So many things to say here.
So many things to say here.
#policemisconduct
Originally shared by Chris Kim A
A grandfather with dementia was shot and killed by a Bakersfield Police officer early Monday morning after it was reported he had a gun. Police found no weapon on him and say he was holding a crucifix.
http://laist.com/2016/12/14/francisco_serna_shooting.php
#policemisconduct
Originally shared by Chris Kim A
A grandfather with dementia was shot and killed by a Bakersfield Police officer early Monday morning after it was reported he had a gun. Police found no weapon on him and say he was holding a crucifix.
http://laist.com/2016/12/14/francisco_serna_shooting.php
Comments
Woman says Serna had his hand in his pocket and it 'might have' been a gun. Boyfriend translates that to 'man brandishing a firearm.' Police translate that to armed and dangerous, because, wow, it's much too risky when you could, at any moment, be torn limb from limb by a senior citizen on PCP.
Serna was likely confabulating and wasn't even fully aware of his actions at any point. (My father has dementia, and his confabulations included waiting for his new bride from China, to an assassination plot by his brother and my Mom, to 'they' dropping boulders in the driveway to keep him from escaping.)
The police shot an unarmed 73 year-old with dementia. That's not a job well done by any measure.
- He's a senior. Are you sure he can hear you?
- Are you sure he speaks English?
- Did you actually see a weapon?
- Did the man actually brandish a weapon? Or is it now illegal to have things in your pockets?
- Might the person reporting have made an error? How much effort did the officer responding put into ascertaining if it was actually true? (Apart from a neighbor saying, 'That's the guy!')