by jshuberg on Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:21 pm
For me, it all boils down to one thing, could this have been handled differently such that no one was killed. If the answer is yes, and it was reasonable to have executed the warrant that way in the first place, then it was the actions of law enforcement that is responsible for the death.
I'm all for cops taking whatever precautions are necessary to stay safe. Ballistic vests, an assortment of less-lethal munitions at their disposal, an assortment of lethal munitions at their disposal, etc. When executing a warrant they should be prepared for any possible scenario, but they should also use the least amount of force and the least amount of violence possible. They should knock on the door or ring the doorbell and wait for someone to answer. If they need to escalate, then escalate, but they should afford the opportunity for the people involved to comply with the warrant without violence and without property damage whenever possible.
I would imagine that a significant amount of the time going in commando style with battering rams, flashbangs, etc. is absolutely unnecessary. If a lesser amount of force would have been sufficient to execute the warrant, then excessive force was used, and someone should be held accountable for it.
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