Plain clothes Florida cop executes Black Church Drummer on I-95

[RolloTheGreat]

Point is you have no idea who is approaching you.

You're edging closer to what I think the most likely answer is here.

The drummer guy may well have bought the handgun because he had been threatened recently or in some sort of dangerous situation.

Seeing the van, guy who didn't look like a cop telling him to do whatever the cop asked might have freaked him out. Maybe booze or weed clouding his judgment a bit, maybe he just flashed back on being threatened and thought the cop was a threat.

The cop sees a guy pull a handgun, which he sees a lot and means "Shoot or die" to him because he doesn't know this is just some nice drummer who was recently rattled and bought a hand gun because he doesn't like to feel helpless. (like anyone else)

Tragic misunderstanding on both parts occurs, cop is more ready to shoot because he's used to it.

That or there's something we don't know and this is suicide by cop.

Those two "add up" more than "cop with years of experience risking life to protect public goes nuts and decides he wants to kill a guy for no reason in a year he knows it will spark a HUGE investigation, perhaps riots, and surely national scrutiny".

The last "could" be true, and if so I hope they lock this cop up and throw away the key, pay guys family millions. But to me, the first explanation seems most likely.

When you have 12 million arrests a year, and a huge chunk of the population carrying handguns because they're afraid of being accosted by criminals, tragedies like this are going to happen a tiny percent of the time.

I don't have a good answer for the problem, and agree it is a problem. If cops aren't as quick to shoot when someone points a gun at them, we get dead cops and less people wanting the job. Would you apply for a job where the rule was "OK some guys will point guns at you, but some of them will be frightened or misunderstanding decent people. You have to wait until they start shooting to fire."?

P.S. I should note I don't know who I think is to blame in this yet. I just don't think proclaiming "Another one that will get away with another roadside execution." before the investigation is settled is fair to anyone, the cop or the drummer.

You weren't there, you don't know.