Mediaite – by Matt WilsteinIn the name of transparency following the outrage over the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer last week, St. Louis police have put out cell phone video that shows two officers shooting and killing a man who approached them brandishing a knife and yelling “Shoot me!”
Police identified the man as 25-year-old Kajieme Powell, who was suspected of stealing from a nearby convenience store. Officers arrived on the scene after receiving two separate 911 calls reporting Powell’s erratic behavior. The two officers fired a combined 12 shots at Powell, killing him instantly, after he refused to drop the steak knife he was holding and continued moving towards them.
“I don’t think any of us can deny that the tension not only in St. Louis but around the county and the world because of the activities in Ferguson over the last 10 or 12 days certainly has led to us making sure that we got this right and answered as many questions as we could as quickly as we can,” St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson told St. Louis Public Radio about his decision to quickly release the video below along with surveillance footage and audio of the 911 calls.
WARNING – Content of video below is GRAPHIC (via stlpublicradio.com):
I really hate to have to defend this shooting because killing really should be a final option. Yet, the fact is, a person wielding a knife properly, can be on top of you in less than 1.5 seconds at about 21 feet. Maybe one of the cops could’ve tried a Taser, but if it was me in the same shoes there, the gun would be the first choice too. This shooting looked as clean as they get to me.
This is aside from the police state bullshit, militarization of a CIVILIAN entity and thuggish brutality.
I didn’t see nothin but some dude get wacked…???
2 officers both with guns drawn why? 1 officer should be carrying a gun the other a taser, he could have been taken down with a taser. over what looks like the theft of 2 soda’s .
Too far away, I never saw a knife. But lets assume he had one, if he charged ANYONE with it, killing in self defense is legitimate. Even if it was a cop coming at you with a gun, self defense is legitimate.
On another note, don’t try and band this with what happened to Brown.