Category talk:Unarmed people shot by police

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[edit] Dudley George

Dudley George was carrying a huge stick that was mistaken for a rifle. This fact is constantly ignored. The possession of a blunt weapon makes a person "armed". I am removing him from the list. --68.149.181.145 05:20, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

George was re-added; I'm removing him again. Likewise, I'm removing Dorismond (he was shot when he grabbed an officer's gun - the wound was accidental and self-inflicted), and Bell (who was driving a car and hence armed with an extremely dangerous weapon). -- Spock 156.34.31.58 23:21, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

What is the raison d'être of this category? I'd think the whole point of it to be to list people who were killed over having been mistaken for wielding weapons that they weren't. If he had been carrying that stick with an intent to use it as a weapon, then it would be sensible to count him as armed. But if we leave off anybody who just happens to possess an object that could be used as a weapon, then what practical purpose does the category serve?

FTM, does anybody recall who it was who was shot some years ago for carrying a table leg that was mistaken for a gun? -- Smjg 23:07, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

That would be Harry Stanley, and he's in this category already. Terraxos 14:06, 2 November 2007 (UTC)