[macintux]

99% of the ill intent was the kid's fault. He sent people with guns to someone else's house and created a threat level that was bound to make police very cautious.

I'm so sick of people defending the swatter. THERE IS NO DEFENSE. NONE.

[alkonaut]

I think you may be misreading what people are saying. I'm not seeing anyone defending the swatter. (I might have missed it of course).

I'm arguing that the cop ALSO behaved in a way that is criminally incompetent. But blaming the officer isn't somehow saying the swatters aren't responsible. Blame and responsibility isn't shifted from one party to the other.

Edit: > a tiny bit the kids fault.

I DON'T agree with this: but what I disagree most with is the attempt to divide the responsibility. It doesn't need to be divided. Two crimes were commited. Treat them separately. The kid is 100% responsible for his action, and the cop is 100% responsible for his actions.

It's pretty clear that without the actions of one, the person wouldn't have ended up dead. So why try to divide it?

[macintux]

I'm mostly still enraged at the apathetic attitude espoused in this thread from the original incident.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16031359

[alkonaut]

I'm actually pretty encouraged by reading that: just one idiot and several reasonable people. Feared I'd find a 50/50 debate going on there.

[macintux]

Fair point, it certainly could be worse.

[freeone3000]

It seems to me that this is not defense of the swatter, but rather an indictment of swat. There will be hoaxes. The government still shouldn't kill people over a hoax.