Police shoot and kill armed 8th grader at Texas school

[blamecharles]

i dont know if the pellet guns makes it better or worse. pellet gun looks better for the kid in some ways, worse for the cops in some ways, but worse mentally maybe for the cops who did the shooting.

sad, sad, sad

jake

After seeing that picture above it real hard to see it any other way. It sucks that he was killed but that sure looks like a real gun from where I'm sitting.

 

[HCRMPD1]

It is a tragedy when any human has to die due to his or her own mistakes. In this instance I feel more deeply for the police officer that was put in the position that he was forced to take this teenager's life. In either case, I agree with CarmelHP regarding deadly force.

One thing I have told other police officers that have been put in the position of having to shoot someone is this, they put you in the position of having to defend your life or the life of another. You did not ask them to point a weapon at you. You did not put the weapon in his or her hand(s).

My prayers go out to the officer and to the teenager's family. Both sets are suffering. The officer will loose sleep and second guess his actions for many years. The family has lost a loved one and will ask themselves what did we do.

 

[Pocketman]

It is a tragedy when any human has to die due to his or her own mistakes. In this instance I feel more deeply for the police officer that was put in the position that he was forced to take this teenager's life. In either case, I agree with CarmelHP regarding deadly force.

One thing I have told other police officers that have been put in the position of having to shoot someone is this, they put you in the position of having to defend your life or the life of another. You did not ask them to point a weapon at you. You did not put the weapon in his or her hand(s).

My prayers go out to the officer and to the teenager's family. Both sets are suffering. The officer will loose sleep and second guess his actions for many years. The family has lost a loved one and will ask themselves what did we do.

Yes. Those who are left behind are the ones who are scarred for the rest of their mortal lives.

 

[actaeon277]

Why didn't he drop it, you ask. You see it all the time now. Police approach belligerent suspect, say"put your hands up" or something like that.
Suspect then reaches into pocket, gets shot.
Find out they were reaching for a cell phone, candy bar, or whatever.
Why listen to someone with a gun pointed at you.
If you're gonna argue, do it when things have calmed.

 

[WyldeShot]

As some have said, I feel for the police officers. You cannot threaten a police officer with a weapon or with something that appears to be a weapon and not expect to have consequences. This kid was clearly using this pellet gun as a weapon and wanted everyone to believe that it was a real gun.
Obviously he was not smart enough to follow the instructions of the police when they instructed him to drop the weapon. Instead he points the gun at the police? This might be bad to say but "Darwinism."

 

[96harley]

Kid had a knife in addition to the firearm. He must have had an plan of some sort. Had the officer not shot and clone a 9mm several others might be dead.
Prayers to the kid's family and the officer.

 

[Gabriel]

The officer involved is going to be second guessed, even by himself.

He won't be second guessed by me.

 

[Gabriel]

The sad fact is a 15 year old with a firearm can kill you just as dead as a 25 year old with a firearm can kill you just as dead as a 35 year old with a firearm can....

Not to mention that up here the ages of the people almost all of our shootings, shots fired calls, and firearms we've recovered from people the last two years have been between 14 and 20.

 

[dpbstevens]

I hate to see any person put in the position to have to shoot someone but from what i can tell the cop has justification to shoot. I had a similar situation where a friend of mine was shot and killed by a police officer. still don't understand that in some situations why does an officer have to shoot and kill aren't they able to shoot in the leg or arm. I mean I don't know anyone that will take a shot and then still try to retaliate. thats only in movies but i am also not or have never been an officer so i can't judge by any means. its more of a question i suppose.

 

[Bang-bang]

How stupid! If you shoot, you shoot to kill, not wound!

True, Dead people tell no lies, ( sad, very sad, hard on the family and the LEO)

 

[phylodog]

Istill don't understand that in some situations why does an officer have to shoot and kill aren't they able to shoot in the leg or arm.

Being forced to defend your life is a very intense situation. Shooting a firearm accurately while dealing with an adrenaline dump makes it difficult to hit a large target (center of the chest), let alone a smaller and likely moving target (arm, leg). Shooting at someone is deadly force, LE is trained to shoot center mass as it yields the highest likelihood of successfully hitting the intended target and stopping the aggresive behavior.

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend but expecting anyone to be able to intentionally shoot someone in the arm or the leg, especially when they feel their life is in danger, is simply not realistic.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Exactly. "Shooting to wound" is a ridiculous thought brought on by TV and bad news media. Ever try to shoot something as small as a hand or leg at distance? Ever try to shoot something that small while moving and under stress? Ever stop and think that if you only wound someone who wants to kill you that they won't just shoot you back?

Its tragic for sure, but I don't blame the cops.

This guy used to do it to a bad buy on a roof top 100 yards away with a snubby! I saw it on TV, so I know it was real.

 

[UncleMike]

Being forced to defend your life is a very intense situation. Shooting a firearm accurately while dealing with an adrenaline dump makes it difficult to hit a large target (center of the chest), let alone a smaller and likely moving target (arm, leg). Shooting at someone is deadly force, LE is trained to shoot center mass as it yields the highest likelihood of successfully hitting the intended target and stopping the aggresive behavior.

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend but expecting anyone to be able to intentionally shoot someone in the arm or the leg, especially when they feel their life is in danger, is simply not realistic.

In addition, Courts have consistently ruled that shooting someone intentionally in an appendage is Cruel and Unusual punishment.
That's why Officers are always trained to shoot in order to "Immediately halt the aggressive and dangerous actions of the perpetrator."