Houston police fatally shoot threatening wheelchair-bound amputee in head


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(CNN) -- A Houston police officer fatally shot in the head a schizophrenic, wheelchair-bound double amputee threatening people with a pen at a group home for the mentally ill after authorities said the man advanced on the officer's partner, police said.

The shooting occurred early Saturday morning after police responded to a call that resident Brian Claunch was acting aggressively after his caretaker refused to give him a cigarette and a soda, the owner of the home and police said.

"The officers made verbal commands for the suspect to drop whatever he had in his hand, to stay still and to speak with the officers, but the suspect continued to make threats," Jodi Silva, a police spokeswoman, told CNN affiliate KTRK in Houston.

Claunch, who lost an arm and a leg in a train accident, trapped one officer with his wheelchair in the corner of a room "where he couldn't get out," said a Houston police department spokesperson who declined to be identified. The double amputee was "advancing towards" the officers and "refusing to show his hands."

According to police accounts reported in the media, including by KTRK, Claunch attempted to stab the officer with an object that turned out to be a pen.

Officer Matt Marin, "in fear of the safety of his partner and the safety of himself, discharges his duty weapon, striking the suspect," Silva said.

The unnamed Houston police spokesperson said later Sunday that Marin himself was not cornered, unlike his partner, when he shot the wheelchair-bound man in the head.

According to investigators, Claunch was shot once and he died at the scene.

It was the second time Marin was involved in a shooting. In October 2009, he shot and killed a knife-wielding man who stabbed his girlfriend and a neighbor, according to published reports at the time. Marin joined the Houston Police Department in 2007.

In the wake of the weekend shooting, the officer was placed on administrative leave per department policy, according to police.

Claunch, who was in his 40s, had been at the Healing Hands home for 18 months, John Garcia, the owner of the group home, told KRTK.

Houston police have not released the identity of the man, though Garcia identified him as Claunch.

Garcia told the Houston Chronicle that Claunch liked to "doodle."

Two days earlier, Garcia gave Claunch a black felt pen to draw. Garcia told the newspaper he did not know if it was that pen or another one that Clauch had in his hand when he was shot.

Garcia said Claunch suffered from schizophrenia and a bipolar disorder.

"He had a temper. He could fly off once in awhile," he told CNN affiliate KHOU.

Claunch was capable of making people in the house feel threatened during an outrage, even though he was confined to a wheelchair, Garcia said.

"Emotionally disturbed individuals, when threatened, are going to react in most instances, excessively," Dr. Ed Reitman, a clinical psychologist, told KRTK.

"This was an incident that didn't have to take place if the individual -- a police officer -- had been trained in dealing with emotionally disturbed individuals."

The Houston Police Department has officers trained to deal with the mentally ill, though the department would not say whether Marin received training, according to KRTK.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/23/us/texas-amputee-shooting/

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I'm sure an "internal" investigation will clear the officers of any wrongdoing.

Of course it will, because 99.9% of the time, that's how it always happens!

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I think this part here is the key to why it happened the way it did.

"It was the second time Marin was involved in a shooting. In October 2009, he shot and killed a knife-wielding man who stabbed his girlfriend and a neighbor, according to published reports at the time. Marin joined the Houston Police Department in 2007."

Anything to do with stabbing is likely to be a trigger with this guy.

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I would have just thrown a blanket on the guy..

Seriously if the guy has one arm, wouldnt that mean hes pushing his wheelchair in circles? What threat would that pose other than spontaneous laughter at a nut with a pen.

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Im puzzled how this guy was advancing in a wheelchair, with an object in his hand and still remained "threatening"

If he uses his one good hand to move the wheelchair (motorized or not) didnt he just take whatever is in his hand out of play?

So incompetent.

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Im puzzled how this guy was advancing in a wheelchair, with an object in his hand and still remained "threatening"

If he uses his one good hand to move the wheelchair (motorized or not) didnt he just take whatever is in his hand out of play?

So incompetent.

Read it again and remember the entire situation. Two cops. One is corner and says he never felt threatened during the situation. He is not the one who shot the man. The other cop, his partner:

"It was the second time Marin was involved in a shooting. In October 2009, he shot and killed a knife-wielding man who stabbed his girlfriend and a neighbor, according to published reports at the time. Marin joined the Houston Police Department in 2007."

I would say it has nothing to do with incompetence but most people like to throw around insults as if they are good at everyone job on the planet. Seems like the guy has some unresolved issues when it comes to anyone that is trying to stab someone. If anyone is incompetent though, it would have to the psychologist that cleared him for duty after the first shooting. Not saying that person is, but if you are going to start throwing around insults like you are perfect, at least make it semi logical.

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Read it again and remember the entire situation. Two cops. One is corner and says he never felt threatened during the situation. He is not the one who shot the man. The other cop, his partner:

"It was the second time Marin was involved in a shooting. In October 2009, he shot and killed a knife-wielding man who stabbed his girlfriend and a neighbor, according to published reports at the time. Marin joined the Houston Police Department in 2007."

I would say it has nothing to do with incompetence but most people like to throw around insults as if they are good at everyone job on the planet. Seems like the guy has some unresolved issues when it comes to anyone that is trying to stab someone. If anyone is incompetent though, it would have to the psychologist that cleared him for duty after the first shooting. Not saying that person is, but if you are going to start throwing around insults like you are perfect, at least make it semi logical.

So if there were 2 police officers, and 1 guy in a wheelchair.. and only ONE officer is trapped in the corner... You know what the other cop could have done to stop the situation?

Grab the wheelchair by the handles. Pull it back. Toss the guy OUT of the wheelchair.. He's not going to go anywhere.

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Indeed. Say hi to the friendly carabinieri in Genoa for me if you don't mind...

Heh, I didn't say Italy was better, from the power abuse standpoint. The fact is: America is just... worse, at everything. They ****ing shoot a handicapped person in a wheelchair, I don't see how things could be worse than that.

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Heh, I didn't say Italy was better, from the power abuse standpoint. The fact is: America is just... worse, at everything. They ****ing shoot a handicapped person in a wheelchair, I don't see how things could be worse than that.

So you're not saying that Italy is better, just that America is worse.

Did you even think about what you were typing???

I mean that is a comment I expect to see as a Bushism or something similar...

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So if there were 2 police officers, and 1 guy in a wheelchair.. and only ONE officer is trapped in the corner... You know what the other cop could have done to stop the situation?

Grab the wheelchair by the handles. Pull it back. Toss the guy OUT of the wheelchair.. He's not going to go anywhere.

The one that was trapped was not the one that shot and also not the one with the issues that make him snap when it comes to a stabbing threat. Nobody is saying what he did was right, but people are saying he was just trigger happy or some other retarded excuse for it. The cop(not the one that was stuck) should have not been on the streets with the unresolved issues. Every time a police office kills someone, they are suppose to be taken off the streets and evaluated to make sure the experience didn't mess them up in some way. Seems like whoever cleared this cop for duty failed at their job. What the cop did was wrong but suggesting he could have done something else when he clearly has issues is a bit of a moot point.
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The one that was trapped was not the one that shot and also not the one with the issues that make him snap when it comes to a stabbing threat. Nobody is saying what he did was right, but people are saying he was just trigger happy or some other retarded excuse for it. The cop(not the one that was stuck) should have not been on the streets with the unresolved issues. Every time a police office kills someone, they are suppose to be taken off the streets and evaluated to make sure the experience didn't mess them up in some way. Seems like whoever cleared this cop for duty failed at their job. What the cop did was wrong but suggesting he could have done something else when he clearly has issues is a bit of a moot point.

Sorry, us civilized folks like to also hold a person responcible for their own actions. Messed up or not, the cop should know his limitations. If you can't handle stressful events without first shooting, you shouldn't be in the line of duty.

This was a horrible tragedy caused by a very stupid and horrible person. They didn't think anything through, and instead, opted to use what power they have to end a life when none was in harm.

Also, if a wheelchaired double amp ends up trapping you.... quit your ****ing job. This whole story is one big pathetic wtf.

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