crime

Police shoot knife-wielding man after he attacks his father

16 Comments

A 34-year-old man is in hosipital after being shot while resisting arrest at his home in Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Friday.

According to police, they received a call just before 6 a.m. Friday from a woman saying that her son was acting violently. When two police officers arrived at the house, they were confronted by the suspect, Satoshi Hamana, who was wielding a knife, Fuji TV reported. Police said he had stabbed his 67-year-old father.

The two officers, aged 30 and 21, ordered Hamana to drop the knife. When he charged at them, the officers fired a total of eight shots at his legs and thighs.

The two men were taken to hospital; Hamana was in a coma while his father's injuries are not life-threatening, police said.

A police spokesman said the officers had no choice but to fire at Hamana because they were in a life-threatening situation.

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16 Comments
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The two officers, aged 30 and 21, ordered Hamana to drop the knife. When he charged at them, the officers fired a total of eight shots at his legs and thighs.

It is kind of hard to hit a moving target and particularly the legs and thighs, I am not surprised that these cops had to fire so many shots

A police spokesman said the officers had no choice but to fire at Hamana because they were in a life-threatening situation.

Really? Then next time DROP the sucker like you mean it!

-9 ( +5 / -14 )

next time DROP the sucker like you mean it!

They did drop the sucker exactly as they meant, and are trained to.

If he comes out of the coma, he'll face justice as it should be: by court, not by cop.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Were those 8 shots hit the legs of the man? But I'm not blaming the cops, at eh height of any scene, nothing shld be left to chances!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Regardless of what might seem like either trigger happy shooting or just really bad shooting by the cops, I still think one thing the J-cops are quite respectable for is their ability to only use their guns as a last resort, and even then only attempt to render the suspect a non-threat -- not shoot to kill.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

So this is the first guy to be shot by police in Japan in how many years?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

So this is the first guy to be shot by police in Japan in how many years?

Wasn't someone shot in similar circumstances last year?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

the officers fired a total of eight shots at his legs and thighs

Were they seriously doing that, or were they just not good at shooting? If you're being charged by a guy with a knife, you should "shoot to stop", and the best way to do that is center of mass hits.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

I would like to hear all of the evidence on this matter, this incident by all accounts was at house, so Satoshi would be quite close to the officers, (3-4m) away, at these short ranges it would be almost impossible to miss a human torso when shooting, but to put 8 shots into his leg and pelvis, thats harder, as it a lot smaller area, a trained officer at that range should be able to make 1 shot count with ease.; and why 8 shots?? is it that Japanese police are trained to wound, rather than shoot to kill? whats the official stance on this?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

is it that Japanese police are trained to wound, rather than shoot to kill?

What's this fascination with shooting to kill? The cops' reaction was perfectly fit for purpose.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

What's this fascination with shooting to kill?

As a one-time federal agent, we were not taught to "shoot to kill", but as I said before, to "shoot to stop". Much easier to defend in court.

And you'd be surprised how quickly a man with a knife can close the distance and become a deadly threat, even to somebody armed with a handgun.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I commend the officers for their restraint. I believe they use .38 revolvers and to hit a moving target under stress and threat, did well.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

A lot of people think shooting the legs, especially the thigh is a low risk shooting, it isn't in fact it is quite risky to shoot the thigh because there is a very decent chance you will hit the femoral artery and in a US court of law if you shoot someone in the leg and they die and you tell the judge you didn't intend to kill them you are basically admitting to using excessive force in front of a judge.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

you tell the judge you didn't intend to kill them you are basically admitting to using excessive force in front of a judge

Wrong. If you draw a weapon and fire, it's because you are in fear for your life. You have the right to defend yourself. That's why the "shoot to stop" phrase is so important. Don't tell a court "I wanted to kill that b@stard" but "I had to stop him to protect myself" or else the prosecutor will have a field day with you.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

They fired 8 total shots - how many hit the target, how many could've hit someone else

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Wrong. If you draw a weapon and fire, it's because you are in fear for your life. You have the right to defend yourself. That's why the "shoot to stop" phrase is so important. Don't tell a court "I wanted to kill that b@stard" but "I had to stop him to protect myself" or else the prosecutor will have a field day with you.

You are actually proving my point, if you are using lethal force and you claim it was because you were in fear of your life then the court is going to ask why didn't you shoot center mass? They will claim that the reason why you didn't shoot center mass is because you were trying to injure and not kill your attacker and the reason for that is because you were not truly in fear for your life.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

For all of you who don't seem to know about how non violent Japanese cops are compared to the US, or those of you who think the cops can't aim, or should have shot him in the chest because in your opinion stopping=killing. POLICE IN JAPAN DONT SHOOT TO KILL! By law they are to shoot to wound if they ever have to use their guns. Shooting to kill is an absolutely last resort and taken into account, but it is almost looked at like it should never happen at all. If a cop shoots a fleeing suspect in the back whether intentionally or accidentally, or shoots them in the head or chest first its seen as murder. Their first and foremost job is to save lives, even if it means saving a madman from himself. DONT TAKE IT OUT, DONT FLAUNT IT, DONT USE IT is what whats drilled into recruits at the academy and that doesnt change when on the field. There was a case not too long ago here in Japan with a knife weilding man vs three cops, the three cops restrained the madman, two of the cops were sent to the hospital for moderate knife wounds, NONE of the three cops pulled their gun out. Thats how much they are reluctant to use a gun, even if just to wound. Meanwhile back in the US, cops are "so scared for their lives!" they have no choice but to shoot multiple rounds into a knife weilding, psychotic, extremely dangerous man charging at them full speed...in a wheelchair. Never mind tazers(which Japanese cops don't use btw because it would be veiwed as demeaning and cruel by the public and never be accepted)

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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