Turns out the kid had a bb gun that looked exactly like a real handgun. I have taken a look of said bb gun, and up close it is obvious, but from a distance, it does look like a real gun. I would have shot someone pulling that out too. It is an honest mistake. Now, what was the 13-year-old doing with that gun? He robbed someone. Yep, robbed. All the sudden this story doesn't sound so absurd. Naturally, the parents are upset, rightfully so, their child is dead, and are wanting an unbiased investigation. That is totally reasonable. However, there are some serious questions that need to be addressed. Besides the obvious morals issues, considering he held a gun to someone and robbed them, another is why the hell did this kid have a bb gun that resembled a Ruger? It is a very good replica, it does it's job in looking like the real deal.
Like I said before, I am for a person's right to carry, however, it is obvious why a 13-year-old isn't allowed to carry. So why are there guns for kids resembling the real deal? It makes a cops job difficult. To shoot or not to shoot? We all talk about trigger happy cops that shoot the innocent, but rarely is the threat really talked about. While the average cop gets the gun training of a kindergartener, there is a real threat. Two things really need to be addressed.....Well three if you count the issue of getting rid of bad cops, since that seems to be hard as fuck. First off, our cops really need more training. I get more training than our cops and I am not required to know how to use a gun by my job. If your job entails firearms, you need at least weekly training at the range. It doesn't have to be long, an hour a week, and then a skills test once a month is not too hard. For fucks sake, I had to prove my skills as a lifeguard more often than our cops. We are not doing them any favors by not training them properly. It just makes their job even harder. While shoot to kill is a good way to teach, considering an armed person that wants to harm isn't going to stop when there is an attempt to disarm, it should not be the only training. Small target training should be enforced. When a person reaches for an assumed weapon, the first shot should be a small, non-lethal target. It really doesn't take that long of a time to pull the trigger and then pull it again if the action is not stopped. Especially with kids, most are not going to continue with their actions if shot in the foot. Now I'm not saying all confrontations end like this, but with this situation, it could have been used. All it takes is one trigger pull, adjust the aim for the second shot, and reassess the situation. While it isn't sensible for the average Joe, cops should be taught this. Again, this isn't feasible for all situations, but it is a method that should be taught as a part of their skills. I'm sure many will disagree with that, but it is my opinion on how to vary their training. Another thing mentioned in the reporting was that the child fled. I am not sure how far he fled, but a good method for fleeing subjects is tazing them. I already know their gun training is shoddy, so I presume they don't have much training with these either. While I don't have all the details. I still feel the cop only had one skill at his disposal that was really enforced, which is the shoot to kill. Which is sad and not fair to the cop. Not only does he have to deal with the investigation, he has to deal with the fact he killed a child. A troubled child, but a child none the less.
Secondly, we need to stop making toy guns look like the real deal. This wasn't a matter of a kid going pew pew pew, with an orange gun at a cop, it was a kid that had something that looked like something that could KILL you. I need to emphasize that. It looks like a weapon that could kill, and was pulled out when cops were chasing him. Now comes the hard choice. Should the cop risk his life, in the off chance it was what it turned out to be, or should he shoot to protect himself from what looks like a weapon. Yes, this is a child, but so many forget that kids are capable of killing. Hell, this kid robbed someone with his bb gun, so honestly, in my opinion, it was only a matter of time before he obtained a real gun and killed someone if there was no intervention. From what is reported, it seems like the kid was involved in a gang. I really can't think of another reason why a 19-year-old would hang out with a 13-year-old and then happen to rob someone with a gun. This was reported to be admitted by the 19-year-old 'friend'.
I do feel for the family. I can't imagine losing a child. With empathy, I can have somewhat of an idea of what it might be like. I know the mother thought the world of this child, but if the facts come out the shooting was justified, she really needs to reflect and focus on her daughter. I don't know if she just missed the signs, or if the household is conducive for this type of behavior, but I really hope her daughter turns out well. Losing a brother is hard, but if she turns out like her brother, that would be even more tragic. I truly hope that the investigation helps the family get some closure, but I feel there won't be any, especially after the confession and the bb gun evidence. It certainly doesn't help the tension that is going on currently, but, this wasn't a case of a racist person killing a black person. As it turns out, there was more to it, more that needs to lead to changes.
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