Shooting incidents in the news.

[fixer]

I did some serious reflection on this situation myself. I think my perception is a bit skewed because where I live, and what I've experienced growing up, kids and toy guns were hand in hand. If you see a kid with a gun, it must, absolutely must, be a toy. And when I was a kid that was normal. I remember schools even being lenient enough (in fact encouraged) to me and my friends practicing our knife throwing skills at recess (on a tree in the far back area of our playground, so said recess monitor).

Things change. And reading of other officer's anecdotes about dealing with violent 13 yr olds is hard to process.

I also remember these two news stories that didn't make 1/115th the headlines of the current one:

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Dalla...146729785.html

and

http://www.reporternews.com/news/200...iller-of-teen/

Teens doing felonious stuff and paying the ultimate price for it. Shot by homeowners. Not police. When I was a kid, "bad" was lifting a pack of baseball cards.

So my perception and experience is driving a bit of hypocrisy: If a homeowner is "okay" protecting themselves from teens, so should the police even if the circumstances aren't "text-book."

Thanks for the help in understanding this situation. I appreciate it.

[Savage Hands]

Years ago I was robbed at the ATM at gunpoint, by the time I figured it out my companion had a gun to the back of her head. I was not armed and I was not taking a chance that the second gun was also fake.

[perlslacker]

When I was a kid, "bad" was lifting a pack of baseball cards.

Kids have been doing really bad criminal stuff since forever.

[pax]

The kid's death can be a horrible thing without the cops being guilty of wrongdoing.

This.

One thing that is very interesting about our culture right now is that when something goes wrong, we always look for some person to blame. It is hard to accept that someone could do something terrible without being at fault for doing it.

"Sometimes an officer will be forced to make a decision in a fraction of a second on partial information where the BEST choice will leave a corpse, a widow, two orphans, and someone who needs therapy." -- Rory Miller

pax

[Dagga Boy]

fixer, cops see everything people don't want to believe happens. Nobody calls 911 because things are going peachy. For me, seeing a gang homocide where a mid-teen gang member killed another one by pushing a piece of rebar completely through another teens head using body force alone was reason enough to change the definition of what a "child" or "kid" really is. My bar is about age 9. After that, I have seen some "kids" that the devil himself would fear. We have a society of some very warped little people out there. Firearms make them especially dangerous, AND they are attracted to firearms as size equalizers. As stated in a post above, street gangs often use their youngest to commit the worst of crimes because the system will never be very harsh on them.

Welcome to reality.......it is often hard when "regular folks" have to see what reality really looks like.

[fixer]

Welcome to reality.......it is often hard when "regular folks" have to see what reality really looks like.

Thanks. I appreciate the perspective and the opportunity to learn.

[BaiHu]

http://feedly.com/k/19FTdA1

"A manhunt is underway in Roseville, Calif. for an alleged gang member who police believe is responsible for shooting at least four police officers, ABC News 10 reports.

The search is currently underway for 28-year-old Samuel Duran, described by a police spokesperson as Hispanic and wearing a gray short-sleeve shirt and dark beanie. They consider him armed and dangerous."

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[will_1400]

http://feedly.com/k/19FTdA1

"A manhunt is underway in Roseville, Calif. for an alleged gang member who police believe is responsible for shooting at least four police officers, ABC News 10 reports.

The search is currently underway for 28-year-old Samuel Duran, described by a police spokesperson as Hispanic and wearing a gray short-sleeve shirt and dark beanie. They consider him armed and dangerous."

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Just a SHAME the kind of trouble a misguided choir boy on his way to church can get into these days, isn't it?

[SeriousStudent]

Prayers sent that the wounded officers make a full and complete recovery.

[MDS]

Prayers sent that the wounded officers make a full and complete recovery.

+1, and good hunting to their brothers.