[TonyWojo]

All three fired their weapons.

[PLMerite]

Lot of conflicting stories here.

Whomever's lying should go to jail.

[white trash redneck]

He was suicidal, so they shot him. Sheesh!

One thing is for certain - cops in AZ don't take crap off anybody. It's no coincidence that many of the SC cases establishing defendants' rights (e.g. Miranda) originated in AZ as a result of zealous law enforcement.

[coloradan]

Our fine men in blue save a troubled teen and his family from the tragedy of suicide.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The boy's parents said their son had dropped the knife after he was shot with a Taser gun moments earlier and was not a threat to officers.

"He's got the knife and he's advancing toward the officers in a threatening manner. They are telling him to stop and he doesn't obey any of their verbal commands," Goulet said. "He's coming at them regardless of the Taser. At that point they had to discharge their weapons."

The parents' version and the cops' version of events are completely different here. I'm not sure what to make of this. I find it hard to believe the cops would shoot the kid after he dropped the knife

[El Laton Caliente]

"Law Enforcement Officers shoot the wrong person over 11% of the time" - John Lott

They have a lot of practice on covering up their mistakes...

[JoeSixPack1]

15, drunk, tazored and killed in front of his parents at home by three LEO's who all shot to kill in unison.

I thought only 007 had a license to kill for the thrill?

[Sabatier]

From last year in Chandler, Arizona, a case where a woman was shot and killed by an officer:

"[Officer] Lovelace responded to a Chandler Walgreens on Oct. 11, 2002 after it was reported that 35-year-old
Nelson was trying to pass a fake prescription for the muscle relaxer Soma. Within minutes of Lovelace's arrival,
Nelson tried to drive away, hitting Lovelace's parked police motorcycle. Lovelace told investigators that he
feared for his life and fired once as Nelson drove toward him.

Witnesses and physical evidence indicate that 38-year-old Lovelace was behind Nelson's Chevrolet Camaro
and in no danger when she disobeyed the officer and began to drive away, according to police reports."
http://www.ahwatukee.com/afn/community/articles/030402c.html

[I still care]

This is a far more common problem than people realize. A lot of times you need to call the police for help and end up very sorry you did.

A couple of years ago my bipolar husband was acting out, and I needed to get him to the hospital. Despite my asking for an ambulance, and help, the 911 operator decided we were all being killed (all the screaming from him while I was on the phone.)

The police came in and hauled him off to jail, despite mine and the kids pleas (and his!) that what he needed was to be brought to the ER.

After a night in jail, the expense of hiring an attorney, and endless anxiety and worry, the judge released him and he had to spend 2 MONTHS in the hospital because the day in jail without his medicine was the final coup de grace to his lithium level, and they couldn't get it back up.

My kids had to do without for a long time in order to pay the attorney. I am SO GLAD that the state saw fit to protect us out of new clothes and car repair that year! /sarcasm

My husband died a year later from medication problems. I am a lady, but if I ever see those cops again I would love to spit in their faces. They deserved it.

[adam_az]

Police first went to the Madrigal home about 12:30 a.m. because the family called 911 when the son and father argued after the teen came home after having "six or seven" beers at a neighbor's home.

http://www.selfdefence.com/stun_gun_qa.htm#Drugs_or_Alcohol

Are They Effective On A Person Under The Influence Of Drugs Or Alcohol, And Can It Penetrate Clothing? ANSWER: Effects on a person under the influence can vary depending on the person. A Stun Gun can penetrate up to 2 inches of thick clothing.

No one's done a toxicology report yet, so who knows what he was really on. Speculation, but Methamphetamine is VERY popular in AZ especially among kids. No idea what his actual blood alcohol content was. No idea if the stun gun had an effective strike. I could see ONE cop overreacting to a kid on the floor - but ALL THREE AT THE SAME TIME? What, did they plan ahead of time to shoot the kid, before they even showed up? Not likely.

What about the neighbor? Which neighbor is letting a 15 year old kid drink a six-pack or more of beer, and why do the parents let the kid go over to the neighbors house? If they had control of their child, he would not have been drunk. If the parents let him go there knowing he would be drinking, then they are criminally neglectful parents.

Remember, the kid was armed with a knife, and was threatening to kill himself. He attacked three armed police officers with a knife who responded first NOT BY SHOOTING THEIR PISTOLS - BUT BY USING THE STUN GUN! If they wanted to kill the kid, they could have just shot him in the first place, since he put their lives in danger. At this point I give a higher likelihood to the officers story being true for these reasons.

I'm appalled to see the "blame the cop" mentality on this thread, before many of the facts are in.

You are acting like children. Turn off the "Rage against the Machine" CD, shut up, sit down, and do your homework.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Well,they've already mastered the art of shooting the family dog!

[Little Ray]

Call it evolution in action.

[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.