[Sandwich]

Am I the only one who finds the concept of UNarmed police officers strange?

[SadisticSid]

For the cop that jumped him I think the number of bullets he spent are irrelevant; it's hard to be professionally detached when the target you're on top of could be holding a detonator putting your own life, as well as those of everyone around you at risk. It wouldn't take that much time to fire that many rounds in the hands of a professional, either.

[Styxx]

The police exists to risk their lives to protect innocent people, not to risk innocent people to procect their own lives.

[Bobboau]

what about risking inocent people to protect other innocent people?

[Sandwich]

...or risking their lives to protect their own lives?

[Grug]

I heard on the news that English wasn't his first language, which does present the possibility that he didn't fully understand what the cops were yelling.
Though the fact that he'd been living there a few years beforehand might suggest that he'd know it fairly well by now.

Though the most likely scene in my mind given the evidence, is:

People were in panic. Several people bust into the train un-uniformed screaming something this guy doesn't quite catch / understand. He jumps to the conclusion they are quite possibly terrorists taking hostages.
He decides his best chance of survival is to bug out and so runs. Unfortunatly trips, then the cops unload into him to the horror of the people around the scene.

It was an honest mistake by all parties involved. Tension and panic were high, this poor fellow followed his instincts, as did the cops which contributed to a bad ending.

The fact that there were un-uniformed police does contribute some concern however. Something I'm sure will probably be made sure not to happen again...

[Kosh]

Originally posted by Sandwich
Am I the only one who finds the concept of UNarmed police officers strange?

Armed cops don't have a good excuse to get Jackie Chan on a crooks ass.

Though the fact that he'd been living there a few years beforehand might suggest that he'd know it fairly well by now.

Not really. My former chinese professor has been living in the US for 15+ years and his english was poor.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Grug
Though the most likely scene in my mind given the evidence, is:

People were in panic. Several people bust into the train un-uniformed screaming something this guy doesn't quite catch / understand. He jumps to the conclusion they are quite possibly terrorists taking hostages.
He decides his best chance of survival is to bug out and so runs. Unfortunatly trips, then the cops unload into him to the horror of the people around the scene.

Did you even read the accounts of witnesses before forming this conclusion? He was first challenged outside of the tube station. He ran inside and was killed seconds after getting on the train.

Oh and ever report I've heard states that he spoke good english. He apparently came here on a student visa. If he was an undergrad he would have to speak good english as undergrad courses are all taught. (Some PhD courses can be done without a firm grasp of the language if they are principally research based).
 Oddly enough his family are insisting that he wasn't an illegal immigrant which opens up the question of why the hell he ran again.

[Kosh]

Oddly enough his family are insisting that he wasn't an illegal immigrant which opens up the question of why the hell he ran again.

He got scared paniced? People do dumb stuff when they are scared.

[Sigma957]

Exactly,people do strange things when instinct tells them to get the *** outa there. I probably would do the same if strange men in ordinary clothes told me to get down, I'd run a country mile.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Sandwich
Am I the only one who finds the concept of UNarmed police officers strange?

I find armed (beat) officers stranger, myself.

NB: If he was a student; AFAIK any foreign student will have to have passed some form of certification (TOEFL for example) to prove english proficiency before being accepted to any course, including research.  Certainly all the app forms I've seen for postgrad courses - including research - require it.