LOL, do you even know what a pellet gun is, or is this yet another example from your anal-repository of irrelevant factoids?
They claim a lot of things that are not substantiated by the video. So why should we trust what they say about anything? Their entire credibility is shot.
Seems to me if they saw the kid stick a gun in his waistband, they must have been pretty close (unless they were spying on him through binoculars). Why did they have to drive right up on his toes to get even closer? Why not get his attention by calling out to him on the loud speaker, direct him to set the object on the ground, and then cautiously walk over to him to check things out?
So do you dispute it then? I want to be clear and not misunderstand you.
Did I stutter?
I DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING THOSE FUCKERS SAY.
Is that clearer for you?
This is particularly apt - If I see something potentially dangerous I hang back, observe, give myself a greater reaction time should something go south.
I don’t drive within 3 feet of them so I can read their number plate and shout at them to slow down
That is a chilling video. I think even the police-defenders know, deep down, that what took place in that pavilion in Cleveland was a travesty.
I never said the 12 yo couldn’t fire the weapon. I said that barring extremely unlikely circumstances, he won’t fire it deliberatly. I even mentioned that the risk was an accidental discharge.
What? The LEO was punching him in the face “to prevent him from chocking”. How dare you critize this helpful officer? :mad:
And for the record, since I don’t doubt some people will think I hate the police, my grandfather was a police officer, and my brother is a police officer.
so it’s even more understandable for cops to shoot first, if they’re facing a 12-year-old? That’s what it seems you mean here.
The correct response, when facing a 12-year-old with a potential deadly weapon from @ 3 feet away, would be to take cover and ask him to drop the gun, in a non-threatening tone. Tackling his small body, or even using a taser, would be other potentially sane responses.
First - the 12-year-old in question was not waving the gun around when the cops were there.
And second - why do you think the guns are called “equalizers”? What in the world does the “small body” matter if he has a freaking GUN pointed at you? Will you be less dead if a 12-year-old shoots you vs. a 24-year-old - cuz of 12-year-old’s “small body”?
I don’t think I could find even a scintilla of sympathy for a drug dealer who got his ass beat.
From a practical POV, the 12-year-old is less likely to have the practice or focus-under-pressure to shoot competently (or even shoot at all–the kid might not know how to load the gun, he might not know where the ammo is kept, and he might not even know how to release the safety on the gun). That’s not even accounting for the fact that 12-year-olds don’t usually shoot people–they’re just not angry/desperate enough, relative to an adult. They still think like children, largely. This kid probably still played with his action figures. I know I did, when I was 12.
From a more emotional perspective, my first response to this kid would be to love him and care about him. That’s a natural human emotional response. What the officer did was the act of a highly excitable 1st-year rookie who probably has never worked with children, has no children, and therefore
-
Was the wrong officer for this encounter
-
Probably is simply too trigger-happy to ever safely be allowed to carry a gun in a LEO role.
What about the very-visibly-pregnant woman who the cop threw on her belly on an asphalt surface? You don’t give a shit about her either, do you?
Here’s a clue, though–they’re both humans, just like we are. They don’t disappear just because you wish them away. They have families and friends and passions and sorrows, just like we do. They are in our world, planet Earth, the human race, etc…
The cop said happy, and there went Tamir Rice.
Reread the post and try to respond to what I said, not what you think you read. Better yet, run along and ride your bicycle.
Save your disrespect for the people in your daily life. They might actually somewhat deserve it. I’m honestly worried about my country, and have no time for ideology of any stripe when an issue concerns me this much. You can keep trying to attack me, but I’m not interested in partisan debate.
How is any of this relevant to the confiscation and destruction of the video?
I haven’t posted here for a long time. BUT 12! Were you, as a privileged white boy, taught to hide your plastic gun from police? Or were you just gleefully waving it around, pointing at any and all people (and random trees) while yelling random Star Wars or other movie quotes?
HE WAS 12!
How would you like to be held responsible for all your crappy 12 YEAR OLD decisions NOW?
All the “he deserved it” posters need to seriously consider that they may be ones who are intellectually twelve years old.
Holy crap. When people are actually defending this, then yeah…whole world. Gone to crap.
I’m late to this thread but I’ve read all seven pages so far and I’ve yet to see a satisfactory answer to one important question:
If these cops thought that Tamir Rice had a real weapon and was therefore armed and dangerous, why did they drive right up to within a few feet of him?
Is that standard police procedure in America? If they SERIOUSLY thought he had a gun, why not park across the street and yell at him from relative safety? Why not at least give him a fucking chance to surrender instead of gunning him down like an animal and then standing there while he died in agony from a shot to the gut? He was obviously down and helpless and they’d supposedly kicked his “weapon” away and effectively “disarmed” him, so why not attempt first aid? Or do cops in america normally let people bleed out onto the snow after shooting them?
Ok that’s more than one question, but I still want answers dammit!