Pro-tip: If ya don't wanna get shot by the police, don't rob a bank and then advance on the police with a handgun. You might think that simple advice as common sense, but apparently not among the family of Eddie Russell. See Eddie robbed the First Mid bank in Peoria, then holed up at his mama's house. With police outside, he weighed his options, refusing to surrender. A couple of hours later, he aggressively advanced on police officers while wielding a handgun. Six cops shot him a total of 18 times before the threat ended. Now his family has cried foul to the media, saying cops should have handled little Eddie with kid gloves. Because, you know, he had mental problems and all that.
In fact, his cousin, T-Boz of the 90s R&B group TLC has stamped her feet and demanded all Peoria cops wear bodycams. Frankly, it would be nice to have some HD video to share with the public of ne'er-do-well Eddie advancing on cops. Those videos make for good training footage for how to stop a threat properly. In this case, video or not, Eddie caught 18 rounds and ceased his aggressiveness. Thankfully, all the good guys went home to their families.
Of course, the Black Lives Matter cavalcade of agitators has chimed in. The head of the local NAALCP (National Association for the Advancement of Liberal Colored Persons) Rev. Marvin Hightower has chimed in with his two cents' worth to the Peoria Journal-Star: "We are after the facts first to see what, in fact, happened before I form an opinion or give an opinion."
Of course, grieving family members offered up their thoughts.
Grieving family members said it was an incident that didn’t have to happen.
“They could have tased him from 30 feet away,” father Eddie Russell, Sr., said hours after the shooting. “But they grabbed him out of the house. I don’t care what they say.”
You're right Eddie Russell, Sr. It didn't have to happen. YOU could have raised your son to be a decent and honorable man. YOU could have taught him right from wrong. If Eddie Jr. had been at work instead of robbing a bank, he'd be alive today. If Eddie had listened to police orders, he would be alive today. Look in the mirror, Eddie Sr. Your child-rearing (or lack thereof) raised Eddie Jr.
Monday evening, at a "Stand Up for Peace" rally to honor a slain armed robber, the hits kept coming. From the Peoria Journal-Star:
“The biggest thing we need to do in this city is to learn better conflict resolution,” said Terry Burnside, chairman of Peoria Community Against Violence. “We need to learn how to solve problems without guns.”
Conflict resolution? How about teaching your family and friends to listen to what the police officer says? And not to rob banks?
Unable to discern the difference between the criminal deeds of an evil man and good deeds of good men to protect the innocent from evil, Burnside continued:
"A young man is dead because of a gun."
No, he's dead because his was a bad person with evil in his heart. The only thing that stops bad men with evil in their hearts is a good guy with a gun. What an idiot. Trying to use the righteous use of deadly force against a criminal advancing aggressively as a reason to disarm everyday people. What a pathetic hack.
The family demands investigation. There's not much to investigate from the information we have.
Rob a bank, advance on cops with a gun, get shot. Simple cause-effect, really. Almost as if Eddie was a true, yellow-bellied coward. You know, it looks a lot like he wanted to force a cop to do what he didn't have the stones to do. Like a real loser. But let's face it: If Eddie had done the same with cops in any city, the outcome would likely have been similar. He might not have gotten 18 holes in his carcass, but he would have gained some piercings that would have wrecked any ink on his chest.
The original story from the Peoria Journal-Star:
PEORIA — A bank robbery suspect was shot and killed by Peoria police Wednesday afternoon after an hours-long standoff at the man’s family home.
Eddie Russell Jr., 25, was pronounced dead at the scene in the 2800 block of West Sheffield Drive at 5:03 p.m., Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said.
His death came amid multiple gunshots from police officers in the police Special Response Team after Russell exited the home and advanced toward police while holding and raising a handgun, Peoria Police Chief Jerry Mitchell said at an evening news conference.
And now the latest from the UK Daily Mail:
Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins called for mandatory police body-cams after the Peoria Police shot and killed her cousin Eddie Russell Jr. 18 times outside his home last Wednesday.
Law enforcement claimed on Facebook the mentally-ill 25-year-old was captured on surveillance footage committing armed robbery at the First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust and then fled.
After a two-hour stand-off, Special Response Team officers shot Russell after he emerged from his mother's West Sheffield house 'and aggressively advanced toward them with a handgun.'
There is much stupid coming from the African-American community about this incident.
Why would any decent person risk their life to Taser an armed robber instead of just shooting the bad guy?
I am dumbfounded by the black population's reaction when things like this happen. It like they completely ignore what the person did that led to the police being there, like robbing a bank, then they act like the police did something wrong when they are forced to protect themselves from the life threatening actions, like advancing with a gun. What is it that they want? I am getting the impression that they feel like its their right to commit crimes with no repercussions. Here is the answer for this family, obey the law, be a good person, take responsibility for your actions and your life. It's quite simple really. This country is headed for a race war.
yes and it might begin at an N F. L. Game. —- soon
Well, I for one find that doubtful since their won't be all that many in the stands especially during the weekend of Veterans Day.
How many of these kneelers are writing checks to help their cause or to any charities, how many of them have ever done anything to make America a better place for others. How many of these kneelers have lost family members who were veterans or first responders? We know the answer. They should be on their knees thanking every veteran who is serving or has served, because it is through their blood and sacrifice that these ingrates live in a country where a person who plays with a ball can make millions of dollars. If they don't like it here, please leave the country.