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."

[Stew Padasso]

I agreed with you. Just because people are heated with LE does not mean you tell folks to shut up and sit down. There is good reason these days to be irritated with LE. So, some people are gonna pop off.

"If they wanted to kill the kid, they could have just shot him in the first place"

Kinda like that kid in Modesto?

"At this point I give a higher likelihood to the officers story being true for these reasons."

What do you have something against the family? You are speculating that they are horrible parents without even knowing them. What is your bias?

[Stew Padasso]

Elaborate.

[King Prout]

wow: 42 posts and no one has "just damn"ed you yet?

[Doe Eyes]

He was suicidal, so they shot him. Sheesh!

The police were well within their rights. Its illegal to commit suicide.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"How can our society allow that to happen more than once?"

Because we keep allowing the government to put poorly trained people of questionable mental stability on the streets in uniforms with firearms.

The vast majority of LEOs do not fit this description but the fact remains that there are a number of cops out there that should not be allowed to handle sidearms af any type.

[King Prout]

1. Despite what the greiving dad may say, he was NOT a normal kid

2. Rule of Thumb Chorus, please: "if there's a problem with one of your relatives, and you do NOT want to have to plant that person's corpse, whatever the Hell you do: Do NOT call the police.

[coloradan]

Killing the offspring of those who trust, and would call, the police? Repeat for N generations. Evolutionary outcome: Nobody still living would have any ancestors who had ever called the police to help.

[CanadianLibertarian]

What do you mean zealous law enforcement? This sounds like out and out murder. American police officers are among the rudest, most militarized, most violent and dangerous in the western world. They are real tough when dealing with mentally distressed adolescents, but surprisingly cowardly when facing real resistance like rioters in LA.

[Little Ray]

Don't buy the parent's story; remember too well one where the parents said what good kid their child was - only committed armed robberies to get stuff for his illegitimate child (he was a teen age gang banger, shot by a store owner in self defense). Everybody's child is a little angel.

Cops are unlikely to knock someone down then shoot him on the ground - even if they are brutes, there is too much liability. Cops know that, if a knifeman gets too close, they ARE going to get cut before they can shoot. No reason for 'em to take the risk. By not losing the knife on command, the kid chose poorly and the gene pool got a little chlorine.

[1rudeboy]

Of course, the Western world places a high premium on the notion that one is innocent until proven guilty, and not the other way around.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Please see #25. I do agree with you. If the dad's version is right, it amazes me that a cop would be that brazenly stupid but things like this do happen. I guess I shouldn't be surprised what with the blatant things that cops do get away with these days. I love the story of the cop with 30 years' experience that shoots himself in the leg with his service weapon accidentally. That happens a lot more than a guy would reasonably expect. The cops claim to be weapons experts and they screw up worse with guns than any other demographic out there.

[Stew Padasso]

"even if they are brutes, there is too much liability. Cops know that"

BS - there are plenty of examples to prove otherwise.

[Stew Padasso]

"kid chose poorly and the gene pool got a little chlorine"

Maybe you won't be so callous if someone in your family is cleaned out of society.

[Little Ray]

Gee, then I'd be a little too emotionally involved to render a rational judgement wouldn't I?

Get drunk. Get stupid. Get dead. It doesn't matter if its a cop or an automobile accident. I suppose if it were a traffic accident you'd blame the alcohol or vehicle instead of the drunken moron behind the wheel.

Really, this ought to a (Can't) Hold Muh Beer! ping.

[Traffic_Can]

Thanks for the info. $hit happens I guess.

[Stew Padasso]

I agree with some of the other posters. The mistake was made when the parents reached out to the police.

[adam_az]

The cops claim to be weapons experts and they screw up worse with guns than any other demographic out there.

False statistic. There are a lot of police officers, and they carry their sidearms with them 8+ hours a day, every day. How many other "demographics" spend all day at work, with a loaded weapon?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I don't believe that for a minute. How many CCW carriers accidentally shoot themselves or their friends? If the numbers were at all significant, the liberal media would have it on the news every night.

The last time I went to a public shooting range, guess who scared me out of there so bad that I was just about leaving skid marks getting out of there? It wasn't the citizens shooting, it was the two cops that rolled up. Two minutes after they got there, I found myself looking down the barrel of an officer's service weapon while he was nonchalantly rapping with his buddy. They had absolutely no regard for where the muzzle was pointing.