Off-Duty Cop Won't Be Charged After Deadly Costco Shooting Of Man With Schizophrenia

[Bigredhunk]

Source: HuffPo

A grand jury has declined to bring charges against an off-duty police officer who fatally shot a man with mental illness inside a Southern California Costco, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said at a Wednesday news conference.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/costco-shooting-salvador-sanchez-kenneth-french-lapd-officer_n_5d8c673ee4b0019647a328ff

[kimbutgar]

1. As a parent of a adult son with autism who sometimes has meltdowns

I call BULLLLLLLLLLLLLLSHHHHHITTTTT on this grand jury. The father needs to sue the crap out of this guy. If he had proper training he would have known the man had mental illnesses and with the parents trying to intervene and explain and is despicable.

Shame on this grand jury.

[Cetacea]

7. Agreed. eom

[mountain grammy]

10. I agree. Horrific scene.

[hughee99]

14. What sort of training would allow a police officer to diagnose

Someone with a mental illness in less than 4 seconds? Not defending Quick-draw the cop here but that feels like an unreasonable expectation for police training.

[kimbutgar]

15. A well trained officer would assess before shooting someone especially if the parents are trying

To tell him their son has mental illness which was the case of this incident. I remember when this happened and the officer flew off the handle without even thinking for a split second. Trigger happy cop. I have relatives who are cops and even they say this guy did not get the correct training.

[hughee99]

16. Yes, a well trained cop should assess the situation,

But that’s not the same as recognizing that this person has a mental illness.

[Bigredhunk]

2. Agreed

I remember reading the first version of the story when it happened. The PO claimed through his lawyer or union rep that he'd been knocked unconscious when the other guy knocked him to the ground. Now the story has changed to he thought he'd been shot.

First off, if you're knocked out, I highly doubt you come to and start shooting three people within 4 seconds. 2nd, if you believe you've been shot...again, you just start shooting people? It'd be one thing if he'd just shot the guy who hit him, but what about the two parents?

[dalton99a]

11. +1. Such fucking bullshit

[ManiacJoe]

12. The most likely reason for the parents being shot

is that they probably jumped in front of their son to shield him from being shot more times.

[marble falls]

3. So being mentally ill in public is a capital offense. Good to know ...

But we need to change laws that allow these outrages by cops who only have to repeat, "I thought he had a gun" over and over and over. Quite rightly that is no defense for you or me in that situation and it shouldn't be for a cop, either.

If it happened to you or me, the worst that would have happened is maybe a police report. Four seconds was not enough time to get to a shooting solution.

[Blue_Tires]

4. Now cops don't even need to be on duty to kill with impunity

Even if for the sake of argument he thought the dude who bumped into him was a threat, what in fuck's name was his "excuse" for shooting the parents as well??

[B Stieg]

5. Hestrin has the highest death penalty conviction rate in the country.

And he also closes medical marijuana dispensaries every chance he gets using a local statute that overrides the state law making pot available for recreational purposes.
Looks like he's grooming himself for political advancement as a "law and order" Conservative.

Thanks for the post!

[hunter]

6. I'm going to repeat myself. Most cops don't have the skills or the temperament to safely carry guns.

On or off duty.

They are a danger to the rest of us.

[Sapient Donkey]

8. How is that poor quality video the only video and angle they have?

I haven't been to a costco recently, but pretty much every store I go to has cameras on every aisle.

[SpankMe]

9. Blue privilege. n/t

[lunasun]

13. Asshole shot both his parents too critically injured

The attorney said French’s father had stepped between his son and Sanchez immediately after the attack, and that both French’s dad and mom had tried to explain to the officer that their son had a mental disability, CBS News reported.

“I told Officer Sanchez not to shoot, twice, I even said ‘please,’ I was pleading for our son and our lives,” Paola French said at an August news conference.