Poor Judgment

UK Police: Man Killed Unrelated to Probe

LONDON (AP) - The man shot and killed on a subway car by London police officers before horrified commuters had nothing to do with the investigation into a series of bombings against the city's transit system, police said Saturday. The man, whose identity has not been released, was shot Friday at a subway station in the south London neighborhood of Stockwell. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said on customary condition of anonymity that "the man was unconnected to the incidents of Thursday," in which bombs placed on three subway cars and a double-decker bus failed to detonate properly.

On Friday, Ian Blair did say that the man was directly linked to Thursday's incidents.

However, the revelation that the man was NOT connected to Thursday's bombing attempts does not change the fact that he was evading police, vaulting over a ticket barrier and wearing a thick padded coat in July.

From The Guardian:

In a statement, the Metropolitan police said: "We believe we now know the identity of the man shot at Stockwell underground station by police on Friday July 22 2005, although he is still subject to formal identification.

"We are now satisfied that he was not connected with the incidents of Thursday July 21 2005.

"For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets.

"The man emerged from a block of flats in the Stockwell area that were under police surveillance as part of the investigation into the incidents on Thursday July 21.

"He was then followed by surveillance officers to the underground station. His clothing and behaviour added to their suspicions."

Scotland Yard said the circumstances of the man's death were being investigated by the Met's directorate of professional standards, and will be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

...The Muslim Council of Britain tonight "expressed its deepest condolences to the family of the innocent man".

"While we accept that the police are under tremendous pressure to apprehend the criminals who are attempting to cause carnage on the streets of London, it is absolutely vital that utmost care is taken to ensure that innocent people are not killed due to over-zealousness," said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the council's secretary-general.

...Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in the capital, said: "It would be unwise to speculate on all the circumstances until we know what happened. Police officers in these circumstances are expected to make split second decisions that have lifelong consequences."

Why was the man behaving the way he was?

If police told me to stop, I would. Failing to cooperate would never cross my mind. I'd be confident that I had nothing to hide.

If it quacks like a terrorist, it's reasonable for police to assume that it's a terrorist.

It is truly a tragedy if a totally innocent man has been killed.

However, I don't think the police can be faulted for using poor judgment. They had reason to believe that the man was about to conduct an attack. Based on his behavior, the police had to conclude that he was preparing to detonate a bomb at any moment.

It's so sad if an innocent man chose to behave in such a guilty fashion. I'm afraid that he was the one who used very poor judgment.