Similarities Between Shootings of Alpizar and de Menezes

Last night, US federal air marshalls shot dead Rigoberto Alpizar on American Airlines Flight 924 in Miami, after he apparently claimed he had a bomb in his bag.

There are a number of remarkable similarities between this incident and the one involving Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot by police in London in July:

1. Both men are originally from Latin America (Menezes from Brazil, Alpizar from Costa Rica). Presumably, both men’s darker skin and hair meant they could have been superficially mistaken for Arabs.

2. Both men were thought to have been carrying explosives.

3. Neither of them actually were.

4. Both were killed in areas of public transport. Menezes in a subway, Alpizar at an airport.

5. Both were said to have been fleeing law enforcement. UK officials stated Menezes jumped a turnstile, ran from police and refused orders to stop, so they shot him. US officials state that after Alpizar exited the plane and ran onto the tarmac, he refused an order to lie down and reached into his bag, so they shot him.

In the case of Menezes, it turned out that UK officials initially lied about several parts of the story. Menezes paid the fare, descended the escalator normally, and then ran to catch the train to avoid missing it. He was then captured, pinned down, and killed.

The discrepancies between official statements and actual events, including the false claim he was wearing a heavy jacket too warm for the weather at the time, turned the incident into a scandal for British police.

Will scandal become the next thing these situations have in common?

12 Responses to “Similarities Between Shootings of Alpizar and de Menezes”

Ade:

December 8th, 2005 at 4:37 pm
As an aside, I am unclear whether someone from Brazil can be called a latino. They are not hispanic, because their origins (on the European side) are Portugese, not Spanish. So I don’t even know if Brazil counts as part of Latin America, but I’m assuming it does.

Tim:

December 8th, 2005 at 5:02 pm
There are significant differences as well. Alpizar claimed he had a bomb and then reached into his bag. If that’s an accurate depiction of events, then I think the air marshalls who shot him were justified in doing so. It’s tragic, but I think it would have happened regardless of color or ethnicity.

Ade:

December 8th, 2005 at 5:35 pm
Yes, there are differences. His wife was there, chasing after him and telling people he was acting crazy because he hadn’t taken his meds. And he was off the plane and on the tarmac when he was shot, instead of next to passengers, like Menezes.

I’m not passing judgment at this point, I’m just wondering what details have yet to emerge. Menezes’ shooting sounded legit at the start too.

Tim:

December 8th, 2005 at 5:57 pm
I think an important difference here is that witnesses corroborate the reports of his unusual and aggressive behavior. He was running from US marshals after apparently telling them he had a bomb. Yes, his wife was there – yelling in Spanish, comprehension of which I don’t believe is a requirement to become an air marshal. The bottom line is this: if he did say he had a bomb, and he did run from the marshals towards a terminal, ignored their orders and reached into his bag, there’s no way you can say they acted wrongly in opening fire. Airline security is taken very seriously, and for good reason. It’s unfortunate but allowances cannot be made for people with mental disabilities in these kind of circumstances. If he was suffering from manic depression or bipolar disorder and wouldn’t take his medication he shouldn’t have been flying.

Ade:

December 8th, 2005 at 8:25 pm
From Reuters:

The deadly shooting evoked memories of London police in July shooting dead a Brazilian man at an underground station because they said they had thought he was a suicide bomber. The unarmed man was apparently running to catch a train.

It also raised questions over whether an alternative method — like stun guns — should be used in anti-terrorism efforts.

And his wife is not Spanish. Her name is Anne Buechner. From this report:

She was yelling “That’s my husband, that’s my husband I need to get to my husband!” Mary Gardner said. “She said, ‘My husband is bipolar. He didn’t take his medicine.'”

As I said earlier, I am not pointing any fingers. I’m just wondering if we’re getting the full story at this point.

Ade:

December 8th, 2005 at 8:49 pm
From Time:

A passenger on Flight 924 gives his account of the shooting and says Rigoberto Alpizar never claimed to have a bomb

At least one passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 924 maintains the federal air marshals were a little too quick on the draw when they shot and killed Rigoberto Alpizar as he frantically attempted to run off the airplane shortly before take-off.

“I don’t think they needed to use deadly force with the guy,” says John McAlhany, a 44-year-old construction worker from Sebastian, Fla. “He was getting off the plane.” McAlhany also maintains that Alpizar never mentioned having a bomb.

“I never heard the word ‘bomb’ on the plane,” McAlhany told TIME in a telephone interview. “I never heard the word bomb until the FBI asked me did you hear the word bomb. That is ridiculous.” Even the authorities didn’t come out and say bomb, McAlhany says. “They asked, ‘Did you hear anything about the b-word?'” he says. “That’s what they called it.”

Tim:

December 8th, 2005 at 8:52 pm
Reports such as the one you linked in your original post said she was speaking Spanish (“Witnesses said Alpizar’s wife, Anne, followed, shouting in Spanish…”).

I do support the use of tasers instead of guns by law enforcement. However, at this point I can’t fault the marshals for doing their job: shooting people who have bombs on planes. Hopefully we’ll learn more as the story develops.

Ade:

December 8th, 2005 at 9:08 pm
Re. Spanish, you’re right, that earlier report seems to contradict later ones, or perhaps she spoke in both languages (seems plausible enough).

Ade:

December 9th, 2005 at 7:57 am
Man killed on flight may have been scared

As more details emerged about Wednesday’s anxious moments aboard American Airlines Flight 924 in Miami, it became increasingly apparent that the man killed by air marshals may have been fleeing in panic as he suffered the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

To grieving relatives, two air marshals acted rashly and an innocent man died–one who at least seven passengers said they never heard yelling about a bomb.

“With all the advances that the U.S. has supposedly made in their war against terrorism, I can’t conceive that the marshals wouldn’t be able to overpower an unarmed, single man, especially knowing he had already cleared every security check,” Carlos Alpizar said Thursday of his brother’s death.

“I will never accept that it was necessary to kill him as if he was some dangerous criminal,” he said in a phone interview from Costa Rica. “And I want to make this distinction: He did not die. He was killed.”

But to federal authorities and security experts, Alpizar–mentally ill or not–was responsible for his own death.

Ade:

December 9th, 2005 at 10:46 pm
On the Spanish issue, it turns out that one marshal actually did speak Spanish: “One marshal, fluent in Spanish, was previously a Border Patrol agent; the other was a Customs Service agent”, according to this story.

The same article reports that the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an American organization, is asking whether air marshals are trained to deal with the mentally ill:

”All around the country, law enforcement officers are being trained in techniques to interact effectively with people with serious mental illness who are in crisis. We believe air marshals should have similar training,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Fitzpatrick did not fault the marshals involved in the shooting.

‘We understand that when someone yells `bomb’ on a crowded airplane, within the environment we have today, it’s a very dangerous situation,” he said.

Except that Alpizar did not yell ‘bomb’ on a crowded airplane. Multiple witnesses have verified this.

I will draw conclusions later. For now, it is interesting to watch the story unfold.

Tim:

December 9th, 2005 at 11:46 pm
This article says that “Rigoberto Alpizar made the threat in the jetway, after running up the plane’s aisle from his seat at the back of the jetliner.” What I’m wondering is this: if he didn’t say he had a bomb on the plane, what prompted the incident in the first place? Was it his agitated behavior? Could they have pushed him too hard, or was his eventual frantic outburst just a symptom of his manic disorder?

The story also says that “some passengers [were] in hysterics”; it will likely prove difficult to get a consistent, reliable version of events.

Tim:

December 10th, 2005 at 1:19 pm
USA Today

“Rigoberto Alpizar, 44, made the bomb threat after a flight attendant blocked him from exiting Flight 924 just minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave for Orlando, said Lonny Glover, national safety coordinator for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.”

“Miami-Dade police official Roy Rutland said the department has interviewed witnesses who confirm the marshals’ report of hearing Alpizar speak of a bomb. Rutland would not say whether the witnesses were crew or passengers.”

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