Police shoot an "armed" middle school student

[Donttazemehbro]

My brother in law is a police officer. Officers are taught that if presented with a dangerous situation and anyone pointing a dangerous weapon at them, they are trained to use deadly force. I dont think that what they did was justified, as 3 shots is too much to bring down an 8th grader. Personally if i was the police officer, i would have shot a knee cap or foot. That would drop most people rather than a kill shot. The important thing to remember is that this kid is around what, 13-14. I find that his actions were out of immaturity and not a quest for violence. Some kids are pushed over the edge sometimes, i can understand what that means (i would never threaten someone as sever as he did but still). When someone is hurt, they are driven to do things that they would not normally do. So my position is that they did their duty to protect the other students and themselves. However, i think they went too far in their handling of the situation. Instead of 3 shots to the chest, i think blowing out a kneecap or something would have been more acceptable then taking the life of a middle school student.

You might want to have your brother-in-law explain the mechanics of this situation to you.

The two police officers fired 3 shots TOTAL. This means one fired once and the other twice. That is as minimal number of shots as you get get in this situation.

A bullet wound to the leg can be quite fatal and also less likely to stop someone from firing a gun that is already pointed at the officers.

A valid point, one thing you do have to remember is the trauma the bullet causes is based on the type of bullet. Most cops, in my area, use a nice glock 9 mm. Now 9 mm, while powerful, one shot (if it does not hit a vital artery or organ etc) will most likely not kill the victim depending on size and other factors.

 

[Reiterpallasch]

My brother in law is a police officer. Officers are taught that if presented with a dangerous situation and anyone pointing a dangerous weapon at them, they are trained to use deadly force. I dont think that what they did was justified, as 3 shots is too much to bring down an 8th grader. Personally if i was the police officer, i would have shot a knee cap or foot. That would drop most people rather than a kill shot. The important thing to remember is that this kid is around what, 13-14. I find that his actions were out of immaturity and not a quest for violence. Some kids are pushed over the edge sometimes, i can understand what that means (i would never threaten someone as sever as he did but still). When someone is hurt, they are driven to do things that they would not normally do. So my position is that they did their duty to protect the other students and themselves. However, i think they went too far in their handling of the situation. Instead of 3 shots to the chest, i think blowing out a kneecap or something would have been more acceptable then taking the life of a middle school student.

You might want to have your brother-in-law explain the mechanics of this situation to you.

The two police officers fired 3 shots TOTAL. This means one fired once and the other twice. That is as minimal number of shots as you get get in this situation.

A bullet wound to the leg can be quite fatal and also less likely to stop someone from firing a gun that is already pointed at the officers.

A valid point, one thing you do have to remember is the trauma the bullet causes is based on the type of bullet. Most cops, in my area, use a nice glock 9 mm. Now 9 mm, while powerful, one shot (if it does not hit a vital artery or organ etc) will most likely not kill the victim depending on size and other factors.

Hence the reason why cops normally shoot and keep shooting until the perp is down for the count.
Which is why quite a few people on this thread (including me) are arguing that 3 shots between two officers was a sign of remarkable restraint on the side of the officers.

 

[Foxtrotk72]

bit unfortunte that the kid had to die i guess police didn't know if it was a pellet or real gun until they shot him i recon he deserved it he was give chances but didn't listen but i dont know much about Texas police engagements like this cause im in Australia i feel sorry for the family who didn't know about it

 

[mega48man]

just a reminder that no matter where you look, either in starving nations or in small town american, life isn't fair...and can be cruelly so

 

[xXAsherahXx]

It was in Texas. Makes sense right there. I'm 100% certain that there was another way, but pellet guns do look a lot like real guns when meant to. Dunno why any kids pull that shit to begin with. I guess it's fun to cause a panic for the lulz. Idiot.

Oh well, it's sad that he died I suppose.

 

[CruisingForBiddies]

I don't think the kid got what he deserved at all. He may have drawn what the police officers at the time believed was a weapon but he certainly didn't deserve to die. Who ever who shot and killed him had the intentions of protecting themselves and anyone who may have been around at the time. To be honest I feel just as sorry for the person who pulled the trigger. Imagine having to live with that over your head.