Kid Shot Dead By Cops, Witnesses Say He Was Holding Wii Remote

62 responses to “Kid Shot Dead By Cops, Witnesses Say He Was Holding Wii Remote”

1. 

   rethilgore

   February 21, 2014 at 9:33 am

   ‘MERCA, because guns are the best thing for everyone WHOO YEAH ITS YOUR RIGHT BABY!!!! *shakes head in disgust*

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   1. 

      mrtaco

      February 21, 2014 at 9:35 am

      …are there any countries in the world where the police DON’T have guns?

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      1. 

         Cairkol

         February 21, 2014 at 9:39 am

         England and New Zealand spring to mind immediately.

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      2. 

         energydrinkhigh

         February 21, 2014 at 9:41 am

         The UK? I’m pretty sure I remember hearing that they don’t carry guns. Or maybe they do now?

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         1. 

            doc_what

            February 21, 2014 at 9:47 am

            Nope. Only the armed response unit has guns.

            Reply
         2. 

            bigdirtyjase

            February 21, 2014 at 10:05 am

            Yes…in the UK, police officers in general don’t carry guns and they require to be trained and become an authroised firearms officer before getting a weapn (leathal and less than lethal weapons) but slowly UK cops are being issued with taser guns as standard issue

            I’m suprised that most police officers in the US are not carrying taser guns (I remember when I was in LA, cops had both tasers and pistols and when having a chat with an officer their first option is to go for the less-than-lethal option first before using deadly force)

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         3. 

            rybo5000

            February 21, 2014 at 11:17 am

            Yeah, I’m from the UK but live in Australia at the moment. I nearly had a heart attack when I first saw a policeman with a gun!

            Reply
            1. 

               pokedad

               February 21, 2014 at 10:02 pm

               Our police don’t just have guns. They have cannons.

               Last I heard, standard issue was Glock semi-auto .45 with hollow point ammunition. If you need to shoot someone, it’s because they need to die. A cannon with explodey bullets will do that every time.

         4. 

            hokaloogie

            February 21, 2014 at 1:54 pm

            So they’re basically just security guards now..?

            Reply
      3. 

         cillysunt

         February 21, 2014 at 9:42 am

         i think what he’s getting at is the police wouldn’t be so terrified of everyone being armed so he probably wouldn’t have been shot if not for “MERICA”

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         1. 

            rethilgore

            February 21, 2014 at 9:51 am

            This 🙂 the entire culture is shoot first ask questions later. to the point that police just open the door and fire. meaning they had their guns out and pointed before the door was even opened. I mean cmon…

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            1. 

               mrtaco

               February 21, 2014 at 10:02 am

               Ah. Way too early in the morning to make that connection 😛

            2. 

               dogman

               February 21, 2014 at 10:22 am

               The problem is it’s quite a fair response to have your gun drawn when going into an unknown environment as a police officer in America. It’s not that the cops want to shoot people it’s that guns are so easy to access literally anybody they encounter could have one and a reason to shoot.
               It forces them to keep the public at arms length and creates that ‘us vs them’ mentality on the police force that leads to this sort of stuff being swept under the rug when possible, but it also justifies the extreme paranoia shown here. Police have been shot out of nowhere when pulling people over for a speeding ticket. As stupid as it sounds to us they had good reason to be ready to shoot.
               It’s possible this guy was just really eager to shoot a kid, but I think it’s more likely he just made a terrible mistake. It doesn’t excuse what he did but I think it’s important to understand why it happened.

            3. 

               jackunit13

               February 21, 2014 at 10:29 am

               Yeah I reckon he made a mistake, but then still FTP because they lied about the kid having a gun!

            4. 

               dogman

               February 21, 2014 at 11:11 am

               Oh yeah. There’s no other way about it, he shot a kid. If they’re telling the truth I hope they prove it but action still needs to be taken. If they’re lying I can understand why but that doesn’t excuse it at all and lying about it just further divides the police from the people.

            5. 

               gregorvorbarra

               February 21, 2014 at 11:40 am

               Actually, SHE shot a kid. It was a female officer.

            6. 

               dogman

               February 21, 2014 at 11:59 am

               @gregvorbarra: I’ve got no idea how I misheard that. =S

            7. 

               guilty

               February 21, 2014 at 10:55 am

               And i think this cop is a murder. A person that took away a life of person in front of his family. its not important to understand what happened. the whole world knows it. america has a problem. a huge problem. its the gun lobbys that want u to think its ok to buy guns. its not. its disgusting.

            8. 

               Jake

               February 22, 2014 at 8:48 am

               It was a female cop. Let’s not make the assumption that all cops with guns are guys. The fact that this police officer got a PAID admin leave is disgusting. Almost as bad as the 8 cops that shot 103 bullets into a car with two unarmed women thinking it was someone else, just getting to go free. Police should get thrown in jail and lose there jobs for stuff like this

      4. 

         ianuniacke

         February 21, 2014 at 9:42 am

         That’s a fair point, however I think the gun culture would lead to the police being more trigger happy. Also in countries where guns are illegal there’d be less reason to assume a wiimote was a gun.

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      5. 

         wagzy

         February 21, 2014 at 9:42 am

         It’s the fact that they mistaked the “Wii Remote” for a gun. Though there isn’t any information about where this was at so the area could if been pretty bad so the cops weren’t taking any chances. Still, if they’re lying about it to cover their ass’s, pity on them.

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         1. 

            cufcfan616

            February 21, 2014 at 10:05 am

            Judging just by the article stating he opened the door and was immediately shot in the chest, the police had their guns drawn and ready to fire. I’m pretty sure that’s not standard procedure even in trigger happy ‘Murica unless they’ve been tipped off that the occupant of a house is armed and dangerous. All they were doing in this article was following up on someone breaking their probation. Hardly a reason to go charging in guns blazing.

            No doubt the cop will be suspended for a bit before being reinstated fully back on the force once it’s all died down (pun really not intended)

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            1. 

               coldcamv

               February 21, 2014 at 10:23 am

               You forgot the bit where he will be suspended with pay then given a desk to “grieve” at and “reflect” then be out on the streets and probably with a promotion

            2. 

               nexi

               February 21, 2014 at 10:46 am

               I also found it strange that he was shot immediately upon opening the door. Pretty sure only secret service are “trained” to shoot first whereas other standard law enforcement, especially those just issuing a warrant, would have their firearms holstered and the safety on when approaching the door. There’s something strange going on and I suspect it is the length of time between the door opening and the shot being fired.

            3. 

               eqaf

               February 21, 2014 at 4:42 pm

               which is entirely possible, given that the police were there for a reason.

         2. 

            coldcamv

            February 21, 2014 at 10:25 am

            Maybe the Wii remote was in one of the hand gun attachment things

            Reply
      6. 

         gnomehunter

         February 21, 2014 at 9:46 am

         Police with guns isn’t the issue. The issue is that they are easily obtainable by civilians, therefore often presenting a threat to police. A wii remote or any item wouldn’t be as easily perceived as a firearm if you knew that civilians aren’t very likely to be in possession of one. Obviously I’m not saying it wasn’t the police’s fault but the way guns are handled in America certainly does not help.

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      7. 

         blackdahlianz

         February 21, 2014 at 9:55 am

         New Zealand

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      8. 

         redsarge

         February 21, 2014 at 10:26 am

         Pretty sure new zealand cops dont carry firearms

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      9. 

         andye

         February 21, 2014 at 11:23 am

         The problem is not police having guns, the problem is when guns are so prevalent in society that police are always scared of getting shot themselves.

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      10. 

          ozoneocean

          February 21, 2014 at 1:21 pm

          I don’t think that’s the point. The issue is that the idiots are so trigger happy.

          Reply
   2. 

      srg

      February 21, 2014 at 10:54 am

      ‘STRAYA, because having a nation of beige cardigan-wearing cowards who depend on the nanny government to make all their decisions for them is the best thing for everyone!

      *shakes head in disgust*

      (fun to make sweeping generalisations, isn’t it?)

      Reply
      1. 

         cillysunt

         February 21, 2014 at 11:14 am

         STRAYA, Call ya mates C*nt and C*nts Mate

         Reply
      2. 

         transientmind

         February 21, 2014 at 1:03 pm

         You know what… if that results in innocent kids not getting blown away for answering the door with a gamepad in their hand, then yeah. That seems like a pretty fucking great generalization to be proud of.

         Reply
   3. 

      poweredbyme

      February 21, 2014 at 11:20 am

      MERCA, where anyone can become a cop!

      Sign up and now and receive a free Gun and badge, don’t worry you won’t need to do the psych test that’s only for losers!

      Reply
   4. 

      JohnC

      February 21, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      …you realize things like this story are exactly the point of people “clinging” to guns. When trigger happy, corrupt, and militarized police are the only ones with guns, this happens. Second Amendment advocates are the ones most disgusted with this story.

      Go back into your corner and play until you’re ready to think like an adult.

      Reply
      1. 

         fletcher

         February 24, 2014 at 7:54 pm

         Yeah, the kid would have lived if he actually had a gun to defend himself from the cop with the gun. You’re an idiot. Cops wouldn’t been so trigger happy if they had to fear every home having a gun inside it.

         Go back to your corner and play until you’re ready to think like an adult, John.

         Reply
2. 

   Fishy009er

   February 21, 2014 at 9:41 am

   So what they need to do is go onto the Wii he as using before he answered the door and check the play history that tracks when and for how long you play games on your Wii. That should give pretty definitive evidence to back up the eyewitness’ statement that he was holding a Wii Remote.

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3. 

   zen

   February 21, 2014 at 10:24 am

   wow. even if it was a black wiimote…no yelling ‘drop the weapon!’ or something?

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   1. 

      gutsoup

      February 21, 2014 at 12:25 pm

      ^this^
      I was thinking the same thing, don’t they have a legal obligation to announce who they are, strange they didn’t reply when he asked who was there. I know in Australia they have to cause I have some friends who had their court case dismissed because the police yelled “oi” instead of announcing they were police,

      Reply
4. 

   neo_kaiser

   February 21, 2014 at 10:25 am

   A bit of a misleading title. When I hear kid I think of someone in the 6-12 range. Not a teenager.

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   1. 

      Allan

      February 21, 2014 at 11:12 am

      Moot point.

      Reply
   2. 

      transientmind

      February 21, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      Enh. Wait til you get older.

      Reply
      1. 

         neo_kaiser

         February 21, 2014 at 1:15 pm

         I’m 26.

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         1. 

            transientmind

            February 21, 2014 at 1:24 pm

            Right. Wait until you’re in your 30s. You even start thinking of kids in their early-20s as kids. 🙂

            Reply
            1. 

               zen

               February 21, 2014 at 2:06 pm

               im 36. get off my lawn you kids.

            2. 

               neo_kaiser

               February 21, 2014 at 2:06 pm

               They’re not kids. They’re just stupid.

            3. 

               shk

               February 21, 2014 at 3:49 pm

               anyone under 30 is a kid in my books. can’t drive/can’t vote=kid

5. 

   germinalconsequence

   February 21, 2014 at 10:50 am

   Admittedly this comes mostly from TV shows so reality may be different but I thought the law was that Police couldn’t shoot anyone unless they either fire first, or present enough of an imminent threat that there is no other option. Even then, I thought they were supposed to go for a disabling shot rather than a kill shot. It also sounds like the police didn’t announce themselves clearly and that they were armed either given that the child asked who it was and got no response.

   There’s so much about this that’s wrong…

   Reply
   1. 

      ozoneocean

      February 21, 2014 at 1:27 pm

      No, they shoot if they feel threatened, and they always go for the torso because it’s easier to hit.

      Reply
6. 

   guilty

   February 21, 2014 at 10:58 am

   so us cops dont know the difference between a wii remote and a gun ? even if he WAS pointing at her, W T F ???? dont know what to say. this is so sad. i hope this cop will have heavy depressions for the rest of his life. they should put him into jail forever

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7. 

   n0neoftheab0ve

   February 21, 2014 at 10:59 am

   What a waste of life – I reckon if police forces were run by the state governments and not just the local city council America would see some minimum policing standards adhered to instead of the free for all that exists now – I mean can you imagine if your local council was responsible for police!!?

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8. 

   justo11

   February 21, 2014 at 11:42 am

   As someone who is a police officer I am extremely disheartened by the attitude of most people commenting on this article.

   No cop goes to work wanting to be involved in a firearms incident, and certainly not one with a 17 year old. It’s a shame that the general public believe that this is something that cops look for in their daily duties.

   There are so many holes in this story. It is absolutely against all training and practice to immediately shoot somebody. It’s against all training and practice to approach peoples doors unannounced and then shoot whomever answers it.

   People do make mistakes, and with police those mistakes tend to be far heavier than your local cinema ushers. Its an absolute tragedy that a kid is now dead – but does that mean we should immediately bash the police after a two minute news story snippet that has no factual basis? I will reserve my judgement until the facts have been clearly presented, and I encourage you all to do the same

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   1. 

      kingpotato

      February 21, 2014 at 11:56 am

      If this happened in Australia i would agree with you, it didn’t and that’s all the needs to be said.

      This is AMERICA where every single fucking day you read about another school shooting another dirty shit stained cop who abused X person for no reason. Where excessive force is too little and breaking limbs is “warranted” because the perp smirked.

      This kid was murdered plain and simple, you can call it an accident or whatever but unless the entire thing is false and the kid did in fact have a gun then its all utter bullshit. They shot him the moment the door opened, which is pre meditation. IT doesn’t matter if he was the intended target or not they are killers and should go to jail for it.

      I mean seriously why would anyone believe what the cops say when the entire system in america is broken from how the police

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      1. 

         Thrill

         February 21, 2014 at 12:42 pm

         ^ this. Exactly this.

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      2. 

         JohnC

         February 21, 2014 at 4:43 pm

         Ever day a school shooting? Wow, I’m really behind on my news.

         What’s it like being such a mindless pawn of the media fear machine? Is there really nothing better to do in Australia than worry about what’s going on in the US? Go back to being a good little slave to your nanny state government and let the adults do the thinking.

         Reply
         1. 

            silverdrone

            February 24, 2014 at 10:14 am

            Yeah kingpotato, there have only been 19 school shootings so far this year in America! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States#2010s)
            and there have been more than twice that many days, so it’s more like one school shooting every 2 – 2.5 days. Pff, mindless pawn, go back to your nanny state where you don’t get shot…

            Reply
   2. 

      namiwakiru

      February 21, 2014 at 2:07 pm

      Get over it, not all people are good people just like all cops aren’t good cops.

      I have had far more experience dealing with bastards in blue than the kind protectors we are expected to view them as.

      Do I see all cops as bad? Of course not. But because they are police they should be held more accountable for their actions.
      (And don’t say they are, we see more instances of police getting away with some of the worst “mistakes” with nothing more than a slap on the wrist)

      And why wait for the “facts” when those facts are often twisted or excluded to protect their own? The facts are in the hands of police and as usual they use the blue wall to avoid releasing them.

      Humans don’t defend all humans, as a police officer you shouldn’t be so blind as to defend all police. That’s just reinforcing the us vs them mentality.

      Reply
9. 

   screamface

   February 21, 2014 at 1:07 pm

   Say they thought they saw him with a gun. Would procedure be to yell something like, ‘put down your weapon and come out with your hands up.’?

   Fucked up, but this is what you have in a violent militaristic society like america. Where gun prevalence is out of control.

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10. 

    barnabyisallthetalk

    February 21, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    If the family say he had a Wii remote. They are most likely correct. It would seem to farfetched for them to say that where the police insists it’s a gun.

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11. 

    justo11

    February 21, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    I am not defending the actions of the people involved. I wasn’t there and so I can’t do it.

    I can comment on policy and procedure because Australian police operate in ways adapted from America.

    What I’m saying is that the only witnesses were family members of the deceaced, one of which has breached probation and more than likely has had numerous negative dealings with Police. There is more to this story that what’s been reported. Alas, we will never know the full story…

    Also understand that if a cop BELIEVES someone is pointing a gun at them (whether it’s a Wii remote, cap gun, water pistol or stapler) they are legally allowed to use lethal force

    Reply
12. 

    Franz

    February 21, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    So in other words the latest american schoolkid shooting is by the police?

    Reply
13. 

    Bethan

    November 9, 2014 at 11:00 am

    The thing is they opened the door and fired straight away what if there were to be a child standing at the door they would of shot the child so what good are they doin to the earth shooting the good and allowing the bad to survive and make more mess for themselves they are stupid for wat they do they got police offers strangling an over weight guy that had asma and could breath he didn’t do anything it’s a load of rubbish the man was harmless both of them were and I hope they get bad karma

    Reply