Gun Shot in Outram MRT

[AeolianX]

I was actually there man. I arrived at outram mrt at around 3.20pm.
As i alighted the train could clearly see a man laying motionless 2 exit doors from where i was.
The cop still had his gun pointed at him. There was a sense of panic. A few commuters running about in fear ,warning not to go near. I saw the cop give the suspect a kick to see if his responsive. Definitely quite a frightening scene man...

 

[tim098]

in any case, sooner or later , the guy would be sentenced to death.

haha that is true. Given singapore's strict laws, he would have been hung.
Penguin: 2 cars dispatched? this is in outram MRT, its underground. and besides such a commotion might cause the knifeman to go absolutely berserk and then who knows what might have happened. Plus, the guy above me says that he/she saw the scene firsthand, meaning that it was in a VERY public place. the knifeman could have very very easily grabbed a child or lady and hold them hostage.

 

[shredded]

i think the police should use taser guns.

this reminds me of the youtube video of the student who got tased by asking the senator a compromising question. 'don't tase me bro!'

 

[FITCH]

If only that cop is Robocop - able to shoot exactly where he wants to. Hopefully after this incident, the police will review its arm regulations? E.g.

1) Low Threat - Baton, pepper spray
2) Medium Threat - Baton, pepper spray, tazer gun
3) High Threat - Baton, pepper spray, tazer gun, firearms

 

[Anirudh]

its so unreal,

one bullet wound and hes dead. How bout the billion other movies where the hero takes shots like fucka nd still survives? lawl

 

[RazrAsh]

Penguin: 2 cars dispatched? this is in outram MRT, its underground. and besides such a commotion might cause the knifeman to go absolutely berserk and then who knows what might have happened.

In which case, it would have been settled in a matter of minutes. dont forget, just above outram MRT is Cantonment Complex. basically, sg's police hq.

 

[lilrampage]

doesn't it all seem a little vague to anyone? i just read the article on cna.com and saw the CNA news cover and it comes across like their first priority is to justify the shooting.

Commander of the Central Police Division, Superintendent Lau Peet Meng said: "The armed and dangerous suspect approached my officers in a threatening manner at close proximity. In the circumstances, considering that he was suspected to have just killed another man, the officer had no choice but to open fire."

notice how they describe the suspect in justifying their case. they emphasise this further with the following:

Earlier, officers were alerted to another man who died at a hawker centre at Block 1, Jalan Kukoh. The man, in his fifties, was stabbed in the stomach just before 3pm.

He is believed to have been knifed by the man who was shot at Outram Park MRT Station.

remember, this is a man who was 'believed' to have knived another man.

the shot might be justifiable, but not the way the information is propagated. singaporeans hear about a gunshot and they get all worked up, while on the other end there are people more interested in protecting the image of clean, safe singapore.

 

[pulaubelakangmati]

It was a point blank shot and is it that hard to aim the limbs maybe instead of the chest area ? i wonder what went thru the policeman's head at that point of time.The dead guy trully deserved it for me...a life for a life.

 

[THOA]

There were only two police officers in the scene, facing a very desperate man who has nothing to loose and everything to gain by escaping. At 3 metres away, there is very little time to react and options to use.

If not for the shot, the alternative scenario would be:

- Policemen caught up with him and tries to subdue him non-lethally. In a one track adrenaline induced state of mind, he attacked both officers, wounding them enough to to stop them from taking any further actions against him.

- Policemen down. Man TAKES a gun (or 2) from the wounded policemen.

- Crowd panics. Everybody tries to get away. A possible stampede could start, hurting children and elderly folks.

- Man, still adrenaline induced from trying to get away, tries to push through the crowd. In failing to do so, starts hacking away, or even worse, SHOOTING at the crowd.

I dunno about you, but I rather have a knife wielding man who has the intention to hurt people shot dead than have 4-5 policemen/bystanders badly or even fatally wounded because of the decision to use a non-lethal approach, just cos it's more "right".

 

[AzNjT]

I've not seen or heard the news but from what i;ve read (5mins)~

The police officer shouldnt be charged or soemthing for it, The suspect was Armed and charging towards the cop, and i believe at te spur of the moment aimed for the most ovbious spot~

If the man was indeed the killer of that man who died at 3pm then this case would be over~

 

[Jugman]

hmmm over on the day it started. see why can't they do this with the mas selamat case? they managed to track down the culprit on the day of the murder. why then can't they track down the militant on the day of the escape? hahah weird

 

[Zeebra]

wow. a real shooting incident actually takes place.
not everybody can hold a gun and shoot somebody.
that policeman plays too much CS.

 

[tim098]

hmm i ve noticed the phrase "spur of the moment" used alot in this discussion, and im sure it will be in the justification of the shooting. I wonder how come normal people who happen to murder someone else in the "spur of the moment" isnt granted this luxury. Heh.. Although i am NOT saying the cop was wrong, i think i would have done the same as he did. Just a thought on my part

 

[shinobi]

not only do i think the cop did the right thing, but i also think he is a PRO cop who should get some kind of medal

knowing that a murderer was on the loose, seeing a man of the same description charging at him with a 12cm (or is it 15cm?) knife, he shot the guy who was only 3m away from stabbing him

if he DIDNT shoot, he probably would have gotten stabbed, making police look damn cock, and who knows, if he was down, the ahpek could have easily stolen his pistol. IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE AHPEK STUN HIS PISTOL

 

[visa]

if you killed someone instinctively defending yourself on impulse, you'll be alright.

if you killed someone impulsively in a fit of anger, that's different.

 

[TequilaSunrise]

I believe the ROE clearly states that you are allowed to use lethal force if the person you are trying to subdue has the ability and opportunity to jeopardize your life, your buddy's or that of the person you're protecting.

In this case, the policeman was following the ROE exactly. It's kinda like those classic roleplay scenarios they teach all duty personnel.

 

[shinobi]

i think it is unfair to call it impulse man. i'd like to think of it as quick decision making and reaction. especially when the decision was literally a matter life and death. like the bro above said, he followed the ROE given the circumstances. if you have a problem with that, you have a problem with the law

the police are the only ones in society that have the legal right to use brute force on the people, for the collective good of the people. they uphold the law. the government controls the police. the people elect the government. so in the end, we the people have decided that killing a criminal, if ever necessary, is justified.

in singapore, capital punishment rules. killing is a form of justice. a judge can decide to take away someone's life. police carry guns; what did you think the guns are for?

 

[kerplunk182]

If you think about it, if the policeman had shot the guy's arm or leg, he could still have the strength to stab the policeman.

 

[hecklerkoch]

What happened to the Taser electroshock weapon? Are our men in blue equipped with them human cattle prods? Aren't we supposed to be moving towards a more less-than-lethal approach at subduing criminals and giving them a chance to tried in court?

Even the US military have started to deploy high tech non-lethal weapons like high/low frequency sound emissions for crowd control and flushing potential criminals and terrorists out of buildings.

Anyway, I guess the cop who discharged that deciding round acted from a split second decision as a self-defence maneuver. You can't really aim at the limbs because the criminal's legs or arms may be spindly or chopstick-like, and even if the cop did stupidly take aim at the legs, most likely he will miss or the bullet will just pierce through the flesh, and ricochet and hurt (or worse, mortally wound) an innocent passerby.

Unless the criminal has got thunder thighs or something lah. Hehehehe...

Yeah, I guess sometimes a violent and irrational person who is potentially drunk or high on drugs may not even be brought down easily by a single bullet because of the adrenalin.

Unless the cop does double taps like in the movie 'Collateral'. Two in the heart region and two on the forehead, in very quick succession. Confirm, the criminal will find himself in the deep pits of hell in less than a minute (depends on the queue at the entrance, of course).

But yes, it is fortunate that no passers by were hurt in the fracas and it is unfortunate for the deceased that his life had to end that way.

Oh well, shit happens.

Just ensure we learn something out of it and move on.

BTW, Mas Scofield - wondering what he's doing now man. Can't be hiding in the forest all this while right? Probably stole a PSP and now engrossed in some game. Gosh!

 

[Godspeed64]

not only do i think the cop did the right thing, but i also think he is a PRO cop who should get some kind of medal

knowing that a murderer was on the loose, seeing a man of the same description charging at him with a 12cm (or is it 15cm?) knife, he shot the guy who was only 3m away from stabbing him

if he DIDNT shoot, he probably would have gotten stabbed, making police look damn cock, and who knows, if he was down, the ahpek could have easily stolen his pistol. IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE AHPEK STUN HIS PISTOL

+1 to that!

To those who disagree with this let me give you a simple analogy..

Let's say someone comes running at you with a knife.. What will you do? You can either surrender or find a way to fight back right?

Saying that you have no idea why he would attack, would you surrender? Fighting back would be a better option right? Especially since you're a cop..

Now, let's say you have a gun in your possession.. Wouldn't that come in handy?

Btw, aren't the cops placed at MRT stations from SOC?
No wonder it was delayed siah.. Was on my way to Anaki.. Train was about to leave Dhoby when the announcement was made; had to rush out to go NEL!