Off duty cop hits 4 year old then shoots her dad, should he be charged?

by ☆ElenaDiamond☆ Posted 2012/08/15 18:49:06

Related Topics: Police, Chicago, Restaurant, Driving, Sun, Dad, Father, Killed, Cop, Veteran, Horrifying, Shot

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	Yes he should be charged.	37 votes	65%
	No he shouldn't be.	20 votes	35%

Moments after his motorcycle struck a 4-year-old girl, an off-duty Chicago Police officer shot and killed the girl’s irate father after he allegedly attacked the officer, the Chicago Sun Times reports.

Fraternal Order of Police Spokesman Pat Camden identified the officer as a 43-year-old veteran of the Chicago Police. The officer was headed home on Saturday evening when the horrifying incident occurred.

As he was driving home, the officer says he saw a child unexpectedly run into the street. In order not to strike the girl directly, the cop jumped off his motorcycle, pulling it down on its side on the pavement. However, the motorcycle skidded and flipped, hitting the 4-year-old girl and her 18-year-old cousin, John Passley.

As the officer attempted to provide aide to the girl, her father, identified as Christopher Middleton, 26, came running out of a nearby restaurant and aggressively approached the officer and began shouting, officials said. The cop argues that he identified himself as a police officer but Middleton still hit him in the face and knocked him to the ground before striking him repeatedly.

+10

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Temlakos~POTL~PWCM~JLA~☆ 2012/08/15 18:54:29

No he shouldn't be.

+6
But that shouldn't stop the police "shooting team" from investigating. The key question is: could that officer have defended himself short of firing his gun?
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More polls by ☆ElenaDiamond☆

Quazimoto 2012/08/19 00:20:05

No he shouldn't be.

After looking at the facts he was in the right. People don't care about facts any more, just feeeellllllings.

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Link 2012/08/16 23:07:21 (edited)

Yes he should be charged.

Of course, only after a THOROUGH and UNBIASED investigation into the entire matter... starting with everything leading up to and including the motorcycle accident and ending with the shooting of the father...

If he was found in any way guilty of anything, he should be tried accordingly... And, during the investigation, he should be treated and dealt with just as any non-police officer would treated and dealt with...

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the fuze 2012/08/16 19:59:46

Yes he should be charged.

+1
If, after a thorough investigation he is found to be in the wrong, then yes, he should be charged.

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*SqU!R@L QuE3N* 2012/08/16 17:46:40

Yes he should be charged.

the reason i think he should be charged is because he was off duty. hes still a police but he was off duty he should have not shot the dad he could have hurt him but not kill him. and he should not have hit the little girl what did the little girl have to do with all this situation.

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w2xad to *SqU!R@... 2012/08/16 23:40:36

+1
read the article!

if you can!

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*SqU!R@... to w2xad 2012/08/17 02:07:36

okay

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Junior-BN-0 2012/08/16 17:26:46

Yes he should be charged.

Even though he had the right to protect himself, he had no right to take anothers life. Now this girl will be scarred the rest of her life because of him.

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w2xad to Junior-... 2012/08/16 23:39:21

+1
How could he protect himself after being punched and kicked to the ground? Do you have an answer to that genius? Your answer says that it is okay for thugs to beat a cop senseless but not okay for the officer to protect himself in the only manner that was open to the officer!
I guess it is okay that this father lets his 4 year old run loose in the street after dark later than 10:00 pm.
A good parent doen't let his child run around at night. If he was a good parent this never would or could have happened!

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Junior-... to w2xad 2012/08/22 02:25:11 (edited)

Excuse me for not knowing about good parenting. I'm single and have no children of my own, but that's no excuse for the officer doing what he did. It was reprehensible.

Middleton’s sister, Tina Middleton, said her brother lived in Elgin with the mother of his daughter and was visiting relatives in Maywood, where he grew up. “He was a good person,” she said. “I know for sure he wasn’t out to harm the man. My brother would never harm anybody. I could understand him [the officer] being upset, but two wrongs don’t make a right.”

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w2xad to Junior-... 2012/08/22 15:58:41

I am sorry if you do not have any clue of what is right or wrong. Two males kicking and beating a person is okay according to you. Do not have children,
. With you as a parent they will be as screwed up as you!

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w2xad 2012/08/16 14:57:57

No he shouldn't be.

+1
I read the Sun Times article. 1The officer was attacked by TWO males. 2He did identify that he was a police officer. 3The child ran into the street so there was no proper supervision of the child.! 4 The officer dumped the bike but he still attempted to help the child after his spill.
Too bad he did not shoot BOTH OF THE ATTACKERS that threw the FIRST BLOWS!!!

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☆ElenaD... to w2xad 2012/08/16 21:04:18

All true.

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Thecharliejay 2012/08/16 09:06:41 (edited)

Yes he should be charged.

He should be charged , you can't shoot people dead even if they are being violent. You need to stop them but not kill them.

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the fuze to Thechar... 2012/08/16 19:58:54

Running down a 4 year old? Did you read the article?

As he was driving home, the officer says he saw a child unexpectedly run into the street. In order not to strike the girl directly, the cop jumped off his motorcycle, pulling it down on its side on the pavement. However, the motorcycle skidded and flipped, hitting the 4-year-old girl and her 18-year-old cousin, John Passley.

You make it sound like he was aiming for her. As for upstanding citizens maybe the dad should have listened when the man said he was an off-duty police officer and oh yeah, trying to help the girl that was struck by his bike.

This was a horrible accident that, in a matter of seconds/minutes became even more tragic. I'm not saying the police officer shouldn't be held accountable, but at least read the article and then make your statement.

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☆ElenaD... to the fuze 2012/08/16 21:04:38

+1
They never read the article.

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Stan Kapusta 2012/08/16 04:08:41

No he shouldn't be.

+1
The mans occuptaion is irrelivant when someone is trying to put you in the hospital. No matter what circumstances made the man angry. He has no right to inflict bodily harm. I would have shot him.

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Raphy 2012/08/16 03:57:25

Yes he should be charged.

He's a cop. I think they have ways of taking down people without shooting them. But I guess the father was a big guy.

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☆ElenaD... to Raphy 2012/08/16 21:05:32

Let me ask you how you would take down two grown men kicking you into the ground, when you had a broken shoulder and a broken leg? I'm just wondering what superman tactics you would use.

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Raphy to ☆ElenaD... 2012/08/17 18:24:24

Well.........I haven't read the facts. But after I said that comment. I thought about, what if this guy was like huge. He might need the gun to protect himself

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w2xad to Raphy 2012/08/16 23:44:31

There were 2 assailants that assaulted the officer. One hit the officer in the head from behind knocking him to the ground. read the article closely !

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ttfndude 2012/08/16 02:59:40

No he shouldn't be.

+1
If he identified himself the father had to stand down off-duty or not. That officer may have been involved in the accident but he was also the first on scene automatically putting him back ON-duty. As for the father I totally understand his view but his daughter needed more attention than getting back at the guy who hit her cop or not!

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Walt 2012/08/16 00:30:51

Yes he should be charged.

+1
The case should go before a grand jury and follow normal due course with no special consideration given to the fact that the man is a police officer. We have laws and a legal system that are not supposed to include double standards for special classes of citizens. No one is above the law.

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umapathy Krishnamurthy 2012/08/16 00:29:29

Yes he should be charged.

+1
Not just charged. Get punished for murder

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w2xad to umapath... 2012/08/16 23:52:09

I guess it is okay for two people to attack 1 police officer and inflict grievous bodily harm to him when they feel like it? My guess that if two people did the SAME TO YOU, you would have to take a beating even if it caused YOUR death.

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gregaj7 2012/08/16 00:25:19

Yes he should be charged.

+1
Would the issue be different if it wasn't an off-duty cop? Why does this make any difference?

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Ozzyboy 2012/08/15 23:11:21

No he shouldn't be.

+1
Not until a thorough investigation is completed. Then and only then should the decision be made on charges or not.

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☆ElenaD... to Ozzyboy 2012/08/15 23:27:34

agreed

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Katfish 2012/08/15 22:37:16

No he shouldn't be.

+1
I ride and there is no logical reason to lay the bike down, It turns the bike broadside therfore widening its impact range.
And of course the child should have been supervised also.
The cop could have been speeding.
Now, after this or any other of the thousands of vehicle accidents that occur on a daily basis, they dont give you the right to commit double team assault, nor do they eliminate the right a victim of assault the right to defend from said assault.

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TruBluTopaz 2012/08/15 21:47:53

No he shouldn't be.

+3
Read the entire story. It's not like the cop hit the girl intentionally because the girl darted out in the street. While trying to help the girl, the girl's dad comes out and tackles the cop and starts beating him even after the cop identified himself. Of course that doesn't mean they won't riot. Nice backdrop for the DNC convention.

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ladyjane to TruBluT... 2012/08/15 21:54:19

Sorry you're right - I didn't catch the fact that the 18 year old cousin was involved in the fight as well as the father. I thought that the cousin was injured and that was all from him. I'm torn about how this young man died though. It's such a waste.

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MlssCue... to ladyjane 2012/08/16 04:05:44

The way it reads the cousin was injured too, not part of beating up this cop, ok well that changes things...a LOT.

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ladyjane to MlssCue... 2012/08/16 04:36:07

+1
This is what the end of the link article states:

According to the Daily Herald, the officer said, “Take it easy, I’m the Police.” But Middleton replied, “I don’t give a f*ck who you are,” and punched him in the face.

Passley reportedly began kicking the officer, joining Middleton in the assault. Shortly after, the officer drew his weapon and fired once, fatally wounding Middleton. He was pronounced dead at around 10:14 p.m. Saturday at Loyola Medical Center.

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MlssCue... to ladyjane 2012/08/16 04:39:19 (edited)

+1
Thank you. I'm not seeing where the cousin was involved. So many times they lack giving vital information that it's hard to make a judgement. Even so, I hope justice is served, whatever that may be.

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ladyjane to MlssCue... 2012/08/16 04:40:29

+1
I'm with you on that...

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☆ElenaD... to MlssCue... 2012/08/16 21:06:29

+1
It is in the linked article.

Nice Avatar by the way. I am not a fan, but I enjoy watching their games.

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MlssCue... to ☆ElenaD... 2012/08/16 22:31:19

Thank you :-)

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☆ElenaD... to TruBluT... 2012/08/15 21:56:50

I am aware.

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ladyjane 2012/08/15 21:44:21 (edited)

Yes he should be charged.

When he's not on duty I would assume that he is a private citizen with the same rights and responsibilities as anyone else...Just for the record I'm sick of them thinking they are better than the citizens that they work for - check their attitudes and you will be able to see that. If this officer isn't charged with the murder of this young father then it will be another case of they are better then the citizens that they work for and the fact that if a citizen used a gun on someone in the same situation he will be arrested and charged with murder. I can't believe that cop couldn't defend himself against this man with all the training he received as cop. It was good that he was trying to help the child - but killing her father wasn't the answer.

I was wrong on this. I just wish there was a different outcome - it's such a waste for this father to have been killed...

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TruBluT... to ladyjane 2012/08/15 22:20:06

+1
Even off duty a credentialed law enforcement officer is considered on duty. They are always armed. Always. Funny how you don't have a problem with two men beating him up. It's a sad story, but as we have more and more people who think they can do anything and get away with it, this will continue. I have to wonder what part the Chicago gun laws, which forbid concealed carry, played into this. People who are bullies and who can assume someone is unarmed frequently act out as the father did. I wonder what the outcome would have been had this been a regular unarmed Chicago citizen.

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Racefish 2012/08/15 21:37:47

No he shouldn't be.

+1
Father killed by off-duty cop who ran over his daughter

Christopher Middleton Shot: Donald Ray Ayro Arrested For Shooting Two 49ers Fans After Win Over Saints

Chicago Cop Injures 4-Year-Old Girl, Then Kills Her Outraged Father

Off-duty cop kills angry dad after hurting the man’s daughter with his motorcycle

Elgin father shot and killed by Chicago cop after accident involving daughter

Off-Duty Chicago Cop Fatally Shoots Man In Maywood

From the looks of it, this is going to be another case of "trial by press". From the headlines you can see the way things are slanted already.
The cop tried to avoid "hitting the girl directly" by spilling the bike. He could have easily been injured as well.

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