The Ferguson case was an exception

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I think enough time has gone by that some people can have a civil and informative discussion about Police Shootings. This is not to dismiss the BLM movement, but could be viewed as a constructive criticism that could be brought into the discussion over shootings by police and the bigger picture

Since an unarmed black teenager was shot to death last year by police in Ferguson, Mo., a national debate has raged over police use of deadly force. But the Ferguson case was an exception, according to a Washington Post database of 800 fatal police shootings in 2015. Only 5 percent occurred under the kind of murky circumstances that tend to provoke public outrage.

[John and Mary Jane Norman hold a photograph of their son, Kent, in their home in Indianapolis. Kent held a knife to Mary Jane’s throat this year before police officers shot and killed him.]

The vast majority of people shot and killed by police were on the attack, usually with a gun. In March, for example, Wisconsin State Trooper Trevor Casper was hailed as a hero after he and a bank robber were killed in a shootout. Here are the stories of three other such shootings

Three stories of fatal police shootings​

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Heartbreaking Heroism

FOND DU LAC, Wis.

Stopped in his patrol cruiser, Trooper Trevor Casper searched for a gray Toyota Corolla on a busy stretch of Highway 41. Behind the wheel was Steven Timothy Snyder, a bank robber and killer on the run. When Casper spotted Snyder about 5:30 p.m., he eased his cruiser into southbound traffic, following the Corolla at a distance, keeping his lights and siren off.

About this story: To identify trends among fatal shootings by police, The Post studied whether the individuals killed were unarmed or armed with weapons and reviewed the actions they took in the immediate moments before police shot them. The Post has compiled a database of all fatal shootings nationwide by officers in the line of duty in 2015.
Above: Law enforcement from throughout Wisconsin take part in a flag ceremony as the casket of Trooper Trevor Casper is transported to Kiel High School for visitation, followed by the funeral. Casper was a graduate of the high school in Kiel, Wis., four years ago.​

But Snyder soon realized he was being followed. Outside the Pick ’n Save grocery store, he abruptly turned his car around. He raised his semiautomatic pistol and opened fire, striking Casper in the neck.

Snyder and Casper jumped out of their cars while they were still rolling. The 21-year-old trooper, armed with a .40-caliber Glock, and the 38-year-old bank robber circled the cruiser, guns blazing. Casper fired 12 rounds; Snyder got off nine armor-piercing bullets, one of which penetrated Casper’s ballistic vest. And when it was over, Snyder lay dying of a gunshot wound to his back.

“Bad guy is down,” a dispatcher reported.

Casper collapsed and then dropped his gun. March 24 was his first solo day on the job — and his last. Shot three times, he became the youngest law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in Wisconsin history. Casper is among 31 officers this year who have been shot to death by perpetrators, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. He was hailed as a hero for stopping Snyder, who had magazines of ammunition tucked in his socks and left a manifesto promising “to go down fighting hard.”

Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Trevor Casper was killed in the line of duty on March 24 in Fond du Lac, Wis. He was the youngest law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in Wisconsin history. (Courtesy of the Casper Family)

Snyder’s killing, as documented in interviews and police reports, is among the 800 fatal shootings by police so far this year. As the tally continues to grow, so does public debate and criticism over police use of deadly force.

But only a small number of the shootings — roughly 5 percent — occurred under the kind of circumstances that raise doubt and draw public outcry, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. The vast majority of individuals shot and killed by police officers were, like Snyder, armed with guns and killed after attacking police officers or civilians or making other direct threats.


Of the 595 cases in which a person fired a gun, brandished a gun or attacked an officer or individual with a weapon or bare hands: READ MORE​

On duty, under fire