TX - Atatiana Jefferson, 28, fatally shot at home, Fort Worth, Oct 2019 *officer charged*

[Reasonable & Just]

My heart is done too.

And I’m here struggling to find sense in this. How did we as a society get here? And how can we possibly stop this?

By demanding accountability. Every time, and so often that it only makes sense to change training & hiring practices. And by being willing to pay some taxes to get this done.

 

[Artis]

By demanding accountability. Every time, and so often that it only makes sense to change training & hiring practices. And by being willing to pay some taxes to get this done.

I already pay a lot of taxes. This is not a matter of more money!

 

[SandyQLS]

This is the still shot of the gun in the home from the body cam footage posted above. Appears to be stationary on a dresser or desk. I don’t see anyone near it.

Maybe I’m wrong? The footage isn’t very clear on my phone.

ETA: typo

The gun is on the floor. In still frame #2 you can see her lower leg skin, she is wearing gray sweat pants maybe, on the floor, where her (unseen; turned) foot ends up closest to the gun also on the floor. I believe you can see the officer's black shoe in #2.

For still frame #1, locate the window for orientation to see how the gun is on the floor. JMO

 

[Reasonable & Just]

I already pay a lot of taxes. This is not a matter of more money!

If police don't feel they are being paid adequately and competent people won't apply because the pay doesn't measure up to the risk & stress, then maybe it is. Depends on the jurisdiction.

ETA - training, supervision, and regular assessments of skill, mental health, and drug use have costs attached as well. If money can be shifted from less productive uses to fund better pay, pre-hire screening, training, and assessment, then great.

 

[grammieto5]

"The officer is heard commanding, "Put your hands up, show me your hands" before firing his weapon once" well this is not true. His body cam will show that this is not true. He barely got the words "put your hands" out of his mouth before he fired a shot. And as far as the gun, if I heard noises out side my home I'd grab my gun too. And now this officer gets to go on a paid vacation. I mean administrative leave. That poor nephew, I'm sure he saw the whole thing

 

[Hraefn]

The gun is on the floor. In still frame #2 you can see her lower leg skin, she is wearing gray sweat pants maybe, on the floor, where her (unseen; turned) foot ends up closest to the gun also on the floor. I believe you can see the officer's black shoe in #2.

For still frame #1, locate the window for orientation to see how the gun is on the floor. JMO

Thank you for explaining!

 

[SandyQLS]

Thank you for explaining!

JMO, and it's not very clear. I could be wrong; I would like to hear more opinions.

 

[Artis]

Sounds like a good young woman, though I wonder about the 2:30 am video games with an 8-year old and why the door was open according to the neighbor who called. Maybe a sleepover with the nephew? I'd still be scared to leave the door open at that hour, though, especially with a child around. Also, 5 officers seem a lot for a welfare check, so maybe there was more going on than we know.

Poor neighbor - he was just trying to help. I would have done the same. Poor nephew, who had to see this, and poor, poor sister who is just heartbroken

BBM

Then don't. This isn't the old America. This is one with psycho cops with itchy trigger fingers. You call the cops, you don't know what you're setting in motion.

 

[Artis]

He yells put your hands shoots his gun then yells put your hands up, WTF!!!!!!!!!!!! That young lady had no chance. What is going on in Texas?

I've been following murders by police for years and it's not just Texas.

 

[Artis]

How did the police not hear anything from inside the house with the door open, like normal family sounds? It couldn't have just been silence if they were up playing video games.

So how did this unfold, and why were they sneaking around? That they were so quick to release the body cam makes me wonder what the police angle is, and if they have something else that they consider mitigating circumstances. Just because there was a gun in the house doesn't mean she was pointing it at them, and even if she was, it was her home and she didn't know who they were because they didn't announce themselves. So what happened? What did the police think was going on?

It's siege mentality. This has really become a problem since 9/11. It's like We the People are enemy combatants and they're Marines. A lot of federal dollars poured into police depts post 9/11 and the training is inappropriate, military style. Police are CIVILIANS yet they often to the public as civilians, indicating they've forgotten their role and think they're soldiers.

 

[Medstudies]

Random thoughts:

IF action had been taken years ago to improve police training, education, diversity, understanding, communication, outreach; if the police unions had stopped shielding bad cops; this cop probably wouldn’t be in this situation.

He wouldn’t have been so poorly trained. He wouldn’t have been so trigger happy. He wouldn’t have taken her life and ruined countless others, including his own.

..and these if’s don’t change a thing. She can’t me made undead. Her family won’t get her back. Money won’t help her. Sorry doesn’t compensate.

...Reminds me of: Inigo - to Count Rugen, who offered him “all the riches I have and more” as he begged for his life - “give me back my father!”
...

Enough! There better be immediate transparency, action and contrition

 

[GMG1999]

It's siege mentality. This has really become a problem since 9/11. It's like We the People are enemy combatants and they're Marines. A lot of federal dollars poured into police depts post 9/11 and the training is inappropriate, military style. Police are CIVILIANS yet they often to the public as civilians, indicating they've forgotten their role and think they're soldiers.

I agree with this, but even military in war zones can't just shoot people like this.

 

[Artis]

If police don't feel they are being paid adequately and competent people won't apply because the pay doesn't measure up to the risk & stress, then maybe it is. Depends on the jurisdiction.

ETA - training, supervision, and regular assessments of skill, mental health, and drug use have costs attached as well. If money can be shifted from less productive uses to fund better pay, pre-hire screening, training, and assessment, then great.

I don't know the salaries of cops around the country and agree that that GOOD cops should not be underpaid and all of that screening and training must be done. There are a lot of grossly overpaid public employees and officials and money should be allocated where it needs to be instead of where it is.

 

[kaen]

I am so sad for this woman, her nephew and her family. Who goes to a home and shoots blindly through a window? No eyes on the person. Justice for Atatiana.

 

[Artis]

Random thoughts:

IF action had been taken years ago to improve police training, education, diversity, understanding, communication, outreach; if the police unions had stopped shielding bad cops; this cop probably wouldn’t be in this situation.

He wouldn’t have been so poorly trained. He wouldn’t have been so trigger happy. He wouldn’t have taken her life and ruined countless others, including his own.

..and these if’s don’t change a thing. She can’t me made undead. Her family won’t get her back. Money won’t help her. Sorry doesn’t compensate.

...Reminds me of: Inigo - to Count Rugen, who offered him “all the riches I have and more” as he begged for his life - “give me back my father!”
...

Enough! There better be immediate transparency, action and contrition

I'm 65 and can tell you it didn't used to be like this in the 70s. Now I fear police.

 

[kaen]

I would like to know about what happened after the shooting. Did the DPA representative shut off the microphone? Did the shooter go to the hospital for a blood test? Is the DA protecting Atatiana's interest?

 

[SandyQLS]

Top headline at DailyMail U.S. News

White Texas police officer fatally shots black woman, 28, inside her own home | Daily Mail Online

Fort Worth PD press release:

Is this the house?

 

[Artis]

I am so sad for this woman, her nephew and her family. Who goes to a home and shoots blindly through a window? No eyes on the person. Justice for Atatiana.

I've watched videos of cops murdering a deaf man, walking along minding his own business; a homeless man camping in the desert; a father who called cops when his wife was in a minor argument with his daughter in a parking lot; a man begging not be murdered while lying face down in a motel hallway; people beaten while in handcuffs; a man in wheelchair dumped on the on the floor in a police dept lobby; a calm woman getting her face smashed into a cement bench in a holding cell; a SWAT team go the wrong house and murder the husband; a SWAT team break into house, terrorize a family over having a marijuana roach and shot their two dogs IN THEIR CRATES. And, yeah, dogs. Hundreds of beloved dogs get murdered all of the time.

Makes me wish I lived behind a high cement wall with bank vault doors and bullet proof windows.

ETA: And Kelly Thomas, beaten to death by yahoo cops in California while he screamed for his dad.

 

[TristanP]

Imagine being grateful about any other profession merely following the bare minimum of their own policies. SMH.

But still, I am glad for that at least. And sadly a lot of people have had to die for even that to be followed protocol.

“Too bad that doctor wasn’t a surgeon and killed that patient - but he used sterile procedure like a pro!”

 

[Artis]

This makes me sick to my stomach.