Things will get interesting in Atlanta

[IUCrazy2]

In theory, would not the police have called to have the car towed at that point?

Potentially, but man hindsight is 20/20. Are the cops just supposed to let every person who hasn't committed a terrible crime just run away? If that drunk guy has his car towed and then goes on to wander into traffic or do some other drunkenly negligent thing that gets himself or someone else killed, then that is on the cops too.

They cannot detain him because if he fights then they gotta let him go for fear of hurting him. If he steals their taser and runs off...oh well. The police were completely respectful of that guy until he acted like an idiot. Did he deserve to get shot? I don't know. What I do know is that we are about to make the police's job impossible.

 

[Ladoga]

After rewatching it's clear that Brooks fire the taser at Rolfe, and in avoiding it Rolfe basically leans against another car. Brooks never really actually turns around to face Rolfe, just seems to kind of twist and stick his arm behind him and sort of haphazardly fire the taser...

So the issue of what Rolfe would know about the taser seems critical. Clearly Rolfe doesn't even shoot at Brooks until after the taser has discharged and Brooks is running away from Rolfe with his back to him. I'm not sure Rolfe could argue that he feared Brooks would turn around and run towards him in attack mode- he shot him twice in the back. He also can't claim (like that transit cop in Oakland a few years back) that he mistook his Glock for his taser.

And then the DA specifically noted statements from witnesses. I'm thinking that there were reasons the DA went with FELONY murder, and not 2nd degree or manslaughter. We may not really know more till the trial, but I go back to the DA mentioning that the other officer was going to testify against Rolfe...

There are reasons. Here's a report on some of them

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/fu...ate-investigation/7ACT6BS25ZBCLHOOPT6C36I644/

He needs to change the subject.

 

[hoosboot]

Potentially, but man hindsight is 20/20. Are the cops just supposed to let every person who hasn't committed a terrible crime just run away? If that drunk guy has his car towed and then goes on to wander into traffic or do some other drunkenly negligent thing that gets himself or someone else killed, then that is on the cops too.

They cannot detain him because if he fights then they gotta let him go for fear of hurting him. If he steals their taser and runs off...oh well. The police were completely respectful of that guy until he acted like an idiot. Did he deserve to get shot? I don't know. What I do know is that we are about to make the police's job impossible.

You don't know what you claim to know. It's not impossible to not shoot a fleeing suspect who presents limited immediate danger. It's not impossible for police to respond to situations with the force that the situations merit. In fact, it's not just not impossible...it's what we should expect and demand.

 

[Ladoga]

You don't know what you claim to know. It's not impossible to not shoot a fleeing suspect who presents limited immediate danger. It's not impossible for police to respond to situations with the force that the situations merit. In fact, it's not just not impossible...it's what we should expect and demand.

There is an ongoing investigation by the GBI which isn't yet complete. The DA jumped the gun and didn't inform GBI. This article and the video linked within it reveal a bit more of the story that the DA may have forgotten to mention. 1. GBI is investigating him. 2. Last week the DA said - video included - that a taser is considered a "deadly weapon".
https://allongeorgia.com/georgia-st...ded-agency-amid-investigation-in-brooks-case/

Sometimes real research is more useful than opinion.

 

[IUCrazy2]

You don't know what you claim to know. It's not impossible to not shoot a fleeing suspect who presents limited immediate danger. It's not impossible for police to respond to situations with the force that the situations merit. In fact, it's not just not impossible...it's what we should expect and demand.

Disagree w.r.t. this situation. Sorry. Not going to go round and round on it because we will not see eye to eye on it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes on this one.

 

[Lucy01]

I think Atlanta’s do nothing Mayor should step up and lead! She should own this she is in charge!

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

After rewatching it's clear that Brooks fire the taser at Rolfe, and in avoiding it Rolfe basically leans against another car. Brooks never really actually turns around to face Rolfe, just seems to kind of twist and stick his arm behind him and sort of haphazardly fire the taser...

So the issue of what Rolfe would know about the taser seems critical. Clearly Rolfe doesn't even shoot at Brooks until after the taser has discharged and Brooks is running away from Rolfe with his back to him. I'm not sure Rolfe could argue that he feared Brooks would turn around and run towards him in attack mode- he shot him twice in the back. He also can't claim (like that transit cop in Oakland a few years back) that he mistook his Glock for his taser.

And then the DA specifically noted statements from witnesses. I'm thinking that there were reasons the DA went with FELONY murder, and not 2nd degree or manslaughter. We may not really know more till the trial, but I go back to the DA mentioning that the other officer was going to testify against Rolfe...

Obviously I’ve never been in a situation like this, but there is no reason to assume that Rolfe automatically knew how many shots had been fired and from which weapons. This all happened in seconds during a ferocious struggle.

It’s easy to say he should have from behind a monitor. I’m guessing it’s quite a bit different in a life or death struggle.

 

[The Vid]

Potentially, but man hindsight is 20/20. Are the cops just supposed to let every person who hasn't committed a terrible crime just run away? If that drunk guy has his car towed and then goes on to wander into traffic or do some other drunkenly negligent thing that gets himself or someone else killed, then that is on the cops too.

They cannot detain him because if he fights then they gotta let him go for fear of hurting him. If he steals their taser and runs off...oh well. The police were completely respectful of that guy until he acted like an idiot. Did he deserve to get shot? I don't know. What I do know is that we are about to make the police's job impossible.

If cops would stop spending their entire existence fking with people, the legitimate situations may go smoother. Instead you’re taking bullys or people who have been bullied, giving them subpar training, then exploiting them to drive revenue and militarize against their fellow citizens. Time for change at the top.

 

[hoosboot]

Disagree w.r.t. this situation. Sorry. Not going to go round and round on it because we will not see eye to eye on it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes on this one.

So, his only option was to shoot this suspect?

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes" is the kind of stupid, insensitive retort shallow people make. You're better than that.

 

[hoosboot]

If cops would stop spending their entire existence fking with people, the legitimate situations may go smoother. Instead your taking bullys or people who have been bullied, giving them subpar training, then exploiting them to drive revenue and militarize against their fellow citizens. Time for change at the top.

That's not how cops spend their entire existence. You do the couple of legitimate points you make a disservice by starting with that.

 

[TDHoosier]

OK . . . should Rolfe be held accountable for his actions?

From doing his job? I'm confused, this actions were the direct effect of being attacked and put in a compromised position.

 

[dbmhoosier]

We just need to train police to shoot for the kneecap. At least that's what slow Joe says.

 

[TDHoosier]

Right. Because we all know that same exact or very close to it scenario doesn't happen hundreds of times a night in various locales across the US? But in THIS particular incident, it would somehow have enraged you? I wonder what the possible difference could be...

This incident didn't "enrage" me one bit. I'm just saying that if he were allowed to just go home as one post suggested then it could make many who have lost love one's due to dumb ass drunk drivers "enraged". This incident to me is nothing more than a guy who police approached due to a call that he was passed out/asleep in a drive thru and when approached he resisted arrest, took a weapon, hit a police officer, shot that weapon at an officer and then fled. The end result was the perp was unfortunately shot and killed by the officers he had just committed the crime against. Had he just not "resisted" he would probably be back in jail for violation of his parole along with a DUI or public intoxication charge to boot.

 

[TDHoosier]

I'd humbly suggest that it would benefit you to learn who Diallo is as it might give you some additional context as you comment on current events.

Imo one event from the past has no bearing on the event that took place in Atlanta. I'll take a hard pass on Diallo.

 

[TDHoosier]

We just need to train police to shoot for the kneecap. At least that's what slow Joe says.

Joe's wife was probably about 6 feet away signaling to him what to say. lol

 

[cosmickid]

Potentially, but man hindsight is 20/20. Are the cops just supposed to let every person who hasn't committed a terrible crime just run away? If that drunk guy has his car towed and then goes on to wander into traffic or do some other drunkenly negligent thing that gets himself or someone else killed, then that is on the cops too.

They cannot detain him because if he fights then they gotta let him go for fear of hurting him. If he steals their taser and runs off...oh well. The police were completely respectful of that guy until he acted like an idiot. Did he deserve to get shot? I don't know. What I do know is that we are about to make the police's job impossible.

Your first paragraph doesn't make sense. If he runs away, the cops call for backup and a tow truck- that's a given. Apparently they called for backup as he was running or after he was shot, because the DA said it was 2 min and 12 sec before they administered first aid. Since the pics showing assistance show 4 officers in the pic, I'm assuming that 2 min and 12 sec was about the time it took for backup to arrive...

Also found this interesting, in light of some of the assumptions we are all making based on viewing 2 or 3 videos and no real knowledge of what witnesses have said...

"Howard said the district attorney’s office was able to interview 10 witnesses to the shooting and watch eight videos that recorded the event. Those videos included surveillance, body camera and personal cellphone video. They also viewed physical evidence, including inspecting the crime scene, canvassing the area and examining the Tasers that were used prior to bringing these charges against the officers."

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/da...d-brooks-shooting/EZ5T5RIXTRHO3O5LYBX6W3VN5U/

 

[The Vid]

Joe's wife was probably about 6 feet away signaling to him what to say. lol

She is probably thankful she doesn’t have to stop him from talking about taking random pills, ingesting disinfectants, etc.

 

[ulrey]

We just need to train police to shoot for the kneecap. At least that's what slow Joe says.

or shoot for the pinky

 

[TommyCracker]

This incident didn't "enrage" me one bit. I'm just saying that if he were allowed to just go home as one post suggested then it could make many who have lost love one's due to dumb ass drunk drivers "enraged". This incident to me is nothing more than a guy who police approached due to a call that he was passed out/asleep in a drive thru and when approached he resisted arrest, took a weapon, hit a police officer, shot that weapon at an officer and then fled. The end result was the perp was unfortunately shot and killed by the officers he had just committed the crime against. Had he just not "resisted" he would probably be back in jail for violation of his parole along with a DUI or public intoxication charge to boot.

You lose me again when you justify shooting by assuming he's going to get into a car and kill someone because he was drunk.

In that case it's going to be hunting season in parking lots after sporting events.

They can just sniper off drunk people walking towards cars in this scenario.

 

[The Vid]

You lose me again when you justify shooting by assuming he's going to get into a car and kill someone because he was drunk.

In that case it's going to be hunting season in parking lots after sporting events.

They can just sniper off drunk people walking towards cars in this scenario.

The slippery slope card is usually number 3 in the playbook after bloodwork and character assassination.

 

[TDHoosier]

She is probably thankful she doesn’t have to stop him from talking about taking random pills, ingesting disinfectants, etc.

I wonder if he can even pronounce the word "disinfectant"? Poor Joe struggles, age is a bitch.

 

[cosmickid]

This incident didn't "enrage" me one bit. I'm just saying that if he were allowed to just go home as one post suggested then it could make many who have lost love one's due to dumb ass drunk drivers "enraged". This incident to me is nothing more than a guy who police approached due to a call that he was passed out/asleep in a drive thru and when approached he resisted arrest, took a weapon, hit a police officer, shot that weapon at an officer and then fled. The end result was the perp was unfortunately shot and killed by the officers he had just committed the crime against. Had he just not "resisted" he would probably be back in jail for violation of his parole along with a DUI or public intoxication charge to boot.

You haven't even watched the video. This was not a "traffic stop", these people had friendly interaction for nearly a half-hour. He had been searched and had his id run, and at one point at least one of the cops allowed him to move his car. All of that occurred before the second officer arrived because the first officer wasn't even sure if he was legally intoxicated.

It was after the 2nd officer arrived and he blew over the limit that he was even arrested. They tried to cuff him, he struggled and grabbed a taser and tried to run away, and in the ensuing foot pursuit fired the taser at Rolfe who then shot him. He didn't injure anyone in a DUI,so there is no reason for anyone to be anymore enraged at him over a DUI than any of the other thousands of people who commit that crime daily in the US. Plenty of people get away with DUI daily, and the only time anyone who has lost a loved one is even made aware of that happening, is if that driver subsequently injures/kills someone while driving drunk.

This claim that Brooks would have done that is fantasy. He wasn't driving on a suspended license and hadn't been stopped for DUI previously. So this isn't a 3 or 4 time DUI offender who was "released" and struck again. Why in the world would victims of DUIs be legitimately more upset over Brooks being released in Atlanta than they would over a business guy from Duluth being released on the same DUI charge? Unless of course, they were racist in how they viewed black vs white on the issue of DUIs...

 

[TDHoosier]

You lose me again when you justify shooting by assuming he's going to get into a car and kill someone because he was drunk.

In that case it's going to be hunting season in parking lots after sporting events.

They can just sniper off drunk people walking towards cars in this scenario.

You lose me when you think I said or insulated he got shot because he was drunk? I didn't think I was speaking pig Latin. Unfortunately I've been drunk in a parking lot and the police took me to jail, I didn't resist I took my punishment it is what it is.

 

[hoosboot]

Imo one event from the past has no bearing on the event that took place in Atlanta. I'll take a hard pass on Diallo.

I'm not surprised that you see it that way, but that's part of the problem.

 

[The Vid]

You haven't even watched the video. This was not a "traffic stop", these people had friendly interaction for nearly a half-hour. He had been searched and had his id run, and at one point at least one of the cops allowed him to move his car. All of that occurred before the second officer arrived because the first officer wasn't even sure if he was legally intoxicated.

It was after the 2nd officer arrived and he blew over the limit that he was even arrested. They tried to cuff him, he struggled and grabbed a taser and tried to run away, and in the ensuing foot pursuit fired the taser at Rolfe who then shot him. He didn't injure anyone in a DUI,so there is no reason for anyone to be anymore enraged at him over a DUI than any of the other thousands of people who commit that crime daily in the US. Plenty of people get away with DUI daily, and the only time anyone who has lost a loved one is even made aware of that happening, is if that driver subsequently injures/kills someone while driving drunk.

This claim that Brooks would have done that is fantasy. He wasn't driving on a suspended license and hadn't been stopped for DUI previously. So this isn't a 3 or 4 time DUI offender who was "released" and struck again. Why in the world would victims of DUIs be legitimately more upset over Brooks being released in Atlanta than they would over a business guy from Duluth being released on the same DUI charge? Unless of course, they were racist in how they viewed black vs white on the issue of DUIs...

Two cops should have been able to cuff his ass and then off to the station, but they failed and compounded their ineptitude by shooting him in the back.

 

[jet812]

That's a pretty odd standard for lethal force. A person may harm someone at some point, so to avoid any further crime just shoot them?

You didn’t answer the question.

 

[jet812]

So, his only option was to shoot this suspect?

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes" is the kind of stupid, insensitive retort shallow people make. You're better than that.

It wasn’t the only option, but may have been the best...

 

[cosmickid]

Imo one event from the past has no bearing on the event that took place in Atlanta. I'll take a hard pass on Diallo.

The point is you guys are making wild assumptions on Brooks. So it seems pretty reasonable to suppose that you'd have done the same in the Diallo case in NYC in 1999. The cops were acquitted of second degree murder in that case, but a young man from Guinea who lived and worked in NYC and had no criminal record was still shot 19 times for the "crime" of reaching for his wallet...

How exactly do 4 highly trained undercover cops fire 41 shots at a single man they "think" might be holding a gun? How many times do you have to actually shoot at and hit someone (that you think resembles a rape suspect) to keep him from shooting you with his wallet? What great "crime" do you imagine someone like Amadou was guilty of that justified being shot down like that? I mean mobsters who point guns at cops are often arrested without a single shot being fired. What did 4 cops find so sinister and frightening about this young Black man who was likely smiling as he went to retrieve his wallet to proudly show his ID?

"41 shots
Lena gets her son ready for school
She says, "On these streets, Charles
You've got to understand the rules
If an officer stops you
Promise me you'll always be polite
And that you'll never ever run away
Promise Mama, you'll keep your hands in sight"

[Pre-Chorus]
Is it a gun? Is it a knife?
Is it a wallet? This is your life
It ain't no secret (It ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (It ain't no secret)
No secret, my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin"

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

The point is you guys are making wild assumptions on Brooks. So it seems pretty reasonable to suppose that you'd have done the same in the Diallo case in NYC in 1999. The cops were acquitted of second degree murder in that case, but a young man from Guinea who lived and worked in NYC and had no criminal record was still shot 19 times for the "crime" of reaching for his wallet...

How exactly do 4 highly trained undercover cops fire 41 shots at a single man they "think" might be holding a gun? How many times do you have to actually shoot at and hit someone (that you think resembles a rape suspect) to keep him from shooting you with his wallet? What great "crime" do you imagine someone like Amadou was guilty of that justified being shot down like that? I mean mobsters who point guns at cops are often arrested without a single shot being fired. What did 4 cops find so sinister and frightening about this young Black man who was likely smiling as he went to retrieve his wallet to proudly show his ID?

"41 shots
Lena gets her son ready for school
She says, "On these streets, Charles
You've got to understand the rules
If an officer stops you
Promise me you'll always be polite
And that you'll never ever run away
Promise Mama, you'll keep your hands in sight"

[Pre-Chorus]
Is it a gun? Is it a knife?
Is it a wallet? This is your life
It ain't no secret (It ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (It ain't no secret)
No secret, my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin"

View embedded media

Why do you keep bringing Diallo up? How does that impact this scenario in any way?

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

You haven't even watched the video. This was not a "traffic stop", these people had friendly interaction for nearly a half-hour. He had been searched and had his id run, and at one point at least one of the cops allowed him to move his car. All of that occurred before the second officer arrived because the first officer wasn't even sure if he was legally intoxicated.

It was after the 2nd officer arrived and he blew over the limit that he was even arrested. They tried to cuff him, he struggled and grabbed a taser and tried to run away, and in the ensuing foot pursuit fired the taser at Rolfe who then shot him. He didn't injure anyone in a DUI,so there is no reason for anyone to be anymore enraged at him over a DUI than any of the other thousands of people who commit that crime daily in the US. Plenty of people get away with DUI daily, and the only time anyone who has lost a loved one is even made aware of that happening, is if that driver subsequently injures/kills someone while driving drunk.

This claim that Brooks would have done that is fantasy. He wasn't driving on a suspended license and hadn't been stopped for DUI previously. So this isn't a 3 or 4 time DUI offender who was "released" and struck again. Why in the world would victims of DUIs be legitimately more upset over Brooks being released in Atlanta than they would over a business guy from Duluth being released on the same DUI charge? Unless of course, they were racist in how they viewed black vs white on the issue of DUIs...

It is my understanding that they weren’t arresting him, they were taking him to the station for another breathalyzer. Whether they explained that to him beforehand is unclear.

 

[IUCrazy2]

If cops would stop spending their entire existence fking with people, the legitimate situations may go smoother. Instead you’re taking bullys or people who have been bullied, giving them subpar training, then exploiting them to drive revenue and militarize against their fellow citizens. Time for change at the top.

Yes the police were called to deal with the pass out drunk in the drive thru lane and they arrived, respectfully interacted with the man, and then attempted to do what they are paid to do (detain a law breaker) and the person flipped out, attacked the cops, stole their weapons, and got himself killed in the process. The cops were not there to mess with anyone. They got called there by people like you and I who don't want some drunken dumbass killing our family on the way home from a Wendy's run.

You don't like all the regulations and bull shit the cops have to enforce, start voting against the people that write all those regulations.

 

[thezinfan1]

How much to airline pilots get paid? How many hours do they work a month? How much training do they have to have before they're qualified to fly?

How much would taxes have to go up to pay for police who can fulfill the qualifications that your implied standards would require?

BTW, I'm not opposed to your suggestion, but I am also aware of how hard of a time the Atlanta police were having filling vacancies long before George Floyd or Rayshard Brooks were killed. One of my sons' best friend in high school considered applying for the Atlanta police force . . . and I feared for him and the community because the kid has a no fear bouncer's mentality. Rugby wasn't a rough enough sport to challenge him . . .

. . . fortunately he washed out of Cobb County's police academy and now is very happy working in a big box store as a department manager . . . .

Including pensions and overtime, we pay our police pretty well. Add in the several billions that are paid out in lawsuits annually against police departments, and its a pretty big per officer cost.

 

[Lucy01]

The point is you guys are making wild assumptions on Brooks. So it seems pretty reasonable to suppose that you'd have done the same in the Diallo case in NYC in 1999. The cops were acquitted of second degree murder in that case, but a young man from Guinea who lived and worked in NYC and had no criminal record was still shot 19 times for the "crime" of reaching for his wallet...

How exactly do 4 highly trained undercover cops fire 41 shots at a single man they "think" might be holding a gun? How many times do you have to actually shoot at and hit someone (that you think resembles a rape suspect) to keep him from shooting you with his wallet? What great "crime" do you imagine someone like Amadou was guilty of that justified being shot down like that? I mean mobsters who point guns at cops are often arrested without a single shot being fired. What did 4 cops find so sinister and frightening about this young Black man who was likely smiling as he went to retrieve his wallet to proudly show his ID?

"41 shots
Lena gets her son ready for school
She says, "On these streets, Charles
You've got to understand the rules
If an officer stops you
Promise me you'll always be polite
And that you'll never ever run away
Promise Mama, you'll keep your hands in sight"

[Pre-Chorus]
Is it a gun? Is it a knife?
Is it a wallet? This is your life
It ain't no secret (It ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (It ain't no secret)
No secret, my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin"

View embedded media

GFY twice!

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

We should be discussing officer Brosnan and the railroading he’s currently getting.

Here’s an officer who did everything by the book, didn’t draw his weapon, attempted to chase the suspect on foot, got taserEd, suffered a concussion and other injuries.......and is now facing felony assault charges for his trouble.

How is that defensible?

You WANT police officers to respond in the manner in which he did.

 

[Sope Creek]

We should be discussing officer Brosnan and the railroading he’s currently getting.

Here’s an officer who did everything by the book, didn’t draw his weapon, attempted to chase the suspect on foot, got taserEd, suffered a concussion and other injuries.......and is now facing felony assault charges for his trouble.

How is that defensible?

You WANT police officers to respond in the manner in which he did.

He put his knee or foot on Brooks as Brooks lay dying . . . and didn't provide or seek aid for the dying man all the while.

 

[Sope Creek]

From doing his job? I'm confused, this actions were the direct effect of being attacked and put in a compromised position.

Sez you. Those are conclusions that aren't supported by the evidence, at least not yet anyway. Try again, TDH.

 

[The Vid]

Yes the police were called to deal with the pass out drunk in the drive thru lane and they arrived, respectfully interacted with the man, and then attempted to do what they are paid to do (detain a law breaker) and the person flipped out, attacked the cops, stole their weapons, and got himself killed in the process. The cops were not there to mess with anyone. They got called there by people like you and I who don't want some drunken dumbass killing our family on the way home from a Wendy's run.

You don't like all the regulations and bull shit the cops have to enforce, start voting against the people that write all those regulations.

If you had basic reading comprehension skills you would realize that I wasn’t disputing the reason for this particular stop. I do believe police culture contributes to these type of scenarios escalating. Especially when it’s a real possibility that you could die if you land on a cops radar.

It’s sometimes hard to vote for one direct item as you suggest but I do my best. This particular problem has many layers.

I still stand by the idea that if cops would stop fking with random people over minutiae they could establish and maintain better relationships with their communities.

 

[Sope Creek]

What if Mr Brooks grabbed the gun instead of the taser?......

What if?

You want to play the "what if" game?

The fact is that Brooks didn't grab the officer's gun . . . he grabbed a taser. That's why the courts operate on the basis of what happened rather than all the what ifs that are possible . . .

. . . please come again.

 

[Sope Creek]

Whomever the criminal may harm. Maybe he wouldn’t harm anyone. I’d rather not chance it. If you live in that neighborhood, what percentage of another crime being committed (drunk driving, assaulting someone, which he had already shown he was willing to do), are you willing to deem acceptable?

In this instance "the criminal" may include Officer Rolfe. That's what a trial will be for, to determine whether he's a criminal.

 

[i'vegotwinners]

nothing happened here that politicians can ever solve, regardless of how great it would be if they could.

possibly frustration was the cause on both sides as much as anything.

obviously the cop way over reacted and used horrible judgement he can never take back.

i wonder how many soldiers have seen similar tragedy that happened in the moment, that everyone wishes hadn't gone down as it did, and will haunt them for life as well as devastate the other side of the encounter for life.

if only this or that hadn't happened, that everyone will regret for life.

if only life had an edit button.

but let's not forget this all unexpectedly happened in an instant, and is nothing like the Floyd or Arbery cases.

or that the cop's and his family's lives have been ruined as well in that same instant.

this should be seen as an all around horrible horrible tragedy, not something to make political hay of, or to throw more gas on an already raging fire the media is already dumping gas on by the fire hose.