Woman with Aspergers shot by Police

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It deeply disturbs me that trained marksmen aim for the heart and not to disable - eg shooting someone in the leg, arm or shoulder where the outcome is not likely to be fatal. It very deeply disturbs me, because it goes with a mindset that power entitles misuse of power.

In the Daily Telegraph (Australia) Tony ­Attwood said: “My concern is that the police were dealing with somebody in meltdown. People with Asperger’s have difficulty reading social cues and ­social conditions, and they can be overwhelmed.” He conceded it could be difficult for police to identify ­Asperger’s syndrome.

It deeply disturbs me that trained marksmen aim for the heart and not to disable - eg shooting someone in the leg, arm or shoulder where the outcome is not likely to be fatal. It very deeply disturbs me, because it goes with a mindset that power entitles misuse of power. It doesn't, it never does.

Essentially, the shoot-to-kill in these situations amounts to summary executions. It tells us a lot about how people with mental disorders are viewed - and that justice for them is not a social concern - not for the media, police, politicians, nor the general public. The marksmen (at least in New Zealand) are never censured and some have been given ludicrous awards for bravery. The attitude is "too bad, just got rid of another bit of human rubbish".

If we want to consider ourselves as civilised people who live in civilised societies, we have to extend justice to the most vulnerable. The blindspot is a social hypocrisy that is deeply entrenched in our first world countries, New Zealand is no better, I am ashamed to say.

We are currently squawking about the murders of the defenceless overseas. We turn a blind eye when it happens in our back yard, and it is SHAMEFUL.

There is no such thing as shooting to injure or maim, you are taught to shoot center mass and until the threat has stopped. Shooting somebody in the leg can very very easily lead to death with in minutes, you don't point or obviously fire a gun at somebody unless you are prepared to kill.

I'm not sure what happened with this lady, I really doubt it was AS causing her to misread the situation and it seems she would not stop advancing on the officers despite pepper spray and a taser who were apparently backing up into oncoming traffic. Given her age maybe she was misdiagnosed AS and was schizophrenic or maybe she was on drugs, maybe she was just trying to commit suicide by cop. It's a sad situation and I'm usually pretty tough on the police but the cop was put in a tough spot, they're not going to get into a struggle with somebody that has a knife and wasn't effected by pepper spray/taser.

Shooting someone in the leg/arm doesn't stop them, especially so when other non-lethal means are used too.

To stop someone, you're going to have to exert lethal force in most cases (whether it's lethal or not is beside the point). Body slamming someone is capable of lethal damage on concrete.

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I have ASD and am quite capable of going out in public by myself. If I should have a meltdown, do I deserve to be shot FFS? There are many ways to disable people, let's brainstorm some here shall we?

First thing that sprang to mind: emergency responders could have and throw a large net rope cover (like gladiators). It's just to kick off this imaginative exercise. I don't accept that there are not better alternatives, I think there is a lack of will and a lack of imagination to find and implement them.

There must be better alternatives.

Sorry Dill, that's a bit too black and white for me.

People in extreme mental distress/illness typically have a greatly impaired ability to make rational choices based on rational thinking. That is why the rest of us have to create safer systems for them, and for us. And any of us can potentially become one of them.

Just leaves me wondering how well trained these police officers are. When someone runs at you with a knife lethal force may seem appropriate as the situation asks for a quick reaction, but this wasn't the case here at all. The officers had the time to exhaust a pepper spray and a taser so it didn't seem there was an immediate threat. They had plenty of time to aim and shoot her leg and then disarm her.