14 November 2007

Willkommen, its Wednesday.

More details are coming out now about this Bed-Stuy shooting.

The 17-minute episode began at about 7 p.m. Monday, when officers arrived at 590 Gates Avenue in response to a report of a dispute involving a gun.

The mother had summoned a psychiatric intervention team earlier in the day, claiming her son was suicidal, but he took off before the team arrived.

According to the 911 call, while the emergency operator took down the address, a male voice was overheard in the background saying, "I got a gun, and I'm gonna shoot you,'' and, "I've got a fucking gun!''

The mother, Denise Owens, told the operator, "This ... you know... this kid is a problem. You can even hear him?''

The operator: "Who is that?''

The mother: "That's supposed to be my son!'' "I'm flipping out,'' "I can't handle this.''

When officers arrived at the home, they encountered Coppin inside with playing with a set of knives. They backed off and ordered his mother and younger sister outside.

The teen began screaming from a first-floor window at his mother and officers before climbing out of the apartment window and crossing the street toward the officers.

The officers backed up and ordered him to stop. When the teen refused and kept approaching them, they began shooting from a distance of 5 to 7 feet, police said.

Officials insist 18-year-old Khiel Coppin gave the five veteran officers no choice but to open fire after he suddenly charged them outside his mother's home with a black object in his hand.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the teenager pointed the object, which turned out to be a hairbrush, at officers "as if he were aiming a gun'' and repeatedly ignored orders to "stop, show his hands and get on the ground.''

He said officers reasonably believed the victim was about to use deadly force and their response was well within police department guidelines.

Naturally, the family of the victim denounced the police department for ruling too quickly that the officers were justified in their response. The victim's brother, Joel, complained his background had been distorted by the media. Oh boy, here we fucking go now.

"He is a human being,'' said Joel Coppin. "What we want is simply justice. ... We don't want headlines. We want justice for Khiel so every young black man in the city'll never go through this again.''

"Justice?!?!?!?!!!"

" Never go through this again?!!"

"Young black man?!"


Them sound like fightin' words, Joel. Sounds to me like you want a riot or maybe some cash.

Your mother called 911 and told cops her son was threatening her and had a gun.

Your brother could be heard on the 911 tapes saying "I got a gun, and I'm gonna shoot you,'' and, "I've got a fucking gun!''

And you want "justice?!?!" There was no injustice here! Calling for "justice" implies there was some sort of wrongdoing.

What does it matter if your brother was black or white? Race has nothing to do with it. Sit the fuck down and shut up.

The officers who shot at your brother were being threatened by a deranged person who they were told had a gun. Your mother told them he had a gun! Your brother was yelling in the background during the 911 call that he had a gun!

The cops who shot your brother? Two of them were Hispanic and three were white. They were all veterans, each with 10+ years as cops. There was two sergeants, one detective and 2 regular cops.

There is no disputing this is a tragic tragic story; a very unfortunate situation where the deceased convinced everyone involved— from his mother to responding officers —that he was in possession of a gun. Tragically, he sought and succeeded in forcing a deadly confrontation with police. End of story. Race has got nothing to do with it; this was a matter of life and death. Let's take our heads out of our asses for a moment and think this through. We can not convict or condemn with the power of hindsight.

You can listen to the 911 call here

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