Friday, July 22, 2005

shoot first, ask q's later?

Police in London chased after some guy getting on the subway today, threw him to the ground and then fired five (yes, five) shots into him at point blank range, killing him. Does this scare anyone else?

Imagine this - you travel abroad aand don't speak English. You have heard about muggers and gangs in western countries. Five guys suddenly start chasing and yelling at you (from the reports, these were all plainclothed officers). Would you stop? I'm not sure if I would.

What happens if it turns out this was the case? Can London just wipe away responsibility because they thought he might be dangerous? Where will that precedent take us?

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