TN - James Maher, 39, killed by US Marshals, Johnson City, 1-5-16

[wendybtn]

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law...son-City-train-tracks.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p=1

Not confirmed, but local scuttlebutt has the deceased listed as a black male and the two marshals as white males. The two marshals work out of the US District Court in Greeneville.

 

[EllieBee]

Huh. I wonder if the deceased was a veteran, just because of the location......

Also, how does it work that US Marshals serve the warrant instead of local LE? Because of his past criminal record? Or do Marshals always serve the warrants? I need to re-read the article.

ETA: re-read and understand a little better.....sounds like a crazy mess

 

[Woodland]

The story appears to be - the deputies went to this persons home to serve a warrant, he ran from his home to the railroad tracks, the Marshals claim he was coming at them with a knife, so they shot him.

Surely there is another piece to the puzzle. Body cam footage? Fwiw, will believe he had a knife if/when video footage is available.

Rhetorical question - does LE training not include the fact there is a high likelihood someone will run from them?

 

[bluesneakers]

They must pay people to describe these situations as passively as possible.

"resulted in the two Marshals firing their weapons, striking Maher, who died at the scene."

They shot and killed a man who was holding a knife. Own it.

 

[katydid23]

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law...son-City-train-tracks.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p=1

Not confirmed, but local scuttlebutt has the deceased listed as a black male and the two marshals as white males. The two marshals work out of the US District Court in Greeneville.

Looks like the local scuttlebutt was wrong. Maher was a white guy.

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law...son-City-train-tracks.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p=1

 

[EllieBee]

The story appears to be - the deputies went to this persons home to serve a warrant, he ran from his home to the railroad tracks, the Marshals claim he was coming at them with a knife, so they shot him.

Surely there is another piece to the puzzle. Body cam footage? Fwiw, will believe he had a knife if/when video footage is available.

Rhetorical question - does LE training not include the fact there is a high likelihood someone will run from them?

Okay, thank you. I was in a caffeine slump reading the article and sort of foggy.

 

[TupeloMz]

Looks like the local scuttlebutt was wrong. Maher was a white guy.

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/law...son-City-train-tracks.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p=1

This article has been updated to say this criminal brandished the knife at the home as the officers were trying to serve the warrant and it escalated to the RR tracks.

 

[katydid23]

I predict that this story will die out quickly as it does not fit the hyped narrative.

 

[EllieBee]

This article has been updated to say this criminal brandished the knife at the home as the officers were trying to serve the warrant and it escalated to the RR tracks.

Even before the update it sounded like a crazy mess.

So, if he did have a knife, they have it in evidence, yes? They are not saying "oh, we THOUGHT he had a knife but it was a Twizzler" or some such nonsense, right?

I really do wish cops had body cams and actually turned them on. This guy has a pretty violent past and it is totally possible (actually, PROBABLE) he came at them with a knife.

But because of so many recent cases of LE falsely claiming to be threatened with a weapon, I will believe it when I see some video or eyewitness corroboration.

Waiting......


ETA: after reviewing the updated article again, his crimes are many, but none are violent...theft, escape, owning a gun while a felon, deliquency of a minor.

Back to POSSIBLE, not PROBABLE.......

 

[katydid23]

Even before the update it sounded like a crazy mess.

So, if he did have a knife, they have it in evidence, yes? They are not saying "oh, we THOUGHT he had a knife but it was a Twizzler" or some such nonsense, right?

I really do wish cops had body cams and actually turned them on. This guy has a pretty violent past and it is totally possible (actually, PROBABLE) he came at them with a knife.

But because of so many recent cases of LE falsely claiming to be threatened with a weapon, I will believe it when I see some video or eyewitness corroboration.

Waiting......


ETA: after reviewing the updated article again, his crimes are many, but none are violent...theft, escape, owning a gun while a felon, deliquency of a minor.

Back to POSSIBLE, not PROBABLE.......

What percentage of shootings by cops do you think involve 'unarmed black men?' Do you think it is a high percentage?

 

[bluesneakers]

What percentage of shootings by cops do you think involve 'unarmed black men?' Do you think it is a high percentage?

I don't know what percentage of ALL shootings, but:

* 39% of unarmed people killed by police were black in 2015 despite black people being only 13% of the U.S. population
* Police killed at least 101 unarmed black people in 2015, more than any other race.
http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/

But the victim here was caucasian so there's really no reason to wander down that particular path.

 

[katydid23]

I don't know what percentage of ALL shootings, but:

* 39% of unarmed people killed by police were black in 2015 despite black people being only 13% of the U.S. population
* Police killed at least 101 unarmed black people in 2015, more than any other race.
http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed/

But the victim here was caucasian so there's really no reason to wander down that particular path.

In a year-long study, The Washington Post found that the kind of incidents that have ignited protests in many U.S. communities — most often, white police officers killing unarmed black men — represent less than 4 percent of fatal police shootings. Meanwhile, The Post found that the great majority of people who died at the hands of the police fit at least one of three categories: they were wielding weapons, they were suicidal or mentally troubled, or they ran when officers told them to halt.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/in...f-reckoning-police-fatally-shoot-nearly-1000/


As for the answer to your statement, police shooting victims being black 39% of the time---the study that I just linked has the answers to justify those numbers.

 

[bluesneakers]

In a year-long study, The Washington Post found that the kind of incidents that have ignited protests in many U.S. communities — most often, white police officers killing unarmed black men — represent less than 4 percent of fatal police shootings. Meanwhile, The Post found that the great majority of people who died at the hands of the police fit at least one of three categories: they were wielding weapons, they were suicidal or mentally troubled, or they ran when officers told them to halt.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/in...f-reckoning-police-fatally-shoot-nearly-1000/


As for the answer to your statement, police shooting victims being black 39% of the time---the study that I just linked has the answers to justify those numbers.

Still has absolutely nothing to do with James Maher being killed by US Marshals.

Moving on...

 

[EllieBee]

Although black men make up only 6 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 40 percent of the unarmed men shot to death by police this year, The Post’s database shows. In the majority of cases in which police shot and killed a person who had attacked someone with a weapon or brandished a gun, the person who was shot was white. But a hugely disproportionate number — 3 in 5 — of those killed after exhibiting less threatening behavior were black or Hispanic.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/in...f-reckoning-police-fatally-shoot-nearly-1000/


ETA: this was in response to a post referencing the same article, but I agree it does not have anything to do with this discussion, so I apologize.

 

[Woodland]

JM apparently moved from a home to the train tracks - followed by the marshals. He was moving away from them.

Hope JM has family that will follow up with his shooting. Would like to know, from any source, where JM was shot. In the chest? In the back?

 

[bluesneakers]

JM apparently moved from a home to the train tracks - followed by the marshals. He was moving away from them.

Hope JM has family that will follow up with his shooting. Would like to know, from any source, where JM was shot. In the chest? In the back?

Good question. Maybe we'll find out. I want to know if he were running away why would he all of a sudden turn around and run at them?

 

[Montjoy]

I wish I knew which political blog or pundit made so many people think that throwing the word 'narrative' into a discussion was a clever thing to do. In the last few years I have found it pops up increasingly in offerings from people who have likely never studied literary theory.

 

[Woodland]

Good question. Maybe we'll find out. I want to know if he were running away why would he all of a sudden turn around and run at them?

The marshals scenario doesn't make sense imo on a set of train tracks - he would have an open path to run.

 

[bluesneakers]

I wish I knew which political blog or pundit made so many people think that throwing the word 'narrative' into a discussion was a clever thing to do. In the last few years I have found it pops up increasingly in offerings from people who have likely never studied literary theory.

Thanks. I thought it was just me.

 

[EllieBee]

Thanks. I thought it was just me.

I am afraid the rapid cycling from false dichotomy to straw man and back again has left me addle-headed in the brainular parts.