A man was shot and killed by air marshals at Miami airport, after the man claimed to have a bomb in his back pack.. the officials found no bombs in the end. The victim name is Rigoberto Alpizar, according to his wife he was a patient of bipolar disorder and forgot to take his medicine. [details from CNN]
Authorities immediately claimed that the air marshals reacted as trained, it might sound cruel.. but under that circumtances were the air marshals doing the right thing? What options do the air marshals had? I honestly don’t know, I would probably do what the air marshals did if I was in that situation.
What concerned me is how the community of bipolar disorder will perceive this issue. I have a friend that’s bipolar, meaning that he could shift his moods high and low in split seconds without really knowing it or the ability to control it. People with bipolar disorder normally needs continuous medication treatment, as in the case of my friend.
It shouldn’t be the fault of the air marshals to shoot down a man that claimed to have a bomb in his bag, nor it’s the fault of a bipolar disorder patient for failing to control himself.. it’s just pure tragic.
RIP Rigoberto Alpizar.
December 9th, 2005 at 9:33 am
I wondered when I first heard the news if the guy was bipolar. I have bipolar friends too and have come to understand a little about the illness through reading … feel very sad about this … guess that everyone is a bit jumpy these days …
December 9th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
I thinks that the air marshals did his job. If he don’t kill, the other may be endangered. The air marshals does not know that the guy was under such disease.
Anyway he will feel the pain of killing an innocence person for the rest of his life. He should not be questioned…but he is currently on a leave for investigation…..
December 12th, 2005 at 11:00 am
Agree with you 8dee, if I were one of the passenger on the plane I would be grateful of what the air marshals did.. and yet felt the pain too.