Homicide in Cincinnati? Not from What I See

[1a2b3c]

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1913.a07.html

The coroner says he called it homicide only because he had no choice.

Under Ohio law, he explained, his only other options were to categorize the
death as accidental, natural or suicide. None of those, he felt, adequately
accounted for how Nathaniel Jones died - i.e., after being beaten with
nightsticks wielded by Cincinnati police officers.

The officers say they were only seeking to subdue the 41-year-old black man
after he began acting strangely - dancing and barking out numbers - and
then became combative during an encounter outside a fast-food restaurant.

Video of the Nov. 30 beating, captured by a camera in a police cruiser, has
been played on television nonstop, heightening racial tension in a city
where tension doesn't need the help - a city that, two years ago, endured
days of street violence after police shot to death an unarmed black man.

[mmm]

1. 'course it was homicide

what film did THIS guy see?

[alwynsw]

2. Just what Cincy needs

another reason for a race riot.

What about media responsibility? reporting the news is a good thing. To beat any issue, especially an inflammatory one into the ground is irresponsible.

When did you ever hear on the news, "A man was killed by another man last night"? It seems that the media always has to enter the race of the victim and attacker in the story.

Uunless a description of a fugitive, missing person, wandering alzheimer's patient, etc. is being given, race is not an issue to be reported if the press is color blind as it purports to be. But we all know that a little extra fuel on the racial divisivness fire makes for more news tomorrow - "If it bleeds, it leads".

[HereSince1628]

3. You prefer natural cuz a body can't naturally survive beatings?

For the cornoner the issue is what was the cause, not whether the cause was justified or not.

Simply said this death was caused by other people whose acts seemed motivated (how do you hit someone withh a nightstick accidentally?), hence homicide.

[iverglas]

4. opinions don't change meanings

"... his only other options were to categorize the death as accidental, natural or suicide. None of those, he felt, adequately accounted for how Nathaniel Jones died - i.e., after being beaten with nightsticks wielded by Cincinnati police officers."


And if the officers had shot him as he was in the act of firing bullets into a crowd of children and had already killed ten kids, it would still be homicide. If one of his own bullets had ricocheted off a wall and killed him, that would be accident. If he had turned his gun on himself, that would be suicide. If he had had a stroke while standing there, that would be natural.

If you pushed someone off a bridge when she lunged at you with a ten-inch knife aimed at your throat, that would be homicide too. If you had simply stepped aside and the person fell over the side of the bridge, that would be accident. If she had jumped off the bridge, that would be suicide. If she had had a heart attack on the bridge, that would be natural.

Homicide is the killing of a human being (by another human being). The killing may be justified or excusable. The killing of a human being without lawful justification or excuse is culpable homicide.

Whether the Cincinnati police had any lawful justification or excuse for killing this individual is an entirely separate issue from whether they killed him, and one that may ultimately have to be decided by the courts. They killed him, it's homicide. That's the determination that coroners make in the US; they do not assess criminal liability, and this one didn't do that and shouldn't be misrepresented by anyone (i.e. including anyone seeking to assign blame for the death to the police) as having done it.

.

[Kremer]

6. Lock 'em up! Had enough cops beating black men and getting off!

[Stupdworld]

8. Yeah!

Those damn racist cops! How dare they beat an innocent black man! Like they have nothing better to do! They should be charged with murder!!!

[Kremer]

5. Any idea why the guy went off on the cops?

Either way it's sad b/c the guy has been portrayed as some fat, drugged up, worthless, black guy. I'm so tired of the negative images they portray minorties in.

[TexasMexican]

7. he wasnt?

from what I saw thats exactly what he looked like.