*An FBI agent who shot dead a friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev during an interrogation last year acted in self-defence and will not face criminal charges, a Florida prosecutor announced on Tuesday. The unnamed agent shot Ibragim Todashev seven times as the 27-year-old moved towards a police officer holding a broom stick “in the style of a javelin”, moments after wounding the FBI agent by flipping a coffee table into the back of his head, according to officers who were there. FBI officials previously claimed in anonymous briefings to reporters after the shooting on May 22 that Todashev had attacked the agent with a knife or length of pipe. Two Massachusetts State Police (MSP) officers told the prosecutor, Jeffrey Ashton, that when he died, Todashev was about to write a statement admitting to “some involvement” in a triple homicide in September 2011, to which Tsarnaev has also been connected…* Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur breaks it down on The Young Turks while former prosecutor Steve Oh shares his take.
*Read more here from Jon Swaine / The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/25/fbi-agent-charges-ibragim-todashev-boston-marathon
Comments
No, it was NOT always like this. Serpico in the 70’s was a massive wake-up call for all NYer’s. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and I can tell you this type of Murderous Police State did not exist on this level until the 90’s. And it’s all because of NYC Mayor Giulliani. Some things the police did at the time worked even though they were borderline illegal. But the Police were ALWAYS found to have acted in accordance with Police guidlines and NEVER found guilty. The Mayor would go on TV and defend obviously guitly murderers. NYC got cleaned up in spite of the Police abuse. But the Police’s confidence in committing crimes, including murder, and getting away with it is unprecedented and the entire country is buying into the nonsense that Police do NO wrong and you have nothing to worry about if you’re not a criminal.
Well, I am not a criminal but I am worried. I have lived in my town in NYC for almost 50 years (’68) and I have seen first hand the degradation of my once utopian town by the Police because the resident felt the youngsters were too loud. Well now the kids are gone but the cops are here to stay.
No body wants them around. They stop innocent people on the streets of a NYC suburb, point guns at them for absolutely no reason. When the cops come violence is inevitable. Its the only trick they have.
So, why do we still have them? Why don’t we go back to the good old days of peace officers? Why do we need murderous criminals carrying guns with the right to shoot and kill innocent people?
I say we don’t and that’s why we have the right to bear arms in this country, to protect ourselves from our government which endorses this behavior. My personal feeling is shoot first ask questions later especially if you see a badge. You might get arrested and even killed but you’re likely to get killed anyway oif the police enter your home. At least you will have a chance to defend yourself in court.
Bang, bang, shoot ’em up. They started it, we can end it …
Don’t forget that he was shot in the back of the head and one or more of the agents died in training shortly after.