Here's an article with a bit more info on the incident. He had been walking through a neighborhood disturbing the peace (but not harming anyone - just being noisy). Two of the neighbors called the cops on him. He was 21.

He was probably drunk or high but complied at first when he laid down on the ground. It looks like he reacted to the unnecessary rough handling and that's when he got combative. The cops escalated the situation instead of de-escalating. Unfortunately for him his captors were too out of shape to restrain him again. Two cops should have been able to do this.

He did hit the cops and that justified the shooting in the minds of the cops. But he was shot when running away and I assume in the back. It would have seemed a justifiable shoot if one of the cops had stood up and shot him while he was hitting the other cop -but to shoot him as he is running away in the back? And all this for a disturbance of the peace? Why not give chase and if too fat to do that then call for backup to search him out in the neighborhood maybe even by helicopter? It wasn't like he had just murdered somebody - he was just being noisy!

In the article below one neighbor states that the cops used a metal detector in his yard. They were frantically looking for a weapon to help justify the shooting.


[link to www.ocala.com]

But get this. The Marion Sheriff's Department is changing their training program due to this incident. They know it wasn't a good shoot but will still protect these two cops.

Well, maybe this new training will include some physical fitness!
[link to www.topix.com]

Also, notice another story listed below the training article:

"Marion County suspect dies during jail booking"

Sounds like this county does this kind of thing fairly often.