To Shoot or Not Shoot ?

You be the judge or on the jury if this incident goes to trial and then only if you have all the facts can you judge...

A New Mexico Highway Patrol Officer in a clearly marked vehicle and wearing a uniform pulls over a motorist for speeding.

Unknown how the situation escalated to the point the driver fled driving away from the media's account a 2nd time. 
 

Speeding does not constitute discharging of a weapon by the Police or Anyone.  

However, some situations could warrant to stopping the vehicle, as there are few choices/options that could be taken, only if you have time to...which there are No guarantees that no one will get hurt.

Point fingers, lay blame, was the Driver actually Speeding ?  Fleeing under any circumstances can be a strong indicator the Driver has some reason for avoiding a ticket, or the running of Plates and Drivers License. 
 

Knowing the information after the vehicle fled the 1st time or 2nd...affects our decisions as viewers watching the on-board dash police cam are limited to only part of the incident.

In viewing this video....it appears Police took steps to call for back-up, which at the moment the Officer reasoning is unknown from being on scene. 
 

We were not there, and from the video it appears the driver and occupants are resisting for an apparent unknown reason.

As the viewer I/we do not have all the facts, nor the conversations heard between Police, Dispatch, Driver & Occupants, and other Officers on scene at the time the Officer drew and fired his weapon, which is clearly after the vehicle sped off.

Police have been shot and or killed on routine traffic calls, family disputes, pulling over a motorist displaying less than normal behavior, fight or flight situation, or lack of respect of Law Enforcement.  No one is above the Law.  And yes, not everyone is forthcoming, honest, truthful nor are all Citizens or Law Enforcement innocent.

Responding Officer(s) upon arriving to assist fellow Police Officer in a short time do not nor may have all the facts of the situation, nor how this situation escalates, since the other Officers were not the primary Officer of the initial (alleged) moving violation infraction & vehicle stop.

The Driver has to accept responsibility for their actions, even if they feel they had not violated any law(s), hence their fleeing for an unknown reason, endangering their life and that of others on the road, as the pursuit reached speeds of more than a 100 mph.

Which we know was being videoed, and possibly the fleeing vehicle occupants may hold a clue to the speeds at which it was driving when the initial Officer witnessed/radar this vehicle speeding.  

My not knowing about the make & model of the Mini-van, might have an on-board computer used by companies to monitor a vehicles movement/any driver of this vehicle, VTS (vehicle tracking system) something like a black box on-board airlines.
 

In the video, is mentioned "when the driver started to flee again" which elevates suspicion of why are they fleeing.

The Officer of 12 yrs, told ABC he was firing at the tire, not a Human.  With a Driver fleeing, and the other occupants...which unless you watch the video, you cannot see in the windows of the mini-van to know how many occupants there are.

Which the shooting Officer arrives after the fact of the Officer initially stopping the vehicle...of unknown reason for speeding, exceeding speeds, their fleeing, all the while Officers have not shot at the fleeing vehicle, until after the 2nd fleeing takes place.

The Driver of the mini-van and her occupants may have known they had been fired upon.  Unknown if the Driver called 911, during the first flee or after the 2nd flee, and she may have known at that point after...the Officer had fired and that herself and occupants knew they were not injured or had been shot.

What is unknown obviously at some point...the vehicle was stopped by Police again...was the Driver planning to comply, to engage the Officers, or what plan of action did they have in mind and why...so if the Driver was fearful for her safety and those in her vehicle after the initial first traffic stop and for whatever reason she decided to flee again, unless she/they (occupants) had something to hide, pulled over a 2nd time by Police.

As shown on the video, the Driver resisting the Officers commands, then the occupants exiting the vehicle 

and this is when the viewer can see one is a teenager or is he older or a she, and the one who confronts the Officer in the video....the Driver's 14 yr old son.

Sure after the fact, we the viewer are aware the Occupants as seen or told by the media are the adult Driver and 5 children.  And we clearly see the example the Mother was setting for her children prior to the Officer firing his weapon after she fled a 2nd time.

Some may play armchair detective with little information or not being there, do not know what had been said by either side, anything more about the Driver herself that might have been a reason to flee.  The minute children are mentioned, what age of children comes to your mind...had you not watched the video, seen it on the news or read about. 

Sure the children could fear for their Mother as the Officer more than once asked the Driver out of the vehicle, then reached in to pull her from the vehicle.

Now the Officer(s) are on high alert, the Driver fled once, this confrontation we see in the video and her fleeing a 2nd time.  

What we do not known or by the Officers involved at the time of the 1st & 2nd stop, if the occupants were being abducted, a family dispute Driver fleeing an ex or current spouse/boyfriend, if the Driver under was under the influence of medications, illegal drugs or had just kidnapped her children.
 

Also the Officers do not know if any one in the vehicle has weapons, as they were not given the opportunity to search the vehicle, ascertain information about each occupant, had time to check for Wants & Warrants, Amber Alert, as the vehicle was going to/from Tennessee, passing through New Mexico.  If any occupant is a Federal or State Fugitive, at the time of the incident.

Nor do the Police know the events leading up to/prior to the Drivers initial stop, was the Driver in a hurry to get back to Tennessee, or was there a family emergency, medical emergency within the vehicle.
 

We know some people speed and may have 10s of excuses or reasons to justify their actions.  Same of why they flee, unknown if the Driver was driving on an expired or revoked license because of prior moving violations, DUI, felony hit & run, wanted for a Homicide, had just gotten a speeding ticket in another county or state, etc.

Does a person age 39, honestly do not know Police were going to catch her sooner or later after she fled the 1st.  Or Do Not Run from the Police.  They had her license plate even if she got away.  However, there is the expense to Taxpayers, if she made it back to Memphis Tennessee to extradite her back to New Mexico.  And New Mexico Highway Patrol could of contacted Authorities in Memphis and tried to pull her over, she may have fled or attempted fleeing again.

Sure when we have time, we can come up with many scenarios as they have happened before, we have either experienced them ourselves in real life or saw it happen on a TV show.  

Put yourself in the Officers shoes and you pulled someone over for speeding, a good stop and they fled...what are you going to do, go 10-6 to the coffee shop.
 

If you did not know there were 5 children ages ?? - 14, should the Officers forget stopping the vehicle a 3rd time, or that they may crash killing themselves or other innocent drivers, pedestrians, the Officers in pursuit, etc.

On video the Driver is speaking to one Officer, outside & to the rear of the mini-van.

The Officer breaking out the side window, the reason is for non-compliance, resisting, Officer Safety, based on training and Department Procedures.

And sure we can ASSume a luggage rack full piled high on a mini-van, that it is a Soccer Mom from Tennessee or is it.

As for the Officer firing his weapon, you can choose to believe his comments in regard or not...however was the Mini-van hit at all, as the tire was allegedly the Officers intended target but missed, so if he was shooting at the vehicle and no target specifically in mind, the rounds are in the soil/slop ahead, or into the vehicle...as if the Officer shooting was to hit the vehicle or driver, should of succeeded in at least one round striking the vehicle...a very large target moving away for a Seasoned Officer to miss.  

Shown below, that Officer takes careful aim, not like in the western movies shooting from the hip

And if the Officer was aiming to shoot the tire, then an investigation might reveal the round(s) impacted the road.

So far this incident has played out in the Media, those able to view the video can come to their own conclusions.  The video does not lie, people's interpretation will vary, based on what they see, have experience, choose to believe everything they hear or are told. 

The Officers might not necessarily feared for their Safety, but that of others in the Drivers path, her occupants, and for the pursuing Police Officers, even those not in the video.  It does not appear anyone is trying to cover up this incident.  Or stereo typing a violator or the unlawful, and the prisons are full of innocent inmates/residence...just ask them.

The 8th District Attorney is not considering filing charges against the officers.  Who would have more of the actual facts than Media Leading made to the public and how dare an Officer fire upon a vehicle of 5 children. 

As the saying goes...there is always two sides of a story, however there are probably hundreds to this story, those who were not there, based only on what has been shared with the public, those who jump to conclusions, pass judgment without knowing all the facts, which of those directly involved are being honest and truthful about the events that day, even the Driver & her children.
 

Time will tell the outcome, as more is learned from the Driver, witnesses, video, Police radio traffic recordings and the Facts...Just the Facts Ma'am

I am not siding with the Law or Citizen, just too many unknowns, suspicions and why she Fled in the first place, and 2nd time.

The Taos News Story - New Mexico

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