Gaithersburg Officer Shoots Armed Robbery Suspect

You made me think after reading your comment. Every article I ever read where there was an armed robbery always stated what kind of weapon they use. This only says there was a piece of paper passed thatsaid there was a weapon. It never states the officer saw it or what it was (gun, Knife ) What did he have and why was he shot? I always thought a taser paralized the victim, so why would they take a chance and shoot him,and possibly kill him, instead of handcuff him? I thought you use tasers so a gun wouldn't have to be used? I am really confused can some one please explain this to me. It seems so ridiculous. I have always been against guns!

If the guy said he had a gun, the cop was right to shoot him if he resisted in ANY way. It's always a good day when a cop shoots a criminal.

Heck, usually the cops just give tickets in this town.......

Lucy Weller wrote:

<quoted text>WHY DID THEY SHOOT HIM...

He SAID he had a gun. Why would the cops second guess him? Maybe he made a threatening move and the cops thought he was reaching for the gun that HE claimed (to the people he robbed) he had. The cops were right to shoot him to protect themselves.

You seem to sympathize with the criminal. I find this very disturbing.

Lucy Weller wrote:

<quoted text>YOU WOULD NOT BE SAYING IT WAS A GOOD DAY BECAUSE HE WAS SHOT BY A COP

No, I would be sad and asking why my son MADE A CHOICE to do a crime. I would ask where I, as a parent, failed him. I certainly would not blame the cops! That's ridiculous. That isn't even sane, that's just crazy. Again, I am very deeply disturbed when I hear of a case where a criminal does their criminal act and people think the consequences are OTHER peoples' fault!!! This is very sick and very twisted and a symptom that there is something very very wrong in our society. Criminals should be dealt with harshly and mercilessly so normal people can go about their lives and not be injured or worse by them.

Scoff wrote:

<quoted text>
No, I would be sad and asking why my son MADE A CHOICE to do a crime. I would ask where I, as a parent, failed him. I certainly would not blame the cops! That's ridiculous. That isn't even sane, that's just crazy. Again, I am very deeply disturbed when I hear of a case where a criminal does their criminal act and people think the consequences are OTHER peoples' fault!!! This is very sick and very twisted and a symptom that there is something very very wrong in our society. Criminals should be dealt with harshly and mercilessly so normal people can go about their lives and not be injured or worse by them.

the police responded to a suspicious person call, not a man with a gun, therefore when they shot him they had no clue he said or implied he had a gun. He is definitly wrong for what he did, but a tazor should had be used instead of a gun. I never read that he pointed a gun at the cops or even showed one. Cops should only fire thier guns when a gun is shot or pointed at them and there life is in grave danger, I just feel they over reacted and a tazor should have been sufficant..

2 Years ago, someone reported a suspicious person in the neighborhood. The police came out and found this man trying to get into a window. They called to him to stop but he must not have heard them. They shot him with a taser gun and as he fell he went into his pocket to grab his ID and was then shot and killed him. This man was my son, who was trying to get into our house where he lived. He didn't have his key and must not have wanted to wake us up. I won a big lawsuit, was that suppose to replace him? I think not. Don't tell me about the gun ho cops, do you think they care about there jobs? think again. I also am following this case and everyone like it. I read nothing about a gun or a knife, and believe me if he had a gun or a knife it would have been reported immediately. Cops stick up for their own. The truck was on the news and the licence plate wasn't covered. Maybe some of you should look up taser and see how many wrongful deaths are caused by these police weapons. For both to be used is inexcuseable. A taser paralizes a person so he or she can be handcuffed and so a gun is not necessary. I no longer have a son, or a grandchild, or the joy of watching him reach his potential. I will grieve the rest of my days.

SCOTT, sounds like your a cop or a wannabe cop..If no gun was displayed then the tazor was enough... "mom" sorry for your son's loss, there are many over zealous cops who look for any oppurtunity to use thier pistol...It happens in D.C. everyday, but no one says nothing because they are minorites..Hopefully this case will shed some light on these trigger happy cops, what they did is act like a criminal to....VERY UNPROFESSIONAL...TONY

Scoff wrote:

<quoted text>
No, I would be sad and asking why my son MADE A CHOICE to do a crime. I would ask where I, as a parent, failed him. I certainly would not blame the cops! That's ridiculous. That isn't even sane, that's just crazy. Again, I am very deeply disturbed when I hear of a case where a criminal does their criminal act and people think the consequences are OTHER peoples' fault!!! This is very sick and very twisted and a symptom that there is something very very wrong in our society. Criminals should be dealt with harshly and mercilessly so normal people can go about their lives and not be injured or worse by them.

I have 3 kids in college and one in prison..I don't blame myself for what my son did, and I never failed him as a parent, he was a twin to my other son who has a 4.0 gpa GW. its not the parants fault for the bad choices the kids make, shi-t happens Scott..you should retract your statment..And I pray that your kid never uses drugs and does something stupid were a cop might shoot him, because his old man will be happy and say it was a good day.....

WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THE SUBWAY ROBBERIES??? Has anyone noticed how incredibly popular Subway stores have become for armed robberers?? Not only in the DC area but all across the country (even Hawaii), Australia and Europe. What is the deal? Is it possible that it is just well-known amongst criminals that Subway keeps large amounts of cash on hand or something (not enough bank drops)- or perhaps has poor security/easy target?- I don't know. Most of these armed robberies seem to be perpetrated by white/black/hispanic/asian young males in their teens to their their early twenties. In some cases people have been hurt and a few killed during these armed robberies. Subway may be up there with convienence stores, banks, liquor stores.. I worry for the people who get paid minimum wage who work in these places and are potentially at risk and may not even be aware of it. A lot of teenagers and young people work in these places too. Would you want your teen face-to-face with a gun barrel?- or even a note claiming they had a gun? Mind you, I think Subway has a great product (and I admire their social health conscience) but they should probably install a few security cameras (assuming they don't) to avoid being such a popular target.

Also if it was known already that the individual to have commited this crime was an extremely dangerous person - say for example he was the guy that beat his psychiatrist to death - would anyone care that he was shot or think to question the circumstances of the shooting?

It would appear that there is not a lot of data on the Kentlands Gaithersburg armed robbery - but, I suppose that would be usual for an on-going investigation.

No I sure am not a cop nor do I want to be one! I don't envy them their jobs. I know a couple, that's about it.

My initial reaction was knee-jerk and insensitive. I presumed this guy was a thug and that the earlier posters (in this forum and another) were playing the "blame game" where it's never the persons' fault for their reactions. That really hacks me off when people say the cops are being too tough becuase frankly I feel we as a society are not near tough enough on criminals.

Mistakes happen and innocent people get shot and I am sorry for that. I'm not trying to appologize for these mistakes and they need to not happen but I can understand why they do. Think of the context of the cops' jobs. Every day they are dealing with the most vile scum. They are seeing the worst that humanity has to offer. They are in danger all the time. And it's getting worse and worse because society is being torn appart by political correctness, sensitivity, lawsuits, etc. This creates fertile ground in which criminals flourish.

So here you have these guys trying to keep the savages from affecting the normal people who are just trying to go about their business and live respectful, lawful lives. They are in constant danger as criminals are getting bolder for the above mentioned reasons. I'd imagine these guys are pretty much assuming the worst ALL the time. This causes them to make mistakes out of being overzealous or over cautious.

I'm not excusing it, I'm just saying this is what I understand happens.

You know what though? Annon is right, the investigation continues. I stand by my general statements above, but I should not have made assumptions about this particular incident until all the facts are in.

Police should be trained to assess a situation before they react! I believe that under most circumstances they have probable cause. In this case since it was just printed in the Examiner that the weapon used was a hammer, I find it hard to believe that 2 officers using a taser couldn't subdue this 22 yr old. Just to clairify what a taser does to a person, it sends 50,000 volts of electricity into a body rendering it paralized long enough for the suspect to be handcuffed. The volt recieved from a normal outlet shock is 125. The question is, is a hammer a deadly enough weapon to shoot anyone. If this robber was a pro he would not be using such a ridiculous instrument to rob a place. At twenty two yrs old there is plenty of time for rehabilitation in prison, and opportunity to be a productive citizen. Are we so cruel a society that we no longer respect life at all cost? For sure this man deserves jail time, but I find it hard to believe that he needed to be shot when more than one officer was at the scene.

I know what a taser does and how it works. I also know they can kill certain people and have little effect on other people.

I think you are going down a twisty road logically. Should the cops always assume that a weapon is not-so-deadly and use less force, or should they act based on their experience, assume the worst? Are you saying the cops should use a level of force based on the damage potential of the weapon the criminal is using? Like if he has a gun, shoot; if he has a knife shoot but only in the leg; if he has a hammer then taser; if he has no weapon then just slap him in the face not hard enough to leave a mark but so that it's still real stingy?

I mean, what the hell? I'd rather the cops assume the worst in order to protect themselves and the public!

The underlying theme that is incredibly disturbing in some of these posts is that you sympathize for the Criminal ! Take a step back and try to be intellectually honest here and THINK about how sick our society has become when we worry about the wellbeing of the those that prey on us !!

From the police press release "... passed a note to the manager announcing a robbery and stating that he had a gun.....It was later determined that the suspect was in possession of a hammer.....The suspect, who was out on bond from a previous criminal charge..."

Out on bond from a previous charge. Um, yeah... Let's feel bad for this POS.

Scott, I never wanted a personal conversation with you. I was directing my information to thoes who have no knowledge of how the process is supposed to work. Unlike you I have first hand knowledge. I do not agree with you and have my right to my oppion as you have yours. So lets just agree to disagree.

Scoff wrote:

No I sure am not a cop nor do I want to be one! I don't envy them their jobs. I know a couple, that's about it.
My initial reaction was knee-jerk and insensitive. I presumed this guy was a thug and that the earlier posters (in this forum and another) were playing the "blame game" where it's never the persons' fault for their reactions. That really hacks me off when people say the cops are being too tough becuase frankly I feel we as a society are not near tough enough on criminals.
Mistakes happen and innocent people get shot and I am sorry for that. I'm not trying to appologize for these mistakes and they need to not happen but I can understand why they do. Think of the context of the cops' jobs. Every day they are dealing with the most vile scum. They are seeing the worst that humanity has to offer. They are in danger all the time. And it's getting worse and worse because society is being torn appart by political correctness, sensitivity, lawsuits, etc. This creates fertile ground in which criminals flourish.
So here you have these guys trying to keep the savages from affecting the normal people who are just trying to go about their business and live respectful, lawful lives. They are in constant danger as criminals are getting bolder for the above mentioned reasons. I'd imagine these guys are pretty much assuming the worst ALL the time. This causes them to make mistakes out of being overzealous or over cautious.
I'm not excusing it, I'm just saying this is what I understand happens.
You know what though? Annon is right, the investigation continues. I stand by my general statements above, but I should not have made assumptions about this particular incident until all the facts are in.

I noticed that your area changed, is that because your son is a cop? or will be one soon? Seems awful coincidental to me. Sometimes our views become clouded when it is something that does or may involve our children.

A MOM wrote:

Police should be trained to assess a situation before they react! I believe that under most circumstances they have probable cause. In this case since it was just printed in the Examiner that the weapon used was a hammer, I find it hard to believe that 2 officers using a taser couldn't subdue this 22 yr old. Just to clairify what a taser does to a person, it sends 50,000 volts of electricity into a body rendering it paralized long enough for the suspect to be handcuffed. The volt recieved from a normal outlet shock is 125. The question is, is a hammer a deadly enough weapon to shoot anyone. If this robber was a pro he would not be using such a ridiculous instrument to rob a place. At twenty two yrs old there is plenty of time for rehabilitation in prison, and opportunity to be a productive citizen. Are we so cruel a society that we no longer respect life at all cost? For sure this man deserves jail time, but I find it hard to believe that he needed to be shot when more than one officer was at the scene.

I don't believe that police officers can afford to second guess the weapon of choice for a criminal. It is a split second decision and depends a lot on the circumstances of what is going on at the time. I do know a lot of police officers - not relatives, just friends, I worry about them every time I know they are out on the street. I try to understand that they are given a split second choice and the unfortunate part of that, is making the wrong one which either costs their life or someone elses. Mistakes are made - as we read here, this woman's son is shot and killed because he was trying to get into his own home - the really sad part of this, the officer could not assume or wait to find out what this young man was reaching for. My deepest sympathy to you Mom for your needless lost. I can only image what I would feel. It is much easier to look from the outside and second guess what should have been done. Tasers are effective on the majority of people, but I know of incidents where a young man hopped up on drugs was shot by police at least 6 times before he stopped his attack. He was not killed but he will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair - NEEDLESS - he was yielding an axe and swinging it at anyone that came close to him - because he was angry and drugged up. Overreaction by police officers - once again, I wasn't there, I know that his aunt stated that this young man had every intention of hurting someone. That is one reason I never allowed by young son outside near dark or after dark with a toy weapon - where he and his playmate would dress up like robbers and shoot each other - the police were called on one occasion - I was furious, this could have been a horrible tragedy - you see my son was all of 10 years old playing a game, dressed in dark clothes, as was his friend and someone called the police and reported two "men" with guns going through the neighborhood. To make a long story short, I quit working nights, so I could stay home and supervise my child. IT could have ended up much like Mom's story. Police officers don't have time to ask how old this person is, they simply see a weapon and assume the worst.