Posted on 06/13/2026 11:46:02 PM PDT by Morgana
A sheriff's deputy has been fired after allegedly shooting an unarmed Texas freshman dead in his car.
Brazoria County deputy Kevin Tippit was sacked this week following an investigation into the death of John Mendoza Jr, 18, on June 1.
Protests erupted at Texas State University after it was claimed that Tippit fired at the student following a routine traffic stop near Lake Jackson, around 55 miles south of Houston.
Police said Tippit tried to pull Mendoza over when he left a park, but the freshman allegedly tried to flee the scene and led the deputy on a mile-long pursuit.
Mendoza's family dispute the claim he fled police, saying he drove slowly back to his father's nearby home, did not try to evade Tippit, and was shot with his hands in the air before the deputy gave him any instruction.
Mendoza was shot in the garage of his family home, and was pronounced dead when he was taken to hospital. The teenager was not armed, police said.
Following a two-week investigation into the shooting, Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman said he fired Tippit, condemning his actions in a scathing video statement.
'The authority that is entrusted to law enforcement officers is extraordinary, and with that authority comes a responsibility to exercise sound judgment, follow policy and uphold the standards that are expected by this profession,' he said.
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Was the internet around when you were 18?
Back then, the stories from distant places were just those considered to be of national importance, local crimes didn’t get reported as state, national or world news. You would see it in your town’s paper and maybe a countywide news report, but that’s it. Even local murders didn’t make national news like they do today.
But these days, the activities of teenagers in some backwater can and do get reported if they do something that fits usefully into some big global or national agenda like “defund the police,” “lgbtq issues,” “anti-ice” or whatnot, ir if the story bleeds, it leads regardless, because of the massive appetite for rage content.
That said, you are right in that it would be exceedingly rare for a teen in 1950 or 1960 to ignore a cop even if they were fortunate enough to be driving a car. Speaking of which , there were not that many teens driving cars decades ago as now, which may also be why this ignoring or running from traffic cops was unheard of.
And if this was an autism case, for example -autistic, or overanxious unresponsive kids then would probably be in a mental facility of some kind or in special ed and not allowed to drive around or do much unsupervised.
A spoiled brat of a high school principal or local politician might do something stupid like drive away, but back then, there hadn’t yet been massive riots of people with their own teams of lawyers, and bail already arranged, and elected officials joining in calls to demand the defunding of police.
This generation is definitely peculiar, but so is our media’s news coverage.
Sheriff is really hanging his guy out to dry, tainting a jury pool as much as possible. I hope the guy did bad and not a sleazy sheriff trying gor political gain.
You just never get the full facts in today’s high information speeds. You get a lot of one angle, none of the whole truth.
In the old days we got rumor and nothing else.
Riots either way.
Maybe he just wanted to save budget since the outcome will be obvious to him. But we know nothing really.
It’s a myth that police can’t shoot an unarmed (discovered later) suspect. All that is needed is probable cause for a serious threat of death or bodily injury. Michael Brown was one example.
Running from police on an extended chase ramps up this probable cause significantly.
It’s almost always an unknown whether a suspect in the commission of a crime is unarmed until the situation is completely under police control.
Running is a bad vibe. Yet young scared officers are an issue. It takes a lot to get off to train and shoot. They work hard put up with crap. It’s a hard job and now kids are taught they are azzholes. In my day I trusted them and I’m an asshole. I’m afraid the cops are more afraid of us than we are of them. It’s all over the news bad guys walk. Not good.
It sounds like it started out as a routine stop, and then turned into a car chase.
Bull💩. AI right shithead?
Yep. I’m not justifying this cop’s actions, only pointing out that “unarmed” does not automatically imply innocence. But the media uses it constantly to stoke racial outrage.
Thank you too much.
Routine in the USA, but many other countries are nowhere near as aggressive arresting people's travel. And when they do, the fine amounts are not in the territory of highway robbery. Hopefully, AI tools will eventually change things for the better. There shouldn't be so many psychopaths on the loose, nor government meatheads with guns making so many traffic stops.
Agreed, was lit up by police when I was 17 for speeding. Pulled over, was respectful, and was given a warning🤔. I am 63
To say there is no difference in regards to police seems odd
Perhaps IQ is part of it , but lack of respect for life and authority seems more of an issue. I, me, mine.
Chris rock covered it well in his video
👍
The criminal led the police on a mile long car chase- and they describe this as a “routine traffic stop”?? The Daily Mail UK is obviously a vile sick organization. I hope the police sue the s**t out of them.
razoria County deputy Kevin Tippit
Any relation to Dallas PD officer JD Tippet ?
I don’t remember police behaving this way either.
I was in a number of those fleeing cars. I do remember.
We also did not have the aggressive militarized police we have now. A traffic stop now is multiple squads, tactical gear, and pointed guns. In my day it was probably my friend Bobs dad.
They fired this officer but I bet he still has his credentials.
Watch out, ID has a growing population of far-out leftists of which many are unaware.
If the spelling of the names is different, there is 99.9 percent of no relation.
D’oh, I misspelled it. The spelling is the same .
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