MIAMI, FL – In early December, cops closed in on a car driven by a suspect accused of a robbery and shooting a police officer. The car, which was wedged between a light pole and tree, also contained an innocent man. Both of the occupants were unarmed. Within minutes of arriving, cops on the scene opened fire on the car, shooting around 5o bullets into the vehicle. [contextly_auto_sidebar id=”Dhc7kkVbYIA1NgDhublB0tkiXYecmoHg”]
According to witnesses, the two men in the vehicle survived the initial volley of gunfire. Several minutes later, cops on the scene opened fire a second time.
“They were saying put your hands up, and the guys were still moving after they shot maybe 50, 60 times,” said local resident Anthony Vandiver. “And the guy tried to put his hands up. And as soon as he put his hands up, it erupted again. And that was it for them. That guy tried his best to give up.”
Gunfire rang out for over twenty seconds as the police fired hundreds of rounds into the vehicle. All told, 23 officers fired at least 377 rounds into the car, killing both the suspect and innocent man.
The bullets went everywhere, hitting nearby cars, businesses and townhouses occupied by families with children. 12-year-olds dove for cover as the officers fired from all directions.
Other officers weren’t immune to the irresponsible actions of these 23 cops. The police had encircled the car by the time the shooting began, and two officers were shot by their fellow cops who didn’t recognize that their fellow officers were in the line of fire.
While it is understandable that cops might be on edge after one of their own is shot, firing 377 bullets at two unarmed men is not acceptable. Considering that each of the 23 officers fired an average 16.4 bullets, or approximately one standard-capacity magazine for a 9mm service pistol, it stands to reason that the cops only stopped firing after completely emptying their loaded magazine.
In the interest of keeping neighborhoods with young children from being wildly shot up by overzealous cops, maybe it’s time to limit the magazine capacity of law enforcement authorities.
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