And yet another death by cop while fleeing

[orphanedhawk]

Police Shooting Death Of Immigrant Suspect Prompts Federal Lawsuit Against San Francisco, Police Chief

Family members of a Guatemalan immigrant shot and killed by police earlier this year are the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed against San Francisco and Police Chief Greg Suhr on Friday.

Police were called out to Folsom and 24th streets the night of February 26th on a disturbance call. There they found 20-year-old Amilcar Perez-Lopez armed with a knife. Chief Suhr told reporters at that time that Lopez had lunged at officers and that they had no choice but to open fire.

Family attorney Arnoldo Casillas said an independent autopsy that revealed the young man was shot multiple times in the back, which indicates Perez-Lopez was fleeing police at the time and not lunging at officers.

Casillas said the police are trying to cover up what really happened.

“This is an absolutely unjustified homicide,” said Casillas. “When Amilcar’s parents asked for justice, this is the justice they’re talking about,” Casillas said.

Matt Dorsey from the city attorney’s office said it would be premature to comment on any of the legal allegations. He did say the evidence so far indicates that it was an appropriate use of force.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/04/24/federal-lawsuit-filed-against-sf-police-chief-city-county-in-deadly-officer-involved-shooting-of-immigrant/

[orphanedhawk]

It's hard to tell isn't it ?
My gut tells me it has gotten worse though I think in certain places it's always been bad.
I place the problem on the way our police are being trained and the militarization of the police. Both are to blame but that's just my opinion of course.

[Dee1956]

I agree, no one knows that this person assaulted anyone before being shot in the back.

All of these instances really worry me.  Has it always been like this and now  with social media we are seeing it?  Or has it escalated?

I recently watched a documentary where a man with a hidden camera went to 20 or more police stations asking for a form to file a complaint and he was treated very badly.  No one would give him the form and in some cases they arrested him, for requesting a form.  Not one station gave him the form.

[Vance2335]

Lets say he did assault the police with a knife, so the police are supposed to take his picture as he runs away from them? Whatever.

[Barb135]

While people shouldn't necessarily be killed for running from the police, there have been instances where they've gotten away and before they could be apprehended they have killed or hurt more innocent people.  The police have to make judgement calls in those situations and if someone has assaulted a police officer, chances are, they won't bat an eye at assaulting someone else.

[orphanedhawk]

Whether he actually assaulted the police is not known. If he was shot due to assaulting the police, it would not have been in his back.
But running away from the police should not give the police permission to kill you !
There are cameras everywhere. Take his photo, get the guy's ID or how about following him and making an arrest at a later date ?

Nobody should be killed for  running away !

[el_em_en_oh]

You beat me to it... don't run away from the police, after you've just assaulted one of their own.

And OH... how would YOU have stopped a man, that had just assaulted a cop, that was running away from the scene of the crime? Shout loudly at him? Throw your gun at him?

You do the crime, you do the time (or get shot).

[Vance2335]

STOP RUNNING FROM POLICE!

[brice1967]

If there is truth in him running away, what would have been an acceptable way to stop this guy for an assault on a cop?  I'm just interested in what you'd do in the same situation.