8th-grader killed by Texas police had pellet gun

VAKEMP · 01-05-2012, 12:56

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...ad-pellet-gun/

Quote:

(CBS/AP)

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Police say the weapon a Texas eighth-grader pointed at officers in a school hallway before they killed him was a pellet gun that looked like a real handgun.

Interim Brownsville Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez says 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez had "plenty of opportunities" to lower the weapon but "didn't want to."

Rodriguez says two officers fired three shots and struck Gonzalez at least twice.

Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy.

cont...

People are now saying the cops that shot the 15-year old used excessive force.

Streck-Fu · 01-05-2012, 13:01

If the pictures accompanying online articles are correct, the gun looked real enough. Can't fault the police in this one and I am an admitted critic of unnecessary force from police.

alelks · 01-05-2012, 13:12

Unfortunately for the child, his relatives and the officers involved I think the officers did what they had to do. That gun looked real enough.

Also unfortunately I can see a lawyer getting a hold of this and taking them to court.

What ever happened to personal responsibility and "Accidents Happen". Everything these days seems to lead to a law suit.

JimP · 01-05-2012, 13:43

They can take them to court all they want and they will NOT collect jack-squat. It was a good shoot. Tragic....but good. Officers are not required to gamble with their lives. When a cop says: "Drop the gun". You drop the gun or die. Doesn't matter if the thing was carved out of soap - if they thought it to be real, then they are covered and acted reasonably under the circumstances.

Richard · 01-05-2012, 13:44

Everybody loses in a tragic situation like this one - sad.

Richard

fng13 · 01-05-2012, 14:17

Definitely a shame. From the article it seems that the kid knew what he was doing, as much as any kid his age knows.

The gun looks real enough in the picture. I feel for the cop who had to do his duty.

tunanut · 01-05-2012, 14:49

Dad aways said, "Play stupid games; win stupid prizes!"

Buffalobob · 01-05-2012, 14:53

Cowards not able to face down a 15 year old kid because they were afraid. Anyone who has been a combat officer or medic knows that the job requires you to face your fears and do a job that often means putting your weapon aside and getting out your map or aid bag even though there is danger. Just a pure and simple case of cowardice and shooting a kid in the back of the head.

HarabecWeathers · 01-05-2012, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Cowards not able to face down a 15 year old kid because they were afraid. Anyone who has been a combat officer or medic knows that the job requires you to face your fears and do a job that often means putting your weapon aside and getting out your map or aid bag even though there is danger. Just a pure and simple case of cowardice and shooting a kid in the back of the head.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from the statistics I have read, a disproportionately large amount of violent criminals are around that age. Given that teenagers' brains are less-developed than those of adults, could that not make them at least a bit more dangerous, and if not that, more unpredictable?

Paslode · 01-05-2012, 15:11

Every kid knows the rules for guns and knives at school, they are are a no go in any shape or form including use of your finger. And unfortunately this kid appears to have taken the orange tip off the pistol which might have tipped off the cops it was a fake.

If the officers made every effort to remedy the situation in a peaceful manner and the kid defied their requests and actually pointed the toy at them, then the kid played the odds one to many times and put the LEO's in a no win situation.

JimP · 01-05-2012, 15:31

Buffalo - maybe you're from the Vietnam generation but if a young 15 yr old kid vietnamese pointed an AK at you, you'd put your weapon away and try to talk him down...??

If not - why are you requiring the cops to do so here??

I guess you can call me a coward as well because there's no way I'd "hope" the kid wouldn't shoot me. I'd try to shoot him first. Only if i could 100% GUARANTEE that I recognized the pistol as a fake, would I NOT shoot.

15 years old will kill you grave-yard dead same as a 26 year old combat vet. Bullets don't care who does the triggering.

alelks · 01-05-2012, 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Cowards not able to face down a 15 year old kid because they were afraid. Anyone who has been a combat officer or medic knows that the job requires you to face your fears and do a job that often means putting your weapon aside and getting out your map or aid bag even though there is danger. Just a pure and simple case of cowardice and shooting a kid in the back of the head.

How exactly did they act like a coward? Gun raised, told to put it down, didn't, most likely pointed it at them and they took the appropriate action.

It's never a good idea to put your gun down when someone else has theirs out making threatening gestures?

It's not the kid they have to be afraid of, it's the weapon, and it doesn't matter who's hands it's in.

PSM · 01-05-2012, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paslode

And unfortunately this kid appears to have taken the orange tip off the pistol which might have tipped off the cops it was a fake.

Pellet, BB, and airsoft guns don't have the orange tips. On the other hand, a bad guy could easily paint one on a real weapon.

Pat

Leozinho · 01-05-2012, 18:14

Buffalo,
Your hatred for the police is making you look deranged. I can guess you had an issue in the past with police, but you need to put that aside and look at the facts as they are known.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Cowards not able to face down a 15 year old kid because they were afraid.

I'll play along and just imagine that the age of the kid is relevant when he has what appears to be a weapon. How where the responding officers supposed to know his age? They don't get a bio of a gunman when racing to respond to a call. Are 15 year olds unable to murder?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Anyone who has been a combat officer or medic knows that the job requires you to face your fears and do a job that often means putting your weapon aside and getting out your map or aid bag even though there is danger.

They know there's danger and they didn't avoid it. Had they NOT responded to the call, then they'd have avoided putting themselves in danger. But don't expect them to get shot before returning fire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Just a pure and simple case of cowardice and shooting a kid in the back of the head.

So if a gunman is pointing a weapon at your daughter, and you have a shot at the back of his head, you'd be a coward if you took it? (Can't believe I'm bothering to ask this rhetorical question, but your biased post calls for it.)

Buffalobob · 01-05-2012, 18:25

Quote:

Your hatred for the police is making you look deranged. I can guess you had an issue in the past with police, but you need to put that aside and look at the facts as they are known.

Cowardice is cowardice. If your life is more important than your self respect then pull the trigger.

Quote:

but if a young 15 yr old kid vietnamese pointed an AK at you, you'd put your weapon away and try to talk him down...??

Ran plenty of missions in a free fire zone and we didn't kill women and children. I would not allow my men to do that nor would I. I have more concern for my self respect than that.