My take on Rayshard Brooks is that...

Posted on: June 16, 2020 at 07:58:01 CT

1. The cops were called to the scene because he was asleep in his car. This is actually not all that uncommon in DWI situations. So the cops were rightfully there.

2. This talk about the cops should have let him walk home is bogus. This simply doesn't happen in 2020 regardless of your race. Those days are long over. And as a parent, I don't want any ****head to be able to go out and party and then drive home probably drunk and then get a pass from the cops.

3. Everything up until the moment of the physical arrest was standard and ordinary. Asking questions, testing. All normal stuff.

4. Now when they go to cuff, Brooks decides to resist. Not standard, not that unusual either. But he was excessively resisting, grabbing for the taser which he got.

5. They did taser him, which had no effect. So they did try to de-escalate.

6. Now, as Brooks is running away, admittedly not at the fastest rate, he reaches back and it appears that he did fire the taser again at the officer. It's not completely clear but you see the officer attempt to evade something and run into the back of a car to his side in the process.

This moment is important because a central issue in this case will be the subjective fear of the officer at the moment he was chasing Brooks and whether Brooks actually fired or the officer reasonably thought he fired the taser at him.

7. He immediately fires the shots that kills Brooks.

8. This is a close call. Here's the thing on those Tasers though. When they are used by police who know how to use them, they are also trained where to fire the taser on the body to prevent accidental death. Away from the head / face, away from the heart if possible, etc. If Brooks is firing that thing without looking meaning he is firing wildly and indeed it appears the taser did hit or almost hit the officer.

Conclusion: It's a very close call, but if Brooks fired the taser wildly, then I think the officer was right to shoot. Understandably that is not the most popular opinion.


I do think that this issue has to be discussed on all sides and while I understand from a black person's perspective they fear the police, often times it's because police are escalating due to either an action they took or because they are not complying with the officer's demands. If a cop asks you to comply and you don't, it's not going to end at that point. We see this over and over again. Do what the officer says and you can complain later. I understand the argument is the feeling is that the complaint will do nothing but that's the safest solution.

Edited by Gyro at 08:03:25 on 06/16/20