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DA: Police officer declines man's request to shoot him after the guy points gun at the officer
By adamg on Tue, 01/30/2018 - 4:22pm
Celestino Vicente of Dorchester led police on a foot chase in Charlestown Monday evening before he pulled out a loaded gun, pointed it at the nearest officer and yelled "Shoot me!" a prosecutor said at his arraignment this morning.
Instead, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports:
The officer took cover behind a brick wall and observed Vicente toss his firearm into a playground as he ran.
Additional responding officers took Vicente into custody without further incident on Walford Way.
A Charlestown judge ordered Vicente, 37, held without bail until at least Friday, when prosecutors will ask that he be held without bail for up to four months as a danger to society. He was formally charged with assault and battery on a police officer and assault and battery with a firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm as a subsequent offense, unlawful possession of ammunition as a subsequent offense, carrying a loaded firearm and improper storage of a firearm. He had previously been convicted on gun charges in 2009, the DA's office reports.
According to the DA's office, officers patrolling Polk Street because of recent armed robberies and other gun incidents in and around the Bunker Hill development yesterday evening spotted Vicente sitting in a reclined seat in an idling Acura with no nspection sticker. They went up to him to give him a ticket for not having an inspection sticker on the car:
Though his demeanor was calm during the initial interaction, Vicente became extremely nervous when officers - aware of his prior gun conviction - began to discuss recent armed robberies in the area, prosecutors said. Officers observed his chest begin to rise quickly, he was seen sitting up and then back down several times, and he twice reached to touch his waist and adjust his pants an action officers recognized as a characteristic of an armed individual checking on a weapon.
Based on Vicente’s behavior, officers opened the vehicle’s driver side door and ordered Vicente to exit. Vicente repeatedly refused to do so, prosecutors said. At that time, the registered owner of the vehicle approached and told Vicente to exit.
Rather than exit, however, Vicente allegedly tried to close the car’s door and place the vehicle in drive. Officers attempted to remove Vicente from the vehicle, and a violent struggle ensued during which Vicente made movements to reach for the waist of his pants.
Vicente was able to escape from officers and fled over a fence into a courtyard; as he did so, he reached into his waist area and retrieved what appeared to be a firearm.
Not long after, he pointed the gun at the officer, who demanded he drop it, which he eventually did, after yelling "Shoot me!" tossing the gun and running away - only to have other officers grab him
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
the Boston cops should be
the Boston cops should be credited for working hard on the issue of avoiding the use of deadly excessive force
What a world
As much as I applaud it, and as much as it's clear that a lot of other police forces could learn a thing or two from the BPD, not shooting someone feels like a rather low bar to clear for praise.
*
*not shooting an armed and jumpy criminal who draws on gun on you
I dunno. I'm not any great
I dunno. I'm not any great defender of the police, but I also don't think this story represents a 'low bar' to clear. The circumstances, which turned out to be entirely true involved a person who had previously been convicted of a weapons offense reaching/fidgeting in the general area where someone might keep a gun, trying to escape, and eventually pointing a weapon at police officers. I see three instances where, as much as I dislike it, deadly force probably could have been used and all would likely have been found to be justified, especially because the person in question did actually have a weapon on him. Considering people are getting mowed down in hotel hallways for being scared and confused after being woken up in the middle of the night due to a swatting call, and others are being shot for lowering their hands below window level, I do think this is a commendable show of reserve in the face of a situation that I don't think any of these officers would have chosen to engage in that night, and which could have easily ended with any of them being injured or killed. Do we need a parade and medals? Probably not, but I think a recognition that these officers were willing and able to call the guys' bluff and defuse a situation that could have ended much differently and more tragically for all involved at least bears some minor recognition.
Not just someone
The cop didn't not shoot just someone. He didn't shoot someone pointing a gun at him. A real gun, one that he had every reason to believe was, and turned out to be loaded. I would not call that a low bar, at all.
Great Police Work
Hope the BPD formally recognizes it.
All those who would like to
All those who would like to do this for a living, raise your hands.
You have no idea.
You have no idea.
We are being gutted by the Fire Department. And the recruits we are getting are abysmal. No one wants this job anymore.. at least not the kinds of people we desperately need.
I hate to bring this back to BLM, but there is little doubt in my mind that an unexpected side effect of the protests was the discouragement of qualified candidates for the police. Maybe I’m wrong, but I have started seeing a correlation that I think merits looking at. I have been on 13 years now and the past three recruit classes that have come out have made me more and more concerned.
- a Boston cop
Causes
BLM would not exist if so many police departments weren't excusing the unnecessary shooting of black people. If making those shootings a public issue is discouraging people with principles from becoming cops, it isn't BLM's fault -- it's those departments' fault.
And yes, all credit to BPD for being the good example countering the bad examples of those departments. I hope that continuing the good work will begin to attract more good candidates.
Boston Fire is still 100% Disabled Vets I believe.....
For the last 10 years or so.
Sigh... I think the fact that
Sigh... I think the fact that you, as an officer, would blame BLM for the quality of your applicants has way more to do with this than the existence of BLM itself.
I did at one time.
I wanted to do work that benefits the community. I wanted to be one of the good cops. But though I believe I was qualified in many ways, I simply wasn’t brave enough.
Kudos ...
... to all of the officers involved; given the situation it appears that things ended as well as they possibly could have.
Glad to hear some good police news.
Well done, guys.
Man, the BPD is good
They should hold nation training sessions or something to show how its done.
Attempting to put the car in
Attempting to put the car in drive would have been enough to get him shot in other parts of the country. I wonder if that type of institutional behavior can be translated into other departments.