CRIME Local police shocked after AL officer convicted of murdering suicidal man

Krayola

Krayola

Veteran Member
Local police shocked after Alabama officer convicted of murdering suicidal man

Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath
Sat, May 8, 2021


A jury in Alabama on Friday convicted Huntsville police officer William “Ben” Darby of murder in the fatal shooting of a suicidal man in 2018, AP reported.

Darby killed Jeffrey Parker while responding to a 911 call in which the man said he was armed and planned to kill himself. Parker was aiming a gun to his own head when Darby shot him, per AP.

  • The conviction carries a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
  • Prosecutors argued Darby killed an innocent man without cause. “He called for help and he got Ben Darby," prosecutor Tim Gann said in closing arguments.
  • The defense team said that Darby was justified in killing Parker, arguing the man posed a threat to the officers.
Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard welcomed the verdict, saying the “facts bore out there was nothing justified about this encounter.”
  • Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle condemned the conviction, saying in a statement: "Fortunately, Officer Darby has the same appeal rights as any other citizen and is entitled to exercise those rights,” per AP.
  • Huntsville police chief Mark McMurray said the verdict left local police "in the first stages of shock," according to AP.
  • "I do not believe Officer Darby is a murderer," McMurry added. "Officers are forced to make split-second decisions every day, and Officer Darby believed his life and the lives of other officers were in danger."
www.yahoo.com

Local police shocked after Alabama officer convicted of murdering suicidal man

A jury in Alabama on Friday convicted Huntsville police officer William “Ben” Darby of murder in the fatal shooting of a suicidal man in 2018, AP reported. Driving the news: Darby killed Jeffrey Parker while responding to a 911 call in which the man said he was armed and planned to kill himself...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
 
Krayola

Krayola

Veteran Member
Jury convicts Alabama officer of murder in 2018 shooting
May 7, 2021


800.jpeg

This booking photograph from Friday, May 7, 2021, shows Huntsville, Ala., police officer William Darby, who was convicted of murder in a fatal shooting that happened in 2018. Prosecutors argued that Darby had no justifiable reason to shoot Jeffrey Parker as Parker held a gun to his own head. (Madison County Sheriff's Office via AP)


HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Jurors convicted an Alabama police officer of murder Friday in the shooting of a suicidal man who was holding a gun to his own head, a verdict that was criticized by both the mayor and police chief, but lauded by the victim’s family, who said they hope it will spur law enforcement to change how they approach mental health crises.

The panel reached its decision in the second day of deliberations in the trial of Huntsville police officer William “Ben” Darby, who was indicted in the killing of Jeffrey Parker in 2018. Talks had to be started over after one jury member had to be replaced by an alternate because of a medical issue, news outlets reported.

While prosecutors contend Darby, 28, killed Parker without cause, the defense argued the shooting was justified because Parker posed a threat to Darby and other officers. Darby was taken into custody after the verdict but spent less than two and a half hours in jail after being released on $100,000 bond, records showed. The conviction carries a sentence to 20 years to life, District Attorney Rob Broussard told a news conference afterward.

While defending Huntsville police in general, Broussard said Darby’s actions were “off the charts.”
“He was not justified in any way with what he did to Mr. Parker,” he said. Darby “had no business being a police officer,” Broussard said.

A city police review cleared Darby of wrongdoing and officials allowed him to remain an officer, with Huntsville taxpayers helping fund his defense against charges brought by a Madison County grand jury.
The guilty verdict left police “in the first stages of shock,” Chief Mark McMurray said in a statement.

“While we thank the jury for their service in this difficult case, I do not believe Officer Darby is a murderer,” McMurray said. The statement continued: “Officers are forced to make split-second decisions every day, and Officer Darby believed his life and the lives of other officers were in danger. Any situation that involves a loss of life is tragic. Our hearts go out to everyone involved.”

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle also took issue with the verdict, saying he disagreed with it. “Fortunately, Officer Darby has the same appeal rights as any other citizen and is entitled to exercise those rights,” he said in a statement.

During a news conference outside the courthouse, Bill Parker, the victim’s brother, said he hopes the city will improve how it responds to people who are suffering from mental illness, al.com reported.

Darby shot Parker, who was white, while responding to a call after the man phoned 911 saying he was armed and planned to kill himself. A one-time colleague, Genisha Pegues, testified that while Parker was upset, he was talking to her and posed no immediate threat despite a gun held to his head.

“An innocent man was murdered,” prosecutor Tim Gann told jurors in closing arguments. “He called for help and he got Ben Darby.” Defense attorney Robert Tuten called Darby “an honorable person doing an honorable profession,” and vowed to appeal Friday’s verdict.

Jurors saw video of the shooting taken from police body cameras, and Darby testified that he feared seeing “one of my officers” get hurt and fired after Parker only shrugged when ordered to put down the gun he was holding to his own head.

apnews.com

Jury convicts Alabama officer of murder in 2018 shooting

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Jurors convicted an Alabama police officer of murder Friday in the shooting of a suicidal man who was holding a gun to his own head, a verdict that was criticized by both the mayor and police chief, but lauded by the victim's family, who said they hope it will spur law...
apnews.com apnews.com
 
Krayola

Krayola

Veteran Member
bw said:
I'd have to see the video and the context.
Click to expand...
The jurors saw the video from the body cam and felt the shooting was not justified. I haven't seen any video but from what the articles stated, it sounds idiotic on the cop's part.

Cop: "I see you're pointing a gun at your own head. Now, stop doing that, or I'll have to shoot you in the head......"

ETA: I do agree with you that the cops probably shouldn't be involved.
 
Nowski

Nowski

Let's Go Brandon!
A person who is threatening to kill themselves, should not be dealing with an LEO,
but a social worker instead.

The ZUSA is so screwed up. Everywhere, they will send an LEO for just about anything,
when social workers should be sent instead. Anything domestic, should be completely
taken away from LEO.

Issues involving an event, that would be involving a family law court,
should be addressed by a team, from the local family law court,
this would include lawyers, and social workers on the team,
and not LEO.

ZUSA has its head in a very dark place that smells,
in regards to current LEO responsibilities.

Yet another LEO, going to the grey bar hotel.

Please be safe everyone.

Regards to all.

Nowski
 
L

Luddite

Veteran Member
By the conviction logic, charge the 911 caller as an accessory.
ETA: He called. Expecting an agent of the godless state to show Christian Charity is a fool's errand.
 
Last edited:
Hfcomms

Hfcomms

EN66iq
Nowski said:
A person who is threatening to kill themselves, should not be dealing with an LEO,
but a social worker instead.

The ZUSA is so screwed up. Everywhere, they will send an LEO for just about anything,
when social workers should be sent instead. Anything domestic, should be completely
taken away from LEO.

Issues involving an event, that would be involving a family law court,
should be addressed by a team, from the local family law court,
this would include lawyers, and social workers on the team,
and not LEO.

ZUSA has its head in a very dark place that smells,
in regards to current LEO responsibilities.

Yet another LEO, going to the grey bar hotel.

Please be safe everyone.

Regards to all.

Nowski
Click to expand...

You want to volunteer to talk a suicidal man with a gun out of killing himself bucko? You want to be the ‘social worker’ sent to defuse the situation? Who are they supposed to call....ghost busters?

If the guy is so whacked that he disregards his own life he probably isn’t going to care for yours either. I’d like to see some of our armchair quarterbacks put in a life/death decision to see how they manage while the rest of us sit back and opine how they did it wrong from the safety and comfort of our living rooms.
 
F

Faroe

Un-spun
Shrug. If a cop says, drop the gun, drop it. You can always kill yourself another time.

People call the police, but then say it isn't a matter for the police. WTF are the cops supposed to do about a person threatening to shoot a gun? The bullet he might have shot could have gone elsewhere, too.
 
T

Thinwater

Firearms Manufacturer
Officer:

"I see you have a gun pointed at your head but have not shot yourself yet."

"Why not, are you afraid?"

Suspect:

"Yes"

Officer:

"God hates a coward".

Suspect:
(bang)

Problem solved.
 
D

Double_A

TB Fanatic
bw said:
I'd have to see the video and the context. I'm tempted to tell the guy to go ahead and off himself, and pull the cops out.
Click to expand...

My first thought was why send cops? Send Mental Health Care workers.

Oh yea suicide is illegal. That's the sticking point. If it was legal, we probably wouldn't be having is discussion.
Person wants to kill themselves, they're an adult..no cops are sent, transfer the call to the Suicide Hotline.
 
Nowski

Nowski

Let's Go Brandon!
Hfcomms said:
You want to volunteer to talk a suicidal man with a gun out of killing himself bucko? You want to be the ‘social worker’ sent to defuse the situation? Who are they supposed to call....ghost busters?

If the guy is so whacked that he disregards his own life he probably isn’t going to care for yours either. I’d like to see some of our armchair quarterbacks put in a life/death decision to see how they manage while the rest of us sit back and opine how they did it wrong from the safety and comfort of our living rooms.
Click to expand...

LEO prevented a suicide, but now LEO life is ruined.

As I stated, LEO gets sent for everything now, in this royally screwed up ZUSA.

Just keep on sending LEO, and eventually there won't be any LEO to deal
with the real criminals.

I have 3 police scanners going, listen to it everyday. Just about half the calls now are domestic,
which LEO has no business dealing with, just like with this call.

Please be safe everyone.

Regards to all.

Nowski
 
T

Thinwater

Firearms Manufacturer
Faroe said:
I expect they would have been criticized for that too.
If someone wants to commit suicide, I really don't give a damn - go ahead; but dragging others into your little drama has ugly consequences.
Click to expand...
Many years ago a man was having a bad day, got all liquored up, barricaded himself in his house with a gun and called the cops. He said "I'm going to blast the first one of you SOB's that come through my door"

Dispatch sent us and we all staged near the house, out of direct line of sight. My very wise sergeant asked us all if the man had committed any crime. We all said no. He said then why are we here? We all left, the man slept it off and we never had to return there again.

I learned a lot from that old sergeant and hopefully was able to pass much of it on before I retired.
 
Mongo

Mongo

Veteran Member
Double_A said:
My first thought was why send cops? Send Mental Health Care workers.

Oh yea suicide is illegal. That's the sticking point. If it was legal, we probably wouldn't be having is discussion.
Person wants to kill themselves, they're an adult..no cops are sent, transfer the call to the Suicide Hotline.
Click to expand...
Your first thought after understanding an armed extremely psychologically disturbed man was creating a disturbance was to ask “why send cops?”
The dude was armed and dangerous Wake up
 
N

night driver

ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
A) ALL first responders are taught (regardless of KIND of First Responder) that when a person decides to kill themselves, ALL life is in danger because he has decided to hurt HIMSELF he can and will kill others.

We ALL walk on eggshells until the individual has no offensive capabilities left. We are ALL potential targets.

I could refer you to VOLUMES of papers by shrinks from many different psychological persuasions, but the take home from ALL of them is that once you decide to kill yourself, NO other life matters at all.
 
D

Double_A

TB Fanatic
Mongo said:
Your first thought after understanding an armed extremely psychologically disturbed man was creating a disturbance was to ask “why send cops?”
The dude was armed and dangerous Wake up
Click to expand...

I'm not there, I have the liberty to give it a thought

If you cant understand **** You, you asshole.
 
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