Autopsy Shows 12-Year-Old Boy Was Shot in Back After Police Chase

The AP ^ | Dec 26, 2002 | AP

[EBUCK]

Autopsy Shows 12-Year-Old Boy Was Shot in Back After Police Chase The Associated Press Published: Dec 26, 2002

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A 12-year-old boy who died after a police chase was shot in the back, according to an autopsy released Thursday. Michael Ellerbe was shot and killed Tuesday after crashing a stolen vehicle in Uniontown, about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

Police said two troopers chased Ellerbe after he tried to run away. During the foot chase, shots were fired and Ellerbe was struck in the heart by a bullet. He died later at a hospital.

The coroner said the autopsy showed Ellerbe had been shot in the back.

State police, who have placed troopers Juan Curry and Samuel Nassan on administrative leave, refused to discuss the shooting Thursday and have not released additional information, including whether authorities believed Ellerbe was armed.

Michael Hickenbottom, the boy's father, acknowledged his son would disappear from the home at times but said, "Michael was not a problem child."

AP-ES-12-26-02 1952EST

[EBUCK]

Guess he was running a bit to fast for the protectors and servants.

EBUCK

[steve50]

I'll bet it's declared a justified shoot, you can set the odds

[EBUCK]

Killer cop(s) shoots 12 Year old in the back.

PING....

EBUCK

[Triple]

bump

[EggsAckley]

You're siding with the criminal on this one?

[EBUCK]

You bet...no way our boys in blue are found to culpable...perhaps some out of court settlement to keep the parent(s) out of the media but these cops will certainly be back in the protection racket soon enough.

EBUCK

[babygene]

I read in another article that he was actually hit twice. Another bullet also grazed his arm.

So much for the accidental shooting defense…

[TankerKC]

I still don't see enough information to make a judgement on this one.

[EBUCK]

You think I should side with the cops here? With the limited info released (and you know if the kid was armed/shooting it would have been mentioned here) these cops obviously killed a 12 year old for running...last I looked, the penalty for running was no where near death...

EBUCK

[lodwick]

A twelve year old car thief...sounds like a life of crime was nipped in the bud.

[crystalk]

This man had led police on a mad car chase and then fled on foot...the police would have had no way to know he was only 12 yrs of age, but my theory is:

If they are old enough to do the act, they are old enough to pay the same penalty for it as would be paid by a perp of any age whatever.

[B Knotts]

The kid deserved punishment, but it should have come from a judge and jury.

It's hard to say that it was definitely an unjustified shoot, but this one is harder to presume as justified than not.

I just hate to see hot dog cops out there, tarnishing the image of the majority of good cops. The rules for deadly force should not differ between police officers and other citizens.

Of course, more facts are still needed to determine what happened. Hopefully, there will be an honest unbiased investigation.

[EBUCK]

I still don't see enough information

That is what leads me to make my judgement. If the cops involved had any sort of defense it would have been mentioned.. EBUCK

[Smogger]

I'll bet it's declared a justified shoot, you can set the odds

It's always a justified shoot.

I can think of a dozen or so cases like that out here in Cali and all of them were found the be justified. DA's have no balls when it comes to these type of cases. Neither do the Feds for that matter. Usually it take a jury and a civil judgement to get any kind of "justice" for the deceased.

Judge, jury, executioner... About the best you can hope for if you are executed by one of these yahoo's is your family will hire Johnny Cochran.

[Crucis Country]

acknowledged his son would disappear from the home at times but said, "Michael was not a problem child."

'Course not! Every 12 year old boy steals cars as a hobbie.

Do ya just suppose that if he'd been home that he wouldn't have been shot?

[EBUCK]

You sick SOB...since when are cops justified in shooting a 12 year old, or anyone else for that matter, without the criminal posing an imediate threat to civilians/cops?

NEVER.

EBUCK

[Smogger]

If they are old enough to do the act, they are old enough to pay the same penalty for it as would be paid by a perp of any age whatever.

And that penalty should be what? Summary execution? A lot of you are too sick for words.