Murdered Cop, Civilian Gets the Killer

Why are stories like this not more widely reported?

Official Info from Officer Down Memorial Page

Actual video of the incident (not graphic)

I can tell you why this story did not get media coverage.

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A civilian witnessed the incident and pulled his vehicle between the suspect's vehicle and Corporal McKay, in an effort to shield him. The civilian, a former United States Marine, then exited his vehicle and rushed to the officer's aid. He grabbed Corporal McKay's gun, while his son called for help on Corporal McKay's radio. The civilian then ordered the suspect to drop his weapon. When the suspect refused, the civilian shot and killed the suspect.

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The media hates stories where a civilian uses a gun responsibly and to good effect. The killer's gun was illegal - therefore no gun law would have prevented him from having it.

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Corporal McKay had served with the Franconia Police Department for 12 years. He is survived by his daughter and sister..

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Since they did not say wife or ex-wife, I can only assume she was already dead or long out of the picture. So now the daughter is an orphan.

As cynical as i am about the media, I can see a good reason for not making a big deal out of the story. Civilians getting involved in situations like that is dangerous. In this case the guy who got involved is an ex-Marine, so he knew how to handle a weapon. I'm not sure I'd trust the average Joe to do what he did.

That being said, I think the story should be widely reported with emphasis on the fact that this guy's military training played a big part in his ability to aid in the situation.

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As cynical as i am about the media, I can see a good reason for not making a big deal out of the story. Civilians getting involved in situations like that is dangerous. In this case the guy who got involved is an ex-Marine, so he knew how to handle a weapon. I'm not sure I'd trust the average Joe to do what he did.

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The thing is, the average Joe didnt' show up that day - an ex-Marine did. Most people would say exactly what you said, provided that what actually happened didn't actually happen.

It's always sad to hear about an officer dieing in the line of duty; however, one thing stood out in the video to me: Why in the hell did Mckay turn his BACK to the suspect?!

After he sprays the suspect, he turns his back to him and WALKS towards his patrol car. Isn't that police thinking 101? Never turn your back on a suspect? If he didn't turn his back, perhaps he would have been able to duck, dodge or SOMETHING He would have had a better chance of getting out of the line of fire, and being able to draw his own gun in the meantime. Instead he gets shot in the back by a coward for something like speeding.

I just can't get over the fact that he turned his back on the suspect...

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Originally posted by Darion
The thing is, the average Joe didnt' show up that day - an ex-Marine did. Most people would say exactly what you said, provided that what actually happened didn't actually happen.

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That's sort of the point I was trying to make in my second paragraph...the media should hype up the ex-Marine part and not the "civilian" part.

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Originally posted by Aristotle
The media hates stories where a civilian uses a gun responsibly and to good effect. The killer's gun was illegal - therefore no gun law would have prevented him from having it.

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This is the real point of this thread that is being missed. Anti-gun nuts and the media never present a balanced picture on guns. Tougher gun laws only work against honest citizens (like me), because gang members and the criminal element never own a gun legally or go through the hoops required to get one (they are not in the system). Banning drugs has not eliminated their availability. Banning guns will not eliminate their availability. Please consider.

Gun control: The right of a 90-pound woman to have a fist fight with a 210-pound rapist. There are real reasons for owning firearms. I think back to Katrina and the all the shit that went on afterwards. Law and order are not constants that can be depended on, so here is a nice article for anyone here that disagrees with guns. Please read it and maybe give it some consideration when deciding to support tougher gun laws: http://www.gunsandammomag.com/gun_co...706/index.html

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Originally posted by Gadiantor
In this case the guy who got involved is an ex-Marine, so he knew how to handle a weapon. I'm not sure I'd trust the average Joe to do what he did.

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You write like the average joe is just some kind of sheep that isn't capable of using a firearm responsibly or properly. You don't need military training to learn how to operate a firearm responsibly. Would you rather a citizen just keep driving on as you've been shot and somebody is robbing you or worse, simply because you wouldn't trust them to use a firearm?

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Originally posted by Gadiantor
As cynical as i am about the media, I can see a good reason for not making a big deal out of the story. Civilians getting involved in situations like that is dangerous. In this case the guy who got involved is an ex-Marine, so he knew how to handle a weapon. I'm not sure I'd trust the average Joe to do what he did.

That being said, I think the story should be widely reported with emphasis on the fact that this guy's military training played a big part in his ability to aid in the situation.

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Initially I thought as you did. You can make a lot of arguments against writing stories about promoting civilians using deadly force or things like vigilante justice, etc. etc. There are a lot of people out there that would've gotten the idea to do something heroic and just flat out made it worse. Even this story could've ended up a lot worse. The man was unarmed initially and had his son with him against a guy armed with a gun.

But on the other hand, how often have you noted the media for being responsible? I've seen news clips that showed in great detail how easy it is to steal certain cars. Or take the exposure that school shootings get? Seems like its happening more and more, lately. If I was suicidal and desperate for attention the first couple definitely would've given me ideas.

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Originally posted by Savaric
Law and order are not constants that can be depended on, so here is a nice article for anyone here that disagrees with guns. Please read it and maybe give it some consideration when deciding to support tougher gun laws

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For some reason, Savaric, this reminded me of a quote I especially like on the subject of firearm ownership:

"The right to own a gun is the difference between being a citizen and a subject."

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Originally posted by Khirmint
Initially I thought as you did. You can make a lot of arguments against writing stories about promoting civilians using deadly force or things like vigilante justice, etc. etc. There are a lot of people out there that would've gotten the idea to do something heroic and just flat out made it worse. Even this story could've ended up a lot worse. The man was unarmed initially and had his son with him against a guy armed with a gun.

But on the other hand, how often have you noted the media for being responsible? I've seen news clips that showed in great detail how easy it is to steal certain cars. Or take the exposure that school shootings get? Seems like its happening more and more, lately. If I was suicidal and desperate for attention the first couple definitely would've given me ideas.

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First, thank you for making my point more clearly than I did in the first paragraph.

Yes, but the media should be responsible. The responsible thing in this case would be to present the story in a way that doesn't encourage vigilante justice.