Police Shooting in China Draws Ire, Campus Police Shooting in Alabama Blamed on LSD
A motorcycle chase in Wenxian County, Henan, China's third most populous province, ended with police shooting the suspected thief four times, but while police claim they shot after the thief brandished a brick from short distance, witnesses telling their stories on the Internet say the cops shot the man in a ditch from a long distance. China has laws about these kinds of things you know. From the Chinese Communist Party-owned Global Times:
"Whatever the man did, it shouldn't have cost him his life," the Weibo user said, reflecting an opinion that was shared by many netizens who asked under what circumstances the police are permitted to use deadly force.
"China has strict regulations on the use of firearms by police," Liu Tao, a criminal professor from Chinese People's Public Security University, told the Global Times. As a rule, Chinese police on patrol do not carry firearms but their use is allowed if a violent suspect flees arrest, breaks out of prison, or threatens the life of another.
"People may have different interpretations of the regulation," said Liu, "It would be difficult to judge afterwards whether the situation was only borderline dangerous. However, smashing someone on the head with a brick could kill."
Li, 47, is a senior officer and was honored as the county's outstanding police officer in May.
Meanwhile, a naked University of South Alabama student was shot by a campus police officer over the weekend. The cops blame LSD, and someone could be charged with the student's murder. From the local NBC affiliate:
Investigators say Collar was under the influence of LSD and had attacked a couple of people prior to his violent encounter with a USA campus police officer…
They say after that, he returned to his dorm, stripped off all of his clothes, then went up to a couple of different cars and actually assaulted people inside. Authorities say one female victim reported Collar tried to bite her arm…
The Mobile County Sheriff's Office plans to release video showing the incident—first showing it to Collar's family—then likely it will be released to the media Thursday.
Sheriff Sam Cochran says he had some doubts about the story, but when he saw the video it became more evident how this all happened.
The video will only be shown to members of the media, it will not be broadcast to the public.
The shooting happened just out of the view of the camera.The Mobile County Sheriff's Office is looking into who gave Collar the LSD and murder charges could be brought on to those persons if they are charged.