News Copter?

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

Any idea why that helicopter has been hovering over the 93/Mystic River area for the past half hour or so? Massive traffic accident? IKEA sneak opening? Sea monsters?

Comments

[ron_newman]

Maybe this?

Woman dead, 3 Somerville officers stabbed in domestic incident

though if that's the reason, I don't see what a helicopter view would add to the news coverage. The tragic event took place indoors. Sycamore Terrace is a quiet residential dead-end street in Winter Hill.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

that's a rather fishy-sounding situation. she was barricaded in a bathroom, why were they removing her? and somebody's gun just "went off" and killed her??

[ron_newman]

This WCVB report has a little more detail:

The events that led to the shooting began with a domestic incident at the woman's Sycamore Terrace home overnight.

The woman was taken to Somerville Hospital and released after she was evaluated, police said.

When she returned home, she lunged at her boyfriend with a knife and then set his clothes on fire, police said. When police officers arrived, the woman stabbed the three officers. The woman was then shot and killed by police.

ETA: The Boston.com story has been updated with additional detail since we both posted, so take another look there too.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Remind me to never ever call the police on a domestic incident again. On anyone. At all.

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

Perhaps remind yourself not to stab three police officers if you do make the call.

nothing to see here folks

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

They've been hovering over Sycamore since 8 a.m. There is nothing to see ... the action is over. I wish they would go away. Must be a slow news day.

[tom-champion.livejournal.com]

"Remind me to never ever call the police on a domestic incident again. On anyone. At all."

Wow, talk about your rush to judgment. As the story fills out, we learn that the woman's companion says he brought her into the hospital for psychiatric evaluation at 3 a.m., that she may have started a fire that set off smoke alarms and caused the building to be evacuated, that the officers received knife injuries, that the shooting may have been an "accidental discharge."

In short, we don't know much yet -- except how much we don't know. To start assigning blame is entirely inappropriate.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

Also, it's never a great idea to attempt to stab your boyfriend with a knife and then set his clothes on fire.

Oh Tom

[winterhill.livejournal.com]

Please disregard Turil. She likes to post incendiary notes like this on a real news story to stir the pot. Next thing you know, she'll be saying the woman deserved it or some such wackness.

Please don't feed the trolls.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I wish they would name the officers. I'm concerned about some of my friends who I know were working around this time. And obviously, the station's number is down...

Re: nothing to see here folks

[bostonartist.livejournal.com]

I hate the practice of news helicopter hovering! They will circle and hover for hours just to show a 4 sec live shot of a rooftop for their news break.

[pzykotic.livejournal.com]

An interview with a neighbor on NECN said that the weapon used against the officers was a bottle... so they shot her? Weird. (if true)

[turil.livejournal.com]

It's based on far more than this case. In general, the police have a tendency to be threatening and abusive, or at least extremely insensitive to people who are emotionally upset (in fight or flight mode). And threatening people who are already feeling angry and scared is pretty much the worst thing you can do. So generally, they make many situations worse.

I've experienced this at least a couple of times myself. The police simply don't understand how to help people feel safe. Or, more likely, that is the opposite of their goal.

I really wish there was a healthy option. Mediators or something, who could be called. People who aren't armed to kill or even harm, and aren't trained to punish/blame people who are emotionally stressed, but are instead trained to help them find ways to feel ok about themselves and their environment.

Re: nothing to see here folks

[ron_newman]

I don't understand it at all. What can you see from the air? Put the reporter on the ground where he can actually learn something useful.

[ron_newman]

+10

[turil.livejournal.com]

Also, blame is a useless concept in science/psychology.

Understanding and healing is, instead, the overall goal. And as a teacher and counselor and activist, this is my Prime Directive (http://binikou.wordpress.com/about/). :-)

[lfitzb.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you aren't my neighbor then.

I would want anyone of my neighbors to call the police if they heard a domestic dispute going on. so many people are killed a year by domestic violence, just like this woman. Even though she is a perpetrator, still a death for domestic violence.

"It's none of our business" doesn't work either, violence is violence no matter where it takes place.

sorry it just hits really close to home.

This One's for You.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

Re: nothing to see here folks

[litia2005.livejournal.com]

It must be expensive as well. But it must attract many viewers.

[david-grana.livejournal.com]

It's not like she just brandished whatever weapon she had at them. They were stabbed; were they just supposed to roll over with a cry of "please ma'am, may I have another"?

Re: nothing to see here folks

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've always just thought of it as an ad for the news... People see it hovering and go flip on their TV to see what's going on. Even if the helicopter isn't helping the story, look, you just got a viewer.

Or, I guess, they come post here which doesn't help the station. ha.

[david-grana.livejournal.com]

How would a person untrained in self-defense be able to deal with an individual brandishing a weapon?

Details are still missing but...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

One wonders why they could not shoot her in the hand or leg.

Re: Details are still missing but...

[david-grana.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine being able to have the clarity of mind to pin-point a particular place on the body to shoot after having been stabbed. Then again, I'm not trained in combat, so what do I know.

Re: Details are still missing but...

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I am trained for combat (Army and Air Force trained) and I can assure you that we were never physically stabbed and then instructed to "shoot to wound". For that matter, we were never intentionally injured and then ordered to "carry on" either.

Safe to say that all of the training in the world wouldn't prepare you for being called to a scene where you know violence has just happened and the individual in question is stil armed, then being stabbed, then seeing two of your buddies stabbed, and THEN having the presence of mind to say, "Hey! This person is really just scared and misunderstood and doesn't really want to kill us, even though she just stabbed us, came at her boyfriend with a weapon, and then tried to set a fire too. Maybe we should all just settle down, have some tea, and find a band-aid. It'll all be hashed out and better after tea and a band-aid".