a "service rifle" vs "assault weapon"

"The Suffolk district attorney’s office says Trooper Matthew Sheehan shot and injured 28-year-old Aderito Monteiro during a confrontation with 25 ATV and dirt bike riders on Interstate 93 in February 2018."

Was this one of those stupid "shut the highway down" protests?
Why were there 25 a.t.v.'s and dirtbikes on I-93?
 
Seems like they're making an issue because the cop shot his rifle because he had a handgun on his hip? Don't cops always have a handgun on their hip when they pull the rifle out? Why equip them with rifles if you're gonna criticize them for using it when they have a handgun on their hip? I didn't see the video of the shooting, but from what I saw I didn't see the legal rationale for shooting either a handgun or a rifle.
 
"
Sheehan had been among a group of 13 law enforcement officers working to stop a pack of 25-30 reckless ATV and dirt bike riders late in the afternoon Feb. 24, 2018, on Interstate 93 south.

Sheehan fired a semi-automatic rifle he retrieved from his vehicle instead of the handgun officers carry at their hips. He was the only one to fire a weapon.

An investigation showed Sheehan fired two rounds. One of the bullets entered the side of the ATV’s tire, not the front, meaning the vehicle was parallel to Sheehan and not heading toward him, “thus not presenting the imminent danger” that would permit the use of “potentially deadly force in self-defense,” the press release said.

Sheehan has been suspended without pay since early 2018 because of a state police Internal Affairs investigation regarding inappropriate social media postings, Procopio said. Sheehan will remain suspended without pay during the course of the criminal proceedings and any subsequent internal investigation.

Eight of the ATV and dirt bike riders involved in the incident were arrested. Seven of their cases have been resolved, and one remains pending."

Sheehan came under fire after the Boston Globe reported that he had a history of making racists posts online under the username, “Big Irish.” The “MassCops” profile included posts calling people in particular neighborhoods, including Dorchester, “scumbags.”
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They don't like the Cop because someone outed him for posting on the internet calling some "residents" of Dorchester scumbags. Also he's involved in the OT scandal.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Matthew Sheehan indicted after officer-involved shooting involving ATV rider
 
Was the ATV rider posing an imminent risk to the cop?

OK....substitute "Citizen" for "Cop."

If the answer is "No," then it was not a good shoot. For EITHER group.

IDGAF what he posted, or said, or thought. Driving an ATV on the highway should not result in summary execution. I know the victim did not die, but....isn't there something about not pointing a firearm at something you don't intend to destroy? [thinking]

And, thinking about the part where he used a rifle, while having a handgun, I'd say that it goes to reduce the immediacy of any perceived threat.
 
Having worked in Dorchester, without the benefit of a badge and sanctioned sidearm ( I carried even though it was a rule violation) I have to agree with him.

If the had a rifle in his hands it is hard to use a handgun without a sling or putting it down... I can understand why he took the rifle out of the cruiser and why one would use the rifle if it was already at the ready.
 
ATV on highway is retarded, but cop shooting at a passing ATV rider is full retard.

The ballistics proved the cop fired while the ATV was broadside to him. Attempted second degree murder should be the charge. How he's not fired yet is beyond me. I wouldn't want an amped up trigger happy clown working by my side.
 
ATV on highway is retarded, but cop shooting at a passing ATV rider is full retard.

The ballistics proved the cop fired while the ATV was broadside to him. Attempted second degree murder should be the charge. How he's not fired yet is beyond me. I wouldn't want an amped up trigger happy clown working by my side.

Innocent until proven guilty. Laws should apply to everyone, even the amped-up clowns.
 
Without respect to his Dorchester comments and his participation in the overtime scandal, he had a short window of time to make a decision and he felt better with a rifle than his pistol. If you’re going to charge him with unlawful discharge (or whatever the actual charge is), does it matter what type firearm he was using?
 
That's not how employment should work. You can be not guilty and still rightfully lose your job.

I take your point, but it's another slippery slope, that we're all worried about.

Would you say that a store clerk should be fired for a self-defense shooting during a robbery?
How about a school teacher, who had their (see, I'm being gender-neutral) significant other kick in the door while separated, that puts a round or two into them?

I can see firing a bookkeeper that's caught, but not yet convicted, with a hand in the till, but if they got an OUI on their own time, and it does not affect their work....

We all cried FOUL! when the LTC holder shot the nutjob stabbing the MD in Boston, as a rush to judgement, etc.

Just sayin'..... we want the laws to apply to all, evenly.
 
Did the cop shoot at the rider or the tire?

IMO, not relevant. If you were on the ATV, and a round when through your tire....would YOU care what the point of aim was? [laugh]

Churchill said that it was exhilarating to be shot at, to no effect, but he was a war correspondent, so, there's some assumption of risk, there....
 
That's not how employment should work. You can be not guilty and still rightfully lose your job.

It can work that way for someone employed without a union contract and a well-defined disciplinary process to protect him.

As ofr pistol vs rifle; if you have multiple tools available, why not use the best one for the job?
 
The day it happened I remember hearing that the ATV/bikes were stopped and they were handcuffing some. I assumed he was an idiot and it was an ND
 
Where do all these city kids get these dirt bikes?

I know when I was growing up, you had to be pretty well off and have some really cool parents to get a dirt bike.
 
Where do all these city kids get these dirt bikes?

I know when I was growing up, you had to be pretty well off and have some really cool parents to get a dirt bike.

Ya, that's only if you plan to actually PURCHASE said bike...........

As to the OP, When a LEO holds it, it is a "Service Rifle", when he hands it to you, it is now an "Assault Weapon/Rifle". Got it?
 
Aww, I thought this was a thread about Service Rifles vs. Assault Rifles...

Service Rifle:
iu

Assault Weapon:

iu
 
Aww, I thought this was a thread about Service Rifles vs. Assault Rifles...
Assault Weapon:

iu
It's so encouraging that people on NES use the technical term assault rifle and the bogus political term "assault weapon" interchangeably. Josh Sugarmann and the VPC could not have hoped for a better result.
 
IMO, not relevant. If you were on the ATV, and a round when through your tire....would YOU care what the point of aim was? [laugh]

Churchill said that it was exhilarating to be shot at, to no effect, but he was a war correspondent, so, there's some assumption of risk, there....

I think it does matter. If these dirt bikes and ATVs are illegally riding on the highway as well as riding dangerously and aggressively among the lawful motorists, I think non-lethal measures to stop them are warranted. Some will say that shooting at the tires is still shooting in the direction of the person and is “lethal.” For a pistol, maybe, but that’s a much easier shot with a rifle.

As for assumption of risk, aggressively and illegally riding an ATV on a busy highway assumes a rather large amount of risk from all sorts of vectors.

For the rifle vs pistol aspect, I’m actually more comfortable with an officer employing a rifle. Far too many officers miss with their pistols and a rifle is an easier weapon to employ precisely. If it’s a better tool for the job, use it.
 
It's so encouraging that people on NES use the technical term assault rifle and the bogus political term "assault weapon" interchangeably. Josh Sugarmann and the VPC could not have hoped for a better result.

Unfortunately, Webster amended their definition because so many people used it incorrectly that Webster deemed it was the a new correct usage.
 
It's so encouraging that people on NES use the technical term assault rifle and the bogus political term "assault weapon" interchangeably. Josh Sugarmann and the VPC could not have hoped for a better result.

Sorry, I meant "Service Weapon".

I prefer Assault Weapon over Assault Rifle regardless of definition.

It seems too easy to conflate All Rifles as "Assault Rifles" ...
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