Christian Taylor, Texas Teen Killed By Cop, Tweeted: 'I Don't Wanna Die Too Young'

[Purveyor]

by Elizabeth Chuck and Emmanuelle Saliba

The black Texas teen shot dead by police Friday openly expressed fears about his safety and questioned law enforcement on social media, tweeting last week, "I don't wanna die too young."

Christian Taylor, 19, was shot and killed in the Dallas suburb of Arlington during a struggle with an officer after crashing his car through a Buick dealership around 1 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

The Arlington Police Department said officers were responding to a burglary call when they shot the unarmed Taylor.
Image: Christian Taylor
Christian Taylor was fatally shot during an altercation with a police officer, Arlington police say. @_lawjohnson / Twitter

Before his death, Taylor sent thousands of tweets, many of which were rooted in his spirituality or musings about his future. He also commented on police prejudice, an issue that has sparked debate nationwide amid a rash of high-profile police killings of black suspects.

A friend confirmed to NBC News that the Twitter account that bears his picture and references Isaiah 54:17 — "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn" — belonged to Taylor.

more...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/christian-taylor-teen-killed-police-tweeted-i-dont-wanna-die-n406461

[Kingofalldems]

1. So what was he doing at a car dealership at 1 AM?

[Schema Thing]

4. ...and unarmed at that!

[hfojvt]

2. there I was sitting in this refrigerator ...

So he drove his car into a Buick dealership by accident, or his spirituality involved vandalism and theft?

I don't want you to die too young either, kid, but I also don't want you to steal cars.

And having been caught stealing cars, it's probably a better idea to surrender than to struggle with the police.

"Cops are like totally unfair" #Istealcars

"I don't trust the cops" #averagecriminal

I apologize in advance if it turns out he was coming home from working the late shift, fell asleep and crashed into a Buick dealership.

[EL34x4]

9. Yes, I think I will restrain my outrage

Until more details are known. Not every cop killing is murder.

FWIW, the cop involved is a 49-year old recent police academy graduate. The "teen" is a 19-year old football player.

[romanic]

12. Same here.

[Initech]

3. OK it's way past time to take their guns away.

The police are completely irresponsible with them and can no longer be trusted.

[Octafish]

5. You bring up a most important point: Psychological Training

If guns cause normally intelligent human beings to act crazy, perhaps the problems are with the guns themselves?

My grandfather, a non-combat veteran of World War II, a US Army captain in the coastal artillery and later an Army educator, said he never owned a gun because he'd use it. What he meant, of course, was that in everyday life we meet so many idiots, crooks, and, yes, murderers, that he likely as not would use it ... Just. Because. It. Was. There.

Cops? They have guns.

[hfojvt]

6. That's really your take?

The guy who crashed his car into an auto dealership and then struggled with the police - he's not acting crazy, or really, really obnoxious?

I don't get that.

It's sad to see young lives end, but it's sad when the young people make bad choices that end up getting them killed.

[Octafish]

8. What's wrong with my take?

I think cops need psychological testing because when people are around guns they tend to use them, whether rightly or wrongly.

What's your problem? You love your gun more than respect other people's opinions?

[hfojvt]

11. guns are not the issue

Take away the guns, and take away the cops.

Suppose some guy crashes a truck through my garage door and starts putting my stuff into his truck. So I grab this two foot metal bar I have handy and say "what the fork do you think you are doing?" Then instead of giving up or running away he decides to attack me.

At that point I am fully prepared to bust his head open.

Then you and other people will feel that the bad guy in this scenario is - ME.

I simply cannot understand that point of view.

I think cops should get all kinds of training to reduce unnecessary violence and death, but to point fingers at the cops in this case. Again, it makes no sense to me.

[X_Digger]

10. Consider the source. Logic isn't a prerequisite for 'alternative' theory adherents. n/t

[udbcrzy2]

7. Car dealers are vandalized often

They take the cars/trucks and strip them later. In St. Louis there was a video of one crashing through the garage doors and a fence.
http://www.kmov.com/clip/11347106/dave-sinclair-robbery

[Archae]

13. In Milwaukee cops just busted up a gang of car thieves...

Teenage kids, girls and guys, they would break into car repair places, grab keys off the racks on the wall and then take the cars on joyrides.
Later they'd dump the cars and trucks, sometimes after trashing them.

[Crabby Appleton]

14. Here's the video

[sabrina 1]

15. I'm sorry this issue doesn't get much interest on DU. Unless it can be used

for political purposes. Shame to see this, like all the others that actually deal with the murders of AAs by cops, sink.

RIP Christian Taylor

One more murder by cop of a young AA man.

When will it end?