Yoda
Member
I was leaving work this evening, and the USAF Sky Cops had the gate closed. There were about 15 cars in front of me. A motorcycle came around behind me and drove across an open grass field towards the gate, and then went behind some decorative bushes near the gate, about 100 yards from my position.
I noticed as he drove across the grass that he was weaving slightly, as if he was enjoying the freedom of taking his bike across an open field... or maybe he was just maneuvering around some rough spots that he could see that I couldn't... or maybe he was desperate and just hoping he could get through one last obstacle before getting away.
Three USAF police cars followed him across the grass. When the cops got to the bushes, they jumped out, guns drawn, and advanced towards where I saw the guy on the bike go.
I heard two shots. I couldn't see more, because of the bushes.
There was a lot of commotion after that. Fire trucks and ambulances arrived from the base and from off base.
I later learned that the bike rider was pronounced dead at the scene. He reportedly was involved in a domestic dispute on base and he evaded the responding Air Force security police. When he tried to drive off base by going through the closed gate, an off-duty FBI agent who happened to be at the gate tried to stop him. He pulled a knife and advanced on the agent, and that was the end of his story.
My point?
Whatever this guy did, he never expected it to end the way it did. One moment, he's enjoying a ride, probably elated at the prospect of evading the last of the cops and breaking free, and the next moment he makes his second bad decision of the day and everything for him is over forever.
My other point?
I didn't see the shooting, but I did see someone afterwards standing by himself, away from all the emergency vehicles, and he didn't look well. I wondered if he was the guy who had to shoot. Some people on this site talk a lot about how certain they are that they'll do what they have to do if they have to do it, but I'm not sure they appreciate how they'll feel afterwards. YES, we will have to take care of the immediate problem so we can be alive afterwards to think about how we feel about it, but I suspect most of us will not feel good.
My last point?
The guy who got involved in a dispute and then pulled a knife to threaten someone he probably thought was an unarmed civilian apparently made a lot of bad decisions today. When he got up this morning, he certainly never thought that any of his actions would result in his own death. It's a shame that snap stupidity can have such instant and fatal consequences. Don't be stupid. Quick reactions are good if you're trying to save your life in a self-defense situation, but if you're in the habit of making bad decisions, quick reactions can get you into terminal trouble.
- - - Yoda
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I noticed as he drove across the grass that he was weaving slightly, as if he was enjoying the freedom of taking his bike across an open field... or maybe he was just maneuvering around some rough spots that he could see that I couldn't... or maybe he was desperate and just hoping he could get through one last obstacle before getting away.
Three USAF police cars followed him across the grass. When the cops got to the bushes, they jumped out, guns drawn, and advanced towards where I saw the guy on the bike go.
I heard two shots. I couldn't see more, because of the bushes.
There was a lot of commotion after that. Fire trucks and ambulances arrived from the base and from off base.
I later learned that the bike rider was pronounced dead at the scene. He reportedly was involved in a domestic dispute on base and he evaded the responding Air Force security police. When he tried to drive off base by going through the closed gate, an off-duty FBI agent who happened to be at the gate tried to stop him. He pulled a knife and advanced on the agent, and that was the end of his story.
My point?
Whatever this guy did, he never expected it to end the way it did. One moment, he's enjoying a ride, probably elated at the prospect of evading the last of the cops and breaking free, and the next moment he makes his second bad decision of the day and everything for him is over forever.
My other point?
I didn't see the shooting, but I did see someone afterwards standing by himself, away from all the emergency vehicles, and he didn't look well. I wondered if he was the guy who had to shoot. Some people on this site talk a lot about how certain they are that they'll do what they have to do if they have to do it, but I'm not sure they appreciate how they'll feel afterwards. YES, we will have to take care of the immediate problem so we can be alive afterwards to think about how we feel about it, but I suspect most of us will not feel good.
My last point?
The guy who got involved in a dispute and then pulled a knife to threaten someone he probably thought was an unarmed civilian apparently made a lot of bad decisions today. When he got up this morning, he certainly never thought that any of his actions would result in his own death. It's a shame that snap stupidity can have such instant and fatal consequences. Don't be stupid. Quick reactions are good if you're trying to save your life in a self-defense situation, but if you're in the habit of making bad decisions, quick reactions can get you into terminal trouble.
- - - Yoda
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