Good Guy With a Gun Mistakenly Shot and Killed By Phoenix Police [VIDEO]

1. IT’S LIKE THIS , FOR ME ANYWAY , IF SOMEONE STEALING , AND CAN , LET IT BE , DO IT , JUST CALL POLICE , YOU ARE NOT A LAW OFFICER , STORE CAN CLAIM LOST ITEMS ON TAXES , ON OTHER HAND , IF SOMEONE BREAKS INTO MY GARAGE LET IT HAPPEN , I WILL CALL POLICE , HOWEVER IF THEY ENTER , BREAK N TO HOME THAT DIFF STORY , MAY HAVE TO SHOOT TO STOP THE THREAT , NOTHING IN MY GARAGE WORTH KILLING OVER OR ME GETTING HARMED .
   SO SORRY FOR THE PERSON . PRAYERS NEEDED ALL AROUND .

   • Your keyboard is broken. Amazon has some new ones.

     • amazon this.

     • I’m thinking the same thing!!

     • Yes let’s support Bezos too. Boch is bad enough.

       • You can use Amazon smiles and they donate to SAF, Second Amendment Foundation

       • I have mine set to JPFO, Jews For The Preservation of Firearm Ownership. There are probably others as well.

       • Yes let’s support Bezos too.

         Hey spend a buck at Amazon (not me) help Bezos get to Space even quicker, then pray for rocket failure or a botched reentry…

   • Sometimes a camera is a better weapon than a firearm.

2. Mr. Brookins made a serious error in judgement, causing officer to also make a serious error in judgment. Mr. Brookins life or property was not in danger, nor was anyone else’s life. Unfortunately Mr. Brookins paid with his life, the Officer will now pay with his career, his livelihood and maybe his freedom ( if cancel culture and BLM become a factor ) Everyone lost on this one. All I can say is if it doesn’t involve someone’s life, and you are not the target. Stay out of it, call police, stick around an provide law enforcement with information. My sympathy for Mr. Brookins family.

   • MB (the real MB),

     I came to echo a similar sentiment.

     My personal standards:

     1) I will NOT point a firearm at someone unless that someone is an attacker and has clearly demonstrated his/her intent to immediately maim or murder innocent people.

     2) The maximum extent of my response to minor theft/property crimes is to ensure that I can identify the lawbreaker (if possible) and direct police to apprehend that lawbreaker.

     Anything beyond those actions creates needless risk of bad outcomes for me.

     • you got that right me I live on a property that I own In Florida that is fenced and gated and posted and here if you go onto land like that it is called trespassing after warning and if you have a gun it becomes a felony now I am tot going to bother person just film them while I set off my alarm system now if he comes toward me then it changes because I am a disabled senior citizen and can not run but can still hit a man-size target anytime i need to and stay armed but what I hope is that subjet will run away because I do not want to kill anybody but if it is me or them they will go down

   • BLM doesn’t seem to have been a factor in this one and isn’t likely to. Those idiots don’t protest and/or riot in the name of law-abiding gun owners.

     • Ing, I wonder something –

       Since a life was lost by the result of a deliberate crime (shoplifting, in this case), can the shoplifters be held liable by state (or Federal) law for the death?

       In a similar way a getaway driver can be held liable if the bank robber shoots someone in the bank?

       It would be kinda nice if that could happen here…

       • In short, no. While the shoplifters set events in motion, they were not the “cause” of Bookins’ death. Causation in tort law can get complicated in a hurry.

       • Some states have felony murder laws, anyone involved in a felony wherein some individual dies can be charged with felony murder.

         The question is, was the shoplifting and fleeing a felony?

   • That was a really good time to draw your phone and get some pics of the perps. Even I would not shoot somebody for shoplifting, unless we were in a jewelry or Rolex store.

     • Yeah, something like that. There might be scenarios in which I draw a weapon in defense of property. I can’t see threatening some kid with a bag of candy from Walmart. The kid would have threaten people with his own weapon first, at which point the bag of candy is less than meaningless.

   • I don’t think BLM is going to make a single peep about this one.

     • Give them a minute. It took them 3 or 4 months to wake up to Breonna Taylor. By then the rest of us, who had been talking about it from the beginning, were beginning to see evidence come out that she was not as innocent as we had been lead to believe.

   • the lesson?…leave that gun in your holster unless you’re life is at risk….

   • From what sainted loins doth spring Government Functionaries, that they have Rights, Powers, and Authorities beyond those of we mere peasants? From whence doth such a thing obtain? No sir, it is tyranny, and a monstrous fraud. No more.

     • From whence doth such a thing obtain?

       According to Braindead Biden, the Constitution guarantees all those powers to the people AND the people ceded those powers to the Government… I missed class that day or something because I don’t recall anywhere in the Constitution that says the people can just give up all their rights to Mother Government…
       “What’s that idea? We don’t derive our rights from the government. We possess them because we’re born. Period. And we YIELD them to the government.” (Beijing Biden, 6/16/21)

3. Should have just pursued for long enough to take down good descriptions of the perps (and their vehicle if they got into one) and called it in.

   Going cowboy backfired big-time. 🙁

4. Remember, use as a last resort to stop any action that will result in great bodily harm or death. If you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.

5. Police need to not rush to judgment, it seems frequently if they see a gun, shoot, if they think they see a gun, shoot, if the person doesn’t instantly respond to various and at times contradictory commands, shoot. So you get police shooting a home owner holding perps at gun point, police shooting kids with bb guns, shooting guys reaching for their wallet at traffic stops, reaching for a smoke, answering their door, holding a cell phone etc.

   Granted police frequently do have to deal with perps pulling a gun on them, but seems like, due to guns usually being concealed rather than commonly seen carried or visible, police overreact at the sight of a gun regardless of intent. Not all of them, if course, but there are a good amount of cases where they go in hot after an “armed suspect” is reported and shoot someone who wasn’t a threat. Concealed carrier in Costco, guy messing with a bb gun in Walmart, etc.

   It’s why a lot of liberal police leadership are against open carry or armed citizens in general, they prefer to assume gun with no badge means bad guy. But that is a flawed assumption.

   • “Granted police frequently do have to deal with perps pulling a gun on them, ”

     BS you watch too much TV or are living in the WRONG area.

   • I would gladly sacrifice my life for the law enforcement of this country. If he had complied he would be alive. Cops have a difficult job to do and just want to go home at the end of the day. If I’m not complying they can shoot me too. They protect us and keep us free. I believe in limited government and conservative ideas but we need very strong law enforcement and military to keep us safe from people that rely on the government

     • . If he had complied he would be alive.

       The didn’t have time to comply, the camera (on the cops chest) had barely brought the guy into view when he shot the guy in the back… Guy was wrong for pursuing fucking shoplifters with a gun, he paid with his life… Cop was wrong for “assuming” a black guy with a gun was a perp… Hope he pays accordingly… Don’t any of these people watch the news? This shit happens way too many times to be ignored…

     • Triggered lib makes it about race

   • Problem here is, you perhaps have not noticed that there is no right to armed police in the Constitution, those deaths would cease if police were disarmed and that would be Constitutional. You are clearly aimed at eliminating those deaths by prohibiting any citizen from possessing weapons, which is NOT Constitutional! Not to mention, as you pointed out, it also would not prevent shooting kids with BB guns or toys, which disarming cops would. Mind you, *I* think disarming cops would be almost as stupid as disarming normal citizens, it would just be completely legal. Living involves risk. Coming to a complete halt of whatever you are doing when approached by a police officer reduces that risk, throwing shit at them does not. Get used to it.

6. Sad. I understand his frustration and desire to stop the perps. We should all be tired of this shit.

   But he should have just tried to be a good witness and identify the turds and their vehicle.

7. if they were defunded this wouldn’t have happened.

   • “if they were defunded…”

     You inadvertently raise a good point –

     Does anyone know if there’s a GoFundMe (or similar) for his funeral?

     I’d be willing to kick in 20 bucks so his family can at least give him a decent funeral…

     • Geoff PR – you are one of the few level headed commenters left here.
       How about defund the police and spend it o training the deputy sheriffs?
       Just a thought.

8. I’m not intervening in shoplifting…not why I carry a gat. It’s for me& mine. This dude was seriously mistaken. RIP

   • He was mistaken, hope I never fuck up so bad, but we should keep in mind he was trying to be one of the good guys.

9. That’s just stupid on the “good” guys part, common sense needs to be a part of carrying a gun. The stores won’t even intervein to stop them why should a you? My carry is for me & mine not for you & yours! It may sound cold but I didn’t work my whole life & achieve what I have to throw it away for somebody I don’t know!

   • American Patriot,

     I empathize with you sentiment. Please consider intervening on someone’s behalf who cannot legally, ethically, and/or responsibly carry or deploy a firearm for self-defense. (For clarity sake: I am referring to a situation where an attacker has demonstrated imminent intent to rape, maim, and/or murder an innocent victim and it is absolutely crystal clear who is the attacker and who is the victim.)

     Consider a mom with a baby and toddler in a public location who is the target of some violent scumbag. For all intents and purposes, that mom most likely cannot responsibly carry a handgun for self-defense with a baby and toddler crawling all over her throughout the day. And even if she did somehow manage to carry a handgun responsibly, it could be next to impossible to deploy it if she happened to be holding her baby in her arms.

     Another example would be a 10 year-old child playing in a park who becomes the target of a violent scumbag. Obviously that 10 year-old child cannot carry around a firearm for self-defense.

     I would not hesitate to intervene in situations such as I described above–out of nothing more than common decency and regard for my fellow human beings. I hope that you would be willing to do the same.

     • Your cases are threats to people, not property. If the weirdo grabs the 10-years-old’s lunch or bike, it’s not a reason to shoot. If the weirdo grabs or attacks the kid, use your gun if you feel morally bound. You are not legally obligated to help, but you have to deal with your conscience if the kid gets hurt or killed, and you had the means, training, and opportunity to prevent it

10. Know your State laws. I guarantee the laws in AZ are not the same as the laws in MS. And the same advice for citizens of any other State.

11. I wouldn’t shoot anyone who is not an imminent threat, but inside my residence I will not be holding an interview with an unauthorized intruder prior to offering the chance for him to take the room temperature challenge. In my garage, fleeing with my stuff, driving away in my car… I’ll be a good witness. I’m my home, different story. A coworker once presented the popular question, “You value your property more than someone’s life?” If they are in my house, THEY value my property more than their life.

    • Do I value my property more than a scumbag thief’s life? Damn right I do. Your property, not so much.

12. I know a few male Karen types who may or may not be well-meaning. They have local and state PD on speed dial and wander around looking for reasons to call. They call if a car momentarily crosses the yellow, they call if they see a dog off leash, they call if they see somebody running in non-athletic clothing, they call if they see anyone out later or earlier than they personally feel is acceptable (though never question themselves being up or out during those times) and they call for any other arbitrary reason at all.

    Fortunately none carry though they do own firearms and double fortunately they all have one foot in the grave and won’t be around much longer.

    Some people just can’t get that most of what goes on in the world is simply none of your business.

    Sucks for that guy but those shoplifters were none of his business.

13. Don’t play cop. You likely don’t know the rules of the game. Should your life be threatened, different story. When merchandise is involved, especially someone else’s, discretion is the better part of valor. It’s smarter too.

    As for the police officer, who knows what went on in his mind. Possible prejudice could well be a factor. The end result, as above noted, is something that this officer will have to live with. For the legally armed civilian, discretion, as above noted, is the better part of valor.Very much the better part.

14. Here’s another lesson to be learned by every gun owner: cops can’t wait to shoot you. There’s a good chance that Officer Friendly is a psychopath.

15. I usually defend the police, but in this case a big NO. If the victim had been white, he would have never been shot. He only did what only decent citizen with a set would have done. Yep, I’m saying the whinging Karens on this board who go on about how they would never use a firearm unless they were cornered in a closet with the thugs raping their wives in front of them would they use a gun, and then in reality they would not. Having been in more than my share of hard knock situations, most human beings and most men are cowards. I salute this black guy who stood up for right and was shot by a trigger happy racist cop. If we want a color blind US, and not CRT, we have to stand up for the good guys and quit making all these whining excuses about not getting involved.

    • Pure speculation on the race angle.

      • if the store won’t stop him…why should you?…don’t be stupid….

    • I’d guess he saw a gun which was not held by someone in a police uniform, which requires killing. No reason to suspect racism without any evidence, unless you were raised with CRT.

16. “The police officer shouted for Brookins to drop the pistol and an instant later, opened fire. Brookins went down and after almost a week in the hospital, he has died of his wounds.“

    Yes, the Timor Rice Procedure.

    Hmm, I wonder what it was about Brookins that motivated the police officer to open fire instantly?

    • They were in a Racism Free Zone?

    • Serious question. Do we even know the race of the cop? It should not matter but it sure as feces does. BTW, those shoplifters should have the book thrown at them.

17. As a black man and a gun owner myself, I recommend dressing up like a White off duty cop whenever you’re out and about. You know the look – khakis, polo shirt tucked in belt, issue boots, bad haircut, Luminox or some other tactical monstrosity of a watch. And don’t forget that shiny brass “Concealed Carry License” badge right next to your OWB kydex holster and sidearm so people would think you’re one of the ‘good guys’ and not clutch their pearls and call 911 screaming ‘MAN WITH A GUN’. That’s just me though. Or better, yet try to be less black.

    • LOL Good reply.
      On the other hand, pretending you’re NOT “The Lone Ranger”, no matter what color you are, might be the right thing to do as a civilian. Unless you’re in a situation where you’re directly threatened, or getting paid with an insurance plan as backup in case you get shot, mind your own damned business.

      • If you want to be a cop, be a cop!

    • It’ll never work without the watch.

18. When cops hear a 211 in progress over the net, they’re firing up adrenaline to get ready to “rock n’ roll” and jump into the excitement, you know, what they signed up for. The problem is today’s cops are trained to believe only they are the good guys with the guns especially on scene. Any civilian with a gun in his hand or even holstered is an imminent threat and needs to be barked hands up and other conflicting orders at. Haven’t you wondered why SWAT points their M4s at EVERYONE in an active shooter scenario? As scared civilians rush out to safety everyone with their hands up, the cops are just itching for an excuse to pop one off at whoever puts his hands down just for even a split second. It was this guy’s fault for not hearing the cop car come racing down and should have dropped the gun on the ground within a microsecond and got on his knees in a ‘please don’t shoot me compliance position’.

    • Police are also civilian.

19. What ‘good guy with a gun’ carries a LORCIN?

    • 1) Any gun is better than no gun. It might be the best he could afford.
      2) I didn’t see any evidence that he was carrying, either legally or illegally. The gun might have been in the SUV.

      • The gun might have been in the SUV

        You could have watched the video and seen the female cop pick up the gun lying on the sidewalk next to the guy and move it 6 or 8 feet away…

20. Tragic all the way around. Article makes good points. It’s a lose-lose, understanding the details later.

    It’s easy to criticize after the fact, when facts are outlined in a briefing. And yes, there’s much to learn here, even with potential litigation when well-intended 3rd parties get involved.

    But any confrontational incident in real time, can and will affect any person differently. Too many variables. One degree of angle is enough to totally change the perspective and perception of an incident that occurs in front of two different witnesses at the same location. Especially with less experienced folks that are actually involved in the confrontation as opposed to just witnessing it.

    Auditory exclusion, tunnel vision, tachy-psychia, etc. all affect folks differently including the decision and action processes with even seasoned individuals. The “shoulda-woulda-couda” is more 20/20 as the adrenaline leaves the system.

    I remember a totally different incident about 20 years ago and how it became a training topic later. A plain clothes on-duty detective was shot and killed by 2 uniformed officers from his own department while he was making a felony arrest and had the suspect proned out at gunpoint. I remember his name, Willie Wilkins. Oakland PD. Again, tragic all the way around.

    Yes, be knowledgeable. Be skilled. Choose your battles if and when, or avoid it all together. Sure, we get it. But, sometimes the shit finds you and against all odds.

    • https://www.odmp.org/officer/15494-detective-william-alberto-wilkins

21. Ain’t nothing friendly about friendly fire.

22. Wow — so many things wrong.

    It was drilled into us in concealed carry class that unless there is major risk of bodily harm, your gun stays hidden. It was also drilled in that you never pursue bad guys unless it’s to be able to point them out to police. It was further drilled in that if you ever do have reason to draw and do so, expect the police to show up and have a plan for de-escalating before they have to ask you to!

23. I usually support Phoenix cops, but they are becoming very trigger happy. All they have (or want to use) is a hammer, so everything looks like a nail. Also, I think cops generally are not comfortable with CCW; in their minds more guns means greater risk to them, and they have been told repeatedly that they are the only ones with sufficient training to responsibly carry/use a firearm. Therefore, I will only use my EDC in defense of my life or that of a loved one. Innocent bystanders (strangers) should bring their own sheep dog. They’re not my responsibility.

    • Bingo!

    • Bingo ditto! Tired of drop the gun! Bang! Pretty common in Arizona and Nevada…

24. Once again we see allowing government employees the privilege of being armed while on duty is a mistake.

    The only person in the wrong here was the cop who shot an innocent. That cop should die in prison.

25. Dumbass vigilante. Trying be some cop, and you got shot by an actual tyrant. Stupid on so many levels. If the store clerk didn’t do anything, and there was no threat to your life or others, don’t be a fucking idiot and try to be a hero.

26. Those shoplifters are likely laughing their asses off over this.

    Hate to be that guy but race was probably half the reason. The other half was either civilian gun bias/uncertainty.

27. Edwin…The perps were white and odds are they rely on government because whites account for the majority of those who rely on government.
    By all accounts that particular trigger happy officer would welcome your sacrifice. A sacrifice based on your silly assumption that all cops are deserving of such a sacrifice.

28. This is a big problem with some permit holders, they think the permit deputizes them.
    It doesn’t and you only draw to stop a threat because if you draw, you shoot.
    Shoplifters fleeing does not fit the rules for using deadly force.

    “That gun you carry as a legally armed citizen doesn’t look or function like a badge. You are not a cop.”
    If they were shooting people then I might engage them but that’s might.
    Most people do not realize that even if you are 100% justified in using deadly force, you are going to be treated like a criminal. You are going to the PD, you are going to be questioned by detectives and DA and if you are charged and found guilty you are going to prison.Your CCW insurance will drop you in an instant if you are at fault. In some states even if you are found not guilty you can still be sued.

    Tunnel vision comes into play and this what can happen: You don’t see the trailer.
    I tried to find the video but basically a guy entered a Walmart, he had a woman accomplice, started yelling and then shooting. A CCW holder was at the CS desk, didn’t know the woman was the accomplice because he had tunnel vision and followed the shooter through the store. Just as he was lined up for a shot, the woman came out of an aisle behind him and shot him in the head.

    • remember a conversation we had in an armed security refresher course..when asked what would would you do if you saw a crime being committed off the property you were asked to protect?…and the correct answer was… NOT A DAMN THING!….armed security has limited authority..private citizens have none at all……

      • Observe and report.

29. “That gun you carry as a legally armed citizen doesn’t look or function like a badge. You are not a cop.”

    Correctamundo! Only cops get to kneel on a man’s head until he dies.

    • When did that happen?

      I know of something kind of similar depending on whether you believe in facts or not.
      I saw a career criminal who was caught in the middle of a crime get arrested.
      He physically fought the cops but was in no shape to escape and got himself all worked up.
      He was high on meth and plus fentanyl and had a 90% blockage of his coronary arteries.
      They put the guy in the back of an PD Explorer and he started saying he could breath.
      Figuring he was having a panic attack they took him out and let him lay down.
      No force was applied by the cop who was kneeling to head or neck.
      He was 45 years old so they figured to be safe they would wait for an ambulance.
      The guy died of an overdose on the ground but due to “peaceful protesters” causing billions in damage,
      someone had to go down. The cop that was closest to the criminal was the patsy.

      My nephew who drives a truck in that city had a cinder block thrown off of an overpass hit him in the arms, chest and lap by said peaceful protesters. He still hasn’t fully recovered from his injuries. He’s 29.

      • I hope your nephew recovers quickly, and I hope the individuals who perpetrated the tragedy show up on surveillance cams and are identified and prosecuted.

30. I found the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQOHBSuY7TM

31. If only the cop was required to take one of those handgun permit classes. They covered a similar situation in our class. Maybe we should take a closer look at the training in this situation, and others like it? Nah, let’s just make assumptions and scream about race and gunz.

32. ??? Will the shoplifters be charged with murder since he died in the commission of their crime? NO need to respond. I know the answer.

    • It all depends on whether or not the shoplifters are charged under a specific felony:

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_murder_rule_(Arizona)

33. That’s an absolute travesty. Jesus. If they do anything for the family I hope it gets posted here or in a follow up article.

34. Seems to be a lot of blaming the victim here.
    Theft from a store is stealing, not “shop lifting”.
    The video certainly looks like the Brookins was not allowed time to respond to the police orders. Time will tell how the facts unfold.

35. As far as the badgemonkeys are concerned if you aren’t wearing a uniform and a badge you are AUTOMATICALLY a bad guy….and they will light your ass up instantly when they see you.

    This reality is SO INGRAINED into them that they frequently kill THEIR OWN ASSOCIATES who
    are operating “undercover”.

36. there’s a reason why most police academies of any worth warn their trainees NOT to try and play cop off-duty. This is what can happen.

    If you’re pointing a gun at someone you have turned a situation into one of life and death. There are times when that is appropriate. This was not one of them.

37. Very well written, good article.
    In NYPD reports- easy to pick on them because they have such good reports every year- they shoot each other on a regular basis.
    Many mistakes. The gun doesnt come out until what the person is doing is so bad he must be stopped. This means it cannot matter morally or legally if the person dies as a result of being stopped. Both citizens and cops need to remember that.

38. Everyone here fucked up.

39. “Dressing nicely” in 115F heat is pretty hard to do(without wilting). At least in Az, people are getting arrested for shoplifting. I went to the mall to pick up an internet order(I had not been in one in the last 20 years). I had a hell of a time finding where I was supposed to park, the app did not load and I had to walk in. In my search for the proper place and my entrance, I saw 3 different people pulling items from bags, purse and from under a shirt to cut the tags off right outside the doors. The go in, grab the loot and just walk out. Security can not do anything, police might take the product from them and maybe issue a ticket.
    Maybe that has changed since Ca opened up from Covid restrictions, I don’t know.

Comments are closed.