Montreal City Weblog

Kate 18:06 on 2019-03-01 Permalink Reply  

• jeather 12:25 on 2019-03-02 Permalink

  Shocking, truly.

• Kate 12:44 on 2019-03-02 Permalink

  I’m not sure, which is why I didn’t editorialize. There’s video, and there’s no doubt Coriolan was out of control and was wielding a knife. That the police taser failed to work properly is a mark against the SPVM, and I’d sort of hope that six cops could subdue one man, even an armed man, without killing him – but then this was in the narrow hallway of an apartment building so it’s not clear all six could’ve usefully teamed up against him at that moment.

  This was both like and unlike the debacle that killed Alain Magloire in 2014. In that case the man was also disturbed, he was a big man with a hammer, but it happened outside and cops should have been able to deploy themselves more effectively to subdue him. Not sure you can say the same thing about Coriolan given the situation.

  Then there’s the two notable similarities: both men mentally disturbed, and both black.

• jeather 15:17 on 2019-03-02 Permalink

  Shame cops don’t wear bodycams so we’d be able to see more, but I did see the footage a few years ago and tbh it didn’t look like they tried much other than “taser, kill”. If cops are incapable of dealing with mentally ill people, or black men, much less black men who are mentally ill, perhaps they should find a job they are capable of.

• Hamza 07:41 on 2019-03-03 Permalink

  Main thing i noticed in the video was the second round of shots after he was already on his knees and wounded. Nobody ever seems to ask why they always go for the killshot rather than say to the limbs.

• dwgs 09:45 on 2019-03-03 Permalink

  Hamza, they are taught to shoot at the centre of mass (think torso) in order to have the best chance of bringing someone down. The reality of being afraid and full of adrenaline, combined with the inaccuracy of handguns means that those things we see in the movies (shot to the leg, shooting the weapon out of the guy’s hand, etc) aren’t realistic.
  Please bear in mind that in no way do I support what has happened to these people and there is certainly no excuse for firing again once that person is incapacitated.