Imagine this situation: a robber comes into your house and points a gun directly at you. He makes all kinds of demands for you and you follow each one to a T. He tells you to go into the other room and you follow the order and go into the next room. Just as you do, the robber shoots you in the head and commits cold blooded murder. What do you expect to happen to the man? Charged with first degree murder, right?
Well, what if the man is an on duty police officer, and instead of a home break in, it’s a routine traffic stop?
This happened to Decarlos Moore in Miami earlier this month. We pick up the story from CBS4.com
The actions of a rookie Miami police officer are under review after he shot and killed a man during a traffic stop.
According to Miami police spokesman Detective Willie Moreno the officer pulled a man over near Northwest 3rd Avenue and 17th Street just before 1 p.m. Monday afternoon.
Family and friends identified the man as 36-year-old Decarlos Moore and describe him as a good man. Mayor Tomas Regalado explained what happened during the incident.
“There was a traffic stop. And two police officers. One rookie, one veteran police officers. They got out of the car. We understand that the driver went back to the car and this is when the shooting took place,” said Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado.
At some point during their exchange the driver of the car reportedly reached for something. Feeling his safety was threatened, the officer pulled his gun and shot the man, his round striking the driver in the head.
Stop it right there. The officer feared for his safety. You hear that one all the time, officer safety. If that doesn’t prove they aren’t worried about protecting you and I then I don’t know what will. They are concerned with their own protection first, hardly the kind of bravery the most diehard police supporters tell you about.
A brave officer doesn’t jump to conclusions and murder a man in cold blood. Besides, isn’t this what they gave them tasers for? Or like the Oakland cop, did he think he was reaching for his taser?
Miami police Det. Willie Moreno issued this statement Monday afternoon: “It is unknown what caused the officer to discharge his firearm fatally striking the driver who had stepped outside of the vehicle.”
Family members say Moore was likely reaching for registration or insurance papers.
“Shot him right in the back of his head. No gun no nothing. That’s messed up,” said Thomas Williams, a witness told CBS4′s David Sutta.
Thomas, you are totally correct; this is extremely messed up. Police have no accountability and there is no competition in their workforce so they can do stuff like this and get away with it.
I work for a private security company that mostly guards factories and just deals with truck drivers and locked doors. You think one of my coworkers would get away with something like this at work? Hell no. We have competition in our field, we’re not the only security company on the block. We may be one of the biggest ones world wide, but we’re not the only one. If we had a reputation like this they can terminate our contract and either go in house or contract a different company.
We’re accountable for our actions; this coward in a funny blue costume is not. And that’s what Cop Block is here for. We’re trying our hardest to hold these people accountable.
The man was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he died.
Police said the man was not armed and did not have any firearms in the vehicle.
“He got out of the car the police told him to get back in the car,” said Katrina Moore, Thomas’s sister. “What reason I don’t know. When he got back in. They shot him in the head here and it went out from the back. He was a good person. He loved life. He loved life.”
But don’t worry, Costumed killer Joseph Marin will be held accountable and be found guilty of murder right? Not if the thin blue line has anything to say about it.
This article came just 2 days after the above one.
For the first time since a Miami Police officer shot and killed a man in Overtown, people are coming forward to defend him.
Fraternal Order of Police President Armando Aguilar said he stands behind Officer Joseph Marin. He said the Iraqi veteran might be a rookie cop, but he is a seasoned military officer who served in Iraq.
“From the details we have so far, it appears it’s gonna be 100 percent justified,” said Aguilar.
Never underestimate the camaraderie between the police and the military, they have some kinda love for each other.
Marin is accused of shooting DeCarlos Moore during a traffic stop in Overtown Monday.
Aguilar says Moore’s car was listed as stolen in the police database. That turned out to be wrong. But Officer Marin did not know that. Aguilar said police ordered Moore to put his hands on his head.“At that time, the subject rushed back into his car and attempted to retrieve something from the car,” Aguilar said. “They couldn’t see half of his body. All of the sudden he came out of the car and turned around with some objects in his hand. It appears it was an aluminum packet and something else in his hands and turned fast towards the officer. The officer feared for his life thinking that it was a weapon and fired.”
Sources had a different story to tell.
Sources say the officer told the driver, Decarlos Moore, to step out of the car. As he obeyed the officer’s command and reached into the car to get his license and registration in one hand, he apparently grabbed a pair of sunglasses in the other. It’s possible the officer thought the sunglasses were a gun and fired.
As far as I know no decision has been made in this case, I could not find any story on it. If anyone has any further information on the case, let me know. As for now you can contact the Miami PD about this case at the information below.
Miami Police Department
400 NW 2nd Avenue
Miami, Florida 33128
P.O. Box 016777, Miami, Florida 33101
Phone: (305) 603-6640
You can e-mail them and get the same info at their contact page.
This is how it’s gonna turn out. The department will do an internal “investigation” (get their stories/lies straight), come out and say that the officer followed procedure and that it was the victim’s fault, and the cop will never be punished. The family will look into filing a civil suit, but since the department said he followed procedure, he will not be held accountable and will not pay a dime to the murder victim’s family.
It’s such a wonderful system! To protect (themselves) and serve (themselves).
This article is obviously written by someone who sleeps soundly in his bed because of the Military and Police Officers that he mocks. It is easy to sit back and judge someone’s actions without being there. You have a split second to determine whether you are seeing a threat or not. I have been shot at and had a man try and stab me and my dog so I can tell you from experience. As far as his comments about the officer putting himself first, “The officer feared for his safety. You hear that one all the time, officer safety. If that doesn’t prove they aren’t worried about protecting you and I then I don’t know what will. They are concerned with their own protection first, hardly the kind of bravery the most diehard police supporters tell you about”, well that’s just ignorant. I go to work everyday knowing full well that I may not return home to my beautiful wife and family. Anyone that says that that is selfish or in anyway not brave has never had to fight for his/her life before. These kinds of articles are written by people that love to sit behind a desk and hide behind a computer instead of becoming a part of the solution. I am tired of people judging others before all of the facts are known. That is the heart of our judicial system…”Innocent until proven Guilty”! I am actually attending a benefit this afternoon for a fellow officer that was killed in the line of duty and was not able to return home to his new wife and family.
“He said the Iraqi veteran might be a rookie cop, but he is a seasoned military officer who served in Iraq.”
Nice of them to throw it out there that he is an iraqi veteran, that only goes to show they are trying to garner sympathy and support for his illegal actions. All I can say is WOW! Another thing, they’re taught probably to just shoot and kill, shoot and kill, shoot and kill. So what makes you think he is going to come back from another country and just start following the constitution that he swore to defend and uphold after being trained just the opposite?
@Scott just one question for you. Of all the officer involved shootings in 2009, how many were found to be unjustified?
Scott, I am sorry you fear for your life all the time, but I would say that your fear is misplaced. Statistics indicate construction workers, millers, miners, and loggers have a more dangerous job than you do. I don’t hear them drumming up pity from the masses about how difficult and dangerous their jobs are. 50% of cops who die on duty die in traffic accidents (which is also the same reason why truck driving is such a dangerous job.) A minority are shot by criminals. And, judging by the salaries of the top most dangerous jobs, you guys get paid a whole lot more because you get the luxury of coercing taxpayer money. If you think that you are a much better person or more deserving of respect than the people who build our homes, supply us with electricity and grow our food, I think you have a slight case of narcissism or misplaced self-importance.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-08/the-20-most-dangerous-jobs/
Also, if you refer to the statistics and studies posted a few posts ago, it appears that if I walked onto the street, and met a cop and a random dude, the cop would be far more likely to kill me or sexually assault me, when taking into account “excessive force fatalities.”
Funny that you should talk about “innocent until proven guilty,” because police do not treat citizens that way. The resisting arrest charge is frequently used against citizens when they have committed no other crime – except resisting arrest. Effectively, police can arrest citizens for any reason, or no reason at all, and if the citizen resists unjustified arrest, they are charged with resisting arrest. This precisely is treating the citizen as guilty until proven innocent – arrest them first, and make them prove they did nothing wrong.
I get confused sometimes. Are you guys really out to “protect” us? Or are you protecting yourselves from us, and having a little fun with a head shot here, a tasering there?
Well said Jenn.
You fear for your life? Get another job. Police don’t protect anybody, that’s what you need to tell yourself to avoid the real reason your a cop. At best, they’ll show up after a crime and maybe do something if they feel like it. Soldiers certainly aren’t protecting anyone from anything, unless your definition is occupying someone elses country for the benefit of very waelthy and powerful people who look at you and the troops the same way cops look at us, with contempt.This ” you’re sitting at home lalala because we protect you” is tiresome and inaccurate. Get over yourself.
I do indeed sleep soundly in my bed because of military and police (not that there’s really any difference). Specifically, because they haven’t smashed my door down in the middle of the night and murdered me in my sleep. In this country, it’s the cops who do that kind of thing.
@scott
This is typical cop ego crap. Here’s what should be going through the head of every officer on the street every minute of every day: “If I saw someone doing what I’m about to do, would I arrest them?”
If the answer’s “yes”, then don’t do it. Of course, you’ll come up with all sorts of logical contortions to justify the fact that officers can act capriciously when it comes to other peoples’ lives. But we, the people that feed and clothe you with our tax money, don’t get the same latitude when deciding whether or not to defend our lives. We are threats to be dealt with under the sacred mantra of “Officer Safety”.
Nobody here’s saying you don’t have a dangerous job. After all, there are a lot of people who are desperate not to lose their property, their lives, or their freedom under the draconian drug laws that fund a huge percentage of your operation. You know, the laws that you are really trying to enforce when you pull someone over for speeding, not signaling, not wearing a seat-belt, etc. Of course these people might be more inclined to act aggressively, and rightfully so, when they are faced with losing everything because they possessed a collection of molecules that you find offensive. How would you react if someone wanted to take everything you’ve every owned including your freedom for no good reason?
Just remember this, though: You work for us. You signed on for the job. You’re free to quit and go do whatever else you’re qualified to do. If the job’s too dangerous then you can go and do something useful for a living. We really don’t need you and here’s why…
There are 105,000 people in my little corner of the American dream. There are 12 to 20 cops on the road at any given time during the day and probably 5 to 7 at night. Violent crime and serious crimes against property are well below the national average. Tell me with a straight face that you’re preventing crime, anarchy, and chaos while keeping me safe. You prevent nothing and I keep myself safe.
As a military officer, I take great offense to any correlation you draw between the military and the police. The only link between Soldiers, highly skilled for specific combat functions, and police, marginally skilled for an enigmatic service, is the fact that they occasionally restrain from giving us traffic tickets.
MilSpec, you’re not the only military officer who feels that way:
http://www.theagitator.com/2010/05/14/more-militarized-than-the-military/
“This article is obviously written by someone who sleeps soundly in his bed because of the Military and Police Officers that he mocks.”
One, I sleep soundly in my bed because I’m not afraid of anything….except heights.
Two, I’m not mocking anyone. Show me where I am mocking anyone, I am simply pointing out the double standard. If that cop was an average joe citizen he’d be in jail for manslaughter right now at the very least. But since he has a blue costume and a piece of metal and recieves stolen money(taxation) he will get off scott free.
Tell me how that is fair
“I go to work everyday knowing full well that I may not return home to my beautiful wife and family. Anyone that says that that is selfish or in anyway not brave has never had to fight for his/her life before.”
Police aren’t brave, they spend all day pulling people over for asinine bulls*it like driving above whatever arbitrary speed limit is in effect or having a light out on the car. When they raid drug dealers they go after the small time people. They never go after the really big guys because they’re afraid. They know they’ll be armed to the teeth and fight back because they have everything to lose.
Policemen are chickens that hide behind the badge and push us little people around and demand we follow orders. You’re their to serve and protect the politicians power over us.
traffic stops and domestic disputes are the 2 most consistently volatile calls cops run. as the volume of traffic stops increases, I imagine their will be more people (cop and citizen) harmed. the citizen feels (many times, justifiably) that he’s losing a day’s wages because of some bullshit speeding ticket and the cop feels he’s just doing his job to meet his quota so he can ‘go home to his beautiful wife’, etc.
this man died because of a TRAFFIC STOP. until the cops stop acting like douchebag tax collectors, this is not going to stop.
Don’t know if this shooting is justified or not…
But don’t paint this guy as just your ordinary citizen. Dude spent 15 years in jail for 2nd deg. murder during a carjacking. What a nice guy…
Also, this guy got out of his car, then went back and reached for something. Behavior during a traffic stop isn’t rocket science:
- Stay in your car
- Shut it off
- Hands on the wheel
- Explain each movement you make to the officer (“I’m going to reach into my back pocket for my license”)
- Keep all your movements slow and smooth
Doesn’t matter if the cop is a douchebag, make him feel safe and you’re making yourself safe as well
Jenn, Demize, Dave, Brett…You Are All On Point.
@ Scott and JC…Any “Person” who awake and breath life is at risk – crime can greet you at home (in light of – you not making it home) – you may never get a chance to leave home. The point of this article is not to say show or say whose life is more important. It is to “Point Out” and “Address” the “Double Standard Law”.
even when we go on patrol in far out, hostile territory, and officially noone knows we are there, with no laws or witnesses to bare, rules of engagement are to be followed. In which we are to wait to be fired upon first to return fire. It is funny (sarcastically) to me, that in the middle of a major city, where, for the most part (90%) anarchy and chaos are well subdued, and citizens are, again, for the most part civil and not hostile toward police, that a trained police offcer (even a rookie) would readily fire on a civilian without first being fired upon.
By simply dropping low to one knee, or fast stepping to one side, or side-rushing the man, the officer could have lower the chances of getting shot in a vital organ (had the man really had a gun AND the intention to use it. This would have given the officer a few more seconds to better assess the situation.
To the cop who did this: go tell your friends how brave you are. Oh, and don’t forget…. tell them your heroic version, not what really happenned.
IM AN AFRICAN-AMERCAN WHOSE BEEN A POLICE OFFICER FOR 10 YEARS, A MARINE FOR 4 YEARS, AND RAISED IN THE INNER CITY OF MIAMI. BEFORE BECOMING A POLICEMAN, I’VE COME TO FIND MYSELF AT ODDS WITH THE POLICE. IVE ENCOUNTERED RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL POLICE MEN THAT HAS LEFT A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH AFTER RIPPING MY CAR APART BECAUSE MY VEHICLE HAS “FIT THE DESCRIPTION”. AGAINST THOSE ODDS, I SIGNED ON MAINLY BECAUSE THE PAY AND BENEFITS. I DIDNT HAVE A LIFELONG DREAM OF BECOMING AN OFFICER. I JUST NEEDED TO TAKE CARE OF MY THREE YOUNG DAUGHTERS AND HAD THE OPPORTUNITY. NOW FROM THE INSIDE, I REALIZE THAT THERE IS A CERTAIN FEAR THAT TRANSLATES TO AGGRESSION THAT CERTAIN OFFICERS POSSESS. WE MADE ENCOUNTER 10 SUSPECTS AND ANY GIVEN TIME, ONE WILL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND WILL LIKE TRY TO HARM US. IVE LEARNED THAT THERE ARE SELECTED OFFICERS WHO ARE BAD POLICEMEN, RUDE AND DANGEROUS TO SOCIETY. BUT THAT IS A SMALL PERCENTAGE. UNFORTUNATELY THAT SMALL PERCENTAGE OUTWEIGH THE GOOD COPS WHO TRULY CARES AND HONEST. ITS SEEMS THAT THE ONLY THING WE SEE ON TV AND NEWS IS THE BAD APPLES. THE MEDIA NEVER SHOWS THAT COP THAT GAVE AN 80 YEAR OLD CPR TO KEEPS HIS HEART PUMPING ENOUGH TIME FOR RESCUE TO MAKE IT. OR THE ONE GIVING A HOMELESS A COUPLE OF DOLLARS TO EAT OR WATCHING A YOUNG LADY ENTER HER HOME BECAUSE SHE FEELS THAT SOMEONE HAS BEEN FOLLOWING HER. SO PLEASE DONT GET THE BAD APPLES SPOIL ALL THE APPLES. THERE ARE MORE COPS OUT THERE THAT ARE REALLY GOOD HUMAN BEINGS THAN THOSE WHO ARE ROTTEN. AND TO THE OFFICER SHOOTING SITUATION, ONLY OFC MARIN KNOWS WHAT OFC MARIN WAS THINKING, OR HOW HE PERCEIVED THE SITUATION. I DONT BELIEVE IS WAS ABOUT RACE IN MY OPINION, I THINK IT WAS MORE ABOUT FEAR AND NATURAL REACTION FROM HIS COMBAT TRAINING!
I really believe what Tim is saying (Jenn and others had really good points too). I am a veteran of Iraq and have seen the whole “fear that translates to aggression”. I believe that this is the real problem with cops who kill citizens. They are scared. It in no way makes it right though. Sometimes stereotypes, prejudice, or simply racial stigmas feed the fear in these officers exponentially. I am afraid that younger generations are more susceptible to these fears because of the tremendous amount of media saturation that they are bombarded with.(telling them that black people are scary criminals-etc.) In the army we had a saying “death by coward”. It is referring to someone being scared and resulting in someones death. Every time I meet police officers I am aware of the fact that if they are scared enough of me they will murder me. It is unsettling and wrong but it is my reality. If we combat racial stereotypes and prejudice perhaps cops and this younger generation will be less apt to pull the trigger and kill the innocent.
@Jimmy – very good points. And I would add that while things like stereotypes, prejudice, or fear are hard to change or erase, especially in a person who has been raised a certain way their whole life, what we can change is the law. If laws did not require police to be busting down doors for stupid things like drugs, or pulling people over constantly for really meaningless violations, the civilian and police death toll would both decrease, and freedom would certainly increase.
@Tim – I disagree there are more good apples than bad. By definition, all cops are there to violate a plethora of civil liberties. It is their job to trample on people’s freedoms, to live off of the profits of the drug war, to live off the profits of jaywalking and other meaningless tickets, and live off the profits of other senseless penalties. I would agree that it is a minority of cops that outright rape, murder or torture, but most of the time, the “good” apples stand idly by. They lie for their brothers, they cover up evidence, they don’t take reports when they should, and they don’t investigate.
This Website is complete shit I hope the creators of this website get raped and tortured one day then will see what they think of the Police when they save their stupid fuck faggot asses and it’s a shame that all these people do is criticize the police, I understand there are bad police but there are twice as many good police.
The sad thing is that by cop standards James is one of the “good police,” because he’s only talking about raping and torturing people who don’t crawl at his feet to lick his jackboots instead of actually doing it.
When the time comes, it will amount to one thing – The good cops can join and fight the good fight, or stick with the bad cops and be taken down with them!
500,000 people protesting in London….Now multiply that by the people in the US and add the fact that we are the most heavily armed citizens on the face of the Earth…..You bad cops still going to be so arrogant when we come calling? I have NO problem taking you out if you cross me…..I’m NOT pacifistic in the least…..what you put out will be what you get a 100 times over. And it’s coming sooner than you think.
James, I’ll take a baton to your ass personally till your intestines come out…..how’s that for rape, Bud?!
So James, your thesis is that since 2/3 of cops are “good,” and 1/3 are “bad” (that’s YOUR math), I deserve to be forcibly sodomized while the police either respond too late, or fail to respond at all? Given the numerous SCOTUS rulings stating that police have no duty to respond to a citizen’s call for help, that’s ridiculous, never mind being offensive.
Leaving your obvious insecurities about homosexuality (project much?) aside, let’s examine your post. How will my opinion of police be changed when I am getting raped and tortured, and the police “save” me by showing up after the fact? That would follow a predictable pattern where in cases of real crime, where an aggressor actually causes harm to a victim, the police appear only after the crime has been committed, often LOOOOONG after. They collect some evidence, then maybe arrest someone (in 50-60% of cases) and hand them off to the DA, who will bring a case against them. Assuming that the police arrested the right guy (and that’s a stretch), even if he is convicted, that would do nothing for me as the victim of the forcible sodomy you wished upon me. I am not made whole by having to pay taxes to incarcerate the guy. I don’t get any restitution from the aggressor. I’ll have to pay for my own therapy on top of all those taxes.
So, the cops sure didn’t “serve” or “protect” me in the little fantasy you shared (is this the kind of thing you think about often?). In the interest of justice and protecting other, future potential victims, I suppose it’s better than nothing, but really, how is the scenario you posit going to change anything? How is my being raped and tortured going to change my mind about the police? Even if they did “save” me before the evil deed was done, then wouldn’t they just be doing their jobs? Am I supposed to grovel at the feet of everyone who just does their job? Why do cops deserve worshipful gratitude and zero criticism when even you concede that only 2/3 of them are decent people? That’s what I’d like to know.
Personally, I think it’s a shame that you’d wish violent sexual crimes upon those with whom you disagree, rather than actually formulating an intelligible argument against our positions.
@ JC -Your point loses validity when you fail to notice the man was ordered to leave his vehicle.
@ Tim -By your own statements, you show us that the so-called “majority”, i.e., “good” cops, are powerless against the few “bad apples”. The whole point of this site is not to demean or belittle All cops, but rather to demand accountability of those that are corrupt. And when the “good” cops are doing nothing about the “bad apples”, you are no better than they are. 9 times out of 10, none of you actually ever Prevent a crime, you merely clean up the mess after wards. So what makes a cop better than a janitor or garbage collector and gives them the right to the abuses that are committed daily? At least the janitor or garbage collector is doing something that benefits us all, as opposed to only benefiting the people with money and power. How many times have you protected your fellow officers by looking the other way or not standing up when you saw that they were doing something wrong? And as for protecting your children, you’d do a better job of it if you were at home and not on the streets, claiming to “protect” me. What protects me is my willingness and ability to defend myself- I do not need or ask anyone else to do it for me.
“I hope the creators of this website get raped and tortured one day ”
Thank you for wishing me well and that nothing bad happens to me James. You are a stand up guy
Your Welcome Bitch and Thanatos and the rest of you fags think your so hard come to where I live NW Jax Murder capital of Florida and second highest murder capital in the U.S. Look it up bitch ass nigga, you bitches wouldnt step one foot into that part of town to fade me even if you had Marines standing next to you, you dumb fuck the MF Police are even scared to come to My part of town so if your gonna stick a baton up my ass then I’ll be waiting if you can man up enough to cross over into your worst nightmare.
hey james…evident that you are a racist psycho scum of the earth…you sound like your ready to either harm yourself or others…your a bitter disgusting little limp dickhead…so let these great cops come to your aid and they can blow out your brains…go have another drink and don’t forget that good cop doNUT!
Hey liz sounds like your a little upset you dumb retard bitch I’m fucking black how the hell can I be racist Oh WOW I know right a black person that isnt hatefull towards the police that must be one hell of a shocker to you hahahaha what a stupid bitch. And your the one the one thats bitter because you probably got a speeding ticket and now you have nothing better to do but moan and whine and hate on the police like the rest of these haters on this website. Why don’t you bend over and let me stick my FAT 10 inch dick up your tight little ass you dumb whore.
yea james boy,,,figures your just another uneducated black piece of shit …you need to be in iraq maybe you will get lucky and step on a land mine… as for that 10″ limp noodle; use that to put it into your big toothless mouth…oh maybe you got those two gold teeth left…your disgusting infected black dick is meant for your crack addicted whore mother…i’m sure she is sucking cop dick just so they don’t blow your sorry poor ghetto ass into hell…the racist part was for the people you call fags…dumb ass …get off your crack pipe; racism isn’t only cause your black…your just a plain uneducated scumbag who really wants to stick it into his whore mother,,,but you can’t get it up can you prison dick sucker…cause your the ghetto ho who takes it up the ass…and you were spawned from a lowlife crack pushing ghetto bitch….you need to go back to prison your first home so the boys can give you a welcome back scum fest…dumb niga!!!
two cops…have guns, lazers, baton, bullet proof vests, back up radio, and they fear for their lives against an unarmed individual…even if they had tanks and machine guns they still would use the same sorry ass excuse…are these cops on drugs, drunk or just ego maniacs with guns…becoming a gestapo police state…