But of course, he’s not going to prison:
The Seneca, South Carolina Hero Cop who fatally shot 19-year-old Zachary Hammond has finally received internal disciplinary action resulting in his termination one year after the incident.
Prosecutors said the incident began when Hammond’s date mistakenly texted a South Carolina state trooper offering to sell drugs. It is unclear how the phone was pinpointed by law enforcement, but Heroes were dispatched to Hammond’s location to investigate.
Seneca Police Chief John Covington claimed that Tiller was – drum roll – only acting in “self defense,” but an autopsy found that Hammond was shot twice: Once in the left shoulder from behind, and once in the left side of his chest through his drivers side window.
The shots were inconsistent with someone firing at another person who was “coming right at him.” The Heroes attempted to subvert public opinion surrounding the incident by releasing few details and covering up others in its wake.
In October however, dash-cam footage was finally released confirming what the Hammond family knew all along: their loved one was needlessly executed by an overzealous drug warrior.
The footage showed police pulling up behind Hammond’s parked car before Tiller is seen running up to the drivers side with his gun drawn. Hammond backs out slightly, ensuring he has enough room to pull out, and the Hero opens fire into the side of the vehicle as the car pulls away.
Watch the raw footage:
Following the release of the footage, prosecutors went to great lengths to attack Hammond’s character and explain why Tiller shouldn’t be charged in the incident. They acknowledged the video looked “bad,” but cleared the murderous Hero of any wrongdoing.
“The video at full speed, standing alone, is troublesome,” 10th Circuit Solicitor Chrissy Adams said at the time. “However, when the video and the totality of the investigation is evaluated and the laws of our state are applied, it is clear that Lt. Tiller broke no state laws.”
According to a letter sent to the U.S. Attorney General and the FBI Director by Hammond family lawyers demanding a civil rights investigation however, a witness claimed that:
…The officer who opened Zachary’s door and pulled his dead body from the vehicle then went to the trunk of his police car and pulled something out. The officer walked back over to the man on the ground rolled him over to his side, put something underneath his body, and then rolled him back.”
The witness could be referencing the “cocaine” that was allegedly found on Hammond, and in addition, claimed that Heroes celebrated the teen’s death by “high-fiving” his dead body. According to the letter:
A police officer with a neighboring police force has confirmed to SLED (SC State Law Enforcement Division) that the Seneca Police Department celebrated the killing of Zachary by desecrating his corpse. After Zachary had been shot and killed, members of the Seneca Police Department lifted his dead hand and ‘high fived’ Zachary Hammond.
In March, attorneys for the Hammond family announced that a wrongful death lawsuit field against the City of Seneca, the Seneca Police Department, Chief John Covington, and Lt. Mark Tiller had been settled for the amount of $2,150,000.
Covington revealed on Friday that Tiller has been terminated from the department. He did not provide any further comment citing the “personnel” matter, but attorneys for the Hammond family said in a statement that they are grateful for the decision.
“For reasons not provided although speculation is abound, Chief Covington made the admirable decision to terminate Lt. Tiller’s employment,” the statement said. “For that we all are grateful and we want to let Chief Covington know that we appreciate his decision… It is just another step in the long journey they will have for the remainder of their lives to try and make sense of the senseless. ”
Even though Tiller was cleared in the killing by the state of South Carolina, federal authorities including the FBI Columbia Field Office, the U.S. attorney for South Carolina, and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, continue to investigate. The Hammond family is still hoping for a federal indictment.
When your highest value and identity is things like this
State Opening of Parliament 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0UcjSHd7mo
Queen BD Flypast 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM1mZexQCqs
Trooping the Color 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuUcjzYgnn8
Trivial matters like the lives of young people will fall by the wayside
Coming to a town near you: Robot Heroes!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-robot-security-guards-20160906-story.html
This thuggery is further proof the Master Narrative of Western Liberalism is a failure. There are no golden rules or social systems that are universal. Capitalism is a spontaneous order experienced by differing people in differing degrees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVyHAQh2VTE
The Chinese don’t see themselves as victims or inferiors because they don’t vote or say whatever they like in public. They are oriental and see these things as occidental trivialities that hold little if any value to them.
It is the West, and not China and Communists who are rigid and inflexible. It is the West who has lost the sense of conquering the frontiers of science and instead wastes its energy and capital on winning some imaginary Grand World Narrative War.
Even Libertarianism and Laissez Faire Master Narratives are not things that you can impose on portions of the world populace who are not persuaded by it. Christians are better left to their Christianity. Muslims to their Islam. Hispanics to Mercantile Socialisms. Chinese to Chinese Authoritarianism with Western Capitalist characteristics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0YjL9rZyR0
Hi Tor,
I watched that a while ago, it’s fascinating. Of course, this inspired outrage from American Democracy zealots who peddle the insane notion that the ability to cast a meaningless vote for 4 people out of the entire Fedgov apparatus magically makes us “free”.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/15/sorry-eric-x-li-democracy-is-not-the-problem/
Personally, I would gladly trade my right to vote for being left the hell alone. A hereditary government that was just a straight up extortion racket, but actually left me alone, would be infinitely preferable to any form of Democracy (even the mythical and theoretically impossible “minarchist” state). Democracy does not, and cannot, limit government power. Its’ purpose is not to challenge government authority, but to legitimize it.
“Consent of the governed definition. A condition urged by many as a requirement for legitimate government : that the authority of a government should depend on the consent of the people, as expressed by votes in elections. ( See Declaration of Independence, democracy, and John Locke.)”
“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
In the West, people take seriously the idea that the “legitimacy” of government rests on an abstraction, impossible to realize. Why is it so hard for people to see the absurdity? It is absurd to believe that one can grant meaningful consent without the ability to withdraw it. It is absurd to believe that merely occupying some space is tantamount to granting consent. It is absurd to believe that the preferences of others determine my consent. Democratic theory represents an assault on reason, morality and decency. It conditions people to accept magical thinking (consent of the governed, my vote counts, we are the government, etc…).
Democracies will never be free of moral busybodies, because it promotes and empowers them. Democracies will never leave people alone because it fears the independent and despises those who are not “civic-minded”.
Legally limited government is impossible. We should stop pretending that “Democracy” somehow fixes this. All governments rest on force, those that obscure this fact with absurd notions of “consent” will prove to be the most dangerous.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – C.S. Lewis
Kind Regards,
Jeremy
A witness saw Hammond’s body pulled from the car. An officer then removed an object from the trunk of the police vehicle and placed it under Hammond’s body. The witness also stated, “After Zachary had been shot and killed, members of the Seneca Police Department lifted his dead hand and ‘high fived’ Zachary Hammond.
Hammond’s date Tori Morton’s sworn affidavit:
Zach and I are sharing a chocolate dipped ice cream cone from McDonalds, and as we were pulling into a parking spot a police SUV pulled up with blue flashing lights.
The two officers got out and had their guns drawn, telling us that he would blow our fucking heads off and immediately started firing. As the shots rang the car moved/rolled forward and along the curb until another cop car smashed into the back of Zach’s car to stop us. As they surrounded the car they started yelling “where’s the gun get the gun.”
Zach was already dead and then they pulled us out of the car and onto the pavement. After I was handcuffed on the ground, an officer stood me up and put the car in park.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Zachary_Hammond
Never understood how, in case after case, these assholes pay millions in civil suits (our money, BTW, not theirs), and then claim they did nothing wrong. If the Seneca PD truly believed the officer was right, they wouldn’t pay a nickel. The payment alone should be considered an admission of guilt. Unfortunately the clovers will never allow an intelligent discussion of any of this. Just look at Kaepernack (? – not sure how to spell). No talk of the issues he’s trying bring attention to, just what an unpatriotic dick he is. The national anthem, flag, et al are supposed to represent our “freedoms”, but the minute somebody expresses an opinion, they’re ostracized. What the fuck is wrong with the people in this country?
There’s a lot being done in Tx. to stop this and other bad behavior. Gristforbreakfast.com addressed some of the problems a couple days ago. When a police chief attempts to change the way things are done or esp. to control bad officers the union stops the chief from doing anything. The union is the all-powerful force used to keep this sort of thing from being identified and addressed. It would seem the Cosa Nostra never used more heavy handed tactics than the union. I suppose this is to simply not lose the dues of already bad cops to the unknown time of hiring another. It’s difficult to understand for me…..and most others.