Did this kid deserve to die?

[SuperDemocrat]

There was an incident of a black kid who was killed by a cop. At first I thought this might have been an accident because I can't imagine anyone killing a black child on purpose but then I read some of the accounts. One stated that the kid pointed the TOY gun at many people in the park. To to best of my knowledge, they did not call the police so they obviously knew the gun was fake. Many kids do this and it is quite innocent. The account I heard is that someone outside the park called. The officer roles up and starts shooting. They claim it was standard procedure but I always thought that standard procedures was to wait for other officers in these situations. Did the police officer try to talk the gun out of the kid's hand? I know police make mistakes and not everything is racism but some of the facts in the case may indicate the police officer was not 100% in the right.

The other thing is is that I don't want to live in a country where my own kids can't go outside with a toy gun and get shot by some inexperienced police officer. Maybe this cop was within the scope of the law but should he have showed some restraint considering it was a 11 year old kid?

This really ain't as much about black and white in this country but more a general question about public safety. Should we get legally killed because we happen to argue with a police officer in a 'loud' manor? I've had this happen to me where I tried to pursuade an officer that the ticket he was giving me was incorrect. He didn't pull out his gun but he quickly retaliated by having my truck towed. that kind of attitude towards the public may enable some cops to be quick to kill when they think they can legally get away with something. Maybe they had successful experiences in getting away with similar things in the past and think they can push the limit as far as they can get away with. Mabye we ought to automatically retire police officers if they happen to kill someone in a legal way that way we discourage rogue cops who think they can get away with enacting their psychotic fantasies.

http://gawker.com/video-cops-shot-12-year-old-two-seconds-after-arriving-1663814827

 

[amrchaos]

Don't forget

Some cops are truly terrified and let fear, under the guise of caution, dictate their actions.

The idea that a courageous cop can get killed does have its merits in the justice system.

 

[Steven_R]

Maybe parents should teach kids it's a bad idea to point toy guns at people, including cops, while we're at it.

It wasn't just some toy gun in any event. It was an Airsoft replica. it looked like the real deal. And he was 5'7" and 195 pounds.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

 

[JoeMoma]

It was tragic on many levels. The kid didn't deserve to die. However, kids need to be taught to respect cops. If you point something that looks like a real gun at a cop, you just might get shot. Doesn't matter what color you are.

 

[Steven_R]

Deserves got nothing to do with it. If the cops roll up on you and pull a real looking toy gun out of your waistband and point it at the cops, you're going to get shot. By 12 years old, any one with two functioning brain cells knows that.

It's unfair that the cops were put in a position where they had to make a split second decision that killed a kid, but he didn't have to be in that park playing "I got a gun".

 

[Anathema]

Don't give the cop a reason to mess with you and there won't be an issue.

 

[Eaglewings]

Geeezzz we had a rifle club in High school ,and toy guns were the big thing in the 60's.


This is wrong on so many levels...
Why do they let trainee's have guns..
Loehmann, an officer-in-training, shot 12-year-old Tamir on November 22, 2014. Garmback was training him.


.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

This was over a year ago by the way.

 

[leftwinger]

I had thought, why they not creep up slowly? one from behind? but then I heard they were CALLED to the site by concerned citizens that some nut had a gun?

is that true? does that make a difference to rush up close to the perp? tough job. Don't show up on a Benadryl in April. 24 hour rookie taken out yesterday, rolling up on a scene.

 

[Rustic]

Political correctness has fucked up this country...

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I had thought, why they not creep up slowly? one from behind? but then I heard they were CALLED to the site by concerned citizens that some nut had a gun?

is that true? does that make a difference to rush up close to the perp? tough job. Don't show up on a Benadryl in April. 24 hour rookie taken out yesterday, rolling up on a scene.

What happened is that it was raining that day, and the car slid up to the kid. The officer driving the car calculated that this guy with a gun is probably going to run, and he didn't want the guy running into the rec center where there were children playing, so he blocked that path so the suspect would run the other way away from the rec center.

This "kid" was 5'7" and weighed almost 200 lbs. He was very mature looking for his age and after the officer shot him, they called for EMS and reported it was a male in his early 20's.

Tamir had the realistic looking gun and took the reflective tip (which indicated it was a toy) off the gun so there was no possible way anybody could have distinguished it from a real gun.

And let me tell you, I used to drive that area all the time, and it's no place anybody would want to be at night. Gunshots ring out nearly every night in that neighborhood and that very same park is frequented by gangs and drug dealers constantly. And of course, police are aware of this.

Furthermore, there were several calls about this suspect with a gun. One caller told dispatch that it may be a toy gun, but the dispatcher never relayed that information to the officers. She has since resigned.

Bottom line: the police were not at fault in this case. And if you go on the internet and dig up the Enhanced Video which was shown to the Grand Jury, you would see why this officer felt he had no choice but to defend himself.

 

[Katzndogz]

This is a war. The police are on a number of hit lists and children are not above killing police.

 

[Muhammed]

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Quoted from a law that stupid motherfuckers cannot comprehend.

 

[whitehall]

Hardly a political post. Someone needs to tow it to the rubber room.

 

[fbj]

cops fear black skin

 

[The Great Goose]

It's gotten bad.

 

[Agit8r]

Political correctness has fucked up this country...

Yeah, a kid can't even carry a gun around in public anymore...