Officer Matthew Marin and his partner responded to a call at a group home at 2:30 AM on Saturday. The caretaker said the one-armed one-legged man in the wheelchair - who happened to be mentally ill - was causing a disturbance and was out of control.
Once inside, officer Marin somehow allowed himself to be cornered by the mentally ill, one-armed one-legged man, who was waving what Marin referred to as a "metal object" and making threats. Although the mentally ill, one-armed one-legged came what he described as "inches to a foot" from him with this "metal object", Marin said that he couldn't identify said object.
So Marin shot him, obviously while the mentally ill, one-armed one-legged was "inches to a foot" from him.
Let's paint a picture: you're a police officer. A mentally ill, one-armed one-legged man in a wheelchair is coming at you waving a "metal object" and making threats. One of two things are happening here: either the mentally ill, one-armed one-legged man is taking turns waving the "metal object" and wheeling toward you with the one arm, or he is scooching (yes, I said scooching) toward you with the one leg while waving the "metal object" with the one arm. Does this seem like a situation that can't be diffused with a little non-lethal police training? Some pepper spray maybe? A taser perhaps?
Maybe Marin flashed to one of those zombie movies, and the mentally ill, one-armed one legged man in the wheelchair became a zombie to him and he panicked. Hey, where was the partner while he was being cornered by the mentally ill, one-armed one-legged man in the wheelchair?
By the way, the "metal object" turned out to be an ink pen. Marin was placed on a three-day leave pending an investigation.
It should be noted that Marin was involved in a shooting back in 2009 where he shot a man who wouldn't drop the knife he was holding inside his apartment.
