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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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If this young man was black, we would have every black politician or preacher in the country saying it was racially motivated. How many of these loud mouths will we hear now, obviously it's not "racially motivated"...so what's their take on this one? While I'm not a preacher or a politician, and this "childs" color makes no difference, I sincerely hope that the security guard that took his life has to give up a portion of his for the choice he made....and why does a security guard carry a gun, would not a tasar of made more sense....this is so wrong on all levels.
What does 'black' have to do with this? Were either the shooter or the young man black? I missed something.
If he was naked and unarmed, why shoot him? Maybe he needed help. WTF.
I think it is sad that this man's behavior was driven by fear. I find it equally sad that a lot of the world thinks that's ok. Fear is the reason people allow their freedoms to be taken away by "security". This man should have been trained how to behave in this sort of situation, and if he wasn't, he shouldn't have been given a gun. The school should be held responsible if no training was given to this security guard. I have a son, and if he "had created this situation", I would hope the guy would try to subdue him in a non-lethal manner. I do realize that this guard felt threatened, however he didn't have to shoot to kill. The man should be fired at the very least. I also think that the students who attend this university should promptly take the money they give this school and give it to a university that protects it's students properly. Nothing will change as long as we sit by and do nothing. My heartfelt thoughts are with this boy's family.
Look at 4 posts above yours (at this time)
They are NOT security guards.
They are a highly trained Police Department.
http://www.southalabama.edu/police/generalinfo.html
when are you parents going to wake up some piece of $hit cop kills your kid you hunt that scum bag down and kill him cops don't have any balls it would be easy and you would be justified there punks that's why there cops in the first place and how about that interview that tub of $hit cop trying to justify the whole thing the kid was 5foot 7 135lbs you tub of $hit cops can;t bring down a naked 135 pound kid without shooting him disgusting when these pigs shoot Innocent people for no reason they need to be hunted down and killed how could any body defend this you would have to be a moron to see the cops side
To think that people like you actually vote and breed. WOW
To all of those saying that the cop was just doing his job,would you think that way if it were your child?
I would say he had to do what he had to do.
The cop didn't go hunt the man down.
He didn't force him to take drugs.
He didn't challenge him to a fight.
He found himself confronted by a crazed man that refused to back down and continually came toward the officer.
If it was my child I would mourn for the child I knew.
The person that died that night was not the child his friends and family knew. He was a totally different creature. The Cop didn't make him that way.
Question to you:
Do you think the police officer is immune to what happened?
I am going to assume it was a male cop but these points can go either way. Very likely he has a wife and children. Also very likely he will suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If he suffers so will his family. The Daddy his children knew will be "different". His wife will have to get to know him again.
All because somebody decided to use a powerful drug. The Cop didn't give him the drug.
There are no winners in this, there are a whole lot of losers. The cop is one of the losers. The parents are losers. The friends are losers. Everyone loses because of what was most likely a drug issue.
If I was the parent I would feel compassion for the cop because he didn't ask for what happened, and he and his family will suffer.
Sure you would.
Shari
I have four children, the 31 year old is making a career out of the ARMY. I have had to prepare myself for the possibility I will lose him when ever he has gone in a war zone.
I have lost loved ones.
My Uncle was a police officer.
I also know myself.
The Cop didn't ask for what happened. He will suffer because Mr Collar decided to take a potent drug.
How could any rational person blame the Cop?
As an ER employee, you have no idea, unless you are around them regularly what you are dealing with when you have to deal with someone on these kinds of substances, if indeed this kid was on something like bathsalts. I have seen 5 strong men struggle to hold down 1 135 pound person on this stuff. It isn't pretty and they are whacked out. Don't judge unless you know what you are talking about. If this kid was on something and that cop (security) was alone, I don't blame him for using the force needed to stop this kid, as sad as it is. When will people figure out that using any mind altering drug, including marijuana, is idiotic and painful to themselves and eventually their family. And we want to legalize it? Anyone who believes that should volunteer in an ER for a while, you will change your tune. Makes me sick...
Marijuana is a WHOLE different category.
My philosophy is more like:
If you can't grow it don't use it, EVER.
If you can grow it, research it research it research it, then ask yourself why you want to use it.
Marijuana will make you eat unhealthy food.
The kid probably thought he was a video game....and lost.
idiot
It makes no sense to use deadly force against some naked 18 yr old kid! Isn't that what Tasers and Stun guns are for? Come on!!!! Now some out of control college freshman has had his life taken... for what? Because some security guard was afraid of nakedness? There were plenty of other choices. Bye-bye!
I can't believe how many people are sticking up for the man that lost his life. Saying things like that the police officer could of just used a taser. Really?? Okay I haven't seen the video but if this guy was acting the way the officer said he was and he showed up naked then he has to be on something like PCP or bath salt. When people are drugged out of their mind then using a taser on them will not help it will only piss the person off. Cops here where I am at run into this problem with someone that was on drugs and at first they maced the person and then they had to use a taser on him and when they used the taser on him the mace started on fire and the person still didn't want to go down. 6 offices were trying to take him down and he was holding himself up with a fence saying is that all you got. Really the office did what he had to if it went down the way he said it did.
I have worked in ER for past 15 years. The last few years we have had several teens/young adults on pcp and designer drugs go crazy in our ER. Unless you have seen this don't judge how someone reacts. This is one of those lose/lose scenarios. Maybe the officer could have done something different. If this kids tox screen somes up positive and the video shows him aggressively chasing the officer then this is just a sad case.
I have seen numerous small guys bucking, biting, scratching and throwing 4-5 guys around until we got them in restraints. This is not something most people have seen but it is not like taking control of a drunk teenager or holding down your buddy tripping on shrooms. We have had a few that had laced marijuana who were not aware that were getting anything other than some pot. Like I said. This may be one of those situations were things where going to go bad no matter what the cop did.
the cop is a professional , he is trained to handle this kind of situation .... yes , i,ve seen & dealt w/ kids pumped up on pcp when it was in fashion to use pcp (lsd) & the like ... i judge this cop harsher than you because of his training ... the one thing you forget is this was an 18 year old kid , he was at college , what experimenting did you do in college .... he could have been experimenting or someone slipped him something & then the 18 year old is dead because some righteous sob murdered him , an unarmed kid that was naked ... yep if i was the officer that met up with this young man he would not be dead because of me , maybe by the dope he was on but not by my hand .... i might have been beat-up some but that is part of the protect & serve ... sorry for going on like this but there are too many people being murdered by the ones that are supposed to protect us lately & something has to be done to stop it !!!!
Don't you people know, we live in a police state now. WHATEVER the police tell you to do YOU HAVE to do it, no matter what. Otherwise it's within their RIGHTS to KILL YOU. It is absolutely amazing now-a-days how ALL police dept's. and it's officers have become our "hero's" because of todays reality tv shows. They can absolutely do no wrong. Watch these idiots one time. Just pick any reality cop tv show out there and watch these morons pretend they are better then the rest of us. Watch them try and use "big" and "professional" cop words like it's part of their everyday vocabulary. I guarantee that about 50% of the time they'll look like idiots trying to use their "big cop" words like: apprehend, proceeded, voluntary, disobeyed, discharge and the real biggy, vehical. Now you people might be thinking 'Those ain't big words, I uses 'em every day.' but to most of those police officers (who absolutely no different than you or I only they went to collage for a different major) they are used to useing "other" words in place of those like: catch, did, 'on his own', didn't listen, shot and car. So for them to go from useing their everyday words to 'dem' big ones, a lot of the time they mess up and to me it's actually funny. You can almost see the gears grinding inside their heads to fit which words where.
So the next time you hear about the police being "our everyday hero's" ask who do you mean by "our". Because they sure as hell 'ain't' mine. And ask yourself if that cop writing you a ticket for going 5 miles over the speed limit or not wearing your seatbelt, if he is your "hero" too???
May violent crime visit your doorstep and that of your close family members.
if the man is unarmed use your pr-24 or your taser , if he is armed .......... trained wrestler or not he was NOT a big enough of a threat to shoot at .... this officer should go to jail ....
Bath salts or PCP, which is it?
Sooooo, let me get this straight. If you are cop or wannabe cop and are approached by a defenseless (naked=defenseless) man carrying nothing, you can shoot him if you don't like his tone. You will get a paid vacation and you get to keep your badge. But if you are appointed neighborhood watch and you shoot a black kid who threatened, attacked, and went for your gun, you will be put on trial for murder, sued for all the money you have left and crapped on by the NAACP. WHAT A TWISTED SOCIETY.
Make a call to the "REAL" police, call for backup from your own dept., but don't "MURDER" a kid who was stoned and probably just acting like a fool!!! 135 pounds? Put your gun away and spank him for bad behavior.... I am sick of police officers using any excuse to shoot their weapon. It is obvious this young man was unarmed because he was nude, use common sense man, this boy did not have to die!!! Just like that young man in Florida did not have to die, except in his case it was some wanna be cop......
Sherman - They ARE real police
So basically it’s acceptable for anyone to shoot anyone else who shows ANY type of aggressive behavior? If that’s true Cops and citizens alike would be shooting everyone they come into contact with. Hell no bar would ever be safe again. Killings every night. Someone looks at you the wrong way SHOOT THEM they were aggressive. That little child who is going through the “terrible 2’s” is acting aggressive shoot them!
People keep saying that they would shoot a “naked and aggressive” man if he was coming at you. I would think a fully dressed man who was acting aggressive would be a lot scarier. More places to hide a gun or knife. At least with a naked man you KNOW he isn’t going to pull out a weapon. It would be hand to hand if it came down to it. The cop was a pussy, he could of taken him down in another way.
Nope because the thing with these drugs that make people impervious to pain, psychotic, super violent, and tireless also makes their body temperature higher so that the clothes come off.
Being Naked is usually a visual clue the guy just might want to eat your face. Or lungs.
if you put two in his knee caps, it doesn't matter if he feels it or not, he would be physically incapable of movement. and he gets to keep his life.
The chances of hitting a moving kneecap are very small Mr. Wayne.
The most likely result is an errant bullet taking someone else out.
There are a million places on the human body that could have been shot [at] to subdue him...the chest is the kill zone and it isn't necessary if he was not armed. This was a college kid and there is no way campus security hasn't been trained in dealing with folks on drugs....tragic death for no good reason.
The bigger question would be: What was their son doing naked and attacking a police officer?
Ummm he couldn't just shoot him in the arm or leg??? WTF
When these incredibly unbelievable things happen, I know why Andy never gave Barney a bullet....This Barney was way out of line and a young life that needed to not be taken is lost. Too bad this gun toting Cowboy wasn't around when the theater in Colorado attack took place. That is a cop shooting at someone that needed to happen.
The death report just in... the kid was on LSD. His friend was there to give the police the young man clothes and he was detain and question for 45 hours. The Lawyer the family has hired said that the Sheriffe said they will give him the film to review but as of this date it has not happen. The family has hired a well known former State Attroney.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20121009/NEWS/121009013/Police-University-South-Alabama-student-took-LSD-before-campus-shooting-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage
I'd say he was very violent.
Really sad, but he brought it himself.
What do you expect from a "PIG"...OINK! OINK!
Cops, probably with their insufficient training, think only one thing, that firing the handgun they are authorized to carry, is the only way they could stop and subdue a person with erratic behavior. It is a shame that they are not trained to distinguish between an aggressive behavior by a criminal and that of a mentally challenged person.
Cops today seem to be trained that their first line of defense is their gun and not their brain.
How many more UNARMED people are going to have to BE SHOT OR DIE at the hands of armed police officers before the American people stand up and say ENOUGH!
A gun should be the LAST line of defense and should NEVER, EVER be drawn against an unarmed person. To do so is murder any way you look at it! These stories of cops shooting un armed, and even seriously disabled unarmed American Citizens are starting to be a mutiple weekly occurance AND THAT IS WRONG! If this cop did not have the badge and shot an unarmed person he/she would be in jail and charged with a homocide. COPS MUST, I REPEAT MUST, BE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD AS ANY OTHER AMERICAN!!!!! A badge IS NOT suppose to be a license to kill unarmed people and never should it be! We as American Citizens have the same rights and protections under the constitution as any other American Citizen has, INCLUDING COPS!!
Only for White kids though, let's not get crazy. We can't have them applying this standard to all people now
it's pathetic how some of these parents won't make their kids responsible for their actions. i'm betting this kid never had to be responsible for anything he did, his parents "tut tutted" about "what a nice boy he is".....well, your nice boy just ate dope, assaulted people and ran naked to assault an officer.....wake up mom and dad
Linda, while taking drugs is wrong, this unarmed young man DID NOT need to, and NEVER should have been shot and killed. Why didn't this cop use Pepper Spray, or his billie club, or a Taser to subdue this unarmed, 135 pound teenager??? Deadly Force SHOULD ALWAYS be a last resort and an obviously unarmed 135 pound young man such as this should be in jail, NOT DEAD!!! Police officers are extremely well trained in hand-to-hand combat and self defense, why instead of using this training did he pull his gun and shoot this unarmed young man?? Linda, what would you say about the one armed and one legged US Armed Forces Veteran that was in a wheel chair and had only his wheelchair as a weapon that was shot and killed by a police officer, he never should have joined the army where he could be wounded? Both of these people and every unarmed person that is being shot and killed on average at least one a week by armed police officers should all be alive. 15, 20, and 30 years ago deadly force was allowed only as a last resort, and never when the person was unarmed. Deadly Force should always used as a last resort and NEVER as the first choice as it was for this cop!!
Ms. Collar, my heart goes out to you and your family, and to all the other families of other victims that are unarmed but still shot and killed by armed police officers on a weekly basis. This is wrong!! These unarmed people should be in jail, NOT DEAD. Trespassing, criminal mischef and unruly behavior are not crimes where even a judge and jury have the choice of the death penalty because the death penalty is not a punishmnt the law allows for very minor crimes such as these. These cops have chosen themselves to be judge and jury and have added the death penalty to the law when they choose to shoot and kill unarmed people for minor crimes such as these. US Citizens, according to the US Constitution, are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and are entitled to due process and they are entitled to their day in court. Polce officers such as this one have quite effectively taken away this young mans constitutionally guaranteed right of being innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a judge and jury, their right to due process, and their right to their day in court. What these out of control cops are doing is the equivilant to what the lynch mobs of the old west did, which was to make themselves judge, jury and exocutioner. It was illegal in the 1800's and should still be illegal today!!!
IDIOT
sure Linda-2119823 !!!! It was probably your kid who slipped the drug into this boys drink.... Just for fun!!!! That's what the red necks in Good Old Alabama do for fun and games at that University, is it not?
I was going to say: "it doesn't take a genius to understand this kid was ' under the influence ' but perhaps it does when you put your 2 bits in......
I didn't read that the boy was running around molesting any body. Why did this 'slick shooter' "guard" ever think he needed to draw his gun? Why did he not wait for back up, if he even bothered to call for back up? Linda, at first I thought you were insensitive with your little "shame on you " to the parents of the victim..... I've come to think you are really just idiotic instead. I wonder how 'perfect' your children , if you have any, happen to be?
I too grieve for the boys family. I can only hope and pray that some justice will come to them and that the university community can live down this dreadful crime. In truth, this sounds very much like another crime that happened not too long ago in Florida. Our entire Country needs to think this crime over.....