Posted on 02/28/2005 10:24:11 AM PST by OXENinFLA
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A police officer fatally shot a 16-year-old boy outside a high school dance who was driving his car recklessly on campus grounds, officials said.
Jerrod Miller, a sophomore at Olympic Heights High School, died after he was shot about 9 p.m. outside a dance at another school, Delray Full Service Center, The Palm Beach Post reported.
Miller dropped off other kids at the dance and left, Delray Beach police said.
Then he returned and drove through the campus and its outdoor corridors, police said. Students were dodging his car.
An officer fired a shot in an attempt to stop the car, police said.
Relatives said Miller was a good kid who checked up on his grandmother and stayed off the streets.
''He wasn't that kind of kid. He was a good kid,'' said family spokeswoman Joelle Cornelius.
Delray Full Service Center is an alternative school for students with discipline problems.
Sunday morning, painted yellow lines marked the car's tire tracks and a small splatter of blood, scraped paint, and tire marks remained on the hallway wall.
Police declined to identify the officer or release additional information. A spokesman didn't return a phone message and page from The Associated Press.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
What is a 16 year old doing driving a Cadillac? (re: #4 on the event list)
I'm shocked he hit, and killed, the driver.
Delray Full Service Center? Sounds like a car repair shop.
If you are actively endangering the public, don't come crying to me when you get blasted. This is just another case of natural selection in action.
They were generally done about 2:00 in the grassy area between C and D wings. No one was around.
"It's time for someone to pipe up that "Any cop that can't disarm a 16 year old boy without shooting shouldn't be on the force."
The kid was "armed" with a motor vehicle and endangering the lives of other civilians. I'm not sure how the officer was to "disarm" that ton-and-half vehicle. Say "pretty please"?
Personally, I believe once a suspect is armed and dangerous, age is irrelevant.
"That being said, I'm glad he wasn't around when I used to burn donuts around my old high school."
Burning donuts in a parking lot outside the school is not the same as driving inside of a school. Also, I doubt you drive THROUGH a police post to do so, and I highly doubt you went to a school filled with kids with displinary problems.
Given the officer's judgement, I still feel safe.
I don't understand. The sign on the building did say "Full Service Center"...
Right-O. And the police in Florida never use excessive force, just as the moon is made of green cheese.
Finally an objective observation.
Is there an answer?
From what I understand, our information states clearly that witnesses don't know where the shots came from or which cop fired. It could have been from a different direction (or from amongst the kids) meaning the shots were not fired into the kids.
Speculation that if warranted would be objective. We don't know though. Not yet.
Where did you go to high school at? Was it an outside school like in CA?
Every police dept has different guidelines pertaining to the use of deadly physical force. The actions of this cop could have been in line with his dept guidelines or not. I know where I live, the cops are NEVER allowed to use deadly force against an automoblie UNLESS there is deadly force being used by the driver of the car BY SOME MEANS OTHER THAN THE CAR. In other words, if he is driving recklessly, the cops are not allowed to shoot at the car. If the driver is shooting out the window, however, you are allowed to shoot. And there is no such thing as shooting at tires up here.
Well, unless further investigation, I will side with the thin blue line until proven otherwise.
I see how the witnesses may not know for sure, but the article clearly states that the two officers were persuing the car on foot. That means they were behind the car, and that means what ever they were afraid he would run over was in front of them in the direction they were driving. Kid was dumb, and from what I've seen so far the cops weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer either.
Yeah...maybe he was looking for the pumps.
Ok, I will put this another way. You have someone blow by you in a car while you are on foot. You stop him from hitting someone. You miss the perp every time. Have you ever fired a standard issue at a moving vehicle? Accidents happen.
True.
But when I watch cop chases on TV I don't ever recall the cop, even standing next to the car as it drives off, start the chase off with gunfire. Most times the cop runs back to his car and gives chase.
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