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Sunday, September 23, 2012

Houston Police Shoot Wheelchair-Bound Amputee Threatening People With Pen

(CNN) -- A Houston police officer shot and killed a schizophrenic, wheelchair-bound double amputee threatening people with a pen at a group home for the mentally ill after authorities said the man advanced on the officer's partner. The shooting occurred early Saturday morning after police responded to a call that resident Brian Claunch was acting aggressively after his caretaker refused to give him a cigarette and a soda, the owner of the home and police said. "The officers made verbal commands for the suspect to drop whatever he had in his hand, to stay still and to speak with the officers, but the suspect continued to make threats," Jodi Silva, a police spokeswoman, told CNN affiliate KTRK in Houston. More

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do not consider a wheelchair bound man advancing on a healthy police officer to be a threat, but I guarantee the cop will get away with it. If I was to shoot somebody who wasn't an immediate threat, would I not be charged and jailed? Something needs to be done about these trigger happy punk cops.

Anonymous said...

Please don't give us peace loving punks a bad name by using terms like 'punk cops'. Punks have been trying to warn folks about the democrat/republican plan since the late 70s.

Anonymous said...

I think it must suck to be a cop now in this day and age. when I was a kid my Mom & Dad tought me to respect the police. But with there actions I have no respect at all for cops. I think they must teach them in cop school every buddy is the boggie man and don't trust anyone. Just like the TSA searching an 80yo for bombs in her diper give me a brake. What ever hapend to serve and protect. Shooting an amputee in a wheelchare with a pen. Make My Day

Anonymous said...

It's my understanding that the cop who shot and killed the person in the wheelchair, was NOT the cop being advanced upon by the person in wheelchair.

Is that correct?

The cop that WASN'T being directly threatened was the one who shot and killed?

Anonymous said...

746, although I agree with your point, you really need to consider going back and finishing 6th grade, or fifth, or whenever you quit school. Really, you should.

lmclain said...

Aren't the police supposed to be TRAINED in how to diffuse and handle "tense" situations (and a wheelchair bound guy with a PEN threatening people can hardly rise much above pathetic, and barely "tense")? C'mon man. Aren't they supposed to Tazer him and while he's on the ground, beat the holy crap out of FIRST? BEFORE they claim he "made them fear for their lives" and were forced to shoot that dangerous man? They must have either not read the police manual on the proper process for murdering civilians or THOUGHT the class was "Constitutional Law and Public Service" and skipped it. And here we are....

Anonymous said...

6:08 The point is what I say is true. I no my spelling is far from good but I have Dyslecksia So I no reading,spelling, and every thing related to the two I will never be good at. But I don't blame the school's my Teachers or any thing or any one else for the way things are I don't take hand outs don't look for the easy way out and I don't look down at others with disabilties. I judge people by there actions.

Anonymous said...

We've had local instances where objects that people were holding were mistaken for weapons.I won't go into detail by explaining specifically when those incidents occurred because we all remember.My point is(no pun intended)that any object being waved around in a threatening manner can be interpreted as a weapon.This guy might have had a history of attacking people,wheelchair or not.

Anonymous said...

Only takes a few pounds of pressure to pull a trigger and unless an individual has no arms it's a non issue!

Anonymous said...

Only takes a few pounds of pressure to pull a trigger and unless an individual has no arms it's a non issue!

September 24, 2012 10:19 AM

What?

Anonymous said...

We've had local instances where objects that people were holding were mistaken for weapons.I won't go into detail by explaining specifically when those incidents occurred because we all remember.

I don't.

My point is(no pun intended)that any object being waved around in a threatening manner can be interpreted as a weapon.

There is no pun, intended or otherwise.

This guy might have had a history of attacking people,wheelchair or not.

September 24, 2012 9:41 AM

EVEN if that were true, how would the cop know that?

And from what I understand, the cop that shot him was NOT the one being 'threatened'.

This is the second time this particular officer has shot and killed a suspect. For whatever that is worth.

I'm sure if the cop had used a taser he would be bashed for tasing a guy in a wheelchair.

BUT the guy would be ALIVE.

lmclain said...

..."could be mistaken for a weapon." Are you for real? Gotta be a cop. ONLY a cop would walk into a room, see a man in IN A WHEELCHAIR, waving an INK PEN, and MISIDENTIFY the ink pen as a life-threatening pistol or knife. And only a cop would even CONSIDER trying to justify two -- two! - men in body armor, trained in self defense, being UNABLE to subdue a man who can't even walk. Without shooting him to death. Like a prior poster said -- if a citizen shoots someone in a wheelchair waving an INK PEN, they would NEVER be able to plead "self defense" or justifable homicide. It would straight murder, facing 25-life. Can you imagine trying to tell his family how he died? Protect and serve, my ass.

Anonymous said...

Protect and serve, my ass.

September 24, 2012 11:53 AM

Oh, I know. It finally hit me.

The cop was thinking, ready?, the pen is mightier than the sword.

lol

Anonymous said...

The shooting took place early Saturday morning at a home for the mentally ill. An employee called police to report that resident Brian Claunch was acting aggressively against a caretaker who refused to give him a cigarette and a soda, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Claunch, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had lost an arm and a leg in a train accident and was sitting in a wheelchair. He trapped a policeman in a corner with his wheelchair and tried to stab him with an object later identified as a silver pen, the Chronicle said.

When Claunch refused police orders to drop the object, the trapped officer's partner shot and killed him, the newspaper said.

Niiiiiiiiice.

Bet he wishes he gave him the cig and soda now.

And I was correct. The PARTNER of the cornered cop was the one who shot and killed wheelchair man.

HOW THREATENED did that cop feel? And remember, this is the second time this cop has shot and killed someone.

Anonymous said...

9:41-I was referring to the MSP shooting near Princess Anne,where the only thing the guy had in his hand was a cane.Both officers were exonerated.

Anonymous said...

9:41-I was referring to the MSP shooting near Princess Anne,where the only thing the guy had in his hand was a cane.Both officers were exonerated.

September 24, 2012 3:32 PM

I'm not familiar with that one. I heard of the one where a driver did two or more u-turns on rt 13 and got stuck in the median and was shot and killed, but he had no cane.

Anonymous said...

This just shows the true cowardly nature of police. They are nothing but cowards and this is proof. They act so tough but are in most cases no different than the criminals they harass every day.