Cops Shoot Boy, 12, Carrying 'Airsoft' Toy in Cleveland
Source: NBC
Cleveland police shot and wounded a 12-year-old boy who was allegedly carrying an "airsoft" toy gun at a recreation center, police said. The 12-year-old was shot in the torso and was in surgery Saturday, police said in a statement, and two officers were placed on administrative leave.
Police said the officers were called to a report of a person waving a gun around at a playground at the Cudell Recreation Center at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and one or both of the officers shot the boy after he refused to put his hands up and reached in his waistband for appeared to be a handgun.
The handgun turned out to be an "airsoft" replica toy gun, which shoots pellets similar to a BB gun. Cleveland police said in a statement that an orange marking designed to make the toys distinguishable from real firearms had been removed. Police said the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and police are investigating the shooting.
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cops-shoot-boy-12-carrying-airsoft-toy-cleveland-n254251
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Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)Serious question: Did they even try to ascertain whether the gun was real before they shot him?
kardonb
(777 posts)why did this little punk remove the orange marking ? To make it look like the real thing , obviously . Then terrorized kids in a playground.
He did not follow orders to raise his hands in the air , ergo , he got shot . With a gun that looks real , and the kids actions , what were the officers supposed to do ? I am sick of all the demonizing of our police forces . They are up against a lot of crazies , all armed and reckless .
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)he is a "little punk". I bet that's exactly what the cops thought. Shoot this little punk. You are so quick to believe the trigger happy cops. Why?
cstanleytech
(26,286 posts)they just wore off.
branford
(4,462 posts)If the facts as reported are true, there was no way the officer could have known that it wasn't a real gun.
The officer's reaction appears completely reasonable, if entirely tragic. The officers were responding to a report of someone waving a gun around a playground. After the boy was properly ordered to put up his hands, and at 12 he was fully competent to understand the officer's order and its implications, he instead reached in his waistband for what anyone might assume to be a real gun.
How could the officer not believed his life was at risk?
cstanleytech
(26,286 posts)or a manslaughter charge.
Also the latest news is that a caller supposedly to 911 said the gun either was fake or looked fake but if those orange markings were removed or hidden I honestly cannot find fault with the officer to much.
branford
(4,462 posts)and only meant in my prior post that knowing the identity of who removed the orange marker would sadly not have altered this tragedy.
As to the implications of who removed the marker and why, that may yet lead to other legal issues.
840high
(17,196 posts)toy guns to kids.
FarPoint
(12,351 posts)These officers treat all citizens as enemy combatants... We are not. Law enforcement are paid public servants not soldiers in a battle field.
stone space
(6,498 posts)Adults did.
Think about that.
Munificence
(493 posts)But the "adults" have us suspending kids from school by chewing a piece of food into a gun shape or use their thumb and finger to make a finger gun.
The "adults" have created this type of reaction and it's seems to be the adults on our side of the isle that has basically said "Zero Tolerance for anything that resembles a gun". We asked for and created these over-reactions on all levels.
If you are gonna suspend kids for finger guns then you have to figure they are gonna get shot for a real "looking one". It's only going to get worse from here due to our zero tolerance on anything gun. Plus we are letting the "authorities" militarize themselves...after all we have asked for and pretty much have demanded them to deal with this shit....be careful what we wish for.
It's a FUCKING SHAME this shit happens. What have we turned into as a society?
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)1. The orange markings which help identify an 'airsoft' as a toy had been removed.
2. They police ordered him to put his hands up and instead he reached for his waistband for what appeared to be a handgun.
Now, of course, that is the police version. I looked at the 'airsoft' page. These 'toys' shoot BB's@390-500+ FPS depending on the model. Also, again depending on the model, some need to be cocked before each shot. Others come with semi-automatic, and still others come with full-automatic mode. The one I was looking at which came with full-automatic mode had a 470 BB's magazine.
What I want to know is what was this kid doing waving his 'gun' in a Rec Center? Where were his parents?
I'm going to be real hesitant to rush to judgement on this one. I want to hear some witness statements before I automatically decide the cops were gun-happy.
sir pball
(4,741 posts)Delayed by 5 minutes because of wonky service. I'm quite familiar with both firearms and Airsofts; the latter should almost be banned because while it is a "toy" it sure as shit don't look like one.
It's as if Power Wheels were full-size and painted like cars, but plastic bodies with tiny motors. "It just LOOKS identical!"
sir pball
(4,741 posts)They are, by design, virtually indistinguishable from real firearms. Even to enthusiasts, let alone cops:
With the orange tip removed - yes, that is a plastic toy and yes, I would shoot somebody pointing it at me:
Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)I used to enjoy plinking in my backyard with them (that was back when I could stand for long periods).
sir pball
(4,741 posts)If even a 12 year old is waving around something that can pass as a firearm, and totally refuses to comply...what then?
I'm more upset that the kid had an airsoft with no tip than I am at the terrible but predictable outcome TBH.
Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)I think saying he totally refused to comply is assuming facts not in evidence.
I dunno. I'm thinking how the cops here (UK) would handle something like this and I'd imagine that their first response would be to tackle or pepper spray the kid.
branford
(4,462 posts)Even assuming he did not hear the officer's instructions, was developmentally disabled, panicked, or something else, it would simply make the matter a greater tragedy, but not indicate that the officer did anything wrong.
The officers were called to a playground because someone was allegedly waving around a gun. They identified a suspect. They ordered him to raise his hands to mitigate the danger. Instead, he reached for his waistband for a weapon the looked identical to a firearm.
I see a litany of potentially unfortunate circumstances and poor choices, but absent more information, nothing improper by the police.
stone space
(6,498 posts)I mean, how many folks in the UK take a stroll with a real gun that looks like that "toy?
Here in the USA, seeing something like that in public is the mark of an armed and dangerous ammosexual.
I wish that were not the case, but in this country, people carry real guns that look like this "toy" without regard at how their actions are endangering the lives of innocent kids.
Here's a hint for toy manufactures: If somebody could use your so-called "toy" to rob a bank with, it's probably not a good idea to market the device as a "toy".
TomCADem
(17,387 posts)That is a pretty low threshold for refusing to comply.
Reformed Bully
(43 posts)But as the mother of two boys, how difficult is it to "Knock" that orange plastic tip off???? Was the TOY made in the USA? I only remember one USA company that advertised it's product as "indestructible" - Timex!! How many times does the toy have to be dropped??? How many times does it have to be "banged" against the door frame??
I think sometimes we're forgetting what it's like to be a child, which is such a shame. We are holding them to adult standards - that adults can't meet themselves.
The police told him to "drop the weapon and put his hands up". Imagine the terror of being yelled at by the police, our children have been watching the news reports, old style and new style media, so they are aware of the deathly danger the police pose to young people, especially young men - red, yellow, brown, black and white. A lot of the responses here are from adults who are in a state of terror and panic, making a speech in front of a live audience in public. Stop this is nonsense.
If we as adults can't deal with children, maybe we shouldn't have occupations where we must come, the horror, into contact with them - ever!!!
branford
(4,462 posts)If what the police currently allege is even remotely accurate, which should be fairly easy to confirm, the shooting appears both entirely justified and very tragic.
The officers were called to the playground for a report of someone waving around a gun. It is already potentially a very serious and dangerous situation. They identify a suspect who has what reasonably appears to be an actual firearm that could havoc to the officers and other children and adults nearby. The officers demand the boy raise his hands above his head to mitigate any threat. Instead, he reaches for his waistband and the gun.
At that point discussions about whether the orange markers are easy to remove or the general level of maturity of boys in light of recent news is largely academic and irrelevant. The only issue is whether from the officer's knowledge and perspective at the time of the incident, if a reasonable person would construe the situation as a serious danger to the officers and anyone else nearby. I do not know how anyone could in good faith answer that in the negative.
The points you raise are certainly pertinent for future discussion to help mitigate such tragedies in the future, but do not change the facts of this incident.
It appears that to some here, the only way a police officer can prove he acted properly is to get shot or otherwise serious injured. Such a de facto or de jure standard is absurd.
Reformed Bully
(43 posts)My point was that one of the very first entries receded to the child as a "Punk", where I come from a punk is someone who can't or doesn't know how to hold their hands or position their feet properly "like a professionally trained boxer", in s fist fight. I looked at the pictures so thoughtfully supplied by entry # 12.., that is why I asked the questions I asked.
I questioned the police department's, school administrative and this Era's American society's handling of incidents involving our children (my concern is for all of our children):
We've had kindergarten children arrested for having crying jags =uncontrolled crying, not having the vocabulary to express the reason;
We've had the schools call the police for reasons that in the not distance past were corrected by school personnel, detention, parent - teacher conferences (in person or by telephone);
And we've had numerous killed "living while young" shootings.
My point is children being children has not changed, what has changed is adults being adults.
There is another DU post, the person who called 911, said that he told the dispatcher it was probably a toy gun.
branford
(4,462 posts)I have no doubt about the sincerity of you beliefs, and the "Punk" comment added little to the substantive discussion.
However, in society today, we have kids killing kids and others in unacceptably high numbers. A 12 year old with a gun indistinguishable from a real firearm, and then reaching for it after being told to put his hands up by police, no less after the police are called to a playground because of a report of someone waving a gun around, is a recipe for a disaster. A police officer or citizen is just as dead or inured if shot by some 12 or 22.
There were a lot of bad choices in this incident, but they do not appear to have been made by the police. The orange plug should not have been removed from the gun, and a 12 year old should know full well not to waive even a BB gun around a playground, no less disobey a police officer while in possession of such a gun, or worse, reach for the gun. I would also like to know where the parents were, if they knew the plug was removed, and if they properly considered whether this BB gun was an appropriate item for their child.
The police were not only responsible for the shot child, but their own safety and the well being of the other children and adults at the playground. This incident probably should never have happened, but the conclusion was likely not in doubt by the time someone called 911.
stone space
(6,498 posts)We need to stop calling it a "toy".
It is not.
It is a death trap.
A death trap knowingly and premeditatedly marketed to kids.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)Still much higher than most other First World countries, yes, but this supposed "new" epidemic of violence is a myth.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)Their dad was career military and their mom was a pretty smart cookie. When they got their paint ball guns, the first thing she insisted they do was to lock them in the trunk, drive to the police station, show them to the cops (by informing the police that the had paint ball guns in the trunk first) and ask what the best way to transport them was and what was the best way to inform a police officer if they ever got stopped for anything. The kids thought she was being totally paranoid. I think she was just being prescient.
And by the way, this was in a solid, lily-white, suburban neighborhood where typically the most serious crime the cops had to deal with was some kid climbing the water tower and spray painting his initials.
blackcrowflies
(207 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Last edited Sun Nov 23, 2014, 01:14 PM - Edit history (1)
They could have used just a little diligence because of the circumstances but we've seen that they can't wait to shoot.
Tumbulu
(6,278 posts)These days. Until we can get rid of all these guns( real and look alike) these things will keep happening.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)Tumbulu
(6,278 posts)Are you unaware that children have been going around at schools shooting en masse? I have to bee live that you forgot the sarcasm sign, or are some sort of gun nut loony toon.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)But what does that have to do with a 12-year-old being shot? Doesn't make it any more justified.
cstanleytech
(26,286 posts)were intact I would agree but since they were removed I honestly cannot in conscience agree with you 
FarPoint
(12,351 posts)John Crawford, 22 years old, picked up an air rifle off an open display shelf, walked around with it...He was shot and killed in the pet department.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)
rollin74
(1,973 posts)someone wanted people to believe it was a real firearm
Tumbulu
(6,278 posts)Who took the orange cap off.
cstanleytech
(26,286 posts)it turns out to be someone other than the kid and they did it on purpose and then gave the toy to the kid knowing it might lead to the kid being hurt they should be prosecuted atleast for attempted murder.
Veruca Salt
(921 posts)Removed the orange tip of my airsoft guns...to make them look more 'cool'. Kids do stupid things. That could have been me.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)with known gang activity, then disobey a police officer when he tells you to put your hands up.
Obviously, when confronted by police the best course of action is to reach for your .45 replica, said no one ever.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)If a policemen cannot distinguish between an airsoft gun and an actual firearm, they should not be allowed on the force,
rollin74
(1,973 posts)
would you be able to quickly distinguish it from a real firearm?
Oktober
(1,488 posts)sakabatou
(42,152 posts)I don't think I could.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)I'm not a gun person though, so I am probably more easily fooled than a police officer.
el scorcho
(58 posts)and the chances of a 12 year old waving a real .45 around are pretty much zero.
This is where thinking skills come into play instead of just reacting and shooting.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)
I'll wait until the actual facts come out before I jump on the 'kid deserved to get shot' bandwagon....
branford
(4,462 posts)only that it might have been an unavoidable tragedy where the police acted in accordance with reasonable and appropriate procedure.
Most of the information we have should easily be confirmed or disputed - was there a 911 call and what it was about, did the child have the BB gun, was the orange safety marker removed, etc.
There should also be witnesses to the event, and quite possibly multiple videos, including police cameras or playground surveillance.
Rex
(65,616 posts)So yes someone is saying that. The second post in this thread.
branford
(4,462 posts)blackspade
(10,056 posts)
tblue37
(65,336 posts)It is such a well-known line that Zimmerman parroted it about Trayvon Martin. And the claim that he refused ro raise his hands? Well, we've seen how quickly they shoot, often without allowing the individual time to comply.
That's how they killed another kid with a toy gun, and that young man in Walmart--as well as the hearing-impaired woodcarver with a tiny whittling knife.
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Head phones.
This is a systemic problem, where cops are trained to shoot first and cover their ass later, and a public that is trained to accept such shootings as 'tragic' but ultimately unavoidable.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,173 posts)I guess I'm speaking as a shocked Canadian. We don't allow realistic looking "toys" like that to be sold. Heck, we don't allow the real things either. Both would be looked at as abhorrent. It does make a police person's job more difficult to allow such replicas. He's 12 years old!..you can't expect a kid to be as mature as an adult as far as not taking off the orange tip.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)Funny thing, I remember playing soldiers, cops and robbers with other kids in the park and sometimes by ourselves in public. Never once did a cop freak out and shoot a child...it was unheard of. This was back in the 80s. The toy guns looked just a real back then as now.
I think we are more fearful as a society now. Maybe it was Columbine that caused the initial fear. They suspend kids in school now just for pointing a finger at another kid and going bang.
branford
(4,462 posts)However, during this period far fewer people, police officers and regular citizens, were the victims of serious crimes committed by children, no less shot by them. Times sadly change, and now boys not even old enough to shave have long rap sheets.
Just take a look at who they're arresting for what on the weekends in Chicago if you really want to lose all faith. Kids are killing kids and everyone else.
I also find the zero tolerance polices about guns mostly absurd, but that doesn't mean all fears are unjustified.
Action_Patrol
(845 posts)Back when Lazer Tag/Photon were popular toys, many kids were shot by police. The kids would wind up in parks and abandoned areas at night to play. Reports of people with guns would go out and cops would respond.
Doesn't make it right, it's a horrible tragedy but it isn't new.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)I had some cap-gun pistol replicas in the pre-orange stripe era, too (along with an M16 and MP5 'automatic' water gun) -- But let's be honest...There were a number of high-profile incidents even in the 80s (which was the reasoning my parents gave to throw out my toys and never buy any more)
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/25/us/toy-guns-a-real-and-growing-problem-for-police.html
http://2warpstoneptune.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/you-can-have-my-toy-gun-when-you-pry-it-out-of-my-cold-dead-13-year-old-fingers/
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/govpub/838toyguns.pdf
branford
(4,462 posts)with or without a gun, and fully understanding the implications and repercussions. Sadly, it is not entirely uncommon for 12 year olds to be arrested with real guns.
These guns also usually have an orange marker or plug as a means to indicate it is not a regular firearm. Although often insufficient, the fact that it was removed in this instance, makes tragedy almost unavoidable.
noiretextatique
(27,275 posts)really?
LarryNM
(493 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)but any kid can walk into a hunting, sporting goods or big box store, not to mention just order it online...
EX500rider
(10,842 posts)Actually you do.
Canadian Legal Airsoft Guns
Firearms are regulated in Canada. Owning a firearm requires special licensing. IN order to be classified as a firearm the weapon must have a muzzle velocity above 366 FPS, while shooting a .2g 6mm projectile. All Canadian legal guns are guns that the techs at Airsoft GI modify in order to meet these standards.
http://www.airsoftgi.com/index.php?cPath=139_442
LiberalLovinLug
(14,173 posts)I guess they have just been trying to ban them but not successful yet
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=3cc37eaa-28d0-4063-bcbb-c1cd997a63b9
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has twice called for the manufacture, sale and possession of replica guns to be prohibited and the Canada Safety Council has asked the federal government to bring fake weapons and pellet guns under the Hazardous Products Act.
XemaSab
(60,212 posts)goes both ways.
NBachers
(17,108 posts)"Gee thanks! You're the best mom and dad in the whole world!"
CC
(8,039 posts)go to the park and play with toy guns without worrying about getting shot by cops? It really wasn't that long ago. For a society that has a large part of the population trying to tell us guns don't kill we sure do have a problem with kids getting shot by cops when they are playing with toy guns. SMH So now kids have to be sure to keep that little orange plastic bit on their toys and that grown, trained cops see it and recognize it before shooting because so called adults want to have easy access to their real grown up guns to play with. Sorry but it sucks and it is all our faults for letting the NRA and their ilk get their way.
branford
(4,462 posts)blackspade
(10,056 posts)CC
(8,039 posts)guns? Though it is true more Americans are killed by toddlers with guns that terrorist I still blame the easy access, lack of training, lack of common sense and idolatry of guns that the NRA and their ilk push. It was a park, it was a kid and someone was scared enough to call the cops and said it was possibly a toy gun. I'd like to see comparative stats on how many more kids are killing other kids & adults on purpose before I believe it is any worse that 20 years ago. Not excusing the actions of anyone involved in one incident just pointing out the long term effects of the gun & ammo lobby.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)
JohnnyRingo
(18,628 posts)Not to excuse the police for apparent overreaction, but I have an M16 Airsoft that I got at a garage sale for $5, and I'd defy anyone to tell the difference. It had a red comp on the end of the barrel, but the temptation to spray it flat black was overwhelming.
I know better than to wield it in a threatening way around armed law enforcement, but I did shoot my grandson in the leg with it. I'm sure he regretted asking if it was real.
branford
(4,462 posts)I'm confused. Why would you shoot your grandson, even with an Airsoft?
Also, how did the police overreact, if there story is accurate? Knowing what they knew at the time, how did they not react appropriately?
JohnnyRingo
(18,628 posts)...since I wasn't there and I'm not sure what actually happened, but owning a replica firearm comes with a certain responsibility, especially if the safety barrel is repainted.
My 17 year old grandson was here to rake my leaves and had baggy jeans on. I told him to always assume a gun is real and loaded. He wasn't hurt, and rest assured that he'll get even with Grandpa Asshole. Meanwhile, he left with a twenty dollar bill and a mint condition 1972 Pioneer receiver. Him, myself, and his dad are into vintage audio and grandpa faithfully scours the garage sales for it. I've done more during his lifetime to damage his hearing than his leg.
I only bought that M16 and an Uzi as kitchen wall hangings. The kid who sold them ripped me off on what turned out to be a broken Uzi though. Can't trust anyone when it comes to the gun trade, so lessons abound. haha
NancyDL
(140 posts)You've got to teach survival tactics to your children to keep them alive, especially if they're black. People have been shot down there for carrying cell phones.
branford
(4,462 posts)Not waving a BB gun around a playground that looks identical to a real firearm;
particularly when you removed the orange plug that indicates it's not a real gun;
and raising your arms after a demand by the police when such gun is in your possession;
and then not further endangering the situation by reaching for the gun in your waistband after the police told you to put out hands up?
It seems to me that this is more a situation of poor parenting, lax supervision and bad choices, combined with poor circumstances, rather that any racial component or police impropriety.
This situation should have been stopped well before the police were ever called.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)
branford
(4,462 posts)The orange plugs on Airsofts, like the one that was removed, are supposed to help prevent these types of tragedies.
Since you're referring to the police as "pigs," I assume you can point to something they did improperly in this instance?
XemaSab
(60,212 posts)is a pretty crappy idea of "play."
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)Here is some copy from a major distributor..."Airsoft was already an engineering triumph and a popular game before some talented designers began producing outstanding replica airsoft guns. Today replicas have overtaken the sport and dominate most online discussion, particularly when a new model comes out that captures the very essence of its namesake."
UglyGreed
(7,661 posts)in my basement to allow my 12 year old shoot my pellet rifle. We do it as a sport and I really see no harm in doing so. I hold on to the Sheridan rifle and he is not allowed to touch it at all unless he is with me. Break my rules once and it is all over. And by no means we go outdoors with it. I told him he could very well get killed by doing so.
stone space
(6,498 posts)I can't believe that we still allow toy stores to sell them.
How many more children must die?
The first time this happens might be called an accident, I suppose.
But once we know about the danger, it becomes nothing more than an intentional human sacrifice to appease the Gun Gods.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)California, about a year ago....
"CNN) -- A sheriff's deputy mistakenly thought he saw a teen carrying an assault rifle on a California street this week and shot him dead, authorities said.
It turned out the 13-year-old boy was carrying two fake guns, a replica AK-47 and a fake pistol, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's office said. The Tuesday shooting is being investigated, the sheriff's office said.
A preliminary autopsy report released Thursday said the officer fired eight rounds at the scene, and the teen died of bullets to the chest and right hip."
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/24/justice/california-fake-rifle-boy-killed/
stone space
(6,498 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)and mysteriously not end up dead (or even arrested, for that matter) when accosted by security
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)
MisterP
(23,730 posts)every place must be rendered unsafe so us meatsacks know who's boss, who can strike us down at any second like a bolt from the blue
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016106908
valerief
(53,235 posts)
Quantess
(27,630 posts)noiretextatique
(27,275 posts)and they shot him in 5 seconds after they arrived. 5 seconds.
olddots
(10,237 posts)That was the old description .
unblock
(52,205 posts)you don't get to play "oops" with someone else's life.
Man from Pickens
(1,713 posts)word came in not long ago, kid passed away
R.I.P.
sunnystarr
(2,638 posts)All in here and out there just buying into the police version. I can't believe it! That's why "Michael Brown" keeps happening. Yet some will see it in Brown's case but are bobbing their heads up and down in this case. Like WOW!
So far, there has yet to be one single witness who has come forward to corroborate the official police version of events. Yet we are suppose to believe the officer’s story that paints a 12-year-old with a BB-gun as a deranged maniac out to trick officers into believing his gun was real. It seems slightly more realistic that police are covering their tracks, as they always do when they shoot someone who turns out to have been unarmed, and their story – as unbelievable and ridiculous as it is – was what they could come up with on short notice, thanks to the pressure circulation of our report on the shooting was putting on them.
http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/11/how-the-cleveland-police-had-to-rush/
Go read the rest.
sunnystarr
(2,638 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)Other minors were on the playground. Police did not know on arrival if he was a nut a la Aurora or Sandy Hook, they just saw him with a handgun. He did not put his hands up, and went for the gun.
This was a tragedy.
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)including the person that called it in to 911 knew what it was, merely that it looked like a .45 being brandished on a playground, where other minors could have been harmed.
It's easy to Monday morning quarterback after the facts came in that it was just a modified airsoft gun. The facts on the ground were very different before "it's a modified bb gun" came to light.
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)Nothing good would come of such a quick reaction. There are so many possibilities that could've taken place.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)shooting police officers or other children present.
I don't like it any better than you do, but when you have a person that appears to be armed with a pistol, refuses to obey an officer, and minors that could get harmed present, I am at a loss for what you wanted the officer to do?
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)And shoot the subject within 1.5-2 seconds?
I mean, let's assume the gun was real, and the subject was trigger happy. This same situation could've easily resulted in 2 dead cops.
There was no levelheadednesss at all. It was all absurd.
TomCADem
(17,387 posts)...I think the question will be whether this information was relayed to the police who arrived on scene. Also, what is up with the cops just pulling up right next to the kid and putting themselves into harms way such that they really had no chance to ascertain whether he was going to comply.
Response to IDemo (Original post)
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hlthe2b
(102,234 posts)
Isn't this your first?