Tamir Rice got shot for exactly the same thing.
This dude, 50 year-old Mel Tittle, is agitating people at a gas station with a 'holstered' BB piston. Flashing it at people and quite probably being an insufferable dumbass and possibly endangering people.
The people there seemed to think it was bad enough to risk calling the police who arrived and demanded to see his hands.
Police said Tittle pulled a firearm from a holster on his hip when asked to show his hands.
"He initially had his back to me, but turned to face me when he pulled the gun out," said Deputy Brown.
After several commands, Tittle threw the gun on the ground and shouted that he had done nothing wrong, stated police.
A black man would have been riddled with bullet holes at this point, but ol Mel seems to have had whiteness on his side.
“That outcome could have been a lot different,” said Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones. “This is the kind of stuff we are faced with every single day. This deputy showed some amazing restraint in this situation and didn’t have to. Mr. Tittle certainly didn’t let my deputy know it was a BB gun, and it doesn’t look like one either. I am pleased Deputy Brown went home and more pleased Mr. Tittle is in the Butler County Jail where he should be.”
In fairness to these particular cops, this IS how it is supposed to be done. But everybody now knows this is somewhat rare and the whiteness of the alleged suspects is most likely the salient feature that prevented the officer from just arriving and shooting the man to death.
On the front page of the same paper that has this story is Tamir Rice's mother wants answers in 12-year-old's fatal shooting: it was in the same general area where a cop rolled up on 12 year old Tamir Rice and just blew him away for playing with a BB gun.
So bringing race into this story is quite logical and appropriate.
Clearly, cops can do it right: Why aren't they forced to do their jobs correctly more often?
The opinion states there is not enough probable cause to charge Officer Frank Garmback with murder but he could be charged with negligent homicide and dereliction of duty. Garmback was driving the cruiser the day Tamir was shot.
According to the judge's written opinion, "The video in question in this case is notorious and hard to watch. After viewing it several times, this court is still thunderstruck by how quickly this event turned deadly."
The judge is referring to the surveillance video that showed two seconds from the time officers arrived on scene until the shooting.
This decision came about after a group of civil rights leaders, activists and clergy filed a number of citizens affidavits for probable cause in the death of Tamir. The affidavits call upon a judge to issue arrest warrants for Cleveland Division of Police officers in connection with Tamir's death.
So an Ohio cop shoots a 12 yo and it takes a community uprising and use of arcane laws to get SOMETHING done about the officer.
Another Ohio officer find 2 older white men doing the same goddamned thing and give him plenty of opportunity. (The other guy was his 60 year-old brother, found in possession of brass knuckles.)
So kudos to the officer for NOT shooting somebody and demonstrating how to actually do police work: it can be done but the RACE issue is inescapable in this.
It is NOT asking too much for cops to do their jobs correctly.