# I pit the family of that kid who got shot. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 17, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300 "2006-01-17T02:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/141 "2006-01-22T09:26:16Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > In other words: > > The police did everything right. > > Got it. If that helps you sleep better, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/142 "2006-01-22T09:30:20Z")
Here’s what helps me sleep better: People who “guess” & “don’t know” what the police should’ve done but “give them a pass” quit demanding the police play probability games when they’re facing what looks like a real and therefore lethal weapon aimed at the police. But, hey, we all have sleepless nights sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/143 "2006-01-22T10:05:34Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Here’s what helps me sleep better: > > People who “guess” & “don’t know” what the police should’ve done but “give them a pass” quit demanding the police play probability games when they’re facing what looks like a real and therefore lethal weapon aimed at the police. > > But, hey, we all have sleepless nights sometimes. I usually don’t. I really don’t. I hope you don’t think I’m being an ass, because I’m not. Sleep well my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/144 "2006-01-22T10:22:38Z")
I don’t think you’re being jerkish. I just think your expectations of the police in this situation are unrealistic. There’s a perfect world where nobody puts the cops into that situation and then there’s what happened. Since people, including police officers, have real lives, let’s let the police protect everyone’s lives with realistic procedures. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2006, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/145 "2006-01-22T10:24:36Z")
Oh, yes. Friend, you sleep well, also. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/146 "2006-01-23T05:34:02Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > IIRC, good ole Rodney King was Taser’ed - twice - and still managed to charge the cops afterwards. Of course, he was drunk and unarmed, and a good bit larger than the dear departed under discussion in this thread. > > As I understand it, Taser’ing is a two step process - shoot the bad guy with the wire with a barb on the end, then hit the button and zap him. Then, ideally, he falls down and stops doing what ever he was doing, and you cuff him. So the extra quarter-second involved in Taser vs. lead vaccination might make it less desirable as an option against firearms. > > Of course, I am firmly in the camp that believes that one ought not to make threatening gestures towards people with firearms, if possible. Fortunately, it tends to be self-limiting behavior. > > Regards, > Shodan Not all tazers have a projectile aspect. Some are contact based, you hold down a button and bring the metallic prongs into direct contact with someone’s skin and it takes effect. Like a cattle prod but not as long and cumbersome and, IIRC, not as powerful and safer. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/147 "2006-01-23T05:48:10Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > Not all tazers have a projectile aspect. Some are contact based, you hold down a button and bring the metallic prongs into direct contact with someone’s skin and it takes effect. Like a cattle prod but not as long and cumbersome and, IIRC, not as powerful and safer. That’s not a tazer, it’s a stun gun. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2006, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300/148 "2006-01-23T08:27:59Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > That’s not a tazer, it’s a stun gun. Well technically a tazer isn’t anything, now that I look back at my use of the letter z. A taser is one particular brand of propelled electro-shock device and is actually TASER as it’s an acronym. But, in common parlance stun-gun and taser are used to describe various objects that deliver an electric shock to people, whether it be via propelled means or closer contact means. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-family-of-that-kid-who-got-shot/340300.md?page=7)