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Subscribe to RSSA University of South Alabama student who was found naked by campus police was killed by a single shot fired from an officer's weapon. WPMI's Darwin Singleton reports.
A day after a naked student at the University of South Alabama was fatally shot in the chest by a campus security guard, his mother and friends are asking why no other means were used to subdue the 18-year-old.
According to a statement released by the university, an officer heard loud banging on the police station window early Saturday and left his post to investigate. The man banging on the window was Gilbert Thomas Collar, an 18-year-old freshman who had graduated high school the previous spring. He was naked.
Collar was a wrestler whose favorite quotation, according to his Facebook profile, was “Be easy.” His profile photo is of himself, sporting a skinny black tie and light facial hair, his arm wrapped around his mother.
According to the university statement, the officer “was confronted by a muscular, nude man who was acting erratically. The man repeatedly rushed and verbally challenged the officer in a fighting stance.”
The officer allegedly asked Collar to stop, but the young student chased him “in a threatening manner and ignored the officer’s repeated commands.”
That’s when the officer drew his police sidearm and shot Collar once, striking him in the chest.
Collar “got up once more and continued to challenge the officer further before collapsing and expiring,” the report said. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
Collar’s mother told CNN she doesn’t understand why the officer had to shoot her son. Her son, she said, was 5-foot-7 and weighed 135 pounds.
“He was wearing no clothes and he was obviously not in his right mind,” Bonnie Collar said. “Obviously he was not armed. He was completely naked.”
Sophomore Tyler Kendrick was also dissatisfied.
"Really, it just upsets me that there's no other way to apprehend an unarmed student rather than shooting him. I don't understand that," Kendrick told The Associated Press.
Campus officials said the confrontation was recorded by security cameras. The video and other information has been turned over to the district attorney and the Mobile County Sheriff's Office, which will review the shooting.
A university spokesman declined to say Saturday whether Collar was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The University of South Alabama is in Mobile and serves 15,000 students.
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I also want to say something about what was just reported. The article says the officer "asked" him and that the man refused his repeated "commands". So which was it, asking or ordering?
I think that if cops were trained to speak less commands, that they would have better success.
My non-verbal communication was "I have a gun pointed at you and I will shoot you if you don't stop." Understood.
So instead of screaming "Get down on the ground." Which by the tone only challenges the other person, why not speak from the "I" position. "I will shoot if you don't stop, now." Simply, "I have a gun. I will shoot" should be enough. The tone detemines everything.
I don't think officers are properly trained. They are trained of all the horrible things that can happen to them but not how to really take control of the situation without hurting people unnecessarily.
Also, family relative is assist chief of major city police dept.
Absolutely ridiculous an irrelavant ramblings. I'm sure your Assistant Chief relative would agree.
You are 100% wrong. Short simple commands are given because in stressful situations the people the officers are dealing with have trouble understanding anything else. You can't enter into a conversation with someone and expect them to respond accordingly when they are very likely the cause of the problem to begin with.
Once a situation is under control an officer can then initiate a conversation but up until then, the officer is in control and commands will be given and complied with. This is done for their safety and for the other persons.
Time and time again short, simple, commands work the best for everyone involved.
why ?
When Deputy Herzog, who was wearing a vest, arrived on scene, he attempted to subdue the naked man with pepper spray. The spray had no affect on the man, who then attacked Deputy Herzog, ended up with his gun and shot him about ten times.
Herzog was a experienced cop and a US Army veteran (ie. not somebody you'd wanna fuk with).
Naked guy (not that dangerous) = alive
cop = dead
that's why
Read more: http://www.odmp.org/officer/16311-deputy-sheriff-richard-anthony-herzog#ixzz28jvWUCnR
so we should use deadly force on all unarmed naked people ???
@johnny No, but cops aren't, and really shouldn't, take ANY chances with ANYONE that puts them in a dangerous situation to begin with, regardless if that person is naked or fully clothed.
As for armed/unarmed, it wouldn't matter if someone charges YOU for whatever you have.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm going to wait until the investigation is finished before I decide which side to take on this.
So, if it's a cop or actually campus security that kills an unarmed person it's ok, but if it is a neighborhood watch person assaulted by an unarmed teenager it is not ok?
Working in emergency departments, I've seen a lot of security officers have to deal with drugged, potentially violent, or violent individuals and I have not seen one pull a gun, much less shoot a person yet.
Personally I will not make a judgment call based on the current info.
The officer could easily have panicked from the sight of a crazed lunatic and pulled their firearm in fear. Also the officer could have done all they could and had to end it with deadly force. Even a 95 pound girl supped up on drugs can give 3-4 grown men a hard time. Drugs, alcohol, and just adrenalin can and do make all methods of nonlethal ineffective. Unless you have experiences it yourself people should learn not to make snap judgments with no basis on facts.
Based on current facts the lesson to be learned at the moment is don’t be running around naked in the middle of the night as it is stupid no matter what.
a NAKED 135 LB MALE WHO NEVER LAID A GLOVE ON THE GUY...Talk about murder....why didnt he run back inside and call for backup if he was afraid of getting his butt kicked? Police today would rather kill than have there nose bloodied...sign of the times i guess...He did not even attempt to restrain the kid before killing him.
When officers feel like they have to shoot, why not aim low --like the legs --in order to stop the person, but not to kill?
training dictates when using deadly force to aim for center of mass ... i agree w/ that part of the training ... i totally disagree w/ this murderous cop gunning down a naked , unarmed 18 year old college student whom was either experimenting drugs or was slipped something in a cocktail or was having a mental melt down ... deadly force is just that deadly & not called for !!!!
People need to read a little more carefully. The young man banged on the station window and the officer left his station, implying both that the young man was trying to get help and that the officer had ample time and opportunity to call for back-up, retreat to a secure location, etc. I come from a family of police officers, security guards, etc. and many defensive and offensive alternatives were available in this situation. Death is irreversible. Fatal use of a firearm is by definition excessive force in this situation, and defense of others is also unavailable as a defense. Grow up, people, and learn that being an American does not mean endorsing some Wild West form of justice. This isn't a movie or video game. Someone died here.
“He was wearing no clothes and he was obviously not in his right mind,” ... this is what the officer was thinking. A subject who kept on confronting him even when he retreated. Finally the officer had to use some force and only shot once.
This officer was in the right in what he did. He didn't know what this adult was on, it could have been "bath salts" and maybe the kid wanted to eat his face off (occurred in Florida). It is unfortunate that someone died but at least it was the suspect and not the cop.
The family has to have some responsibility. He didn't just up and one day decide to take drugs and do something stupid, odds are he has been abusing drugs and/or alcohol for quite awhile.
I hope the officer is doing OK. He was just doing his job and he did it very well.
i hope the officer rots in prison ... this was an 18 year old college kid ... college is the place where alot of kids start to experiment (yes) for the first time !!! , but did you stop think that maybe just maybe somebody slipped something in this kids drink , in his food or what ever else ... again this was an unarmed naked college kid against a highly trained police officer ... me i obviously hold the officer to a higher standard the the 18 year old kid named gilbert !!! tell me where i missed something here ...
The poor mother in the article defaults to an attitude that her son wasn't a threat because he's only 5'7" and 135 lbs--similar dimensions to formaer martial arts champion Bruce Lee. No doubt this officer was caught flat footed. This kid was a college wrestler? Likely better trained in hand to hand combat than half the cops in this country. That makes him dangerous. He was combative, confrontational, and irrational when he showed up. What if the cop had not acted, let the guy go, and he started attacking other students? Whole different story. I would say short of a taser, baton, or rubber bullets, if a cop is in fear for his life / safety, and or the safety of others he has done his job in this case.
i disagree with you , unless police training has changed drastically in the past 10 or so years , police officers are very well trained to handle hand to hand combat .... i can't fathom a reason why this 18 year old unarmed naked kid (that was not in his right mind) had to die , deadly force was not called for ...
Yes they are, if they find themselves in such a situation. Or an officer may attempt to manhandle someone if he has other officers there.
Officers are also trained to NOT physically manhandle someone if there is no backup. An officer should never attempt to handle someone one on one.
Just a couple of reasons:
*What if it was a diversion and the criminal had an accomplice hidden?
*If the person was trained in hand to hand combat you just don't gamble with your life.
Obviously the rentacop felt threatened, but it sounds as though he was safely in an enclosure, and should have called for back-up. There are always alternatives to blowing away the perp. If you dont think you could shoot someone in the foot,you must be a bad shot. The best remedy would have been many strong hands and an overnight watch in the tank. This guy should not have a gun.
your a dooche and you should be banned from writing in here in my opinion your opinion really sucks!!!
To the mother, your son was obviously in a point of distress and was using or abusing drugs or alcohol which is common for people at the age of 18. Your sons actions of being nude and commiting the acts he did were something of a nature people his age do not do. If I am armed security guard and a naked arrogant man charges and challenges me when I am open carrying a weapon if I do not use it do you think he could have taken it from the guard and shot him and your son would be facing murder charges??? I think so I personally know from being an armed security guard of what this guy was going through and have had to deal with situations similar as the one your son was involved the guard would rather be judged by 12 people in a courtroom then carried by 6 to his resting place!
This "thou shall not challenge me" attitude by some law enforcement is what the Nazi believed. I don't believe your simplistic assumption on the limits of this young man's problems either. He could easily have had a physical brain problem without the guilt of it having been caused by having chosen drugs and/or alcohol. He was small in stature, light weight, naked, unarmed - what more does a professional need to have a tremendous advantage. If "shoot all who challenge your authority" is now a policy, which is exactly what happened here, then let's not see it as a "behind the public whisper among the ranks" BUT RATHER HAVE THE LEADERS PUT IT UP FRONT AND IN WRITING BECAUSE IT WILL SAVE COMMUNITIES A LOT OF TRAINING IN PHYSICAL FITNESS, BEAN BAG SHOTGUN LOADS, PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES OF CONTROL, PEPPER SPRAY AND STUN GUN INVENTORIES! Killing this young person was wrong, a tragedy and a mind-set of the person who killed him. The officer, his bosses and the community policies all need to be closely investigated. If it is found a mind-set was in place to cause this Nazi form of community control existed, the mother should sue them for tens of millions to MAKE SURE that all communities examine their leadership and policies before they too are bankrupt by radicals in their ranks. I hope this does not bear out in an investigation but if so, it is almost a duty to make sure this does not continue elsewhere.
May the young man rest in peace. This is, yet another, shinning example of pussi cops. If you don't know how to grab an unarmed person you SHOULD NOT be a cop..period end of story. Why in the he// is this guy on PAID, yes PAID administrative leave. WTF. He just killed an unarmed boy! I seriously believe his mom should get an attorney; this kind of stuff is wrong and it gets done a lot...bcuz people who are afraid become law enforcement..and kill bcuz they're scared???? Wrong wrong wrong wrong.
reece4g63 you are not trained correctly if you can't handle a naked 135 lb boy and shouldn't be given a gun nor should the guy who killed him. You are both chicken littles and need to stay out of dangerous situations with gun. A gun is LAST resort and if you're not trained to take em down without a gun then pls stay out of that line of work.. the kid was probably drunk and being crazy so pussies shot and kill him bcuz they're scared? What do you do in the dark blow holes in the wall? "I'm afraid of the dark give me a gun" WTF?
If this kid was that small, I question the ability of the officer to determine the "last resort" choice of shooting him. He could definitely tell that the student was in some kind of a mental meltdown. If he had to shoot, was he not trained to pick a spot, such as a leg, to stop him, but not kill him. This is a sad tragedy and a poor reflection on law enforcement.
All cops are weak and useless, they are only as good as the idiots who train them, and believe me they are idots. If you don't train them to fight like a man. That's why you always see 10 cops to take down 1 man. their steroid driven brain just say's shoot to kill even if the perp is naked. Being a cop now a days requires absolutely no skills other than to be controlled by thier puppet masters from behind the curtain and thats why they are paid crap (beacuse they have no skill).
Once again cops kill a citizen in this country under questionable circumstances. We live in a police state and our police are way to powerful. they act like combat soldiers against our citizens. It is all too frequent they kill our people. This naked kid had no weapon, the cop should be charged with murder. This excuse "i felt threatened" is a joke and if a cop feels that threatened then he should be working the door at walmart instead of being a cop. He did not have to murder this kid, there is mace, there is stun gun, and he also could of used his training and subdued the kid. What a punk cop, a killer.
5'7", 135 pounds and an officer had to shoot him !!!!! Was this officer a young, little girl, stuck cornered by herself with no means of mace, a stun gun or communication? That's not even fair to female officers, young or old. The officer who shot and killed this small sized youth did it out of a mindset of "us against them" and the us are in command, never to be challenged. There is no room for mentally disturbed persons challenging authority, however small a threat. This officer needs to be removed from ever having this position of authority again and his department's policys and leadership history need to be closely reviewed. I just hope the mother sues the community if it is found that community leadership is what lead to this young, small, unarmed, disturbed man's death - to make sure other communities think twice about creating a Nazi environment of law enforcement.
@Cowboys1: To "graduate high school" would be to draw little, evenly spaced lines on the high school for purposes of measurement, as on a graduated cylinder. To "graduate from high school" would be to earn the diploma and walk with your class at the graduation ceremony.
The whole "graduate high school, college", etc. thing is really a pet peeve of mine. Right up there with "conversate" and "orientate". Or using "it's" as a possessive. You can see, however, that I am o.k. with sentence fragments in informal writing...
So what you are saying is that you are an anal moron who never gets invited to parties?
I guess I should have been saying that vball14 is a trolling douchebag.
Gee whiz golly..the kid was smart enough to take drugs or alcohol illegally, because he was a "man" now that he was in college, but not smart enough to keep it inside. No one deserves to die for being stupid, but kids are going to ave to learn, that their brains have been fried once too often , and there are consequences for stupidity.
Hey mom..how about asking YOURSELF why you failed so badly in raising your kid that he would repeatedly take aggressive action toward a security officer.
Exactly.
Sorry, but when a police officer orders you to stand down, you do it. Kid got exactly what he deserved.
/
this is ureal. i'm sure this "security" guard could have called someone and i would assume that if he was at the office, he wasn't alone. this to me is murder. the kid obviously had no weapon and the guy actually could have run back in and made a call to the "real" police if he was that concerned. the kid was obviously on something and not in his right mind like his mother said. 5'7, 135? please.. this "security" guy wanted to shoot someone. i know he will be regretting this for the rest of his life and to me, he should be thinking about it in jail. this is a horrible, horrible @!$%# up!!!
While I would not have made the choice to shoot, I think a few good points have been made as to (1) this was a trained collegiate wrestler. Regardless of his weight, he was still a dangerous threat. If you have ever been in fights, you quickly know their is a huge difference between trained fighters and brawlers. (2) The kid may have been on drugs, but obviously was out of his mind, either way there is a huge adrenalin rush which also makes him more dangerous, (3) The officer was probably not as quick, nor had the endurance of this young man, another disadvantage. I don't know if the officer had a taser, if so he could have tried this first, but didn't and did go with his training. The officer was facing a dangerous threat. Enough to use deadly force as his first option of choice after verbal commands? I don't think so, and feel this officer should not be charged, but should be fired.
the scary part of your post "if the officer had a taser, if so he could have tried this first, but didn't and did go with his training" if he went w/ his training then we in the united states have an even bigger problem ... deadly force is only used if the person has a weapon & is using it in a threatening manner it could be a car , gun , knife , rock ... you get the picture ....
It would seem security personnel would have means other than deadly force to subdue erratically behaving individuals,especially in a school environment.
Tasers, mace are acceptable to put down an agressive/combative person and gain control of a situation, a dead center shot would only be used on an ARMED attacker!!! Actually according to the article the young man never truly touched or attacked the "University Police Officer" (not to be confused with an actual member of a highly trained Police Department) but rushed and posed - so it would seem the response used was not appropriate. As far as personal accountability - that would have happened if the kid had his day in court before a judge. Hopefully this does not get washed away without this "officer" and the University held accountable for this death.
They are a highly trained Police Department.
http://www.southalabama.edu/police/generalinfo.html