rich420

Source: Derek Copp, GVSU student shot in drug raid, is released from hospital - Grand Rapids News - The Latest News, Blogs, Photos & Videos – MLive.com


Source: Dope Smoker » Michigan Police Behave Like Dogs - Derek Copp

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marcusJay

Oh good. Another "I hate the cops" story. Isn't it great when you only hear ONE side of a story.
I know how this story goes....The cops (the wild animals that they are) just randomly picked this poor souls apartment to raid like a bunch of marauding Vikings.
The orders from the police departement was to take no prisoners and ransack the place. I bet they even planted the drugs, didn't they?
My guess is that the cops saw this innocent young man coming from choir practice and decided to shake up his world.

BudSmoker92

Id have to agrre with marcus...the boy mustve of done something to provoke the police into shooting them...no cops wants this kind of publicity on themselves and their department, They know not to go around shooting anything that breathes. And I doubt that the cops raided his apartment over a couple vids that talked about weed.

Oh, and anyone else find irony in his last name lol

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wake and bacon

While I know where you are going with this, marcus, it's still fucked up. Plus, the first part of the post is the facts, the second part is another man's opinion on it all...

The scenario probably wasn't ponies and cake for Derek Copp (ironic last name), but he still did NOT deserve to be "handled" with force like that, which could have very well killed him. Respect the man, at least.

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vvicked0471

Here's the thing, none of us know the other side of the story, so we're all just speculating. The cop could have been a trigger happy asshole who was to amped up and shot him when he (the victim) reacted to several armed men breaking down his door. The boy could have reached for a knife or bat or some other weapon he kept bedside for protection. We simply don't know, but jumping on this kid for being angry at a cop shooting a reportedly unarmed man, is just juvenile.

Police officers are human, and as such, they can be guilty of crimes, this could be one of those cases, but it's just easier to blow it off as misinformation and overreaction on the OP's part, than to entertain the idea that perhaps this human, who happens to be a cop, was in the wrong...

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Sic Vis Pacem Parabellum

If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?

wake and bacon

In some counties, drug users are treated like dangerous criminals, essentially as scum. I guarantee you an officer will feel much more justified shooting someone they have been taught to be dangerous criminals (for some fucking reason... we smoke weed, you drink your beer, get over it) than anything that breathes.

And the ironic thing is, the only reason they have been taught to think we are dangerous criminals, is because the damn plant is illegal. No illegal trade = [little to] no criminal activity (guns, killing, robbing, etc...) thanks to there being no black market.

Obviously this kid did more than just being a peaceful cannabis user... but it still doesn't take away the fact that the way police treated (or have been taught to treat) such a situation is not right.

tdlex420

That is probably very close to what happened. I mean if a group of armed, and probably some wearing masks, men break into your home it is only a natural instinct to grab the first weapon you can find to defend yourself. I know damn well that if that were to happen to me and they didn't identify themselves as police I would be going straight for the nearest gun, and wouldn't hesitate to shoot. Not that I encourage violence but if someone breaks into my house my first instinct is to neutralize the threat.

It is hard to base my opinion on the topic given the lack of details but the one thing that stands out is that he was unarmed. That alone sheds a little light into how these police are monsters. I mean they were a group of armed men, not to mention the fact that they carry less than lethal weapons, yet their first choice was to shoot an unarmed kid. Even assuming the kid was running at them with a bat or something, there first instinct should not have been to shoot and possibly take the life of another human being. If the kid had a gun the story is a little different but he didn't, and they could have easily subdued him with a taser or possibly even mace.

Unless there is some major part of the story not being told I hope the police involved in the shooting all get prison time for their reckless and dangerous behavior. From what little info there was in the original article it sounds to me like these police are nothing more than criminals with a badge, but then again a lot of police are like that. I don't exactly hate the police but I do feel they should be held to a higher standard and scrutinized for every little thing that they do. After all the police motto is to protect and serve, which these days we are seeing that less and less.

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KitLeHunn

raids are a dirty tactic. most of the time the people know they're fucked and comply and there's no reason for any guns. but there are instances were that person might not have any other options.

phuzz01

I was involved in a shootout with an armed suspect on a raid, and I can tell you that it was the most terrifying experience of my life. I am still dealing with the emotional aftermath of watching somebody try to kill me, and one of my close friends and co-workers fall, and then the death of the suspect.

Immediately following the shooting, there were all kinds of rumors and stories floating around that the suspect was unarmed, that we executed him for no reason, and all kinds of other nonsense. It took several months for the full story to come out after the investigation was completed.

I am not saying that a police officer did not do something wrong here. I wasn't there, and neither were any of you, so none of us is in a position to say what happened. What I am saying is wait for the real facts to emerge before passing judgement.

nornerator

If any of you read the story you would know what happened.

The cop breaks in, shines his flashlight on Derek.

Derek raises his hand over his eyes to block the glare from the flashlight.

The officer pulls the trigger.

I cannot believe how many police apologists are on here. This is an outrage.

Policemen and women are individuals, they choose to join a horribly corrupt profession. I agree we need some form of police, but at this moment in time the police do far more harm than good.

The police enable the government to pass down its corruptness. If the policemen and women took a step back and said "As a human being I cannot enforce this law" we wouldn't have this problem. But instead we have police that act like the military, just blindly following orders without any rational thought.

Why don't we do this. Why don't we require a PhD for anyone that is given the right to use lethal force, and pay them a PhD salary. This wont solve all our issues, but its downright stupid that people given the right to use lethal force need little more than a high school diploma.

I think that we should have a well trained, intelligent police force that can handle problems intelligently. Not simple reactionary shit.

These people take others lives into their own hands. It is sick and disgusting. If anyone deserves mandatory minimum sentences it is the police for complying with outrageous legislation and undermining humanity.