12-year-old Shot Dead by Police

[patrick1]

1. Toy guns should be so obviously toys that there could be no confusion. People have committed armed robberies with toy guns.

2. Parents should never buy toy guns that resemble real guns as toys for children.

3. Children should know enough to drop even toy guns in the presence of police.   

They shot the kid before he had a chance to do anything, except be really scared in the instant before he was killed.   The kid was not smart and acting like a tough gangster waving his fake gun around.  Sad that it cost him his life.

[Ebowed]

3. Children should know enough to drop even toy guns in the presence of police.   

Please watch the video before making this comment.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

3. Children should know enough to drop even toy guns in the presence of police.   

Please watch the video before making this comment.

The first time I saw the video I thought he was seeing the police car coming and was walking toward them. I think I must have had a slow connection.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Disgusting that people are talking about the judgment abilities of a 12-year old in this thread.  He's a CHILD.  You don't expect the police to gun you down when you are a child.

[Ebowed]

3. Children should know enough to drop even toy guns in the presence of police.   

Please watch the video before making this comment.

The first time I saw the video I thought he was seeing the police car coming and was walking toward them. I think I must have had a slow connection.

To be fair, it took me a few moments to realize what was happening, too.  The way it hit me was rough.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

That video is insane. The car sped off the road, the policeman jumped out of the car door, and immediately gunned the kid down. WTF. There is absolutely no excuse here. Any danger the cop felt was danger he intentionally put himself in. WTF

Not to mention that there probably wasn't another person within 100 feet or more.

[ElectionsGuy]

Disgusting, no excuses. This guy should be behind bars for the rest of his life.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/11/cleveland_police_officer_shot_1.html

Video was just released. It shows the 12 year old approaching the front of the police car.

That alone would be justifiable cause. 911 call of a guy waving a gun, cops pull up, suspect with gun approaches.

WTF?

[King]

Reaganfan, I know your daddy is a police officer, but the life of the police officer should still be last on the list of priorities as a public servant. It's sad when cops get killed, and when soldiers get killed, and when firefighters die, too, but them and their families are the ones who have to bear the risk and the burden.

[Flake]

He just shot the kid immediately. The kid had no chance. He just got out of the car and shot the kid.

Jesus Christ.

[MaxQue]

Well, Reaganfan just has a wide definition of "death penalty".

[publicunofficial]

If Reaganfan's father's views are anything like his Reaganfan's, I fear for the citizens in his jurisdiction.

[BaconBacon96]

There is something seriously wrong with the United States. America has such a predisposition towards gun violence, it's unlike anything else in the developed world. It is seriously one of the biggest social problems America faces. That is not an exaggeration.

[publicunofficial]

There is something seriously wrong with the United States. America has such a predisposition towards gun violence, it's unlike anything else in the developed world. It is seriously one of the biggest social problems America faces. That is not an exaggeration.

My opinion is slowly changing from "Only sane people should have guns" to "Only police should have guns" to "no one should have guns"

[Panda Express]

These people getting killed are either committing crimes or putting themselves into unlawful situations.

yeah i hear you fellow blue avatar. 12 year olds should not be playing around with a toy gun. it's unlawful and the punaihment should be death

[Mr. Morden]

It's like if a woman is punched down on a street, I feel sympathy for her and want a harsh punishment for her attacker. If the woman is punched on the street because she was trying to buy crack, I lose that sympathy because she was just as scummy as her attacker. You see?

This sentiment sounds familiar:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=173996.msg4089077#msg4089077

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[BM]

So many cops are disgusting, brainless, and aggressively violent neanderthals who brandish their guns to make up for their pathetic, empty, and disappointing lives. Countless others are corrupt and lazy. Why Americans continue to glorify this profession is beyond me. It needs to stop so justice can be served to these psychotic pigs.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I think my position is that I lack sympathy or empathy

Generally, when a post starts like this, you don't need to read the rest of it.

[politicallefty]

I chose brevity in my initial post because I didn't really know what else to say. There aren't too many news stories that evoke such disgust and revulsion in me like these do. This is just about at the top.

I thought I couldn't be more angry about this, but the video makes it so much worse. On top of that, it was four minutes before first aid was given:

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I have no doubt in my mind that this was murder. There was a clear intent to kill and a complete disregard for human life, the life of a child no less. There are no excuses in this case. I think I was probably wrong to reconsider my stance on the death penalty. The penalty for this crime should be life in prison. I cannot imagine a pleasant experience in prison for a police officer that gunned down a child.

I can see just based on comments here that things seems to have changed dramatically with release of the video. To those that still excuse the police action in this instance, you truly disgust me to no end. As far as I'm concerned, you are condoning child murder. Ultimately, a 12-year-old child is dead because a police officer wanted him dead. That is the reality and what really matters. Failure to get justice here would be one of the most damnable indictments on the justice system I can imagine.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

This 12 year old prompted 911 calls and was out at night with a realistic looking toy gun. The cop described him after the shooting as "roughly 20 years old". I said on here a few days ago, "I BET YOU the kid looks way older than 12." I'm telling ya, despite the unfortunate-ness of the situation, I still think our legal system doesn't justify punishing the officer.

These people getting killed are either committing crimes or putting themselves into unlawful situations.

What crime?  Ohio is an open carry state.  Legally, that 12-year old had every right to be carrying not just a toy gun, but a real gun.  The cops came blasting in ready to blast away rather than acting in anything like a responsible manner.

[Likely Voter]

A lot has been made of the fact that this is a kid with a toy gun, but even if it were an adult with a real gun, the rush in and shoot tactics used by the two cops would still be wrong.

Think of all those open carry guys trying to get burritos at Chipotle, should squad cars have rushed them guns blazing?

[King]

I really wish Michael Brown didnt happen and this was the riot starting nationally focused shooting.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I really wish Michael Brown didnt happen and this was the riot starting nationally focused shooting.

Well, at least with this case, we know that anyone defending the cop will defend the cop no matter what, and so they can be ignored.

[Adam Griffin]

Just another example of the classic double-standard applied by police:

White guy waving gun in public park creates one-hour standoff with cops before they non-fatally shoot him

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[anvi]

The 911 calls into the dispatcher apparently informed the dispatcher that the gun the child was holding may well have been a fake one.  The dispatcher communicated none of this to the officer called.  The officer than acted with complete reckless abandon in shooting the child straightaway and no real protocol was followed.  Then, shortly after the shooting, stories went out in local media citing the child's father for a history of abuse against women, as if that, even IF true, had any relevance whatsoever to what happened.

Everything about this case is absolutely deplorable. 

[Pheurton Skeurto]

Just another example of the classic double-standard applied by police:

White guy waving gun in public park creates one-hour standoff with cops before they non-fatally shoot him

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I've used this as an argument too. The response I got from one Facebook friend is that "all police are trained differently" and that these police were able to tell that this guy wanted to commit suicide by cop.

They were probably able to tell that because they gave this lunatic an hour to surrender before shooting him, whereas Tamir Rice had 2 seconds.