Why was the deputy there? Clearly, he was called. Someone else was concerned about the weapon this kid was carrying in a crap neighborhood. It is not mentioned in any article over the past several months why the deputy was called to the scene.
Things that were not printed in the paper; the kid was suspended from school; his parents are illegals; it is rumored he threatened a woman with the weapon and that is why the police were called. People will say what difference does this make? True enough, but in a story of another youth shot in Windsor the paper points out he was an “A” student, parents employed. Why is it relevant in one case and not another?
Easy to arm chair qb the thing. Gelhaus is an Iraq vet. He has seen plenty of the AKs. Now QB this; yu are an Iraq vet, you are told someone is threatening people in a toilet of a neighborhood with a weapon, you show up, you see a sizable male (He did not appear as a 13 year old at your vacation Bible camp) with a weapon who turns to face yu weapon in hand.
And for the open carry folks (I am a fan of open carry). There is a difference between a slung weapon in a rural environment and carrying openingly in NYC. There is a difference between farmer Brown in rural Iowa and a young MExican in gang colors with an AK in hand in a crap neighborhood in a well populated area where nearly every other house is a grow.
Look at the pictures; the weapon looks real enough to me. Look at the 4 year old kid punching a effigy of the deputy; the communty’s attitude is a combative one.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/topics/andy_lopez
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140707/articles/140709709
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140707/articles/140709706
pictures
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/gallery/gallery/20140707.707009996.html
Who are you kidding??? Cops with brains are fully aware that there are toys looking like real things out there but a trained cop who teaches firearms to trainees should be able to tell the difference. Even an untrained eye can see which is the toy.
And even if it was real what gives him the right to shoot the carrier in the back — within less than 10 seconds of seeing him???
A 4-year-old boy punched and stomped on a piñata with an image of Gelhaus’ face before other protesters joined in. Several people wore shirts adorned with the image of Lopez and chanted in Spanish “Para Andy, justicia.”
I'm not sure you intend this, but you just built the foundation of an argument for NOT hiring combat veterans to be public servants in the police department.