on it being a justifiable homicide or not. IMO any man crazy enough to be naked, banging on windows, and willing to charge a person with a gun IS a threat.

Take off your FTP hat for a minute, and assume that this is a business-owner opening his door to investigate with a .45 in his hand, and pepper spray in his back pocket. Would you be so quick to cry out murder, and immediately assume that he should have sprayed the guy instead?

With what has been posted, I am open to this swaying one way or the other, we simply don't have enough facts to form the strong opinions going on in here.

[347Mike]

The video needs to be posted like Aaron said to draw an accurate conclusion.

The articles are too open for assumptions. The first article says he BANGED on A window. It never mentions the cop looking through the window and seeing him. If you hear a bang on a window or door in the early mornings of a police station what are your first thoughts? Is it some wack job or maybe someone needs help?

The second article says he got no closer than 4-5 feet. Do any of you know how far he was away when he went outside to look? Maybe he was 12 feet away when he started charging before being shot at 4-5 feet?

Too many assumptions and just enough arm chair quarterbacks.

[ThreeFingerPete]

You're completely glazing over the fact that he purprotedly didn't have time to holster his weapon, and draw another means of force.

In that situation he was completely justified in going out there with gun drawn, I would have to see the video to come to any conclusion on it being a justifiable homicide or not. IMO any man crazy enough to be naked, banging on windows, and willing to charge a person with a gun IS a threat.

Take off your FTP hat for a minute, and assume that this is a business-owner opening his door to investigate with a .45 in his hand, and pepper spray in his back pocket. Would you be so quick to cry out murder, and immediately assume that he should have sprayed the guy instead?

With what has been posted, I am open to this swaying one way or the other, we simply don't have enough facts to form the strong opinions going on in here.

If a civilian shoots an unarmed person who has not assaulted them while on public property, he is probably going to jail. Re word it however you like, your comparison sucks. He shouldn't have had the weapon drawn in the first place.

[Buick355]

If a civilian shoots an unarmed person who has not assaulted them while on public property, he is probably going to jail. Re word it however you like, your comparison sucks. He shouldn't have had the weapon drawn in the first place.

I like how any opinion that's not in line with yours sucks and how you call anyone who doesn't agree with you stupid, then accuse them of being on drugs.

[ThreeFingerPete]

I like how any opinion that's not in line with yours sucks and how you call anyone who doesn't agree with you stupid, then accuse them of being on drugs.

I can back up that statement with precedent. I didn't say Aaron was stupid, nor on drugs. I said his comparison sucks, much like jewozzy's too much apples: oranges.

[Buick355]

I can back up that statement with precedent. I didn't say Aaron was stupid, nor on drugs. I said his comparison sucks, much like jewozzy's too much apples: oranges.

I'm not just talking about your response to Aaron.

I respect everyone's opinion, including yours, even when I don't agree. I can see why there would be some people that would say he shouldn't have used deadly force so quickly, and I understand why they would think that. I just don't see it that way.