Family of slain suspected PS3 thief to receive $2.45 million settlement

None of you where there, neither was I. Nobody commenting on this threat can claim that the officer was "trigger happy" or a "moron." We don't have enough information - we don't even know if this guy stole those PS3s.

I once called a local news station for more information on a similar "unjustified" police shooting. The kid had stolen a car, wrecked it, and was running from the scene. The only information they aired was the cop's statement "he made a motion like he was drawing a gun, then turned towards me."

Know what you know and what you don't know.

This was discussed days ago over here
http://kotaku.com/361722/settlement-reached-in-ps3-police-shooting

And the level of comments seems to be much more mature than here. But also, just like at the other site it looks like pretty much no one here bothered to do any research and read the articles about what really happened. Since you won't wast the time, I won't either and just copy and paste what I said in the other article.

"I actually lived in Wilmington when this all happened.
The point is, the kid actually followed some people home from the store the night the PS3s went on sale and robbed them at gun point.
When the police got tipped who had done it and looked into the people, they saw the web postings with people holding and showing off guns, like a bunch of wannabe gangsters.
When they went to the house, they were expecting the worst, like full on armed resistance, so all the officers had to be on edge.
What didn't get talked about much except locally was that the kid the family is so sad a loosing was actually not that nice of a person. He would go to parties looking to get into fights, had failed out of schools so was going to the local community college (even though his family was from the Durham area.)
Was also supposed to be involved in hard drugs.
So how would you have been feeling if you had been an officer about to try and arrest the kid?
His dad is also a lawyer, which might explain how they got the settlement. He knew all the right buttons to push in the media to make it look like his poor innocent child he loved very much was executed by the evil SWAT team in black."

How many of you would have fired back if you had thought you were being shot at by a bunch of armed thugs.

I'm not sure why so many of the posts sound like the govt is 'giving' the suspected thief's family money. The family (that doesn't want the money) was a settlement reached by both parties (to avoid a lawsuit).

It wasn't a passive 'gift' by the agency to make them feel better. The family might not want the money for themselves, but someone had to work on their behalf to get the money out of the govt.

Frankly, I'd rather my tax dollars went somewhere else--I mean, scholarships aren't going to help avoid mistakes. I'm surprised that if the family didn't want the money, they didn't spend it on something that would help avoid those types of mistakes--maybe $2.5m in police training and tools specific to helping police make sound judgements in tense situations?

"The character of the victim is irrelevant."

Ummmmmmm........no. It is very relevant and helps explain why things went the way they did. He was a bad guy.

And if you spent the time to read up on the officer, he was a very good and experienced officer and this 1 mistake cost him.

"How many of us have received law enforcement and Special Weapons and Tactics training that teach you how to gauge threat levels and know the difference between a gunshot and a battering ram hitting a door?"

Have you? And don't know how much time you have spent in a workshop hammering dents out of metal, but it makes all kinds of sharp noises. If the fireteam breaching the rear of the house hit the lockplate around the doorknob just right there is no telling what kind of sharp crack sound it could have made.

You get money for irresponsible police actions in there? Where I'm in, you can get the video of the policeman shooting a cuffed man in the back of the head, and you get NOTHING. In fact, there's a case of a man who was mistaken for a perp, stopped in his car and beaten without warning, then let go. Then they came back and gave him a speeding ticket. I understand police buisiness isn't easy and it is nessesary but own up, guys! If you mess up, own up(yes, I know that seems to be the case here).

Wait a minute..... Cop's actually apologizing for a mistake??


Somebody in hell must have turned the thermostat down.

Good old America. Your lack of gun control all those years ago has put you in a situation that's going to be hard to get out of now, if ever.

The fucking cop should be in jail.

Yet another reason why cops are asshole.

"Ask Britain what happened when they banned handguns. :3"

That story is 7 years old dumbass.

NEWSFLASH:
New games for Playstation! Man, the graphics are so life-like!
http://au.ps2.ign.com/articles/080/080046p1.html

1. Steal PS3
2. Get shot by police
3. ???
4. Profit

(insert inappropriate comment)
(reply condemns inappropriate comment) (op -1)
(2nd replyer disappointed in op) (op -1)
(3rd reply makes even more inappropriate comment) (-1)
(op at same time of 3rd claims sarcasm) (-1)
(1st reply sarcastically says it's not a joke) (+1)
(stalking)
(troll)
(op struggles)
(3rd attempts to gain attention)
(1st argues)
(show me your pokemans)
(op says he's running)
(political strike against cowardice)
(tl:dr)

There should seriously be a "punch a random policeman in the jaw day." I'm sick of cops making their own rules, and living above the laws they're supposed to uphold.

Are we sure Peyton Strickland actually did steal the PS3s?

The cops must have shot him because they thought from a distance and it was probably dark the controller was a gun. They shot the dog because it was a big, aggressive dog that was attacking them.

Its a shame he lost his life but he was a criminal and I don't see why we should set a scholarship for him, I know losing human life is tragic but I just can't feel the same with the person is a criminal, I dunno. : /

Gee, one less douche bag in the world. What a shame.

Mistake made by the officer? Yes. Would the officer be there if this tool hadn't stolen the PS3 at gunpoint? No. Ultimately, it is the kids fault for being a dumb ass and putting himself in that position. Call it what you will... consequence, karma, misfortune. The kid died because he was a punk who warranted the cops being there in force.

Not all cops are bad. Grow up and don't lump them all into the same category.

You have to admit, whether the kid was innocent or guilty, that pic makes you wanna kill him...again.