You're dodging my question. What were the cops supposed to do when someone points a gun at them?
I would probably be devastated. But we don't make laws/policies based on how people FEEL. I hate to say it, and I know it sounds callous, but if this kid was stupid enough to try a stunt like that, he got what he deserved.
And really, "child" is a misnomer. He was a 13-14 year-old. He was not a "child," he was old enough to think rationally and be a dangerous killer.
We had a case in Uniontown, PA, a few years back, just a few days before Christmas. State Police were chasing a 12 year old kid. Two cops with guns drawn. The kid jumped a fence and so did the cops. One of the cops guns discharged when he jumped the fence and his partner thought the UNARMED child was shooting at him. He shot the UNARMED kid in the back and killed him. The internal investigation cleared the cop of SHOOTING AN UNARMED 12 YEAR OLD KID IN THE BACK AND KILLING HIM. The kid's crime? Joyriding. The penalty? Death. A civil suit is underway. The cops punishment? Reassigned to another part of the state.
The kid who shot a bunch of people in my school was 14. Old enough to kill, old enough to be killed.