A Perfect Example of How Irrational Fear/Stupidity Kills Innocent People

[pitbulllady]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292168,00.html

A five-year-old child is dead, thanks to an idiot cop discharging a firearm before engaging his BRAIN, all because of an irrational, pointless fear that should have been left in the Middle Ages! Venomous snakes in North America seldom climb trees, so it's pretty much a given that the snake was harmless and posed absolutely no threat to anyone whatsoever, but the cop would rather try to be a hero and kill this "evil monster" to save lives...and wound up killing a child while the kid's grandfather watched helplessly. Poor old guy-they showed him on tv and he blames himself for taking his grandson fishing, something that grandfathers have been doing for ages. This is a perfect example of how deadly stupidity can be, but it's sad that the victims who pay the biggest price, the kid and the snake, aren't even the ones who were being stupid. I hope this cop does hard time for this, and never is allowed to carry a gun for the rest of his life, and as part of his parole he should be made to work at the nearest zoo's reptile house, educating the public on the idiocy of reptile phobias/hatred.

pitbulllady

[Imaginary Light]

That's just terrible. It's so sad to think that an innocent "fun" day of fishing can turn into such a mess My heart goes out to this boy's family.

[Medikor]

It is indeed a sad story. You would think that the officer would have called in animal control to deal with the snake.

[pitbulllady]

I don't see the point in calling ANYBODY to deal with a harmless wild animal that is in its natural habitat, not bothering anyone or posing a threat to anyone. It would be like calling out a police officer or animal control officer to get rid of a native bird perched up in the tree. It's not like any people lived up in that tree. That's where the stupidity part comes in; so many people just automically assume if it's a snake, it HAS to be dangerous, and out to get every last human on the planet. If someone had called out the police because they saw a Bluejay in the tree, or a squirrel, or even a raccoon in broad daylight, they probably would have been cited for tying up the emergency 991 system with a useless call. That sort of fear is totally irrational and inexcusable. Like I said, in this day and age of information, with people like the late Steve Irwin dedicating their lives to educate people about animals like snakes, there is no excuse whatsoever for any person to react in such a way to the mere presence of a snake in a tree that they would wind up killing another person, and this sort of thing belongs in the Middle Ages, along with burning people at the stake for suggesting that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around.

pitbulllady

[kageri]

The thing that disturbs me is that not only did they apparently have nothing to do but shoot snakes that are just chillaxin in trees, but there's also a cop out there who has such bad aim with a gun that they shot a toddler while aiming for a snake in a tree. There needs to be a mandatory I.Q. and vision test in order for people to be allowed anywhere near firearms.

[pitbulllady]

Originally Posted by kageri

The thing that disturbs me is that not only did they apparently have nothing to do but shoot snakes that are just chillaxin in trees, but there's also a cop out there who has such bad aim with a gun that they shot a toddler while aiming for a snake in a tree. There needs to be a mandatory I.Q. and vision test in order for people to be allowed anywhere near firearms.

The grandfather specified that he SAW the first bullet hit the water, then the second one hit his grandson, so you have to question, HOW this could have happened if the snake was up a tree! The only thing I can think of is that the cop was standing on a raised bank around the pond or lake, on the opposite shore from the grandfather and kid, and trying to shoot a snake in a tree that was growing out over the water, at a level below the bank. There have been other incidents of cops shooting at animals and either injuring people or damaging things like cars, when they really shouldn't have been shooting at the animal in the first place, since it was not posing a threat. Police officers are supposed to not only take IQ tests, but also psychological exams, but I guess a lot of 'em slip through the cracks in the system. ANY law enforcement officer, including police, should be trained to know if there are venomous snakes in their area, and how to recognize them(something a third-grader can learn), and how to respond when there is a genuine risk to human lives, rather than BEING a risk to human lives through their ineptitude. This is actually mandatory for military personel; they receive training in safely dealing with venomous/dangerous wildliife both where they undergo basic training, and in the areas to which they are deployed. Every branch of the military emphasizes leaving the animal alone whenever possible.

This isn't the only case involving a human shooting because of fear of snakes. Last week in South Carolina, a retired state trooper accidentally shot and killed HIMSELF after using a shotgun to kill a "Water Moccasin"; he'd spoken with a buddy via cell phone as he was going to kill the snake, which he also said was in a tree(Water Moccasins do NOT climb trees), and apparently as he was trying to put the loaded gun back in the gun rack, it discharged, killing him. That makes two people dead due to a total lack of common sense, both over an animal that could not have harmed anyone in the first place.

pitbulllady

[Ub3rD4n]

Well, seems to me this occurence was sad, cause the cop was just trying to help those people and ended up shooting them (poor decision making, even if the snake was venemous, which he beleived it to be). Now, I may be from a country devoid of snakes, but it seems to me to be an easy mistake to make, not knowing that venomous snakes aren't tree climbers, but the guy should have been more careful. Snakes often don't attack until something moves, so he could have gotten closer or circled around for a better shot......

So, yeah, I don't think the guy was dumb, just a little too trigger-happy, especially for being the bad shot he was. I don't think it had much to do with irrational fear, though a deep-seated fear of snakes is ingrained into humanity from since before it existed, the guy just shot too soon and too poorly.

[pitbulllady]

Originally Posted by Ub3rD4n

Well, seems to me this occurence was sad, cause the cop was just trying to help those people and ended up shooting them (poor decision making, even if the snake was venemous, which he beleived it to be). Now, I may be from a country devoid of snakes, but it seems to me to be an easy mistake to make, not knowing that venomous snakes aren't tree climbers, but the guy should have been more careful. Snakes often don't attack until something moves, so he could have gotten closer or circled around for a better shot......

So, yeah, I don't think the guy was dumb, just a little too trigger-happy, especially for being the bad shot he was. I don't think it had much to do with irrational fear, though a deep-seated fear of snakes is ingrained into humanity from since before it existed, the guy just shot too soon and too poorly.

Humans have been scientifically proven NOT to have a "deep-seated" or instinctual fear of snakes. That fear is entirely learned behavior. The cop had not been called by the grandfather of the dead child, but apparently by someone else who had spotted the snake in the tree. Venomous or not, it's not going to hurt anyone unless they climb the freakin' tree! Snakes do not "attack" people; their biting is defensive behavior that is only used when someone is directly making contact with the snake. A snake is not going to come down from the perceived safety of a tree if there are large, dangerous animals-or humans-on the ground below. It's not going to go after anyone. I realize that a lot of people don't know that, but whose fault is that? It surely isn't due to lack of education, whether on tv or the internet or books. People who live where they are likely to encounter wild animals should be under obligation to learn about those animals, how they act, what their "triggers" are, and how to identify venomous from non-venomous when it comes to snakes. It's ironic that while I am typing this, "Inside Edition" just ran a story of a cop who pulled a young woman over, when her father was having a heart attack. The cop actually pulled his gun on her, yanked her from the car, and cuffed her, while she pleaded with him to let her get to the hospital where her father was being taken. The cop was threatening to shoot her, even though she was not armed, or threatening him in any way. We're supposed to trust and count on these people, but it seems that more and more nut-cases are slipping through the cracks and winding up on police forces.

pitbulllady

[kageri]

Originally Posted by pitbulllady

It's ironic that while I am typing this, "Inside Edition" just ran a story of a cop who pulled a young woman over, when her father was having a heart attack. The cop actually pulled his gun on her, yanked her from the car, and cuffed her, while she pleaded with him to let her get to the hospital where her father was being taken. The cop was threatening to shoot her, even though she was not armed, or threatening him in any way. We're supposed to trust and count on these people, but it seems that more and more nut-cases are slipping through the cracks and winding up on police forces.

pitbulllady

...........WHY?!? Was she speeding to get there or something?! I just... I don't know why I'm even trying to find a reason here, there is nothing that would justify that. Nothing.

[pitbulllady]

Originally Posted by kageri

...........WHY?!? Was she speeding to get there or something?! I just... I don't know why I'm even trying to find a reason here, there is nothing that would justify that. Nothing.

Yes, she was speeding, AND she did have her emergency flashers on, as was clearly seen in the video taken from the cop's own car. That is supposed to be a signal to law enforcement that there is a genuine emergency and if anything, they are supposed to ESCORT the person to a hospital, not stop them! When the sobbing woman begged the cop to let her go, and kept telling him that her father was being taken to the hospital with a heart attack, he told her, "Well, he won't get to see you acting so stupid, will he?" He was on tape in a later interview with a judge stating that he did not believe the woman's story, and felt perfectly justified in drawing his gun on her!

He was placed on "suspension" for FIVE DAYS.

pitbulllady