Brazilian did not wear bulky jacket, did not jump barrier, shot 7 times

[Modem Butterfly]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1537457,00.html

Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead in the head, was not wearing a heavy jacket that might have concealed a bomb, and did not jump the ticket barrier when challenged by armed plainclothes police, his cousin said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting with the Metropolitan police, Vivien Figueiredo, 22, said that the first reports of how her 27-year-old cousin had come to be killed in mistake for a suicide bomber on Friday at Stockwell tube station were wrong.

Brazilian did not wear bulky jacket

Relatives say Met admits that, contrary to reports, electrician did not leap tube station barrier

Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead in the head, was not wearing a heavy jacket that might have concealed a bomb, and did not jump the ticket barrier when challenged by armed plainclothes police, his cousin said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference after a meeting with the Metropolitan police, Vivien Figueiredo, 22, said that the first reports of how her 27-year-old cousin had come to be killed in mistake for a suicide bomber on Friday at Stockwell tube station were wrong.

"He used a travel card," she said. "He had no bulky jacket, he was wearing a jeans jacket. But even if he was wearing a bulky jacket that wouldn't be an excuse to kill him."

[Ravenseye]

1. I wonder

I wonder if those that defend the bag searches on the NYC subway would defend just randomly jumping on passengers and shooting them 7 times in the head if the cops feel twitchy about something...

...cause hey they'll eventually get a terrorist right? If you're innocent (and white) you've got nothing to worry about right?

[Modem Butterfly]

2. Sure! Just as Ted Kaczynski!

[acmavm]

5. They'll probably help hold 'em down so they'll be easier to shoot.

Anyone who justifies this horrific event has a big hole in their soul. We are not, under any whacked theory of self-defense that anyone can come up with, justified in shooting people because they 'might' be this or they 'might' have done that.

Crap, the truth about this event sounds nothing like the original bullshit they were spinning to justify the shooting right after it happened. But then, it rarely does.

[PeterPuck]

20. even some freepers are having doubts now

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1452209/posts

I can't believe there are some of them actually questioning whether what the police did was unjustified.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

3. " his cousin said yesterday."

His cousin, who was not at the scene.

[Modem Butterfly]

4. Relatives say Met admits that, contrary to reports...

Let the Met contradict them if they're misstating what was said.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. his cousin who got this information from the Metropolitan police

You're bending over backwards to justify this hooting, yibba, and it's gtting ugly.

[SmokingJacket]

8. But there's footage of the jacket, at least. I saw it.

It was one of those bomber-jacket type things, with "New York" on it. Possibly denim -- but I wouldn't call it a "big bulky coat."

[Jersey Devil]

9. I think you are confusing the jacket with another worn by a bomber

They did indeed have a photo of a "New York" sweatshirt or jacket worn by one of the bombers escaping from the tubes but I don't think there have been any photos of what the Brazilian guy was wearing.

In any case, at some point the police are going to have to display the jacket he was wearing and certainly at the coroner's inquiry. We will find out eventually.

[SmokingJacket]

10. I could be mistaken...

if I have time later I'll check it out...

[anarch]

15. and you were at the scene?

just sayin...

[Tom Bombadil]

17. Were you at the scene?

I wasn't and I'm pretty sure that none of the eyewitnesses are posting here at DU. There is an inquiry already underway into this tragic incident and police reports will be used as evidence, along with eyewitness reports and CCTV footage. Now why can't everyone just wait for the outcome of this inquiry, before passing judgement on the police or on the victim.

[anarch]

18. exactly. n/t

[KG]

6. time to stop fucking blaming the victim.

the cops followed the guy from the time he left his house, they could've stopped him anytime.

the cops fucked up big time. time to start pointing out their fuck-ups and stop blaming the victim.

[Junkdrawer]

11. Lies on page 1 above the fold at the time, retractions...

a week or two later.

Where have I seen this before... :think:

[Peace Patriot]

12. They thought he had a bomb--or so they said--and they let him exit

his building, walk down the street, get on a bus, take a long bus ride to the tube, get off the bus, and THEN challenged him with plain clothes officers brandishing guns? He was going to work. He was an electrician. He had a friendly conversation with a neighbor on the bus--which plain clothes were on the bus witnessing. He gets off the bus, and there is a gang of beefy armed guys threatening him, and he ran (maybe), and they hunt him down in the tube, subdue him and shooting him seven times in the head?

Something wrong with this picture--and getting wronger with every revelation. It was either a training exercise in brainwashing cops to follow orders and shoot to kill (and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill--seven shots!), or a racist lynching, or a deliberate execution for some purpose we don't yet know.

It was not an innocent mistake. They stalked him. They had him under surveillance from his FRONT DOOR. If they thought he had a bomb, how in god's name could they let him get on a bus? It makes no sense.

[Nihil]

19. "Something wrong with this picture"

> Something wrong with this picture--and getting wronger with every
> revelation. It was either a training exercise in brainwashing cops to
> follow orders and shoot to kill (and kill and kill and kill and kill
> and kill and kill--seven shots!), or a racist lynching, or a
> deliberate execution for some purpose we don't yet know.

One more possibility: It was a tragic mistake.

Let's try this one last time ...

THEY DID NOT THINK HE HAD A BOMB WHEN HE WALKED OUT OF THE DOOR.

That is why they didn't stop him at that point.

All of the bullshit about "racist lynching" is just so fucking stupid ...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. Just more "collateral damage" from the "War on Terror".

Whoops! "We regret..." "We will investigate.." "An unfortunate incident.."

Wave flags. Play appropriate "patriotic" music. Focus on "successes" or make some up.

Don't worry, be happy.

[jim3775]

14. The CBC news had a good report on this a few days ago.

He apparently had words with a group of men in a pub a week or so before he was shot. The person that was interviewed said that when Jean Charles was approached by people with guns he thought it was that gang and he took off and ran.

[ruperupe]

16. simply amazing ....

read this thread for further info:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4184924