this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2025
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Summary

Matthew Huttle, a 42-year-old pardoned January 6 rioter, was fatally shot by an Indiana deputy during a traffic stop 6 days after Trump granted clemency to over 1,500 Capitol attackers.

Huttle, previously sentenced to six months in prison, was pulled over for driving 70mph (113km/h) in a 55mph zone and faced arrest as a habitual traffic offender.

According to newly released body camera footage, Huttle said "I'm shooting myself" before reaching for a loaded gun in his car, prompting the deputy to fire.

Prosecutors ruled the shooting "legally justified." His death adds to mounting legal issues among pardoned rioters.

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[–] Stern@lemmy.world 12 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

More wasteful government spending. Guy said he was gonna shoot himself, why waste ~40 cents?

[–] Lemmist@lemm.ee 7 points 8 hours ago

Yeah, you totally can believe this kind of guys. His word is the truth itself. Like Trump's word of honor.

[–] taanegl@lemmy.world 19 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

The State: "Hold up, that's MY job!"

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 16 hours ago

Rest in Piss, Bozo. Shouldn't have been a dipshit Nazi.

Lemme know where he's buried so I can use it as a public toilet.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 16 points 17 hours ago

He was almost certainly lying. He was going to try to shoot and run. He demonstrated repeatedly that he didn’t care about the well being of anyone except himself.

[–] wanderwisley@lemm.ee 8 points 17 hours ago

I felt bad for his dog in the back seat of the van when he got shot.

[–] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago

Lol the cop is like say less ill do it for free

[–] RedSeries@lemmy.blahaj.zone 39 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] ab60753@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 8 hours ago

Check out the story of John Rabe. Hes the closest i would concidder go be a "good" nazi. He attempted and in some cases maneges to protect chinese civilians during the "rape of nanjing".

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[–] immutable@lemm.ee 63 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Police Activity posted the bodycam footage.

https://youtu.be/zf6BgUd86I4

It’s under 7 minutes and when the shooting happens it’s blurred out. It’s relatively tame from a gore point of view, but it’s still a video of someone being shot so watch with care.

Here’s my synopsis of the footage for people that don’t want to watch it themselves, you can skip the preamble if you just want to understand the shooting. In my opinion the officer acts reasonable, friendly, and professional throughout.

Preamble

  • Officer pulls the guy over for going 70 in a 55
  • Guy offers up unprompted that he’s a J6 defendant that was recently pardoned
  • Officer doesn’t seem to care one way or the other asks for license
  • Guy says he’s coming from church and his mother’s grave. He doesn’t have a license and has been trying to get a hardship license, produces an expired license
  • Officer asks how often he’s been caught driving suspended
  • Guy says “in my life”
  • Officer clarifies “recently”
  • Guy indicates not much
  • Officer goes back to his patrol car to run the guys information.

Shooting

  • Officer asks the guy out of the vehicle, they go to the rear of his vehicle
  • Officer explains that he’s reached habitual traffic offender status because of driving suspended.
  • Guy begs for leniency
  • Officer explains its now reached the point of being a felony and he has no choice but to arrest him.
  • Guy says he’s not going back to jail
  • Guy runs away from the rear of the vehicle and jumps back into the drivers seat
  • Officer gives foot chase back to drivers door, he provides verbal commands to stop
  • Before the officer can reach the guy, he says “I’m shooting myself” and reaches for something in the passenger seat.
  • Officer says “no no no” and fires three shots at the guy.

This is shown from his bodycam and also from his dashcam.

A felon retreated into a vehicle, stating he wouldn’t go back to jail, produced a firearm, and threatened violence. Was the guy lying about shooting himself, was his plan to fire the firearm at himself or the officer? Based on my view of the video, the officer acted within his lawful authority, was polite and professional, and only used force consistent with what the situation required. But I’d encourage you to watch the evidence and make up your own mind.

There are a ton of bad cops and awful shootings. I don’t like J6 but I don’t see this as justified because the guy is an asshole, but justified because of his actions at this traffic stop.

[–] SlothMama@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago (9 children)

Honestly feel really bad for the guy. He goes to end his own life and gets murdered for it. He was right at the edge of what he could handle and the traffic stop and arrest was enough to put him over the edge.

Whether this sounds crazy or not, I possess the empathy enough to understand exactly how this person felt in his last moments.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 7 points 17 hours ago

I implore you to study the paradox of tolerance.

[–] parmesan@lemmy.world 16 points 22 hours ago

The fact he brought up his pardon umprompted as if he thought it would be his get out of jail free card makes it hard for me to feel empathetic. Especially since there's a real possibility some cops have let him off scott-free in the past just because of his involvement in J6.

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 16 hours ago

Honestly feel really bad for the guy

You shouldn't, they were a Nazi traitor to our country

He goes to end his own life and gets murdered for it

If he was actually gonna off himself then this is also a good thing: cop gets karma points for taking out a Nazi rather than the Nazi themselves

He was right at the edge of what he could handle

....because he was a traitorous Nazi, important context

arrest was enough to put him over the edge

Maybe if you're nervous about the law you shouldn't do 50% over the speed limit while also being a known regular bad driver

possess the empathy enough to understand exactly how this person felt in his last moments

As do many of us, we just don't feel it was nearly bad enough for him compared to what he deserved

[–] immutable@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yea I feel bad for him too, you can tell when the officer tells him he has no choice to arrest him that he’s realizing how badly he just messed up.

In his mind he was about to lose his pardon and go back into the prison system.

But to me that also makes me think the officer is justified in his use of force. People that think everything is ruined are unpredictable and he was reaching for violence. While he was saying he was going to turn that violence on himself, there’s no particular reason to trust what he’s saying. I think there’s a very real possibility he gets the gun saying “I’m shooting myself” but then once he has it maybe shooting the cop sounds a bit better.

If I’m the officer I’m not rolling the dice to see if he points the gun at his head or mine.

And as much as I can empathize with the feeling of fear and loss in that moment, ultimately he made a bunch of choices that led to that. He did whatever he did to get his license suspended, he drove on a suspended license, and even in this instance he broke the speed limit knowing that the results of even a minor infraction could lead to the loss of his freedom.

At some point he has to be responsible for the consequences of his actions.

[–] Azal@pawb.social 5 points 21 hours ago

I've been on the edge before, called the police on myself and it caught me interesting that my movement he did reach for a weapon when I went to hand over the knife, so I should feel empathy. I feel empathy for the officer who was in a damned if you do damned if you don't situation, but...

I don't know. I'm out. This is a person who 1: Willingly joined in a coup to attempt to overthrow an election to 3: AFTER getting pardoned, get pulled over with a suspended license enough times for it to be a felony (I don't know about y'all, but it's kinda rare for me to get pulled over. And the times I have... I'll 100% admit I was way over, generally because I've missed the speed sign) 4: His FIRST interaction with an officer is how he was a Jan 6 pardon like it's a get out of jail free card. This shows he has zero actual fucking remorse for what he did and instead hoping the cop is on his side. 5: Go to his car and reach for a gun.

This is a man who has shown an actual pattern of not caring about anyone's safety but himself. His upset moment is when he's affected, but anyone else, damn them.

It's why I can't blame the cop in this one. This was a man in an unpredictable scenario who has shown these very things in decisions. Man could have easily said "I'm shooting myself" and instead shoot the cop. In EMS I've worked alongside too many cops, and I've talked to some who's had to shoot, most of them it bothers them. It should, honestly I'd question the ones that take a life and aren't haunted by it. This cop just dealt with a man reaching for a gun and the last thing he heard from the man is telling him he'd end his own life and the cop did it for him. So I can't help but to think that this is a Jan 6er who's managed to fuck up yet another life.

[–] ZeffSyde@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Suicide by cop is definitely a thing.

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[–] Wytch@lemmy.zip 105 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Instant Win American Bingo Card:

B. Loaded handgun in the car. I. Total disregard for road safety. N. Convicted criminal pardoned by convicted criminal president. G. Mental health crisis resolved by cop shooting. O. Legally justified homicide.

We're doing great. Good job all around, no notes.

[–] wheeldawg@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 day ago

Ftfy

Instant Win American Bingo Card:

B. Loaded handgun in the car.

I. Total disregard for road safety.

N. Convicted criminal pardoned by convicted criminal president.

G. Mental health crisis resolved by cop shooting.

O. Legally justified homicide.

We're doing great. Good job all around, no notes.

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago (3 children)

The cop prevented the driver from committing suicide.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 17 hours ago

He was almost certainly lying. He was gonna try to shoot and run.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago

Hero.

For reals though, ain't no way I'm letting a clearly deranged j6er grab a gun near me no matter what he says. Definitely a clean shoot (as evidenced by the fact they immediately released the bodycam footage).

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 6 points 1 day ago

Only so he could go to heaven

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[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

I did not find the footage disturbing. Good riddance. to the neo-Nazi POS.

[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 77 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm starting to think those rioters had some issues.

[–] jewbacca117@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

Maybe not the best decision making skills

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 1 day ago

Looks like the trash is taking itself out these days!

[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

He’d still be alive if trump hadn’t pardoned him.

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Then I suppose the pardon did some good for the world. Shame it did more bad though.

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[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 40 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Police officer: “And I took that personally.”

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 11 points 1 day ago

"Paid leave and I get to kill someone!"

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago

Every one of those fucking traitors should shoot themselves.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 34 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Suicide is a crime. The cop successfully stopped a crime. /s

[–] credo@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Right, because that guy couldn’t have been lying about his intent as he reached for a weapon.

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

The cop was lying.

When he said no, no, no, he meant yes, yes, yes

/s

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[–] Chefdano3@lemm.ee 23 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I think it's important to point out that this is not justifiable because he was a jan 6 rioter, but because he was reaching for a gun.

It's a small distinction, but an important one, as justifications can easily stretch to encompass things they shouldn't. If it's ok for an officer to kill someone at a traffic stop solely because they were at the riot, then it won't be long before it's justification for killing someone at a protest, or just for speaking out.

So good riddance to bad rubbish in this case, but be wary of dismissing a police officer killing someone just because we don't like them.

[–] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 28 points 1 day ago

"K. Bye." - Everyone who's not traitor scum.

[–] rustyfish@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The police officer even sprinted after him and tried to wrestle him down so he can’t get the gun. Kinda feel bad for the police officer. Which doesn’t happen often.

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[–] AntelopeRoom@lemm.ee 8 points 1 day ago
[–] 58008@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Most American headline ever.

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[–] nimble@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 day ago

I don't think I will be mourning the death of any jan6 insurrectionist.

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