Leslie

It was a case of mistaken identity. An innocent person was shot in the head 7 times. Is there something I'm missing?

Redlippie

My husband did that too from about the same age. His uncle and dad were in it too, before him. He did mosty moto-x racing. Loads of spilled guts to pick up

Dogbyte

It appears you are. De Menedes was sought because A) he lived in the same block of flats that Osman(the proper suspect)did. B)He resembled the known photo of Osman. C) both in size and stature. D) De Menedes library card found alongside or inside the rucksack bomb disguarded by Osman when he chickened out of the bombing. As for 7 shots,I agree a bit over the top but whatever training you have you make a decision at that moment and carry it out.I say OTT because they have now made public they used dum dum bullets which are certain to cause instant death in a head shot with probably one bullet.But,as they say,at the end of the day, "I wasnt there to make that decision ".

Dogbyte

I have to diagree with you,sorry.My first course on firearms consisted me of going to a cellar firearms range under Salford Police Station.I was issued with a .38 Smith and Wesson with a 3 inch barrel.Over a 25 yards range I was given 50 rounds of ammo.I had never fired a gun before except at a fairground.I achieved a score with both hands,standing,lying and behind a barricade,either side of 91%.Pass score was 75%.I was then given my 'ticket' and within a week on operational patrol against the PIRA.I picked up my weapon at a local Police Station complete with 12 rounds of ammo.5 to be loaded and 7 kept in an Old Holborn tobacco tin with bits of tobacco in.A shoulder holster which was ill fitting. And out on patrol we went.I would point out that a lot of officers issued with guns in the 50/60's were ex forces so they were expected to be able to bear arms and know what to do with them. Having seen some of them I wouldnt trust them wityh a broom never mind a gun!.I did however progress,and usingf handguns and a sniper rifle/shotgun for house entry.But those are times gone by.

elfman

Are you 100% sure about this bit? I can find no reference to this anywhere.

Are you getting confused with this:

According to the leaked documents, police initially went to the block of flats where Mr Menezes lived in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill, because of a gym membership card found at the scene of the attempted Shepherd's Bush bombing. The card was registered to bomb suspect Osman Hussain and another man, believed to have lived in the Scotia Road flats.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4159310.stm

elfman

Menezes wasn't "sought" by anyone - he was followed and shot by the police because they thought he was someone else.

Dogbyte

I stand corrected, I used an incorrect wording.(sought) Secondly I again stand corrected over the name on the card,due to age and senior moments confusion over some facts get mixed up.As a younger person, I'm sure you can make some sense of my ramblings.Have patience.I keep getting interupted by people pushing past with zimmer frames !.

another bloody yank

First off, hitting someone in a leg or arm when you're pumped up on adrenaline, possibly been running, the subject possibly moving, is not easy and probably next to impossible. Especially with a handgun. Look at the number of shot fired vs. hits in many confrontations even at extremely close range. Second, if the threat is great enough to shoot at all, it's great enough to kill. A shot in a leg or arm will give the subject plenty of time to fire a gun or detonate an explosive. Third, a shot in a leg that hits the femoral artery will kill in a few minutes due to blood loss, not an hour. The same for any of the major atreries.

hatfield1

Ya ok I can see what you’re saying. It’s a bit funny though that shoot to kill is the fist response. I mean what happens when it’s some poor bloke that doesn’t have a bomb?

another bloody yank

I'm no cop, but I doubt that it's usually the first response, it depends on the situation I'm sure. Put yourself in the mind of the cops, if you've been told that a man has just shot someone and is certainly armed and very dangerous, then late that night you stop a man fitting that suspect's description exactly, you're going to very keyed up and the thought that he is going to pull a pistol and fire on you is playing over and over in your mind until you've practically convinced yourself it's going to happen. Then he ignores your command to raise his arms and instead quickly reaches inside his jacket pulls an object out. You fire and he falls dead. Turns out that he was a foreign national that did not speak english and was removing his ID from his pocket.

I know police train using scenarios just like that, but that isn't going to stop such incidents all the time. Especially with a young, inexperienced officer. We had just such an incident in a nearby town a few years ago. Two men dead, and the officer went to trial for manslaughter. I think he was aquitted by a jury, IIRC. EDIT: Aquitted, but settled a civil suit with another civil suit pending http://www.columbiamissourian.com/st...amilies-grief/

BTW I don't know the ins and outs of the particular case that is the original topic, I'm just giving general information based on my very limited knowlege of such things.

Manc

Britain is not a police state and the police have no right going around shooting people 7 times in the head.

BigDavyG

Well if your femoral artery gets hit it won't take you an hour to bite the dust.

BigDavyG

You make it sound as if it is government policy and that it happens every day.

Catch a grip.

Scouse Express

Try telling that to these guys......that you are not allowed to go around shooting people

http://www.eliteukforces.info/specia...anian-embassy/

Jim.

Thydney

Hardly the same thing. I would have quoted the Gibraltar shootings as a comparison. Even then they weren't 'innocent'. The heat of the moment is what most people don't understand you can practice all you want real life is very different.