News Dashboard video shows shooting of unarmed driver

[brassmonkey]

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? An unarmed man shot by a South Carolina trooper during a traffic stop repeated one question through his anguished cries as he lay wounded, waiting for an ambulance: "Why did you shoot me?"

Levar Jones' painful groans and then-Trooper Sean Groubert's reply ? "Well you dove head first back into your car" ? were captured by a dashboard camera in the trooper's car.

Groubert had stopped Jones on a seatbelt violation at a Columbia gas station and fired the shots moments after asking Jones for his license.

Later on the recording, Jones said he was just reaching into his vehicle for his identification after the trooper pulled up without his siren on. What appears to be his wallet can be seen flying through the air as Groubert fires four shots within seconds after confronting Jones.

Groubert's lawyer, Barney Giese, said the shooting was justified because the trooper feared for his life and the safety of others. But prosecutors and Groubert's boss disagreed.

The 31-year-old officer was charged with felony assault and fired less than three weeks after the Sept. 4 traffic stop.

The dashboard camera video was released by prosecutors Wednesday night after they showed it at Groubert's bond hearing. He was released after paying 10 percent of a $75,000 bond.

Jones is recovering after being shot in the hip. He released a statement last week saying he hopes his shooting leads to changes in how police officers treat suspects.

So far in 2014 in South Carolina, police have shot at suspects 35 times, killing 16 of them, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. The number of officer-involved shootings has been steadily increasing over the past few years, with 42 reported in 2013.

Groubert is white and Jones is black, but neither state police nor the FBI keep detailed statistics on the races of people in officer-involved shootings.

Much like the recent police shooting of a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, the racial aspect of the South Carolina shooting bothers state Rep. Joe Neal, who wants a review of training for officers across South Carolina and police agencies to follow a law requiring them to collect data about the race of people stopped by officers.

"You are doing exactly what the police officer asked you do to and you get shot for it?" said Neal, D-Hopkins. "That's insane."

full article...

[Tom_PM]

They really had to stretch to include race relations into that article, but they did it! Not based on any stats or quotes, but they got 'er done all the same. Sickening on more than one level.

[atom]

Tough to watch, I feel bad for the guy. It looked like he was nervous with the cop showing up and was trying to comply with officers request. Hopefully he gets a big fat settlement.

The cop is being charged with a felony aggravated assault which is good.

[Bladewire]

We are giving police way to much leeway with taser guns and shooting people with little or no repercussions.

Though this cop is being charged, they rarely ever are

[Focus]

There the thing I'll never understand is why not take guns out? Are people really that dumb? Everyone knows the problem and the funny part everyone's knows the solution but nothing happening lol so why even bother with news, opinions. School shootings, gangs thinking they gods or something cause pussies got iron in their hands and all the random violence...


Let's be honest how would you know if the guy wasnt reaching for one either? Bottom lines wanna still live like the wild west then dont get suprise when there bodies dropping.

Pce

[bronco67]

Damn cops are scared little bitches.

[bronco67]

Originally Posted by Focus

There the thing I'll never understand is why not take guns out? Are people really that dumb? Everyone knows the problem and the funny part everyone's knows the solution but nothing happening lol so why even bother with news, opinions. School shootings, gangs thinking they gods or something cause pussies got iron in their hands and all the random violence...


Let's be honest how would you know if the guy wasnt reaching for one either? Bottom lines wanna still live like the wild west then dont get suprise when there bodies dropping.

Pce

Cops are supposed to respond with deadly force when there's an equal deadly force opposing them. That means there needs to be gun seen and needs to be pointed at you before you go popping off rounds into someone.

On Bill O-Reilly tonight, he's going to address Eric Holder's "controversial" comments that cops treat black people differently than whites. How is it controversial when it's the truth? Should be interesting to watch a dumb old white guy try to dissect a subject he has no connection with.

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by bronco67

Cops are supposed to respond with deadly force when there's an equal deadly force opposing them. That means there needs to be gun seen and needs to be pointed at you before you go popping off rounds into someone.

a cadillac with tinted windows backfired while traffic stopped. the police opened fire shooting the car and blasting out the rear window you know i never heard that they filed a lawsuit.

[MrBottomTooth]

Fuck aggravated assault, that was attempted murder. The only reason that guy is still alive is because the cop was totally incompetent with his firearm.

[georgeyw]

It is pretty obvious that there is a gross negligence being committed by whoever trains these cops.

Forget about the fact he shot a guy, how many bullets did that officer fire from close proximity and only one hit, in the hip?

That guy he pulled over is lucky old mate couldn't hit the side of a house with a nuke!