Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Columnist objects to condemnation of cop who killed 13-year-old 'armed' with toy

That's all it takes--be a docile, compliant herbivore, and you'll probably not be killed ("chances are," not "even" arrested for being a boy with a toy gun!).

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someone turns on you with a presumed AK, what would your response be?

That said, the cops made some tactical blunders rushing in as they didn't. They could have hailed the kid from some distance, or behind cover.

And the kid was stupid too. If the gun was as real looking as people say, he should have been versed to understand some people - especially armed people - might see the object as a threat. Same could be said of a baseball bat or a knife as well - but those implements leave more reaction time.

Mistakes were made all around here. Let's hope law enforcement and families each use it as a learning experience.

Anonymous said...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/06/another-minor-traffic-stop-in-new-mexico-another-serious-violation-of-a-mans-body-same-exact-police-dog/

When sunlight, elections, common sense, and the "justice" system continually fail to put an end to this type of totalitarian bullshit - then what options are left to put a stop to it?

Anonymous said...

"The primary objectives of officers are to do their jobs, be safe and get home to see their loved ones at the end of each shift." Those are the thoughts of most citizens, as well. There is no need to put the public at risk through overzealous approaches and shootings. Not enough about the case is locatable, other than the kid was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Many people wear those. Where was the officer, where was the kid, what cover was available, were other people present? The "elite journalists" have not seen fit to provide that information. A lot of shootings nowadays turn out to be unjustified. Last time I saw a fellow with an AK, he had a 5 round magazine in it, during deer season. He was walking up the road past my house to get his truck & return for his deer. I was doing yard work and suggested he drive through my place to pick up the deer. No harm done. Later, the PD responded to a "man with gun" complaint. I explained the situation and they went away. In retrospect, I am glad I had nothing in my hands.

Jacob Gittes said...

I tried to read Hanson's article. It was tripe.
He's a sniveling, authoritarian scoundrel, with nothing but evil in his heart.

He claimed that the duty of police officers is to return home safe to their families.

Yes, that's it. The duty of what used to be peace officers is no longer to serve the public, even at risk of their lives.

It is to not get a hair on their heads hurt, even if it means slaughtering children. I especially liked how he called the dead child a "young man."

Hanson or Hansen, or whatever the hell his name is, is only human in form.

emtgene said...

Everyone is making a huge deal out of a 'child' being shot for carrying a 'toy' gun. 13 year olds may not necessarily look like a child, especially from behind as the article stated. The gun was a very realistic looking replica of an AK. What if it had been a real AK, and the young man a gang member who wanted to make some street cred? The cops could have very easily wound up being the ones with bullet holes in them. Yes, it is a tragic shooting, but the amount of hate being directed toward the officer is not deserved. He had to make a split second decision when an armed individual turned toward him. All the second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacks have all the time in the world to say what they would have done, but when micro-seconds count in whether you live or die you must decide and act on what you see. The phrase 'the quick or the dead' was not coined for no reason.

Anonymous said...

Ya, emtgene....I wonder if you'd be singing that tune had the kid been your son. Somehow, I highly doubt it.

Anonymous said...

emtgene, This is Sonoma we are talking about, not East San Jose. Sonoma is a quiet place -- the large stainless steel tank trucks you see driving around aren't picking up milk from dairy farmers, they are more likely full of grape juice. People move to Sonoma to get out of the city and out of the fast lane -- and to live some place where it is safe to let your kids bike around to their friend's houses. The cop let loose after 8 freaking seconds. If the cop put himself in a position where he had 8 seconds to analyze a situation involving a kid walking down the road, the cop f'ed up pretty badly. Your argument might play in parts of Oakland or San Jose, but not Sonoma. The cop put himself in a bad situation through bad situational awareness, and made a very bad decision that got a nice kid killed. Put me down as one of the people that think the cop should be hung out to dry. Multiple cops were on that call -- only one opened up -- does that tell you something?

WoodBurner said...

Had Deputy Erick Gellhaus followed Rule #3, Be sure of your target and what is beyond,
13-year-old Andy Lopez would have been able to go home to his family that night.

Anonymous said...

Was the RIGHT to CARRY actually adhered to, this would not have happened at all. Seeing a PERSON man woman or child carrying a rifle SHOULD NOT be an alarming sight. It should be COMMONPLACE.

The whole. " orange tip " safety law really works huh? I'm betting it comes out that the cops busted it off. Think about it - did we see pictures of zimmermans gun instantly? No? Regardless, SCAREDY COPS caused this along with gun control culture.

I read earlier where one bullet entered his butt and traveled up into his torso. THAT proves a great deal. The kid was shot after being PRONE! A cop thought he was gonna be a hero but instead he HAS to go to jail - FOR MURDER.

Paul X said...

I don't have much use for the kind of lowlifes who make excuses for this cop. Even if the "AK47" was real and it was an adult, not a kid, there is still no excuse for summary executions. And for all the bastards whining about a muzzle swinging around, keep in mind that the cop was at that time doing the very same thing, and with his finger on the trigger too. And oh, yeah, it was the cop that killed the kid, and not the other way around. I guess the "Only Ones" get special treatment, though. You can always tell the bootlickers when this sort of event rolls around...