Police kill unarmed 13 year old boy

Culture & Society Forum

What is going on?????? How could the police shoot and kill a little boy who was just 13?????????!!!!!

Ok number one, where is the article to go with this story? And two...what the hell is it doing in the Michael Jackson forum??

As to the 1st question - The boy stole a car ,and after crashing it in a high speed chase , was trying to run the police officers over with it

As to the second question- I have no clue what this has to do with MJ. Im thinking this thread would be better off in another forum

Moved. I see no relevance to Michael Jackson in this story.

This went down in Los Angeles, right?

-HECK!

Where else do you think a 13 year old boy steals a car and commits attempted murder?

I would've shot the little ****er.

Yeah. These punk kids now-a-days. They disserve whats comin'

but death???

if some idiot was trying to run me over i wouldn't hesitate to shoot.

do you know what the parents of the boy said? how would you think if it was your child?

i would've told the parents "your idiot kid was trying to run me over. sorry."

and if my kid ever stole a car and tried to run someone over with it, if the cops didn't beat the crap out of him, I would.

I'd give my boy da back hand if he ever did that. First I'd ask him what the hand says to the face..... then..... SLLLLLLLLAAAAPPPP!!! would be the answer

lmao

I added my own spin to it. You just gotta ruin my fun don't ya'

Makes me wish I had four hands... I'd give them ******* four thumbs down!

(asterisk added purposely)

-HECK!

Once a person turns a car on cops it becomes a weapon, they have every right to cut that sucker down. 'World's Wildest Police Chases' has taught me a lot.

-HECK!

i watch those sort of things HECK, there cool, we get american and English Cop chases here, one went right outside my house, and you could see it from the helicopter cam.

Could the police not have shot the back tyres out and then the boy would have lost control and the car would have swerved to the right or the left thus missing the cops or what about a non lethal shot to the shoulder or arm or time allowing bringing a cop car in fron of the police the boy was trying to hit you would damage the police car but the police would be unharmed and the boy would have nowhere to go.

I obvioulsy dont know the whol story like how fast the boy was going when he was aiming for the police, or where this happend was it a built up area or a open country road so I am just giving alternatives but I know the situation is dependent on the factors I have just mentioned. One thing I do know is that if you are shooting to kill then you have to have absolutly no doubt in your mind that you are doing the right thing.

Yeah, you can shoot the guy in the shoulder. BUT, if someone is speeding at you in a car you are not really thinking about his life but really focused on saving your own ass first. That means taking him out plus when someone is driving, their upper torso is the only part of their body exposed. Any shot to the upper torso is lethel (besides the shoulders) but when you are training to fire your gun you are taught to shoot at the center mass of someone (chest)

Thats weird because in the UK armed police are told to kill as a last resort every other time they are told to use no lethal force.
But like I said I don't know the whole story just what has been posted here so in this case I would give the police the benefit of the doubt. Anyway they will have to make an explanation of why they fired to thier commanding officer or chief of police or something right?

Here in the U.S. if you pose a risk to the officer's life, they can shoot you. Heck, why do you think World Cup 94 was so peaceful here? Everyone knows that our cops do not take any crap from anyone. Hooligans would not even risk it.


Here is the article on the shooting:
__________________________________________________
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Police Shooting of 13-Year-Old Roils L.A. Community
by Mandalit del Barco

Morning Edition, February 8, 2005 · Friends and neighbors of a 13-year-old boy say they can't understand why he was shot to death early Sunday morning. Los Angeles Police say Devin Brown was suspected of stealing a car and led officers on a three-and-a-half mile chase. Officials say an officer opened fire after the boy backed the car into a police cruiser.

This story sort of changes things in my mind backing in to a cruiser in my view does not mean that the cops life was in danger, if we are going by that logic then if you accidently reverse in to somebodys car you could be chrged with endangering life or attempted murder, I have seen this happen on things like Police stop and Cops etc and the police never openend fire on those guys.

PS I think the World Cup was so pecaeful for 2 reasons 1. The Americans are very welcoming and 2. England fans did not attend

Mr. F. ran into a bunch of Scots at a pub before he went to a semi-final in L.A. They were a lot of fun.


Yes, the story did change from what I had heard. I think they had other options in this case.

ok yeah that was overboard. I was under the impression that the police were out of their cars on foot and the boy was trying to run them over. That's ridiculous.

its not just english fans Lodgebo ... Italian fans are racist, and that is bad type casting ... its the minority of english fans that ruin it for everyone else.

Hmm. He backed into a police cruiser and thats why they shot him?

The only other thing I can think of why they shot him is maybe he was black. You always hear about cops putting the smack down on african americans and stuff. Sad crap.

I worked with an ex-cop for months, here is what I picked up.

Police are trained to use lethal force as a last resort.
When lethal force in warrented, the method is to double tap (2 shots in rapid succesion) center of mass.
Anytime a weapon is unholstered, even if it isnt used, piles of paperwork need to be filled out and the unholstering needs to be justified by supervision. If it is deemed unjustified, a negative mark is made on the cops permanent record.
When a fatal shooting occurs , the officer in question is automaticly suspended from duty (with pay) . The officer reports back for normal duty only after mountains of paperwork, commitee hearings and thorough psychological counseling. (read: months)

From what I gathered from the news report, the kid smashed the car into a fence and a parked car. The police then attempted to pin him in with thier car , and got out to apprehend the suspect. (textbook technique)

The second the kid backs the car towards the officers he is considered to be in possesion of a deadly weapon.

Just because he has a deadly weapon lethal force isnt always warrented. (it usually is)

In order to use deadly force the lives of one of the officers or the public must be in danger. If the cruiser or the fence were giving way that would be the case.

I cant tell for certain either way if it was justified (looks like it though)

One thing I do find interesting . If this was a 23 year old, it wouldve gotten a paragraph in the local papers. But because it was a kid, and because the public tends to feel empathetic towards kids , the papers are playing it up nationwide. Truth is, a teenager can kill you just as dead.

In such tense moments, the decision relies on the judgement of the police officer. Of course, journalists and newspapers love to autopsy such incidents in minute detail, since hindsight is always 20/20. The officers acted to the best of their judgement in that situation. Whether their judgement was inaccurate does not matter as much as whether they gave their judgement enough options.

M.

I heard half of a CNN report wherein somebody actually suggested the LAPD policy be changed, forbidding police to fire upon a vehicle that is trying to run them over.

Can you imagine being a police instructor and a recruit asks you what he should do if he cant find cover?

Er.... take it like a man

First of all get all your freaking facts straight, number 1 the car was NOT stolen, Second, the kid NEVER attempted to run over the cop, third, would you feel the same way if your kid stole your car and the cops pumped 10 bullets in him????Oh, by the way the mom was sleep at 3:30 a.m. Like you know every move your kid makes.

OH, BY THE WAY: WHY DIDN'T THE COPS FEMALE PARTNER NOT FEEL THREATENED. SHE NEVER FIRED HER WEAPON. NOW IF SHE FELT THEIR WAS DANGER PRESENT SHE WOULD HAVE FIRED, ALSO. DO THE MATH

one and only - You have to learn how to talk in a polite manner and not in a 'yelling' manner. If you were more professional I think I would take you more serious.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but only regarding the matters which are under speculation. We cannot disagree on the facts, which are neutral and cannot be altered to suit's one's opinion. Right now, the facts as reported in the article are that the kid did try to run over the police officer. If what transpired is different, than let those facts be brought forward and I am sure everyone's opinion will change.

And if you want a balanced view, either do not empathize with either party and look at the incident from a detached perspective, or empathize with both of them.

M.

I have to admit...its hard for me to empathize with the kid. Not in that he died because I find very sad and disturbing, but many too many people dont realize how quick a cop has to think in times like this. Cops arent perfect 100 percent of the time..and they are worried about their lives; they want to go home at the end of the night.

Anyhow..I wont say much more...we only know probably half of the story. The media is good at only printing what they want.

Regardless of wether this kid stole the car or not I think we should be asking why a 13 year old got into a car and started driving it. One way of looking at it is that at 13 he lacks the reaction time etc to control a car and could have killed a lot of people.
I still don't condone killing this boy but the truth is that he put himself in the situation that led to his death had stayed home he would be alive today.

How could he have NOT stolen the car? How many 13 year olds do you know that own a car?

NOW THAT THE INVESTIGATION IS COMPLETE WHICH CLEARLY LEADS US TO BELIEVE THAT THE OFFICER WAS STANDING ON THE SIDE OF THE KIDS CAR WHEN HE BEGAN FIRING HIS WEAPON. SO WHERE WAS THE DANGER??? INTERESTING DON'T YOU THINK???

Okay..picture yourself standing next to your vehicle (as an officer) and a stolen car you have been chasing pulls up and hits your car...and you see the suspect reaching for something...what reaction do you think is normal for that officer?? Do you even know which side of the vehicle the cop was standing?

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0210/4182740.jpg

This kid hit that car with so much force that it shattered the windows of the car...

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0210/4182743.jpg

Dont be so judgmental...as I said...if you havent been in the shoes of a person who has seconds to react..then you have no room to be judging at all. IMO.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures, however the office did all the damage to his police cruiser. Also, I wonder how people would react to a situation like this if the kid was one of their family members. No need to get all huffy, I thought this forum was to voice ones opinions..... umm...
Oh, by the way where in the investigation did it say the kid was reaching for something? Oh, I forgot that's standard procedure to say " Oh, I thought they were reaching for a gun".

mystic, did i pick up from that last post that your a police officer?

well taking the car out underage makes he quite the oposite to a bystander, and driving reculously makes he worse

OH, MY GOD IT WAS APPROX. 3:00 A.M., IN THE MORNING. THE KID WAS STAYING OVER AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE WHILE HIS HOUSE HAD REPAIRS DONE. HIS MOM WAS AT WORK, SINCE HIS DAD PASSED RECENTLY THE MOM HAD TO TAKE ON ANOTHER JOB. OH, BY THE WAY DO YOU SIT UP AND WATCH YOUR KID AT THAT TIME IN THE MORNING, OR ARE YOU ASLEEP? I DOUBT IF YOU KNOW EVERY STEP YOUR KID MAKES WHEN HE/SHE ARE OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. IT'S UNFAIR TO BLAME THE MOTHER FOR THIS ONE. IN OTHER INSTANCES, I AGREE PARENTS SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, BUT NOT THIS ONE. HAVE A GREAT DAY!