13-Year-Old With Pellet Gun Shot 7 Times by Police
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/marchers-protest-calif-deputys-shooting-boy-20668711
“A Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy twice told the boy to drop the weapon, but he instead raised it in the deputy’s direction, police said at a news conference Wednesday.
Police said two deputies were riding in a marked patrol vehicle and were in uniforms when they spotted Andy in a hooded sweatshirt and shorts at 3:14 p.m. Tuesday. His back was turned toward the deputies, and they did not realize he was a boy.
One of the deputies saw what appeared to be an assault rifle similar to an AK-47 in the teen’s left hand. The deputies pulled over and took cover behind one of the vehicle’s doors, according to police.
A witness reported seeing the patrol car’s overhead emergency lights turn on and hearing the chirp of a siren, police said.
One of the deputies twice ordered Andy to drop the weapon, according to a witness, police said.
The teen was about 20 or 30 feet away from the deputies with his back toward them when he began turning around with what one deputy described as the barrel of the rifle rising up and turning in his direction, police said.
One deputy then fired several rounds, striking the boy at least once, Henry said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said they believe eight rounds were fired. The timeline released by Santa Rosa police says those shots were fired within 10 seconds of the deputies’ first report of a suspicious person.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Santa Rosa police displayed the pellet gun alongside a real AK-47. The two appeared strikingly similar.”
Given some of the videos I’ve seen of police shootings, I’m skeptical that the 13 year old pointed the ‘gun’ in their direction. 10 seconds from ‘I see him’ to shooting doesn’t allow a person time to comply with orders. It reminds me of the Costco shooting, when they went from seeing the ‘suspect’ to shooting in 7 seconds, and just 2 seconds from command to shooting.
This springs from the ‘guilty until proven innocent’ attitude, along with too many cops who don’t understand that they ARE being paid to risk their lives.