Coroner's jury rules police shooting of 12-year-old boy 'justified'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | 1/28/03 | Jonathan D. Silver & Cindi Lash

[Dane]

Trooper "acted in a reasonable manner"

After deliberating 55 minutes, a Fayette County coroner

[BlueLancer]

Close ... but no cigar. In the same manner that I have shown him not to play with fire, stick things into the electrical socket, or play with the guns that I have in the house, I have emphasized that there is a right and there is a wrong and that doing wrong leads to unwelcome consequences.

If he set himself on fire playing with matches, I wouldn't blame the match company. If he sticks a screwdriver into the electrical socket, I wouldn't blame the power company or the tool maker. If he shoots himself playing with one of my guns, I wouldn't blame the company that made the rifle or the gunshop that sold it to me.

I teach him what I believe to be important to his survival and development. The consequences of his actions are his ... and I have told him so.

[marktwain]

What nobody is mentioning is that the age of the theif is totally irrelevant here. There is no way that the police officer could have know his age before hand. He was plenty big enough to be an adult, plenty big enough to kill people.

Under the law, what is reasonable depends on what you know at the time of the incident, not what was found out afterward!

Yes, this was tragic, but it sounds like a justifiable shooting to me, given what was in the officers mind at the time.

[BlueLancer]

Perfect parent? Hardly.
Perfect child ... not likely.

But, over the years, the one lesson that I have been entirely consistent on is that actions have consequences. Very early on, he was taken to the local county lock-up and shown where "bad people" go, where they have to stay when they "do bad things". It was also made quite clear to him that consequences are borne by those who make the actions that result in them.

Those teachings, and attendance in a a private religious/military school, I hope will lead him along the straight and narrow and guide him to a productive and happy life. However, there is only so much that a parent can do except to prepare their children for the future; actions have consequences and it is on their head, not mine, to refrain from such conduct that leads them to disaster.

[RWG]

He may not have seen the weapon but he did hear a gun go off and an officer fall. In hindsight the first and immeadiate inference does not turn out to be correct. It could have been exactly right however. If it came to me or the criminal under these circumstances, I always choose me. The gun going off and the officer falling would not have happened if the criminal had not run. Justified in every way. The officer can patrol my neighborhood anytime.

[Lee308]

>I'm not condoning the car theft and you know it but I >expect more sound judgement out of police officers than >was shown in this case and you should, too.

"I'm not condoning car theft" ??? YES YOU ARE ! I am very pleased the little criminal is DEAD! If the little POS got away, or worse, was caught and saw that the court would do nothing to him/her, he/she would have been given the green light to continue the crime spree. Was it the first offense? Tuff . One less breeding roach to feed off me.
Oh, I pay tax's. Lots and Lots of tax's. I don't care if the runner was 8 or 80. If a cop says stop, you'd better FOLLOW THE LAW! The law states that failure to follow a lawful order of a peace office is a crime. If you fail to follow their orders, I want you DEAD. You are a threat to me, the cop is not. I don't go joy riding in stolen cars. I know liberal's can't understand this concept, but its called Personal Responsibility. Its not "the govnmints fault"! ARGGGGHHH.
Lee308

[Wolfie]

the way i see it he prevented future crimes

There was a study last year that said the same thing about abortion.

[trebb]

My hats are off to the cops - I spent 24 years in the military, but don't believe I would want to do their job. If our society would be a lot tougher on the criminals (and wayward parents) by enforcing the "accountability for your actions" rule more severely, perhaps tragedies like this would be a lot rarer. As it is, I have no compassion for someone who is killed in the commission of a crime. Better 10 wayward youngsters dead from this type thing than 1 cop who puts it all on the line everyday...

[ShadowDancer]

You are one sick piece of work.

[freebilly]

Just another link in the chain called "police state".

[freebilly]

If you fail to follow their orders, I want you DEAD. You are a threat to me, the cop is not

This way to the showers, ladies and gentlemen, just follow the directions from the nice uniformed man, there....

[E.Allen]

"Stupidity cannot be cured with money or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity."
--Robert Heinlein

[TheOtherOne]

The posts on this thread are a sad testament to a lack of understanding of the Constitutional protections against this type of police action - and more importantly, why the exist. While not a perfect system, as it includes many protections for the innocent that benefit the guilty, it is nevertheless the fairest system ever devised.

To justify the police killing anyone, 12 or otherwise, based on the circumstances here - is to give back the Rights and Liberties our forefathers died for. It is pathetic to watch as many on FR give back their rights and protections in the Constitution with eagerness.

[toothless]

:)

[freeper12]

>> I am very pleased the little criminal is DEAD

ahhh, and they say there is no such thing as compassionate conservatism.

[Poohbah]

Actually, it's pathetic to watch enablers like you defend punk 12-year-olds who steal cars, destroy property, et cetera.

[TheOtherOne]

The suspect should have been apprehended, arrested, and tried. Not executed. It is not difficult to understand. One can be against criminal actions and illegal police action at the same time.

[Teacher317]

These two cops weren't the ones who told the punk to steal a car and put innocent lives in danger.

No, but these two were the ones firing guns in public alleys, even unintentionally. Shall we advocate shooting them as well?

The nice part is that FR has shrill pro-police-killings folk around here to utter such inanities
(like, "he prevented future crimes [by killing a 12-year-old]. no doubt a 12 year old stealing a car isnt leading up anything good ", and
"the little thug was in a stolen vehicle. It's quite clear that he didn't stop when ordered to do so... Sounds like a good [killing] to me. " and
"I am very pleased the little criminal is DEAD! ... One less breeding roach to feed off me... If you fail to follow their orders, I want you DEAD. "),
so that people who have a soul can see which side of the is just, and which simply wants the death penalty for any and every crime, without the benefit of a trial, judge, jury, Constitution, appeals process, or any other apparently inconvenient aspect of a Justice system.

Of course, the hate-filled posters who utter such phrases are also the ones who are quick to overlook the fact that the officers had drawn their weapons for a foot-race (against their training), they kept the weapon in their hands to jump the fence (against their training), and they fired on a suspect based on their assumptions rather than what they witnessed (against their training).

[TheOtherOne]

Poohbah, sorry to see you join the ranks of those approving of this type of police killing. I had respected your opinion on many issues.

[Poohbah]

The suspect should have been apprehended, arrested, and tried.

Well, then, he should've stopped running and come quietly.

Your due process rights go on hold while you're actively resisting arrest.