Plea for help turns deadly (police react to threat)

AZ Central ^

[Stew Padasso]

Parents call teen suicidal, police react to 'threat'

Parents' plea for help for their 15-year-old son, who was holding a kitchen knife and threatening suicide, turned deadly early Monday when Mesa police shot him in front of his family.

Westwood High School junior Mario Albert Madrigal Jr. was shot multiple times in the carport of his home near Dobson and Longmore roads in west Mesa after police said he came toward them with a knife "in a threatening manner."

[TonyWojo]

All three fired their weapons.

[PLMerite]

Lot of conflicting stories here.

Whomever's lying should go to jail.

[white trash redneck]

He was suicidal, so they shot him. Sheesh!

One thing is for certain - cops in AZ don't take crap off anybody. It's no coincidence that many of the SC cases establishing defendants' rights (e.g. Miranda) originated in AZ as a result of zealous law enforcement.

[coloradan]

Our fine men in blue save a troubled teen and his family from the tragedy of suicide.

[Sir Gawain]

Nah, the cops watch out for each other. Worst case they'll be given a cushy desk job. No jail time for officers. It was self defense! Case closed.

[Stew Padasso]

The boy's parents said their son had dropped the knife after he was shot with a Taser gun moments earlier and was not a threat to officers.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The boy's parents said their son had dropped the knife after he was shot with a Taser gun moments earlier and was not a threat to officers.

"He's got the knife and he's advancing toward the officers in a threatening manner. They are telling him to stop and he doesn't obey any of their verbal commands," Goulet said. "He's coming at them regardless of the Taser. At that point they had to discharge their weapons."

The parents' version and the cops' version of events are completely different here. I'm not sure what to make of this. I find it hard to believe the cops would shoot the kid after he dropped the knife

[Bikers4Bush]

Never bring a knife to a gunfight.

How much of a threat is a drunk 15 year old that's been tasered twice?

[coloradan]

Was the kid advancing on all three officers, which is why all of them discharged their weapons? Kinda makes one think twice about calling the police to intervene in a suicide case, no? "The police are here to protect us."

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

This is weird. The parents said that the kid was shot when he was down on the floor and had dropped the knife. The cops say that the kid was shot when he was advancing toward them with the knife after the Taser had no effect. The forensics people are going to have to look at the blood splashes (size, shape, location) to determine what really happened. The cops' and parents' version of the events are completely different.

[coloradan]

The entry angles of the bullets will also be significant. If the kid was standing up straight, the bullets will enter approximately horizontally. If he was standing but hunched over, they will enter his body at a downward angle. But, if he was on the ground with his feet facing one of the officers, the bullets will enter with an upward angle.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Oh yes, I'm sure the coroner's office is going to be looking real hard at the bullet angles.

[El Laton Caliente]

"Law Enforcement Officers shoot the wrong person over 11% of the time" - John Lott

They have a lot of practice on covering up their mistakes...

[francisr]

"His father said the knife was pointing toward the floor"

the father also said he had dropped the knife and was on the ground --- so he was on the ground having dropped the knife that was now pointing to the floor -
and
they wanted him to go to rehab for the second time for a serious drinking problem he didn't have
so that he could join the army - after being a good kid
all righty then

[JoeSixPack1]

15, drunk, tazored and killed in front of his parents at home by three LEO's who all shot to kill in unison.

I thought only 007 had a license to kill for the thrill?

[Stew Padasso]

Interesting statistic. Where can I find that documented?

[Sabatier]

From last year in Chandler, Arizona, a case where a woman was shot and killed by an officer:

"[Officer] Lovelace responded to a Chandler Walgreens on Oct. 11, 2002 after it was reported that 35-year-old
Nelson was trying to pass a fake prescription for the muscle relaxer Soma. Within minutes of Lovelace's arrival,
Nelson tried to drive away, hitting Lovelace's parked police motorcycle. Lovelace told investigators that he
feared for his life and fired once as Nelson drove toward him.

Witnesses and physical evidence indicate that 38-year-old Lovelace was behind Nelson's Chevrolet Camaro
and in no danger when she disobeyed the officer and began to drive away, according to police reports."
http://www.ahwatukee.com/afn/community/articles/030402c.html

[Traffic_Can]

"All three fired their weapons"

Lets see, figure fifteen rounds X 3 = 45 rounds. If I'm not mistaken, the officers are trained to empty their magazines. That's gotta to hurt! Tsk, tsk, tsk.

[El Laton Caliente]

It is in one of his books, the first if I remember correctly.

He also has a web site www.johnlott.com I think. DO NOT go to www.askjohnlott.com it is a fake by the gun grabbers.

I know the source has been posted on www.ak-47.net in the general discussion forum. Do s search for John Lott (he's our hero).