The Tulsa police officer shooting and how it relates to Jacob Blake
Do you remember the names of police officers Craig Johnson and Aurash Zarkeshan, or that of David Ware? I certainly didn’t. They are not household words.
But on June 29, 2020, Officer Johnson was killed and Officer Zarkeshan was gravely wounded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by David Ware, right in the middle of the current turmoil about policing. In the Tulsa case, all three people were white (I believe Zarkeshan is of Iranian descent, but that’s white also). Another reason it didn’t get wide attention is that it was the officer who was killed rather than the perp.
But a video of the incident has recently been released (last Monday), and it amply demonstrates why the police fired on Jacob Blake. Shipwreckedcrew at RedState has the story. Please read.
[NOTE: See also this.]
[ADDENDUM: Here is the story of what happened in greater detail. It’s very chilling, particularly the fact that Ware had already incapacitated the officers and yet after a pause fired a kill shot to Johnson’s head.]
This is no criticism of the police, but you can’t help but notice that they were obligated to enforce a law requiring the towing of a vehicle for unpaid state taxes. I.e., Debtor’s Prison, and the overpowering force of the State — those are catalysts for the horrible reaction here.
James S: “Personal Property Tax” I think it is called, a yearly levy on the market value of an automobile, boat, who know what else. I paid it for a brief time in Virginia, and then moved away. I’d much rather pay 1%-2% more in sales tax. At least then you can decide to purchase less if money is tight.
No one forced the murderer to not pay his taxes, or take up the life of a drug dealer, or drive in such a way that the police stopped him. Riots in Tulsa would have been better that the death and wounding of the LEOs. Capital punishment is justified and necessary for such evil dolts.
OK resident here – when you buy a car, you get possession with a temp tag. You still need to pay the sales tax on the purchase as well as the tag fees. The car dealership tells you this fact – you can’t leave the place without knowing about this issue.
The state gives you a month to get the paperwork to take to the tag agency. The problem is usually the car dealership getting you the final paperwork. You are also required to show proof of insurance, so there is another issue than just sales tax. We all pay for uninsured motorists. It is an additional $300 a year for me.
An aside – you could do the tax transactions at the state offices, but tag agencies in OK are private businesses that deal with license renewals, car & boat tags, notary stamps, and other things. There are many tag agencies in the state and they sped things up. For example, this year I opted to renew a boat tag via mail instead of going to the tag agency. I carried a copy of the cancelled check for over a month before I got the tags. Never again – going to the local agency. I’m glad we don’t have the dreaded DMV problem.
Back to the incident – I was aware of the death since there was an accident in OKC. The body was being taken to OKC for organ processing. Even in death, the officer was giving life.
https://www.newson6.com/story/5efe05cfb94fd23e36411a4c/multiple-law-officers-injured-in-okc-crash-during–motorcade-procession-for-fallen-tulsa-police-officer
This is a section of the turnpike that I travel a lot…I’m glad I was not there when this happened.
When I thought I wanted a CCP, I took the course and realized the responsibilities. One responsibility is to state that there is a weapon in the car, if you are stopped. They drill that you keep your hands on the wheel, tell the cops why you can’t move, obey their commends. Guess what – you obey and you are not dead. I cannot blame the police for being wary whenever there is a sudden move.
James S:
That would be a “catalyst” for upset or annoyance, or perhaps even (in another person) for kicking oneself for not having paid up.
It’s not a catalyst for murder.
Prager U also has a video up of the same type of thing – what cops face when dealing with someone who is refusing to obey a lawful order.
Resisting Arrest: The Terrifying Danger Cops Face Every Day
You can try the link, even though it seems to be “age restricted” now (YouTube way of censoring?).
It is still available if you know how to use the “NSFW” trick to bypass their restrictions.
Hello. That’s an interesting point about the interrelatedness and downstream effects of such incidents and tragedies. Is there any systematic way in which these types of things get built into police training, or is it more on the level of informal lore? Maybe a mix, I’d guess. Certain incidents would definitely be something the academies would want to use as structured training footage.
This is an interesting story, but the only parallel between the two is the process of taking someone into custody from a vehicle. In neither case did cops do anything wrong against the criminal, although they might have committed serious tactical errors. The consequence of the Blake case is really in a different league IMO, because it’s been placed front and center for reasons of its usefulness in pursuing today’s Power Politics and race grievances. Police funding and training quality is not only the last thing on their mind, it’s the opposite thing.
There is no doubt that police training and equipment arrays should be improved in municipalities across the country, as should police budgets, as should police reforms. Usually when I see a car pulled over on our local highways, if there’s anything questionable a backup unit is called so the cops far outnumber the subject vehicle’s occupants. I probably see that in about 1 case in 3.
But there’s also no doubt that these cops should have already known this guy was a convicted felon (in other words, the information should have been front-and-center on their console). I wonder if they knew before confronting him, or if they had called for backup – or if any was available. In all the videos I see of such horrific encounters, it seems to me that the cops don’t have backup, get distracted and get off position, and then the criminal sees the opportunity and takes it.
But I am in no way qualified to speak with authority on this. I think they should have higher-powered non-lethal tools available, but once the non-lethal stuff is exhausted, it’s time for at least one of them to pull a gun and draw down until backup comes. Declare on camera that lethal force has been unsheathed for failure to obey a lawful command. And when/if the guy makes a move, that’s it for him. There’s really nothing to object to or argue, there. Body cams have really changed policing for the better, in this way.
And…if I remember, Blake was also “tazed” & kept on going.
So…when non-lethal restraint fails (both taser & CS failed on Ware) AND perp remains non-cooperative & combative…and nightsticks are no longer de rigeur…
Who wants to be a LEO these days?
Shoot first ask questions later seems so much simpler.
Aggie:
Officer Johnson, who was killed, was the backup:
Not only that, but the murderer had an accomplice on the scene in another car, whom he had called.
My guess is that police officers are more reluctant to draw their guns these days, although that’s just a guess.
Here is the story of what happened in great detail. It’s very chilling, particularly the fact that Ware had already incapacitated the officers and yet after a pause fired a kill shot to Johnson’s head.
From what I’ve seen in L.A., when there’s a stop by two officers, most of the time the one not talking to the driver has his or her hand on his/her gun. If I were running a police department, one officer would have an M4/M16 with a laser sight aimed at the stopee, so that he would know he’s already targeted.
I did some research last night, and it appears that the billy club was discontinued because Tasers were more effective. These recent cases cast a lot of doubt on that.
Besides which, for riot control, cracking heads and breaking bones is a lot more effective than today’s inexplicable police tactic of the cops forming a line, waiting 30-45 minutes while the rioters loot and burn stores in front of them, hurl rocks, bricks, frozen urine, and fireworks at them, and then the cops march slowly down the street, giving the rioters time to get away.
I’m no LEO but in my opinion they are placing themselves in harms way, unnecessarily. First off, what study says that perps will fold and give up when being screamed at? Maybe some, maybe most, but if he is not complying then back off and de-escalate. First thing, if there are two officers making the stop, have the second officer place a tracking device on the car while the first is making initial contact. If he is being uncooperative then take the body cam footage to a judge to gain the authority to take action at a later time. Retreat to the patrol car and get out of harm’s way. If the situation escalates rapidly use mace with a marker dye and then retreat. He’ll be much easier to spot in pink.
I’ve seen plenty of body cam footage where some people freak out when being screamed at. What happened to the days when the detectives were called in? I know that costs money but isn’t it worth it?
We changed airplane hi-jacking protocols after 9/11 from “give them what they want” to “take them down” because the situation changed.
At this point, after all the examples of “new style hi-jacking” that have become known, it should be clear that anyone objecting to being taken into custody has a reason (in the Tulsa case, an illegal gun in the car), and will shoot the cops rather than be arrested.
If I were writing police protocols, the officers would make their request or give their orders at most twice – because the basically law-abiding, with no fear of outstanding warrants or contraband in the car, only need to be told once – then call for additional back-up while keeping the recalcitrant driver or pedestrian under drawn weapons, from a defensible distance, until a wagon and SWAT team arrived.
Under no circumstances should the police start tussling (and certainly not both of them) — it doesn’t seem to be very effective anyway.
My plan wouldn’t have helped in Lancaster, or similar situations where there is no advance warning, but so many of these 0-to-60 encounters are really escalating slowly, then suddenly, and the number of ignored warnings is the ticking clock.
I am sick and tired of reading about the need for “police reform”.
The data are clear.
Blacks kill blacks AND cops disproportionately.
Seems to me a little reform is needed in the so-called black community.
Brian:
In response to your advice for police passivity, what is the job of detectives?
Detectives detect! They were never ever called for traffic violations!
Cicero, I’m not calling it “police passivity”. I’m trying to save lives. There was a time a few years ago when there was an incident where an officer shot a man’s dog because the dog was doing what came naturally — protecting its owner. I have a dog that is protective of me. For months afterwards I feared being pulled over for a traffic violation with my dogs in the car. If someone shot my dog, I’d go ballistic, and probably get shot myself. All for what? For an illegal U-turn or something? Listen, Cicero, this has got to stop. Bring in the detectives to plan an apprehension of the perp at a later time when the risks are lower, or if that is too much to ask, deputize a professional bounty. Let’s stop shooting everything that moves!
Brian Morgan:
I have dogs, I love my dogs, Some dogs are dangerous if not socialized and trained. Some dog owners keep dangerous dogs because it appears they will attack and kill perceived threats to their owners. You were afraid that you couldn’t respond to a traffic stop without a potentially fatal escalation? Sounds like it wasn’t a problem with your dog; you were putting his life at risk at that time IMO.
Detectives, SWAT teams, or Social Workers are not hanging on hooks, on call 24/7 for any situation that may arise. Yes LEOs have radios and may have backup available, or they may not have backup available. We as a country are not “awash” in cash to solve every what if situation.
Stats don’t support the theme of “shoot first answer questions later>”
Brian Morgan:
I’d like to know more about that dog that was shot. “Doing what came naturally – protecting its owner” is not a good enough explanation. What was the officer doing? Unless he was beating the owner up, I fail to see an excuse for the dog attacking. If a dog is in such a hair-trigger attack mode that it will attack anyone it decides is being the least bit hostile to the owner, then that dog should not be out in public.
I’m a dog lover. But dogs like that are dangerous. They can misinterpret all sorts of situations and be aggressive. If the dog was about to attack the cop, the cop was well within his/her rights to shoot it. If your beloved dog is so protective of you that it would attack in situations in which the threat is mild, then you need to get it under your control. More training would be the answer, rather than asking police not to protect themselves from aggressive dogs.
And if they let a person go who they decide is dangerous, the person is likely to flee rather than cooperate later. Very dangerous people are often caught through traffic stops. I am thinking, for example, of Timothy McVeigh’s arrest. The officer is very lucky he wasn’t shot, by the way. I’m not sure why he wasn’t. See this:
Reading that, I don’t think that where the trooper stood mattered. What mattered was the mind of Timothy McVeigh, and he made a certain calculation about what would work best for him. It turned out he was wrong.
And your statement “Let’s stop shooting everything that moves!” is completely unrelated to reality. Apparently you want perfection. Well, you’re never going to get it. But in actuality, the number of shootings compared to the number of police encounters with things that “move” is vanishingly small. The MSM is just dedicated to our knowing about every single one of them that hurts the perp. The MSM is not especially interested in our learning about the ones that hurt the cop.
Yes, Philip, these types of things do get built into police training, tho arguably not as much as is needed.
(So much time in academies is spent on state Criminal Statutes, & Vehicle Codes.)
If the Kenosha cops didn’t try tasing him in the eyes, or try tackling him before he got into his car, those options should’ve preceded popping him.
Google the “Use of Force Model”, of Desmedt and Marsh, 1982, as derived from court rulings of prior decades, and used ever since in academies across the land.
Had I not known the MSM like I do, I’d be appalled by the lack of MSM references to this Model, given the recent saturation-coverage given these cop-perp incidents.
aNanyMouse:
They tased Jacob Blake (Kenosha) twice (I have no idea where, but I’m not sure they can aim it that perfectly anyway) to no avail. They tried tackling him and he bested them as well. As he walked to the car, their handguns were drawn.
So, the liberal in me is showing through. Such a high crime.
Brian Morgan:
No one says it was a “high crime,” including the police. But if you think the law is too harsh, take it up with the legislature. It’s a financial penalty that they were trying to enforce, and the perp killed Johnson. I assume you’re not justifying that, but I’m not sure what your point is.
By the way, more about the perp. This guy was not merely enraged by this particular law:
Lovely guy, eh? Just upset about his car.
By the way, note that the killer probably has been an alcoholic and habitual drug user (perhaps addict, perhaps not) and in trouble since his teen years. I have no idea what interventions were tried for his substance problems, but it doesn’t seem as though they worked. Perhaps a sociopath. At any rate, he made good on his promise to kill Johnson. The other officer he tried to kill was only six weeks on the job, so there was no history there.
Neo, in the 20 seconds before the shooting, the vid shows no effort of **three** cops to try tackle him, during which time the cop going around the car’s rear could’ve
1) hustled to near the driver-side door, to *block* it from being opened, or
2) tased him in the eyes, while the two going around the front preoccupied him (w/ a tackling effort).
When *all three* had their handguns drawn, they occupied their hands, and thus much foreclosed other options.
Because these cops made bad *split-second* decisions, one of them has a huge bullseye on his back, and the others also “have a problem”.
I post these comments as a retired cop, from a family tradition, to advise current duty cops etc., on how to avoid getting themselves into such sh*tstorms.
Hopefully academies will add more training in such scenarios.
ANanyMouse:
Right before that, they were wrestling with him (on the ground I believe) and he managed to get one in a headhold and then break free. They then drew their guns. So they had tried what you are suggesting, and it failed, and then they were reacting.
People on drugs – or very big strong people – can sometimes fight off a group. I’m not sure how much cops are trained in physical combat these days; perhaps it depends on the cop? But they had apparently already tried what you are suggesting.
Great to have LEO’s adding informed comments here – thank you!
I see some have commented that perp’s should be released and captured later, by detectives. I believe this mentality is the root cause of why we see these types of extreme, mal-behavioral incidents now – in addition to the proliferation of highly intoxicating and readily available drugs on the streets these days. Criminals have been emboldened by both of these.
Why on earth would you want someone like Jacob Blake driving off with 3 children in the car after a violent confrontation with police? How does this serve the children or the public? Why would you let David Ware drive off, maybe impaired, in an illegally registered car?
Allowing this kind of escape, this kind of immediate gratification for a violent reaction to lawful consequence, is precisely why we encounter this mentality in the first place. Allowing the confrontation to end with the police withdrawing, simply makes it a successful strategy for the criminal. You think other criminals won’t notice? ‘Wrong-and-strong’ is an attitude that young male criminals specialize in.
If you want to see a natural outcome, look to Portland OR where they have let the violent arson-setting, police-blinding protestors out night-after-night and for some reason, go figure, the protests have continued for 100+ days. Then, when the Feds started arresting and charging, they ended almost immediately.
I would much prefer to see technology that immediately immobilizes the subject vehicle. I would much prefer to see non-lethal restraining options that escalate quickly to much more powerful non-lethal alternatives when the subject resists. I would like to see protocols developed for handling difficult suspects that anticipate the need for backup, and further backup. And with heightened capability, I would also like this backstopped with serious police reforms that weed out the wrong kinds of people – the ones who abuse the capabilities.
But it’s of paramount importance that our LEO’s are empowered to carry out their responsibilities in an immediate and effective manner that reinforces the public trust rather than sacrificing it.
“they had apparently already tried what you are suggesting.”
Tasing in the eyes? I doubt it.
Having at least one of them blocking access to that car door (where they feared a knife would be)? Definitely not.
I guarantee that, had the scenarios we were exposed to included one involving drawing/ holstering firearms back and forth, I’d recall it.
For at least decades, cops have had the aphorism:
“It’s better to be Judged by Twelve, than to be Carried by Six.”
Alas, nowadays, they must add
“but you may also be Judged by Millions.”
I’m quite glad I got to retire years ago.
Yeah Taser barbs in the eyes? Think about hitting that target (not even center of mass). And then they had already tried unsuccessfully to Taser him. So let’s Taser him again. 20 20 hind sight?
Think about the publicity – intentional blinding of suspect. Sounds reasonable to me? Not. But hey, I’m just a “civilian.”
IIRC from the Atlanta shooting (where the perp fired the LEO’s Taser at the LEO) a Taser strike to the head could be lethal.
“the publicity – intentional blinding of suspect” sure beats pumping seven rounds, and risking being charged with Murder 1, like is happening to Rittenhouse.
This assumes, that the MSM would be anywhere as interested in such tasing, compared to “*Seven* Shots!!”
While a Taser strike to the head *could* be lethal, in the Academy, you’re taught to resort to the taser *before* the firearm (which can be lethal in many parts of the body).
It’s hard to hit “that target (not even center of mass)”, yeah, from *inches* away.
“20 20 hind sight?”
In some walks of life, it’s called debriefing, aiming to draw lessons for future training/ conduct.
This case will be food for classes in Academies all over the US, just as are the 16 shots pumped into Laquan.
But, suit yourself, if you want to emulate these Kenosha guys.
But, to those planning to enter an Academy, I urge you to bug faculty as much as you dare, about all these factors.
i have seen a vide that, unfortunately, i can’t seem to link to here, It’s very instructive. It involves a suspect with his arms in the air suddenly reaching into a car and coming out with a gun or a cell phone. By the time you see the gun he has already shot at you. If you wait to see what the suspect is getting, it is too late to defend yourself. The moral of the story is that when a suspect suddenly reaches into the car, the decision must be made at that instant to shoot. Sudden moves by a suspect are likely to cause the police to shoot first and ask questions later. Once again, the mantra: If you don’t want to be killed or injured, DON’T RESIST ARREST! And if you don’t want to be arrested, don’t commit a crime.
I’m wondering if resisting arrest can’t be made into a crime that gets you an automatic five to ten in the pokey? That might be an incentive for most perps to cooperate.
Too bad the Taser has been ineffective in many cases. It’s a non-lethal alternative and sounds like a good option, but it just doesn’t work in too many of these cases. Too bad the night stick has gone by the wayside. Its proper use can convince a suspect to cooperate without killing him. Yes, he may end up with a broken kneecap or other broken bone, but not dead.
As to backing off and letting an uncooperative suspect go. Do we think he is going to be more cooperative next time? And how do we find him? We have a program here called “Washington’s Most Wanted.” It profiles wanted felons. All of them have committed crimes, but they’re not easy to find. The program offers $1000 rewards for tips leading to their arrest. Still, many of them are not found because they have left the state or country.
In 2019 there were over ten million arrests made. 1004 suspects were killed by police. Only 52 of those suspects were unarmed. 19 of them were white. 13 were black. The rest were Latino or Asian. Most of the unarmed killings resulted from suspects resisting arrest. The cops are not shooting people willy-nilly. It only seems like it because of the MSM and the BLM protests.
We give police training and a badge and gun. We ask them to deal mostly with the dregs of society and to maintain order. Every police shooting is investigated. We expect them to be near perfect. It’s a pretty thankless and dangerous job. And it doesn’t pay all that well either. I Back the Blue until someone can show me strong evidence that they are corrupt or crooked.
“Too bad the night stick has gone by the wayside.”
Very true. Tried and true.