Esparza and McIntosh: No Struggles, No Shootings

I am really tired of hearing about these "poor unfortunate victims" of the police everytime a non-white person runs afoul of the law and due to there own behavior, are shot by the police.

Jan. 11, 2007, 1:43AM
FBI weighing a civil rights probe in death
It may monitor internal inquiries into fatal shooting by HPD officer during traffic stop

By ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA and BRIAN ROGERS
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

The FBI said Wednesday that it likely will open a civil rights investigation to monitor ongoing inquiries into the shooting death of Robert McIntosh by a Houston police officer.

The move only will monitor investigations by local authorities and is not a formal investigation to determine whether McIntosh's civil rights were violated, said Shauna Dunlap, a spokeswoman for the FBI.

"Agents have been looking into the matter, and it looks likely that we will open a civil rights investigation to monitor the progress of the district attorney's investigation and the Houston Police Department internal affairs investigation," Dunlap said.

The decision came on a day punctuated with community activists' calls for a federal investigation of Houston police after two men were shot and killed in separate incidents this week. City and police officials said they would fully investigate McIntosh's death and that of Omar Esparza. Esparza, 21, described as mentally challenged and mentally ill, was shot to death Sunday at his East End home. Officers said he lunged at them with a hammer above his head.

Alright, both of these shootings were sad, unfortunate, and probably unnecessary events. I'm sorry for the families of the to dead men.

That being said, innocent men do not run from the police just because they have been stopped for a routine traffic violation. Ask yourself, the last time you were stopped by a policeman, did it ever occur to you to take off running? Is that a "reasonable behavior" for an innocent man? I don't think so.

The police department's story was that:

The scuffle began after the driver of the car was taken into custody because there was an arrest warrant out for her, said Capt. Dwayne Ready. The officer then returned to the car to ask McIntosh to get out when he noticed the smell of drugs, Ready said.

McIntosh began fighting with the officer as he tried to place him in the patrol car. The two ended up in a ditch, where the officer attempted to stun the man with his Taser, Ready said.

"The suspect was able to grab the officer's hand with the stun gun and turned it on (him)," Ready said. "It popped the officer's thumb out of the socket."

Authorities said the officer moved away and drew his weapon, shooting the man in the chest. It was unclear how many times the officer fired.

The suspect was handcuffed after the shooting _ a common practice, Ready said _ but the cuffs were released when paramedics arrived, he said.

From what I've read this guy was behaving in a very suspicious manner, reeked of drugs, and when he was asked to get out of the car, he took off running. He was shot after fighting with the policeman and having injured him, turned his own Taser on him. If this account is true, was the cop justified in firing his gun? From what I read, absolutely.

The only civilian witness to the event, Yolanda Perry, claims that Mr. McIntosh was only shot after he had been handcuffed. If this is true and Mrs. Perry is certain of what she claims she saw, why did she refuse to give a statement to the investigating authorities? Why did she have be subpoened in order to give her account of the incident? This in itself is rather suspicious. It's as if maybe she doesn't like members of the law enforcement community. Most people willingly give their accounts to the police. It's a civic duty. Very curious...

As to the Esparza shooting, again it is sad when the police are forced to use deadly force against a suspect. Does anybody really think that the police officers wanted to kill Mr. Esparza? Is that a reasonable conclusion?

Omar Esparza was apparently "off his medication" and "highly agitated" at the time. The police hit him with 2 beanbag rounds to no apparent effect as well as a Taser which failed to penetrate his clothing. He attacked the policemen carrying a hammer and was consequently shot.

A couple of things here.

First, Mr. McIntosh is directly responsible for the shooting because of his suspicious behavior in the car and then his choice to run. I understand being nervous when you are stopped by a policeman, I generally am and I never have had anything to hide, but running away when you get out of the car is inexcusable and if I was setting policy, would be sufficient justification for the policeman firing his gun.

Comedian Chris Tucker even made part of his comedy act out of telling the "brothers" not to run from a policeman. Innocent people do not run when they are being stopped for a routine traffic offense. No exceptions to that.

Second, even though Mr. Esparza was mentally ill, is it reasonable for the citizens of Houston to ask police to risk potentially severe injury just to subdue a violently deranged person? I don't believe so. From the accounts, the police acted in a proper manner thoughout and only fired when the threat to them was immediate and dangerous.

I am tired of race pimps like Mr. "Quanell X" using incidents such as these to promote their own agenda of hatred. If Mrs. Perry's account is true, then I am certain that officer Smith will suffer the consequences of his actions and deservedly so. But by the same token, isn't it reasonable to express the same judgment on Mr. McIntosh? Shouldn't he be held responsible for his own part in the shooting?

Remember in Mr. McIntosh's case, no struggle, no shooting; just a simple arrest. In Mr. Esparza's case, no attack with a hammer, no shooting; just a trip to the mental hospital.

Yes the police must be held to high standards, but we must refrain from blaming them for the actions of others.

What do you think?

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