Texas teen shooting: parents demand answers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ ^

[jakerobins]

The parents of a school pupil who was fatally shot by US police inside his South Texas school are demanding to know why officers took lethal action, but police said the boy was brandishing – and refused to drop – what appeared to be a handgun

[sevinufnine]

“This kid had clearly gone off the rails. Maybe the other boy had bullied him earlier. In that case, you catch him walking home from school and punch him, you don’t walk into a classroom and do it in front of a teacher and a classroom full of students.”

Here’s my take. I read the boy was 5’7” tall. We all know he was 15 yrs old meaning a full, two years OLDER than most of the kids in his grade. I doubt HE was getting bullied much as he is bigger/older than most of the kids in his grade. Me thinks just an angry young man. World is full of them.

[Hoosier Catholic Momma]

Oops! Paragraphs are our friends!

[sevinufnine]

True, cannot argue that. My mom’s older sister (by 13 months) had to start school a year late because my spoiled mom (my grandma made her rotten!) did not want my mother in the class without her older sister. Hence my aunt got to be a year older than the others. So your point is valid.

I grew up in elementary/middle school in 60’s early 70’s. WAs a different era not many kids were held back. Today I am sure it is much different. Very, glad to hear your kin have adjusted well and didn’t fall into the same category as this crazy kid in Texas.

[MotorCityBuck]

I also had to double take that one also!

[Cowboy Bob]

If this had happened a few miles south (in Mexico), nobody would care. He would just be one more statistic.

[y6162]

Nonsense. Their kid pointed a gun at a cop and they claim victimization? Puleeezze.....

[FreedomOfExpression]

It’s a Brit fish wrapper news paper.

True. Looked up Orlando Rodriguez. He is the Interim Chief of the Brownsville Police Department, which was the department involved.

[stuartcr]

I understand that, but when responding to a call at a middle-school, it seems like thay could have just cleared the place out, called for those items, and waited. They could have gotten behind some cover I would thing. I don’t think he had a hostage, did he?

[djanes]

I’ve got a CO2 pistol at home that looks like a 9mm Beretta from 20 ft away. If it is the same gun the kid had there was probably little likelyhood the cops knew it was a BB gun.

As to the question of whether or not it was a legitimate threat even if they knew it was an air gun? Well....mine can easily go through the end of an aluminum can (the heavier gauge part). Could that kill you? I suppose it’s possible if you were shot with it in a few key locations on the body. Even if you weren’t hit in one of those key areas it would hurt like hell. Would most likely go through a layer of clothes and break the skin.

I guess the key question the lawyers are going to ask here is if the cops knew it was a BB gun or not...and if they did know, is this a righteous shooting?

I suppose if I knew the kid was holding a BB gun and refused to drop it I would probably just shoot him in the leg or fire a warning shot a couple of feet over his head and watch him wet himself.

[wakibeach]

What a heartbreaker.
We make war on the unborn babies and young children.

[wakibeach]

How indeed?

[stuartcr]

You’re right. With 3 officers, I’m sure one of them could have hit his leg from behind some cover.

[stuartcr]

Very sad

[bgill]

Superintendent Carl Montoya remembered Gonzalez as "a very positive young man. He did music. He worked well with everybody."

Interesting that the superintendent had reason to know this kid. Wonder why. Most superintendents would do good to name three students. Or he had skimmed the kid's record and saw he was in a music class. Very positive and worked well with others sounds like a report rather than knowing the kid. Very positive and worked well with everyone? Really? Punched a kid in the face and wouldn't put down the gun when his teachers, principal and police told him to.

Gonzalez Sr. said he had no idea where his son got the gun or why he brought it to school, adding: "We wouldn't give him a gift like that."

Guess he didn't see the picture of the girl friend holding the gun.

Yes, org.whodat, it does look like the same gun. That or he has a stash of several of these guns.

[bgill]

it seems like thay could have just cleared the place out, called for those items, and waited. They could have gotten behind some cover I would thing. I don’t think he had a hostage, did he?

Sure, let's clear out the building by walking a few hundred students past this angry kid. There's so many things to use as cover in a long straight hallway. Good grief. They didn't know it wasn't a real gun. They had to act fast or he could have easily ducked into a classroom and had himself about 30 hostages.

[Clara Lou]

The rest of the students were locked in classrooms. This boy was walking the hall. How are you going to “clear the place” without exposing all of those students to the one with the gun? Hint: You’re not.

[STARWISE]

**click to donate**

[GenXteacher]

I hate it for the kid, but he pretty much brought all this down on himself.

[stuartcr]

Sounds like the hall was already cleared and since the doors were locked, they were safe. It’s not like he could have shot the locks off or injured them in any way.

[bamagirl1944]

The one that hit my stepson went in behind the left ear and lodged in the right temple.