Tamir Rice, Boy Shot Dead By Cleveland Police, Did Not Point Replica Gun At Officer

[UglyGreed]

CLEVELAND (AP) — A Cleveland officer was less than 10 feet away when he fatally shot a 12-year-old boy carrying a pellet gun near a playground, and video of the shooting is clear about what happened, police said Monday.

The boy was confronted Saturday by officers responding to a 911 call about a male who appeared to be pulling a gun in and out of his pants.

The 911 caller said the gun was "probably fake," then added, "I don't know if it's real or not." Deputy Chief Edward Tomba said Monday that he didn't know whether a dispatcher shared that information with responding officers.





The president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association has said the officers weren't told the caller thought the gun might be fake.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/24/tamir-rice-boy-shot-cleveland-police_n_6211064.html

[merrily]

1. So what if they weren't told? Another freaking red herring.

[UglyGreed]

2. They should of been told N/T

[merrily]

4. Sure, but the fact that they were not told does not excuse the killing.

Neither does the fact that they did not know he was only 12.

BTW, reading your OP, I am not so sure they weren't told.

[UglyGreed]

6. Check out my post below yours. N/T

[Beaverhausen]

3. I was assured yesterday by others here at DU...

...The mere fact of him reaching behind him was all the cause the cop needed to shoot him dead.

Pretty fucked up if you ask me

[UglyGreed]

5. I bet the kid stupidly tried to

show the cop that is was a BB gun. Kids his age do not think like adults. I'm not defending the cops, I'm blaming the dispatcher and the cops for a 12 year old's death.

[merrily]

8. The dispatcher was wrong, but what if the caller never said a thing about the gun maybe being fake?

The kid should still not have ended up dead.

They seem to say anything to deflect blame away from themselves. This kid is lucky he was only twelve or they'd be blaming him. Come to think of it, I am sure some blame of him and/or his heartbroken parents will come in 5-4-3-2-

[UglyGreed]

11. so many things went wrong here

My own son was googling guns all the time. I never told him about the pellet rifle I own until I noticed his searches online. I decided to teach him in my basement about gun safety and shoot the bb gun down there in the safety of our home. He does not have access to this pellet gun unless I'm with him. I tell him never go around with paint-ball guns/ airsoft guns that his friends may have and if they want to call me ASAP and we will pick him up. I let him read what had happened to this boy who is the same age as him. We can't bury our heads and need to teach children about things like this.

[sarisataka]

9. That is my suspicion

That the boy's intent was to take the gun out and say look it is not real.

Maybe if the callers belief that the gun might not be real had been relayed the cops might have been a bit less on edge and hesitated a moment before firing. Two seconds is all that would have been needed to avoid this horrible tragedy.

[UglyGreed]

14. It is horrible

and we need to figure out how to stop it from happening again. I don't blame the boy and edited my post that you replied to.

[etherealtruth]

10. I am with you on this

Had the dispatcher reported that the the caller thought the gun was fake, the cop (I rarely defend a cop) hopefully would have acted in a different manner.

This is so completely effed up and tragic beyond belief

[randome]

19. On the other hand, perhaps they should ALWAYS assume things are not exactly what is reported.

Any officer who has some time on the force should already know that witnesses and reports are not always reliable.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[BklnDem75]

18. Are you sure the kid wasn't instructed to drop the gun?

He'd have to reach for his gun in such a scenario. Regardless of age, having two guns pointed at you is gonna get a panicked response.

[UglyGreed]

20. I don't know if that was the case

there is a video so we might learn more in time.

[greatlaurel]

7. The killing of this boy is not justified. Incompetence and stupidity led to a child's death.

There should be protests about this shooting. This was a crime, at least manslaughter.

[UglyGreed]

13. Of course not it is not

justified at all, but that should not be a reason not wonder how this has happened.

[Laurian]

12. I have a twelve year old grandson and the thought that the police thought

there was no other way to respond to this situation makes me physically ill. Police seem to be too damn trigger happy these days and often come off as quivering cowards with no sense of proportion or common sense.

[UglyGreed]

15. I agree their

training must be at fault.

[mnhtnbb]

16. The police mo in responding to these events seems to be shoot with deadly force first

and then concoct some BS to rationalize their decision to kill people.

It's very sad. The country is so f*ed up with this gun worship.

[UglyGreed]

17. Yes gun worship and

of course the worship of the military must be included in that statement

[One_Life_To_Give]

21. How do you get to the point of fearing a chiild wan'ts to kill you?

The idea of a 12yr old shooting a cop seems absurd to most of us. We really should be asking why the Cop thought that some child might want to kill him/her.

[UglyGreed]

22. Well I hate to say it but with school shooting

these days.....

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/25/us/washington-school-shooting/

Killing each other seems to get easier each and everyday in the USA.