Police officer shoots knife-wielding man dead in Niigata

Depending but tasers do not always stop a person, drugs or adrenaline can override it. Sounds like he didn’t give them much of a choice, still regrettable he died.

Too many people here been watching too many Hollywood movies.

‘Shoot him in the leg, in the arm !’

if some crazy guy with a knife is coming at you, you shoot to stop him, saving your life & maybe other people’s lives too

Depending but tasers do not always stop a person, drugs or adrenaline can override it.

JP's dont carry tasers or stun guns. They have their aluminum collapsible batons, and their 38 cal, Nambu pistols. Their SAT or SWAT carry heavier weaponry.

You would think 3 police officers together would be able to overpower a loon with a knife without having to use lethal force.

Please, be the first to possibly get stabbed, so me and my partner can subdue the guy, while we watch you bleed out from a stab wound.

Rather obvious you watch too much TV and fantasize about "coulda, shoulda. woulda..."

Cops holding a loaded weapon pointed at a knife wielding guy, who was told to drop the knife, but kept coming.

Do as the cops tell you, plain and simple, and it wouldn't have happened.

Bottom line here is that we have an armed police force who aren't trigger happy.

When's the last time a J cop shot someone dead?

Certainly no winners in this case. A disturbed person dead and the life of a probably decent man ruined for having taken a life.

@Realization.

Officers are not trained to shoot to kill, but to shoot to stop the aggressor, so their training tells them to aim for the “center mass” the middle of the largest exposed area on the aggressor, because aiming there increases the likelihood of hitting and stopping the aggressor. Shooting a running target legs is hard and it would still hit arteries anyway if you are unlucky.

It is regrettable that circumstances arose in which the cop felt the need to use his weapon. It isn't regrettable that he is a good shot. Cops are trained to shoot to stop, not shoot to wound. Far worse that a bystander is wounded, or killed by a stray shot.

Not to mention, the cop fired ONCE. And the other two did not. THAT is discipline too! On all three of them!

I don't know what kind of training the JP officers recieve but for me i was surprised that the officer waited until only 2m before he shot his pistol.

The training I recieved is, if the threat is closer than 7 meters, you do not differentiate between firearm and knife. It is simply a lethal threat. And yes, a lethal threat will be shot at center mass (chest area) as many times as necessary until the threat is neutralized (no mag dump like US officers but consecutive aimed shots at center mass)

For those who say shoot the legs, try it out with a buddy. See for yourself how extremely quick this gap can be closed by a running person.

As for the taser: both prongs need to make a good connection in order for it to work. It doesnt matter if the individual is on drugs or not. Now in this cold weather a thick pullover or a jacket is enough for a taser to be usless.

Glad the officer is safe and the threat was eliminated.

Well done Niigata PD for making sure no bystanders where harmed.

I prefer when the police don't shoot someone.

But if you attack the police with a knife, it's the expected response.

Unfortunately, this man may have been in the throes of delusion, and not had the capacity to realize that.

Absolutely Justified under the circumstances. Seems like suicide by cop.

They dealt with this dangerous, violent criminal the only way they could. Kill, or be killed. For those who say pepper spray or tasers, some people are tough enough to shrug these off and keep coming. Fact.

Absolutely proper use of the firearm by the police officer. Too many posters without real ballistics or law enforcement training playing monday morning quarterback. Is is a shame the man died? Yes. Is it a shame the officer had to fire? Yes. Was it necessary and called for? Yes. Will the officer now need to struggle psychologically with the fact that he had to shoot someone dead? Yes.

u_s__reamerDec. 19 11:35 pm JST

...when the attacker is within 2 meters with a knife, the police is instructed to shoot to neutralise (=make SURE the attacker is stopped on the spot).

Yes, but stepping back would put more distance than 2 meters between them before shooting the legs to "neutralize" without taking a life. I'll say it again, there is no excuse for jackleg cops with guns.

If you have never been in that position, don't be so quick to criticize. If the perpetrator is brazen enough to threaten a police officer with a knife, then he is taking his own life in his hands. He could throw the knife and severely injure the officer. The office did the right thing and stopped the perp. before he could the officer or anyone else.

It's called personal responsibily and there is no exuse for threatening people with a knife.

yesterday.

You would think 3 police officers together would be able to overpower a loon with a knife without having to use lethal force.

To those of you who are siding with the knife-wielding man who approached the police in an aggressive manner. Unless, you have worn the uniform (or any for that matter) and/or have had your life threatened, please take your comments elsewhere. I applaud the officer for his actions. These people/humans stand watch 24/7 to protect you and your family so that you can sleep peacefully at night. These people/humans also have families that would love to see them come home. This 'Officer of the Law' didn't choose to pull out a weapon and threaten to kill anyone for no particular reason. He pulled his weapon to protect life. I also applaud his bosses and government for having his back. As the old saying goes 'The knife-wielding man made his bed, and now he has to lie in it.' Literally.

I like the amoung of Rambos on this forum, teaching the police what they should have done. If someone yields a knife, you either run away or shoot making sure he can't continue his attack. No martial art or leg shooting will do, as in close range a knife is more dangerous than a handgun. Police acted 100% correctly in this case.

-1 as much as you want, but in any country, when the attacker is within 2 meters with a knife, the police is instructed to shoot to neutralise (=make SURE the attacker is stopped on the spot).

Aiming for the leg within 2 meters would have been possible

This one always cracks me up.

Guns do not stop an attacker immediately. People do not fly back 20ft when they are shot.

It takes about 0.3 seconds for the average male to travel 2m.

Under the stress of an armed standoff, a shot to the leg, the most moving part of the body, would be near impossible.

You would think 3 police officers together would be able to overpower a loon with a knife without having to use lethal force.

How? Try and talk a charging psychopath crim with a deadly weapon out if it? Reason with him? No way. Taser? For many strong men, a taser/stun gun is effectively a bee sting. No effect. This is not Hollywood where there is always a happy ending and no deaths.

Sometimes a firearm is the ONLY option.

 the man pointed the knife blade at the police and advanced to within about 2 meters of the officers

Well. I guess he chose to learn the hard way.

But the man pointed the knife blade at the police and advanced to within about 2 meters of the officers, whereupon one of them fired.

Here's just my two cents in this. If tazers aren't an option, then would non-lethal rounds (bean bags, rubber bullets, etc) or bear spray suffice? Not to be nitpicky here but don't Japanese police often use the sasumata for such cases?

@Dear Hiro

Is it "running target ???"

Please read the news carefully.

The police shot and killed the man pointed the knife blade at the police, they are 3 officers!

It's a question of ability our JP police, how to handle such situation.

Need to study more.

I think the officer was in the right. People in Japan need to realize that when you swing a knife around, what the consequence will be.

"Shoot to Kill."

Too much non-violence is not good either. You need a balance and the officer has provided that balance.

Give Officers the choice of a Taser Pulse, if operational need allows.

riot shield!

Especially these days, so many non-lethal way that can be used. For example taser and many other things that available but they just prefer not to use it.

Australian police has taser and pepper spray but they do have problems. Some offenders high on drugs cannot be stopped by them. On the other hand, there are cases which people get tasered and then dies. One rare case I saw on TV a woman was tasered but the police accidentally shot the taser at her eye and she lost an eyeball. There is no follow up on that story but I believe she gets compensation.

By the way I read from some manga (I know it is not a reliable source) that the first shot of a Japanese police pistol is blank. Is this true or just make up stuff?

Hitting the legs ?

Japanese police does not have much tough intervention to do, so if not from a special task force, the police will easily panic

that's such a common problem, people in Japan waving knives around.

Nonsense. Apart from the tragic few mass stabbers in Japan, knife crime is very rare and random. Try walking the streets of London or elsewhere in Europe, at night. There will be blades flashing all around you everywhere these days. Knife crime is rampant in the UK.

The cop made the correct call in my opinion.

People in Japan need to realize that when you swing a knife around, what the consequence will be.

Yes, because that's such a common problem, people in Japan waving knives around. I can hardly make my way home sometime for all the knives being waved around. When will they learn?

The American way of shooting is the easy option for scared or psycho cops protected from prosecution by blanket immunity, but a more humane policy would be to give police more training in marksmanship and target practice so that they can "serve" the community without the routine lethal consequences. There is no excuse for most police abuse of lethal force.

Balance is still kept, as one violence crazy faded away and one violence crazy appeared.

Nonsense.

Apart from the knife problem, a limited grasp of irony and sarcasm is another issue that plagues Japan:)

Legally justified, but may not necessary, depending on the situation. But none of us where there to judge. "Advanced within 2 meters" is a very vague description.

Shoot to kill, its not the best policy to deal with Japans mental health problem.

According to the police, three officers were dispatched to the residence after receiving a call about a mentally unstable man, the caller's brother, who was holding a knife.

Um... It was manifestly deranged. Not blame the cop for shooting the mentally unstable man. RIP.

The grammar is difficult to figure out, but the brother, genuinely afraid for his life, called the cops.

The perp was standing in the doorway. Sounds as if they drew his attention round to them instead, but then realized he was agitated and in no mood for talking.

Maybe the first round should be a standard rubber bullet...?

3 officers armed with batons and with access to shields, do not need to

shoot anyone!

I think the cop made an incorrect call.

He is lucky people here people do not run around and protest, riot, rape and pillage and then burn their neighbor's stores to the ground.

...when the attacker is within 2 meters with a knife, the police is instructed to shoot to neutralise (=make SURE the attacker is stopped on the spot).

Yes, but stepping back would put more distance than 2 meters between them before shooting the legs to "neutralize" without taking a life. I'll say it again, there is no excuse for jackleg cops with guns.

"the man pointed the knife blade at the police and advanced to within about 2 meters of the officers, whereupon one of them fired."

Q:

Why don't the officer could not shot leg or arms???

Why he shot to chest?

Why 3 officers can't tactically down the a man armed with a knife?

Is there lack of Training?

I'm sure the officers were wearing vest. Aiming for the leg within 2 meters would have been possible, but of course police officers train like soldiers aiming only for center mass.

Sounds like he didn’t give them much of a choice, still regrettable he died.

Especially these days, so many non-lethal way that can be used. For example taser and many other things that available but they just prefer not to use it.

one way of treating mental illness I guess.

over use of force i'd think.

tasers?

Good. The Japanese could learn a lot from American cops.