California Gestapo gun down thirteen year old child:
(Reuters) – A 13-year-old California boy carrying a replica of an assault rifle was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies who apparently believed the gun was real, family members and authorities said.
The incident took place in the northern California community of Santa Rosa on Tuesday, a day after a 12-year-old boy killed a teacher at a Nevada middle school with a gun he also used to take his own life.
Although authorities declined to identify the child killed in the California incident, the boy’s father, Rodrigo Lopez, said he was 13-year-old Andy Lopez, who was on his way to a friend’s house with a pellet gun left at the family home over the weekend.
Is is time to disarm all the police in California? Their mantra appears to be shoot first, ask questions later. I find no mention in the article where the late Andy Lopez ever posed a threat to the California Gestapo. Open carry of a firearm, or replica thereof, may be illegal in California. It should not however convert city streets into a free fire zone.
October 25th, 2013 at 18:17
My initial thoughts were almost identical, and I’m a former CA LEO. But as tragic as this is I withheld major snark until a few more facts could come to light – because let’s face it, we all know the news media would not get the ENTIRE story out there the first time, right?
Now it looks more and more as if the deputies were approaching him from rear, knew he was carrying what appeared to be a banana clip loaded AK-47, and were giving him verbal instructions to stop, drop the weapon and raise his hands. He is of medium size, wearing bulky outdoor clothing, and facing away from them. That’s all they know.
Now the moment of truth. He stops, evidently hearing them, but instead of dropping the “weapon”, which had been held pointing mostly downward, he begins to raise the “gun” while at the same time turning toward them.
That’s an extremely tough tactical situation. My estimate is about 80% of today’s cops FROM ALL ACROSS THE NATION would’ve shot BEFORE he completed turning, facing them with a raised “weapon”.
But go ahead and criticize all you want. They might be bad cops. Who knows anymore?
October 25th, 2013 at 18:45
I like to think of myself a pro-cop. It is a tough job, and somebody has to do it. However I have seen too many Fearless Fosdick, shoot first, ask questions later, this year. This spring Southern California LEO”s opened fire to two moving vehicles, because they resemble the rogue ex-cop who on a shooting rampage. Then there were the joker in DC who shot and killed a lady after she bumped (not rammed) a White House barrier. Special mention to Boston area police who terrorize an entire neighborhood, with armored personnel carriers, machine guns and body armor, only to not find a bleeding suspect who not traveled half a mile.
It has not been a very good year.
As it stands now, the story of Andy Lopez does not appear destined to a major one.