Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    User
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Petoorsdorp
    Age
    42
    Posts
    6,719

    Default Baby killed by police bullet

    From News24:

    Johannesburg - A 1-year-old baby was accidentally killed and its mother injured after being hit by a ricocheted bullet allegedly fired by police, Gauteng police said on Monday.
    Police were attempting to stop a crowd assaulting two men accused of theft in Mooiplaas, south of Pretoria, on Sunday when an officer fired a warning shot, said Colonel Katlego Mogale.
    The warning shot then ricocheted, hitting the baby and mother.
    The mother was taken to hospital for treatment, along with two police officers injured while stopping the crowd from assaulting the two men.
    "The case is now with the Ipid (Independent Police Investigation Directorate)," said Mogale.

  2. #2
    User
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Home away from homeland
    Posts
    2,152

    Default Re: Baby killed by police bullet

    I guess the knee-jerk reaction is to comment on the wisdom of warning shots, but I'm curious - in a situation like this, how do you get a mob to stop their attack without having to shoot one of them?

  3. #3
    User
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Pretoria, South Africa
    Age
    34
    Posts
    12,547

    Default Re: Baby killed by police bullet

    If they don't listen to the police, shoot all of them.

  4. #4
    Moderator SSP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    11,988

    Default Re: Baby killed by police bullet

    Quote Originally Posted by Toxxyc View Post
    If they don't listen to the police, shoot all of them.
    Awesome. Just like in Germany in the '30s.
    Cattle die, kindred die, every man is mortal:
    But I know one thing that never dies,
    the glory of the great dead.
    Havamal

  5. #5
    User
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Strand
    Age
    38
    Posts
    10,408

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SSP View Post
    Awesome. Just like in Germany in the '30s.
    ROFL!

    And regarding warning shots: under stress, can you absolutely guarantee that the bullet will stop somewhere safe? I'd rather aim for a specific target personally.

  6. #6
    User
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    00-50-56-C0-00-01
    Age
    40
    Posts
    3,798

    Default Re: Baby killed by police bullet

    Quote Originally Posted by AshleyR View Post
    I guess the knee-jerk reaction is to comment on the wisdom of warning shots, but I'm curious - in a situation like this, how do you get a mob to stop their attack without having to shoot one of them?
    I have been pondering this for a while now myself. The best answer I could come up with is proper training and proper equipment. It is very easy to sit behind the screen and correct other people's mistakes when we were not there ourselves to actually witness what really went down. Mobs are nasty to deal with in general.

  7. #7
    User
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Petoorsdorp
    Age
    42
    Posts
    6,719

    Default Re: Baby killed by police bullet

    I saw one brightspark in the comments on Idiot24 that said warning shots should be fired into the air so they don't hit anyone. I'm guessing he didn't do well in physics at school. I wanted to correct him but News24 wanted access to stuff on my Facebook profile that has sweetbuggerall to do with them so I left it at that.

  8. #8
    Moderator ikor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Age
    74
    Posts
    8,806

    Default Re: Baby killed by police bullet

    While we would wish, in a perfect world, for our cops to have all the training, skills and gear they would need to take on such mobs, that simply does not happen very often. The fact that the law itself does not proscribe use of warning shots is also a huge issue, since it leaves cops and / or citizens hanging in the breeze if something 'bad' happens such as this incident. OTOH, what 'should' these officers do or have done? Should they just say 'stuff it' and walk away? Tackle several hundred demonstrators with just a few cops? Wait until they have plenty of back up before taking them on? You get the idea...unfortunately they often don't have those options, and they are tasked with doing something RTF Now. It really is a shid-sandwitch...
    Run Fast, Bite Hard!

  9. #9
    User
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Joburg
    Posts
    701

    Default Re: Baby killed by police bullet

    Quote Originally Posted by ikor View Post
    While we would wish, in a perfect world, for our cops to have all the training, skills and gear they would need to take on such mobs, that simply does not happen very often. The fact that the law itself does not proscribe use of warning shots is also a huge issue, since it leaves cops and / or citizens hanging in the breeze if something 'bad' happens such as this incident. OTOH, what 'should' these officers do or have done? Should they just say 'stuff it' and walk away? Tackle several hundred demonstrators with just a few cops? Wait until they have plenty of back up before taking them on? You get the idea...unfortunately they often don't have those options, and they are tasked with doing something RTF Now. It really is a shid-sandwitch...
    This.

    Also wondering whether mom and baby were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or if she voided her voice of reason and took a small baby to a mob justice?

Similar Threads

  1. Single sniper's bullet killed six Taliban
    By avislog in forum General Firearm Discussion
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 02-04-2014, 13:02
  2. Police Killed - Explosives Detonate on N1
    By Springer in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 40
    Last Post: 01-03-2014, 06:59
  3. Cape Town gran, 88, killed by stray bullet
    By camouflage762 in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 20-01-2014, 14:07
  4. Wanted man killed in shoot-out with police
    By curious george in forum Government firearms used in attacks or robberies
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 13-06-2013, 15:13

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •