Airline passenger who said he had bomb shot dead

[thewayne]

His wife said he was mentally ill and hadn't had his medication.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051207/ap_on_re_us/airplane_shooting

Comments

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

I agree. It was a very tough call on the marshall's part and he responded as he had to. He could not take the risk that the man did not have a bomb as the alternative was he detonates it and takes out the plane.

It's very sad, but as far as the article is able to give us a complete picture, it was the proper response.

A friend of mine was in Germany a number of years ago, well before 9/11, probably in the 80's. The German police killed someone who, at an airport, was near the fuel storage facility. No questions asked. He wasn't supposed to be there, they killed him. They take security pretty serious over there.

[magic-rat.livejournal.com]

I read that article on Yahoo before you posted it here. Given the state of security in air travel these days, that man should have taken his medication before boarding the flight. At the very least, someone close to him -- like his wife -- should have made sure that he took his medication.

The only person that I feel any sympathy towards is that marshall. He now has to live the rest of his life, knowing that he has killed another human being. That's not as easy to deal with as the movies would have you believe.

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

I agree entirely. When a Phoenix policeman shoots someone, they automatically go on leave with pay while it is investigated, and a critical incident stress counselor is dispatched to help them cope.